San Diego First United
Methodist Church’s Daily Devotion for Monday, May 19, 2014 – Sunday, 25 May
2014
Week 4 - The Way -
Walking in the Footsteps of Jesus by Adam Hamilton
All-church Study (May
4-June 8, 2014)
Calming the Storm - The
Sea of Galilee
Trust and belief in
Jesus is a personal choice that comes to us. We can trust and believe that
Jesus knows the storms of life that we encounter and that his peace can
dissipate those storms. Or we can continue in doubt, anxiety, and fear.
Read by Sunday, May 25:
Pages 92-110 - The Way
- Walking in the Footsteps of Jesus (Book)
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Monday - Read today:
Pages 91 to 96 - The Way-40 Days of Reflection (Daily
Devotion Guide)
Fishing for People
“Passing along by the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and
Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were
fishermen. Jesus said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you into fishers
for men.”
Immediately they left their nets, and followed him. Going on
a little further from there, he saw James the son of Zebedee, and John, his
brother, who were also in the boat mending the nets. Immediately he called
them, and they left their father, Zebedee, in the boat with the hired servants,
and went after him.”(Mark 1:16-20)
I recently spent time with Yaeri, a Jewish fisherman who
makes his living on the Sea of Galilee. I wondered what I might from this
fisherman about the kind of people Jesus chose as his companions.
Yaeri was salt of the earth. I asked him what he loved about
his work as a fisherman on the Sea of Galilee. He told me he loved the sea:
“Every day is different. It is beautiful.” Indeed, anyone who has been to the
Sea of Galilee can testify to its beauty, as well as to how different it looks
at various times of day and during changes in weather patterns. Those who have
been to the Holy Land nearly always report that one of their favorite
experiences was taking a boat across the Sea of Galilee, and most tours arrange
this.
I asked Yaeri, “Why do you think Jesus chose fisherman on
this lake to be his first disciples?” His answer; “Fishermen make good friends.
They are trustworthy and hard working.
Acts 4:13 notes of Simon Peter and John that “they were
uneducated and ordinary men.” The word ordinary
here is the Greek word idiotai—a word
that, at the time, signified untrained, unpolished in speech, or unskilled.
Jesus’ first disciples were not the valedictorians of their
seminary class. They were not those voted “most likely to succeed” in their
high school class. They probably wouldn’t have been anyone’s first choice to
lead a movement that would change the world.
When I think of them, I am reminded of a retired pastor I
know. He struggled with stuttering his entire life. He was teased and harassed
as a boy. But as a young man he heard God calling him to fish for people by
becoming a preacher. This seemed to be an impossible calling: nevertheless he
said, “Here I am, Lord.” He went to school and ultimately became a Pentecostal
preacher. He continued to stutter his entire life, but an interesting thing happened
to him when he would stand in the pulpit to preach: his stuttering went away,
and instead he delivered, with power and eloquence, the message of Christ.
Ultimately God used him to build a church with many
thousands of people in a low-income community. The church included former
prostitutes and drug dealers worshiping side-by-side with business leaders and
educators. It was one of the city’s most diverse and dynamic congregations.
God seems to delight in using idiotai—the ordinary, common, nothing special kind of folks. Paul
writes, “God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise… so that no
one might boast in the presence of God” (1 Corinthians 1:27,29). Jesus comes to
all of us who claim to be his disciples, calling us to follow him and he’ll
make us fishers of people. Are you willing to say yes?
Lord, help me to follow you
faithfully, to be willing to lay down my net and join in your mission of
fishing for people. Amen.
Tuesday - Read today:
Pages 97 to 100 - The
Way-40 Days of Reflection (Daily Devotion Guide)
An Inconvenient Truth
“Now while the
multitude pressed on him and heard the word of God, he was standing by the lake
of Gennesaret. He saw two boats standing by the lake, but the fishermen had
gone out of them, and were washing their nets. He entered into one of the
boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little from the land. He
sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat. When he had finished
speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep, and let down your nets for
a catch.”
Simon answered him,
“Master, we worked all night, and took nothing; but at your word I will let
down the net.” When they had done this, they caught a great multitude of fish,
and their net was breaking.”(Luke 5:1-6)
Simon had been out fishing
all night. Coming back to clean his nets, he was tired and ready to go home and
some sleep. That’s when Jesus interrupted him to ask a favor: “Simon, the
people are pressing in. Can I bother you ti take me a few feet off shore and
let me teach from your boat?” (Luke 5:4). How do you think Simon felt? I
imagine him feeling inconvenienced, a little put out by the request.
Ultimately, though, he obliged.
When Jesus finished
preaching from the boat, he turned to Simon and said, “Let’s go fishing, Simon.”
