The Daily Guide. grow. pray. study. from The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas, United States "You’re never alone when God is with you" for Saturday, 28 January 2017Psalm 27:7 Listen, Adonai, to my voice when I cry;
show favor to me; and answer me.
8 “My heart said of you, ‘Seek my face.’”
Your face, Adonai, I will seek.
9 Do not hide your face from me,
don’t turn your servant away in anger.
You are my help; don’t abandon me;
don’t leave me, God my savior.
10 Even though my father and mother have left me,
Adonai will care for me.
68:3 (2) Drive them away as smoke is driven away;
like wax melting in the presence of a fire,
let the wicked perish in the presence of God.
4 (3) But let the righteous rejoice and be glad in God’s presence;
yes, let them exult and rejoice.
5 (4) Sing to God, sing praises to his name;
extol him who rides on the clouds
by his name, Yah;
and be glad in his presence.
6 (5) God in his holy dwelling,
is a father to orphans and defender of widows.
John 16:32 But a time is coming — indeed it has come already — when you will be scattered, each one looking out for himself; and you will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone; because the Father is with me.
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Every time we baptize a child, the pastor tells the parents that God’s design is that they model God’s love and goodness for their child. In this broken world, in Bible times and still today, human parents, friends and spouses sometimes fall sadly short of living out God’s design. But Scripture said that, even if our human relationships let us down, we do not need to fear being alone and friendless. We can always depend, if we will, on God’s loving presence with us.
• Part of our faith heritage, starting with Methodism’s founder John Wesley, is a profound sense of calling and mission. We believe God calls us to be God’s voice, hands and feet, in a hurting world. God’s work, the psalms said, is to provide a family for orphans, a sustaining relationship for widows, and companionship for all who might be lonely. How can you join in God’s work (and, in the process, build better relationships for yourself)? Do you know anyone who may not be an “orphan” or “widow” in the concrete sense of the term, but who you could uplift by extending God’s love and care?
Prayer: O God, the psalmist said you are “Father of orphans and defender of widows.” Thank you for always being with me. Give me eyes to see others who are hurting, and use me to bless them with your love and caring. Amen.
Family Activity: At times, everyone fears feeling alone or unloved. As a family, share ideas about how you can work with God to bring comfort and care to others. Discuss each person’s unique gifts and abilities. How can those be used to comfort others? How can those same gifts be combined with those of other family members to care and help? Use construction paper to create the symbol of a heart. On it, write or draw the gifts of each person. Also write or draw about how they can be used to comfort people who are sad or lonely. Pray together, asking God to help guide you to use your ideas and gifts. Thank God for giving them to you. Display your family’s “heart” as a reminder to comfort others this year.
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Loneliness is a complex experience, and its impact varies from person to person. Intense and sustained periods of loneliness can lead to depression and impact our physical health. It is a serious matter that deserves our attention. We know that loneliness and being alone are not the same thing. A person can experience loneliness in a crowd, while someone else feels a sense of well-being while completely alone. Most of us have experienced loneliness at some point in our lives.
Scripture tells us there is nowhere we can go where God’s presence cannot find us. The Psalm today describes God’s special concern for the orphaned and widowed. Jesus told us we are never alone…yet feelings of isolation exist despite these promises. God longs for us to reach out in prayer and quiet times of devotion.
The worst thing we can do when we are lonely is to isolate ourselves from other human beings. Our church community offers several antidotes to isolation: Care Night on Thursday evenings, Grow Night on Tuesday evenings, small groups and Bible studies, and many places to volunteer, both inside and outside the walls of the church. God sees us, and wants to meet us in our places of deepest need. The options for connecting with the community mentioned here are vehicles God can use to ease our loneliness.
God also calls us to be the answer to someone else’s loneliness. We are meant to be manifestations of God’s presence for people who are hurting. We are to open our hearts and homes to other people, having special concern for those who are experiencing loss and isolation. Just as God sees us, we must open our eyes so we can see the needs of others.
How grateful I am to be a part of the family of faith. My church family has sustained me during time of need. I pray that God will give me the awareness and conviction to bless others with God’s abundant love and care.
(If you are experiencing depression, please call our congregational care office. Our pastors and congregational care ministers are available to help you. You can reach the church office during regular office hours at 913-897-0120. You can also visit with a pastor or CCM before or after worship services. In the case of an after-hours emergency, call 913-338-9477).
CAROL CARTMILLCarol is the Executive Director of Mission and Outreach at Church of the Resurrection. She serves with and guides a gifted team of individuals as together they engage the congregation in serving, connecting and growing. She seeks to be used by God to help people on their journey to know, love and serve God and others.
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Prayer Requests – cor.org/prayer Prayers for Peace & Comfort for:
• Dennis Petree and family on the death of his wife Marilyn Petree, 1/15
• Jon Petree and family on the death of his mother Marilyn Petree, 1/15
• Dean Carlson and family on the death of his wife Jeanine Carlson, 1/12
• Dave Wilson and family on the death of his mother Sue Wilson, 1/11
• Bailey Amtower and David Wilson III on the death of their grandmother Sue Wilson, 1/11
• Doug Cochran and family on the death of his mother Sue Cochran, 1/11
• Leslie Gray and family on the death of her husband Michael T Gray, 1/9
• Jim Markley and family on the death of his brother Kenneth Markley, 1/8
• Rick Hadel and family on the death of his mother Mary Hadel, 1/7
• Jessica Staub and family on the death of her father Steve Shepherd, 1/9
• Jerry Ballard and family on the death of her husband Dick Ballard, 1/8
• Kim Mawhiney and family on the death of her father Dick Ballard, 1/8
• Cindi Martens and family on the death of her father Loren Sommer, 1/8
• Blake Worland and family on the death of his mother Janine Worland, 1/7
• Jordan Williamson and family on the death of his father Marvin Williamson, 1/4
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Join us for worship today - see our worship times and locations here. If you are not in the Kansas City area, you can take part in our worship via live Web stream atrezonline.org.
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The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection
13720 Roe Avenue
Leawood, Kansas 66224, United States
913.897.0120
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