The Great Plains Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church Daily Devotion for Tuesday, 1 September 2015
Today please be in prayer for:
Clifford Ryherd
Minneola
Dodge City District
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Montezuma
Dodge City District
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Timothy McCrary
Moscow
Dodge City District
|
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This Week's Lectionary:
14th Sunday after Pentecost/in Kingdomtide – Green
Song of Solomon 2:8-13
Psalm 45:1-2, 6-9 or Psalm 72
James 1:17-27
Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23
Lectiionsry Scripture:
Song of Solomon 2:8 The voice of the man I love! Here he comes,
bounding over the mountains, skipping over the hills!
9 My darling is like a gazelle or young stag.
There he is, standing outside our wall,
looking in through the windows,
peering in through the lattice.
10 My darling speaks; he is saying to me,
“Get up, my love! My beauty! Come away!
11 For you see that the winter has passed,
the rain is finished and gone,
12 the flowers are appearing in the countryside,
the time has come for [the birds] to sing,
and the cooing of doves can be heard in the land.
13 The fig trees are forming their unripe figs,
and the grapevines in bloom give out their perfume.
Get up, my love, my beauty!
Come away!”
Psalm 45:(0) For the leader. Set to “Lilies.” By the descendants of Korach. A maskil. A lovesong:
2 (1) My heart is stirred by a noble theme;
I address my verses to the king;
My tongue is the pen of an expert scribe.
6 (5) Your arrows are sharp. The people fall under you,
as they penetrate the hearts of the king’s enemies.
7 (6) Your throne, God, will last forever and ever;
you rule your kingdom with a scepter of equity.
8 (7) You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness.
Therefore God, your God, has anointed you
with the oil of joy in preference to your companions.
9 (8) Your robes are all fragrant with myrrh, aloes and cassia;
from ivory palaces stringed instruments bring you joy.
Psalm 72:(0) By Shlomo:
(1) God, give the king your fairness in judgment,
endow this son of kings with your righteousness,
2 so that he can govern your people rightly
and your poor with justice.
3 May mountains and hills provide your people
with peace through righteousness.
4 May he defend the oppressed among the people,
save the needy and crush the oppressor.
5 May they fear you as long as the sun endures
and as long as the moon, through all generations.
6 May he be like rain falling on mown grass,
like showers watering the land.
7 In his days, let the righteous flourish
and peace abound, till the moon is no more.
8 May his empire stretch from sea to sea,
from the [Euphrates] River to the ends of the earth.
9 May desert-dwellers bow before him;
may his enemies lick the dust.
10 The kings of Tarshish and the coasts will pay him tribute;
the kings of Sh’va and S’va will offer gifts.
11 Yes, all kings will prostrate themselves before him;
all nations will serve him.
12 For he will rescue the needy when they cry,
the poor too and those with none to help them.
13 He will have pity on the poor and needy;
and the lives of the needy he will save.
14 He will redeem them from oppression and violence;
their blood will be precious in his view.
15 May [the king] live long!
May they give him gold from the land of Sh’va!
May they pray for him continually;
yes, bless him all day long.
16 May there be an abundance of grain in the land,
all the way to the tops of the mountains.
May its crops rustle like the L’vanon.
May people blossom in the city like the grasses in the fields.
17 May his name endure forever,
his name, Yinnon, as long as the sun.[Psalm 72:17 Or: “May his name flourish/propagate as long as the sun.” Jewish tradition considers Yinnon a name of the Messiah.]
May people bless themselves in him,
may all nations call him happy.
18 Blessed be Adonai, God,
the God of Isra’el,
who alone works wonders.
19 Blessed be his glorious name forever,
and may the whole earth be filled with his glory.
Amen. Amen.
20 This completes the prayers of David the son of Yishai.
James 1:17 Every good act of giving and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father who made the heavenly lights; with him there is neither variation nor darkness caused by turning. 18 Having made his decision, he gave birth to us through a Word that can be relied upon, in order that we should be a kind of firstfruits of all that he created. 19 Therefore, my dear brothers, let every person be quick to listen but slow to speak, slow to get angry; 20 for a person’s anger does not accomplish God’s righteousness!