Simon protested at first but finally relented saying, “Yet if you say so…
“(Luke 5:5). With that, in resignation and likely some irritations, Simon took
the boat out from shore.
Jesus often asks us to
do things that are inconvenient. Most of us, I suspect, would prefer a
convenient faith. I want Jesus to work around my schedule and never to ask me
to do anything too troubling. And by the way, if he wants to borrow a house,
car, boat, or tools, I’d prefer that he borrow someone else’s!
One of the ministries
of our church distributes beds, blankets, and pajamas to low-income children
who have no beds and sleep on the floor. We do this as a part of our
partnership with six elementary schools in low-income neighborhoods of Kansas
City. I love this ministry.
Recently, one of the
leaders who organizes the ministry asked me if I would join her team in
distributing beds on a Sunday afternoon. My typical routine on Sundays includes
preaching three times Sunday morning, going home to eat lunch and take a nap,
and then going back to preach one last time Sunday night. The volunteer was
asking me to give up my rest time, drive thirty minutes each way to the school,
and meet the recipients and her team members. I’ll be honest: my initial
reaction was to thank her but say that I couldn’t do it. After all, I had a
good excuse. She would understand. But something (Someone?) nudged me and my
wife to join them.
So LaVon and I ate a
quick bite and went down to Wheatley Elementary School to visit with recipients
and servants, as our church gave away forty beds for children who had been
sleeping on the floor. I arrived at the school exhausted, but I left energized.
Watching the children with their new beds, praying with families, seeing the
blessing that took place—all of it filled me with a sense of renewed passion
and joy.
In the end, Simon
agreed to be inconvenienced by Jesus. When, against his wishes, he let down his
nets, they were filled to overflowing. Will you allow Jesus to inconvenience
you?
Lord, help me to pay attention to your nudges and to
say yes when you interrupt or ask something inconvenient of me. Amen.
Wednesday - Read today:
Pages 101 to 104 - The
Way-40 Days of Reflection (Daily Devotion Guide)
Great-Tasting Bait
“and so also were James
and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon.
Jesus said to Simon, ‘Don’t
be afraid. From now on you will be catching people alive.’
When they had brought
their boats to land, they left everything, and followed him.”(Luke 5:10-11)
Jesus called the
fishermen to follow him and he would make them fishers of people. In fact, this
is the primary way by which people come to faith and are added to God’s
kingdom.
Last year I went on a
fishing trip to Canada with a few friends from church. I had never been on a
fishing trip before. Each of us on the trip was partnered with a guide. We
would float down the river in small boats. Suddenly our guide would say,
“There! Trout love areas like that. Hurry, cast right there.” We would gently
cast, leaving our fly on the surface of the water. Whoosh! A trout would rise
and take the fly. “Set the hook!” our guide would shout. Then we would slowly
reel in the fish, bring it out of the water in a net, hold it to admire its
beauty, and release it back into the stream. The experiencing was absolutely
exhilarating!
On the trip, I couldn’t
help but think about the parallels between fishing for trout and fishing for
people. In both cases it’s important to go where the fish are. One evening not
long ago, I sat in a bar by myself having supper. LaVon was out of town. I was
working on my sermon, and several people came up to talk to me—they had been to
the church for Easter or Christmas services. That evening I fished for people.
It reminded me of something I once saw in a coffee shop. A member of the clergy
wearing a clerical collar sat drinking coffee and working, with a homemade sign
next to him: Open for conversation.
In fishing for trout
and fishing for people, the lure matters. For trout, your lure (a “fly”) needs
to look and act real in order to make the fish bite. For people, the aim is not
simply to look and act real, but to be real—authentic, authentically nice,
caring, and genuinely interested in others.
Finally, with both
kinds of fishing you’ve got to pay attention. When the trout start rising,
you’d better start casting. And when God brings people across your path who are
spiritually hungry and open to being “caught” you’d better not miss the
opportunity to have a conversation about faith.
Last week, I heard from
a man whose wife had just left him. The man was nearly bankrupt and was so
depressed he was suicidal. His friends said to him, “We think you need what we
find every week at church. Would you come with us?” To their surprise, and I
suspect to his, the man came. He wrote to me last week, saying, “My life has
been changed by being a part of this church. Had my friends not invited me, I
honestly don’t think I would still be alive.” I’m glad they were paying
attention, that they were credible witnesses, and that they were willing to
cast what became a lifeline of faith for their friend.
Jesus says to all of
us, “Follow me, and I’ll make you fish for people.”
Lord, please help me to be a credible witness and to
pay attention when you bring people across the path. Give me courage and
boldness to strike up spiritual conversations with others, that I might “fish
for people.” Amen.