21 So rid yourselves of all vulgarity and obvious evil, and receive meekly the Word implanted in you that can save your lives. 22 Don’t deceive yourselves by only hearing what the Word says, but do it! 23 For whoever hears the Word but doesn’t do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror, 24 who looks at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25 But if a person looks closely into the perfect Torah, which gives freedom, and continues, becoming not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work it requires, then he will be blessed in what he does.
26 Anyone who thinks he is religiously observant but does not control his tongue is deceiving himself, and his observance counts for nothing. 27 The religious observance that God the Father considers pure and faultless is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being contaminated by the world.
Mark 7:1 The P’rushim and some of the Torah-teachers who had come from Yerushalayim gathered together with Yeshua 2 and saw that some of his talmidim ate with ritually unclean hands, that is, without doing n’tilat-yadayim. 3 (For the P’rushim, and indeed all the Judeans, holding fast to the Tradition of the Elders, do not eat unless they have given their hands a ceremonial washing. 4 Also, when they come from the marketplace they do not eat unless they have rinsed their hands up to the wrist; and they adhere to many other traditions, such as washing cups, pots and bronze vessels.)
5 The P’rushim and the Torah-teachers asked him, “Why don’t your talmidim live in accordance with the Tradition of the Elders, but instead eat with ritually unclean hands?” 6 Yeshua answered them, “Yesha‘yahu was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites — as it is written,
‘These people honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far away from me.
7 Their worship of me is useless,
because they teach man-made rules as if they were doctrines.’[Mark 7:7 Isaiah 29:13]
8 “You depart from God’s command and hold onto human tradition.
14 Then Yeshua called the people to him again and said, “Listen to me, all of you, and understand this! 15 There is nothing outside a person which, by going into him, can make him unclean. Rather, it is the things that come out of a person which make a person unclean!”
21 For from within, out of a person’s heart, come forth wicked thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, 22 greed, malice, deceit, indecency, envy, slander, arrogance, foolishness…. 23 All these wicked things come from within, and they make a person unclean.”
John Wesley's Notes-commentary for Song of Solomon 2:8-13
Verse 8
[8] The voice of my beloved! behold, he cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills.
The voice — Christ's voice, the word of grace revealed outwardly in the gospel, and inwardly by the Spirit of God.
Leaping — He saith, leaping and skipping, to denote that Christ came readily, and swiftly, with great desire and pleasure and adds, upon the mountains and hills, to signify Christ's resolution to come in spite of all difficulties.
Verse 9
[9] My beloved is like a roe or a young hart: behold, he standeth behind our wall, he looketh forth at the windows, shewing himself through the lattice.
Like a roe — In swiftness. He is coming to me with all speed and will not tarry a moment beyond the proper season.
He standeth behind — And while he doth for wise reasons forbear to come; he is not far from us. Both this and the following phrases may denote the obscure manner of Christ's manifesting himself to his people, under the law, in comparison of his discoveries in the gospel.
The window — This phrase, and that through the lattess, intimate that the church does indeed see Christ, but, as through a glass, darkly, as it is said even of gospel-revelations,1 Corinthians 13:12, which was much more true of legal administrations.
Verse 10
[10] My beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away.
Spake — Invited me outwardly by his word, and inwardly by his Spirit.
Rise up — Shake off sloth, and disentangle thyself more fully from all the snares of this world.
Come — Unto me, and with me; follow me fully, serve me perfectly, labour for a nearer union, and more satisfying communion with me.
Verse 11
[11] For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone;
The winter — Spiritual troubles arising from a deep sense of the guilt of sin, the wrath of God, the curse of the law; all which made them afraid to come unto God. But, saith Christ, I have removed these impediments, God is reconciled; therefore cast off all discouragements, and excuses, and come to me.
Verse 12
[12] The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land;
The flowers — The communications of God's grace, the gifts, and graces, and comforts of the Holy Spirit, are vouchsafed unto, and appear in believers, as buds and blossoms do in the spring.
The turtle — This seems particularly to be mentioned because it not only gives notice of the spring, but aptly represents the Spirit of God, which even the Chaldee paraphrast understands by this turtle, which appeared in the shape of a dove, and which worketh a dove-like meekness, and chastity, and faithfulness, in believers.
Verse 13
{13] The fig tree putteth forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grape give a good smell. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.
Her figs — Which it shoots forth in the spring.
Psalm 45:1-2, 6-9
Verse 1
[1] My heart is inditing a good matter: I speak of the things which I have made touching the king: my tongue is the pen of a ready writer.
Enditing — Heb. boileth, or bubbleth up like water over the fire. This denotes that the workings of his heart, were fervent and vehement, kindled by God's grace, and the inspiration of the Holy Ghost.
Made — Have composed.
Pen — He was only the pen or instrument in uttering this song; it was the spirit of God, by whose hand this pen was guided.
Verse 2
[2] Thou art fairer than the children of men: grace is poured into thy lips: therefore God hath blessed thee for ever.
Fairer — Than all other men: which is most true of Christ; but not of Solomon; whom many have excelled, in holiness and righteousness, which is the chief part of the beauty celebrated in this psalm.
Grace — God hath plentifully poured into thy mind and tongue the gift of speaking wisely, eloquently, and acceptably.
Therefore — And because God hath so eminently qualified thee for rule, therefore he hath blessed thee with an everlasting kingdom.
Verse 6
[6] Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the sceptre of thy kingdom is a right sceptre.
O God — It is evident, that the speech is still continued to the same person whom he calls king, verse 1,11, and here God, to assure us that he doth not speak of Solomon, but a far greater king, who is not only a man, but the mighty God, Isaiah 9:6.
A right scepter — Thou rulest with exact righteousness and equity.
Verse 7
[7] Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.
Therefore — Therefore God hath exalted thee far above all men and angels, to a state of joy and endless glory at his right hand; which is fitly compared by the oil of gladness.
Thy God — According to thy human nature, John 20:17, though in respect of thy Divine nature, thou art his fellow, Zechariah 13:7, and his equal, Philemon 2:6, and one with him, John 10:30.
Oil — So called, because it was a token of gladness, and used in feasts, and other solemn occasions of rejoicing.
Fellows — Above all them who partake with thee in this unction: above all that ever were anointed for priests or prophets, or kings.
Verse 8
[8] All thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia, out of the ivory palaces, whereby they have made thee glad.
Myrrh — Wherewith they used to perfume their garments: this may denote those glorious and sweet smelling virtues, which, as they were treasured up in Christ's heart, so did they manifest themselves outwardly, and give forth a grateful smell, in the whole course of his life and actions.
Palaces — The king is here supposed to reside in his ivory palaces, and his garments are so fragrant, that they not only perfume the whole palace in which he is; but the sweet favour is perceived by those that pass by them, all which is poetically said, and with allusion to Solomon's glorious garments and palaces. The heavenly mansions, may not unfitly be called ivory palaces, as elsewhere in the same figurative manner they are said to be adorned with gold and precious stones, from which mansions Christ came into the world, into which Christ went, and where he settled his abode after he went out of the world, and from whence he poured forth all the fragrant gifts and graces of his spirit, although there is no necessity to strain every particular circumstance in such poetical descriptions; for some expressions may be used, only as ornaments, as they are in parables; and it may suffice to know, that the excellencies of the king Christ are described by things which earthly potentates place their glory.
Whereby — By the sweet smell of thy garments out of those ivory palaces, or the effusion of the gifts and graces of thy spirit from heaven; which as it is a great blessing to those who receive them, so doth it rejoice the heart of Christ, both as it is a demonstration of his own power and glory, and as it is the instrument of bringing souls to God.
Made thee — Thou art made glad.
Verse 9
[9] Kings' daughters were among thy honourable women: upon thy right hand did stand the queen in gold of Ophir.