Thursday - Read today:
Pages 105 to 108 - The
Way-40 Days of Reflection (Daily Devotion Guide)
The winds and the Waves Obey Him
“Now on one of those
days, he entered into a boat, himself and his disciples, and he said to them, ‘Let’s
go over to the other side of the lake.’ So they launched out. But as they
sailed, he fell asleep. A wind storm came down on the lake, and they were
taking on dangerous amounts of water. They came to him, and awoke him, saying, ‘Master,
master, we are dying!’ He awoke, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the
water, and they ceased, and it was calm. He said to them, ‘Where is your faith?’
Being afraid they marveled, saying to one another, ‘Who is this, then, that he
commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him?’””(Luke 8:22-25)
Have you felt as if you
were on a sinking ship in the middle of a storm? The winds howl. The waves
crash over the bow of your ship. And you know you’re going down.
I see a lot of people
who are in the midst of storms, wondering if there is any hope. At times I
remind them of this magnificent story from the Gospels.
As followers of Jesus
we believe he is always in the boat with us. He promises to be with me wherever
I go. But there are times when it feels as though Jesus is asleep in my boat.
Illness, tragedy, adversity, disappointment—these are all a part of life. At
such moments we cry out to him, “Master, Master, we are perishing!”
After Jesus awoke and
calmed the winds and the waves, he scolded his disciples: “Where is your
faith?” I don’t think he was suggesting that the disciples could have calmed
the winds and the waves, if only they had faith. I think he was asking, “Why
did you wake me up? Did you really think you would drown with me in the boat?”
Sometimes Jesus calms
the winds and waves immediately. I’ve noticed that most often during my storms,
the winds and the waves take some time to die down. I call out to him, then
realize he’s in the boat with me. I remember to trust him and know somehow he
will see me through.
When my two daughters
were small and there were storms at night, one or the other would inevitably
awaken and come running down the hall to our bedroom, crying, “Daddy, Daddy,
I’m scared of the storms!” We had a small couch in our room, and I would make a
little bed for them. I’d sit on the floor next to them and say, “Daddy’s right
here. You don’t have to be afraid.” Soon they were fast asleep. I didn’t stop
the thunder and lightning, the wind or rains. Why, then, did my girls fall
asleep with the storm raging? It’s because they knew their Daddy was close by.
During the storms in my
life, I cry out to the Lord. I trust that he’s in the boat with me and that he
won’t let me drown. I commit my life, my ways, and my problems to him; and I
find in him my peace. Paul captures this feeling when he writes, from a prison
cell, “Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and
supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the
peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and
your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7).
Faith is simple trust
that our lives are in his hands, that he is always in our ship, and that he
will never abandon us.
Lord, in the midst of the storms that inevitably
come my way, help me to remember that you are always by my side. O Lord, calm
the winds and the waves. Amen.
Friday - Read today:
Pages 109 to 111 - The
Way-40 Days of Reflection (Daily Devotion Guide)
It is I, Do Not Be Afraid
“Immediately Jesus made
the disciples get into the boat, and to go ahead of him to the other side,
while he sent the multitudes away. After he had sent the multitudes away, he
went up into the mountain by himself to pray. When evening had come, he was
there alone. But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, distressed by the
waves, for the wind was contrary. In the fourth watch of the night, Jesus came
to them, walking on the sea. When the
disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, ‘It’s a
ghost!’ and they cried out for fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them,
saying ‘Cheer up! It is I! Don’t be afraid.’”(Matthew 14:22-27)
Once again we find the
disciples in a boat in the midst of a storm. These storms come up with some
regularity on the Sea of Galilee, as they do in life. Only this time, Jesus was
not in the boat with his disciples. Staying behind on the land to pray, he sent
his disciples ahead to the other side of the lake. Once again it was dark, and
the disciples were in the middle of the lake with the wind and waves buffeting
their small boat.
This is the well-known
story of Jesus walking on the water. Early in the morning, from some distance
away, he saw that his friends were struggling, and he went to them to make sure
they were okay. Like the disciples, we have times when the wind and waves
buffet us, but Christ sees us in our moment of need and comes to us.
But there is more to
the story. After Jesus walked on the water, the disciples looked at each other
and asked the question, “Who is this man?” Matthew, whose version of the story
is printed above, frequently describes Jesus as one like, but greater than,
Moses. After all, Moses led the children of Israel through the Red Sea, walking
through the water as though it were dry land. But Jesus walked on the water.