Among — Among them that attend upon thy spouse, as the manner was in nuptial solemnities. As the queen is the church in general, and so these honourable women are particular believers, who are daily added to the church, Acts 2:47. And although the church is made up of particular believers, yet she is distinguished from them, for the decency of the parable. And these believers may be said to be Kings daughters, because among others, many persons of royal race embraced the faith, and because they are in a spiritual sense, Kings unto God, Revelation 1:6.
Right hand — The most honourable place.
Ophir — Clothed in garments made of the choicest gold. By which he designs the graces wherewith the church is accomplished.
Psalm 72
Verse 1
[1] Give the king thy judgments, O God, and thy righteousness unto the king's son.
Judgments — He saith judgments in the plural number, because though the office of judging and ruling was but one, yet there were divers parts and branches, of it; in all which he begs that Solomon may be directed to do as God would have him to do.
Verse 2
[2] He shall judge thy people with righteousness, and thy poor with judgment.
Thy afflicted ones — For such are thine in a special manner, thou art their judge and patron.
Verse 3
[3] The mountains shall bring peace to the people, and the little hills, by righteousness.
The mountains — Which are so dangerous to passengers, in regard of robbers and wild beasts. Hereby it is implied, that other places should do so too, and that it should be common and universal.
Verse 4
[4] He shall judge the poor of the people, he shall save the children of the needy, and shall break in pieces the oppressor.
Judge — Vindicate them from their oppressors.
Verse 5
[5] They shall fear thee as long as the sun and moon endure, throughout all generations.
Thee — Thee, O God, this shall be another blessed fruit of this righteous government, that together with peace, true religion shall be established, and that throughout all generations, which was begun in Solomon's days, but not fully accomplished 'till Christ came.
Verse 6
[6] He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass: as showers that water the earth.
He shall come — Christ did come down from heaven, and brought or sent down from heaven his doctrine, (which is often compared to rain) and the sweet and powerful influences of his spirit.
Verse 8
[8] He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth.
Dominion — From one sea to another, or in all the parts of the habitable world. This was accomplished in Christ, and in him only.
The river — Euphrates: which was the eastern border of the kingdom of Canaan, allotted by God, but enjoyed only by David, Solomon, and Christ. Of whose kingdom this may be mentioned, as one of the borders; because the kingdom of Christ is described under the shadow of Solomon's kingdom.
Verse 10
[10] The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents: the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts.
The sea — Of remote countries, to which they used to go from Canaan by sea; which are frequently called isles in scripture; the kings that rule by sea or by land.
Verse 11
[11] Yea, all kings shall fall down before him: all nations shall serve him.
All nations — Which cannot be said of Solomon with any truth or colour, but was unquestionably verified in Christ,
Verse 14
[14] He shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence: and precious shall their blood be in his sight.
Deceit and violence — The two ways whereby the lives of men are usually destroyed.
Precious — He will not be prodigal of the lives of his subjects, but like a true father of his people, will tenderly preserve them, and severely avenge their blood upon those who shall shed it.
Verse 15
[15] And he shall live, and to him shall be given of the gold of Sheba: prayer also shall be made for him continually; and daily shall he be praised.
Live — Long and prosperous, as Solomon: yea, eternally as Christ.
Gold — This was done to Solomon, 1 Kings 10:15, and to Christ, Matthew 2:11. But such expressions as these being used of Christ and his kingdom, are commonly understood in a spiritual sense.
Verse 16
[16] There shall be an handful of corn in the earth upon the top of the mountains; the fruit thereof shall shake like Lebanon: and they of the city shall flourish like grass of the earth.
A handful — This intimates the small beginnings of his kingdom; and therefore does not agree to Solomon, whose kingdom was in a manner as large at the beginning of his reign, as at the end, but it exactly agrees to Christ.
The earth — Sown in the earth.
Mountains — In the most barren grounds.
Shake — It shall yield such abundance of corn, that the ears being thick and high, shall, when they are shaken with the wind, make a noise not unlike that which the tops of the trees of Lebanon, sometimes make.