But Matthew is also
clear that Jesus is “Immanuel,” God with us. Matthew’s telling of the story,
whether he intended it or not, likely conjured up Scriptures in the minds of
the readers: Job 9:8, which describes God himself as one who “trampled the
waves of the Sea”; Psalm 7:19, which notes, “Your way was through the sea, your
path, through the mighty waters; yet your footprints were unseen”; Isaiah
43:16, which states that God “makes a way in the sea, a path in might waters.”
Who is this man who
walked on the waters? He is one greater than Moses. In fact, he is none other
than “God with us” in the midst of our fears, our storms, and our darkest
nights.
I remind our
congregation that part of our church building where the congregation sits is
called the “nave,” from the Latin navis,
which means ship. The church has long understood itself to be a ship, an ark in
which salvation is found. I love the idea that when we gather for worship we
are in God’s ship. There, Jesus comes to meet us, climbs into our boat, and
tells us, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.”
The phrase “Do not be
afraid” appears sixty-seven times in the Bible, most often either on the lips
of God to his people or on the lips of God’s leaders, reminding people that God
is with them and they don’t need to be afraid. Jesus shouted to his disciples,
in the midst of the howling winds and waves, “It is I! Do not be afraid!”
Whether the Lord was
asleep in the boat or walking across the water, the disciples did not need to
be afraid, for he would watch over them, sail with them in the storms, and
somehow find a way to deliver them. He will deliver you, too.
Lord, thank you for coming to your disciples on the
sea, trampling the waves. Help me trust that you are with me and that I don’t
need to be afraid. Calm my anxious heart. Amen.
Saturday - Read today:
Pages 114 to 116 - The
Way-40 Days of Reflection (Daily Devotion Guide)
When He Noticed The Strong Wind
“Peter answered him and
said, ‘Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the waters.’
He said, ‘Come!’
Peter stepped down from
the boat, and walked on the waters to come to Jesus. But when he saw that the
wind was strong, he was afraid, and beginning to sink, he cried out, saying, ‘Lord,
save me!’
Immediately Jesus
stretched out his hand, took hold of him, and said to him, ‘You of little
faith, why did you doubt?’ When they got up into the boat, the wind ceased.
Those who were in the boat came and worshiped him, saying, ‘You are truly the
Son of God!’”(Matthew 14:28-33)
He is eighty-three
years old, this man I care about a great deal. He was diagnosed with cancer six
months ago. The oncologist gave him little hope. His mind is sharp and his
heart is strong. He lives on his own and still makes six-hour car trips to
visit children and grandchildren. He it to the soccer, volleyball, and
basketball games of his four grandnieces and nephews. He loves life. But he
lives with this news that he has cancer that can’t be treated.
We prayed together last
night. As we finished, he looked at me with tears in his eyes and said, “I wake
up each day determined to fight this. It is hard, but I try not to think about
the cancer. I keep looking to the Lord, trusting him.”
Peter’s attempt to walk
on the water with Jesus is a favorite story of so many people who read
Matthew’s gospel. Peter, as he often did, showed a remarkable burst of initial
faith and courage: “Jesus, if it is you, command me to come to you on the
water” (Matthew 14:28). But as soon as the strong winds came, he took his eyes
off of Jesus, became frightened, and started to sink, He cried out, “Lord save
me!” Jesus reached out his hand, caught Peter, and helped him into the boat.
The Jesus climbed into the boat with him.
For nearly 2,000 years,
Christians have seen in this story the call to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus
when passing through storms at sea. If we trust him and focus on him either
rather than on the waves, we find the ability to walk “even through the valley
of the shadow of death” (Psalm 23:4). That’s what my dear friend taught me once
more last night, as he held my hand and told me his strategy for living with
terminal cancer.
When you find yourself
walking in the darkness through the wind and waves, what’s your strategy?
Jesus, help me when I wake each day to place my hand
in your hand and keep my eyes focused, not on my circumstances, but on you.
Amen.
Sunday - Read today:
Pages 117 - The Way-40
Days of Reflection (Daily Devotion Guide)
Week Five
Sinners, Outcasts, and the Poor
Samaria
“he left Judea, and
departed into Galilee. He needed to pass through Samaria. So he came to a city
of Samaria, called Sychar, near the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his
son, Joseph. Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being tired from his
journey, sat down by the well. It was about the sixth hour. A woman of Samaria
came to draw water. Jesus said to her, ‘Give me a drink.’ 8 For his disciples
had gone away into the city to buy food.
The Samaritan woman
therefore said to him,’How is it that you, being a Jew, ask for a drink from
me, a Samaritan woman?’ (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.)
Jesus answered her, ‘If
you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you
would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.’”(John 4:3-10)
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First United Methodist
Church
2111 Camino del Rio
South
San Diego, CA 92108
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