Of the city — The citizens of Jerusalem, which are here put for the subjects of this kingdom.
Verse 20
[20] The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended.
The prayer — This psalm is the last which David composed: for this was wrote but a little before his death.James 1:17-27
Verse 17
[17] Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.
No evil, but every good gift - Whatever tends to holiness.
And every perfect gift — Whatever tends to glory.
Descendeth from the Father of lights — The appellation of Father is here used with peculiar propriety. It follows, "he begat us." He is the Father of all light, material or spiritual, in the kingdom of grace and of glory.
With whom is no variableness — No change in his understanding.
Or shadow of turning — in his will. He infallibly discerns all good and evil; and invariably loves one, and hates the other. There is, in both the Greek words, a metaphor taken from the stars, particularly proper where the Father of lights is mentioned. Both are applicable to any celestial body, which has a daily vicissitude of day and night, and sometimes longer days, sometimes longer nights. In God is nothing of this kind. He is mere light. If there Is any such vicissitude, it is in ourselves, not in him.
Verse 18
[18] Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
Of his own will — Most loving, most free, most pure, just opposite to our evil desire, James 1:15.
Begat he us — Who believe.
By the word of truth — The true word, emphatically so termed; the gospel.
That we might be a kind of first-fruits of his creatures — Christians are the chief and most excellent of his visible creatures; and sanctify the rest. Yet he says, A kind of - For Christ alone is absolutely the first - fruits.
Verse 19
[19] Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:
Let every man be swift to hear — This is treated of from James 1:21 to the end of the next chapter.
Slow to speak — Which is treated of in he third chapter.
Slow to wrath — Neither murmuring at God, nor angry at his neighbour. This is treated of in the third, and throughout the fourth and fifth chapters.
Verse 20
[20] For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.
The righteousness of God here includes all duties prescribed by him, and pleasing to him.
Verse 21
[21] Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.
Therefore laying aside — As a dirty garment.
All the filthiness and superfluity of wickedness — For however specious or necessary it may appear to worldly wisdom, all wickedness is both vile, hateful, contemptible, and really superfluous. Every reasonable end may be effectually answered without any kind or degree of it. Lay this, every known sin, aside, or all your hearing is vain.
With meekness — Constant evenness and serenity of mind.
Receive — Into your ears, your heart, your life.
The word — Of the gospel.
Ingrafted — In believers, by regeneration, James 1:18 and by habit, Hebrews 5:14.
Which is able to save your souls — The hope of salvation nourishes meekness.
Verse 23
[23] For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:
Beholding his face in a glass — How exactly does the scripture glass show a man the face of his soul!
Verse 24
[24] For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.
He beheld himself, and went away — To other business.
And forgot — But such forgetting does not excuse.
Verse 25
[25] But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
But he that looketh diligently — Not with a transient glance, but bending down, fixing his eyes, and searching all to the bottom.
Into the perfect law — Of love as established by faith. St. James here guards us against misunderstanding what St. Paul says concerning the "yoke and bondage of the law." He who keeps the law of love is free, John 8:31, etc. He that does not, is not free, but a slave to sin, and a criminal before God, James 2:10.
And continueth therein — Not like him who forgot it, and went away.
This man — There is a peculiar force in the repetition of the word.
Shall be happy — Not barely in hearing, but doing the will of God.
Verse 26
[26] If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain.
If any one be ever so religious — Exact in the outward offices of religion.
And bridleth not his tongue — From backbiting, talebearing, evilspeaking, he only deceiveth his own heart, if he fancies he has any true religion at all.
Verse 27
[27] Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.
The only true religion in the sight of God, is this, to visit - With counsel, comfort, and relief.
The fatherless and widows — Those who need it most.
In their affliction — In their most helpless and hopeless state.
And to keep himself unspotted from the world — From the maxims, tempers, and customs of it. But this cannot be done, till we have given our hearts to God, and love our neighbour as ourselves.
Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23
Verse 4
[4] And when they come from the market, except they wash, they eat not. And many other things there be, which they have received to hold, as the washing of cups, and pots, brasen vessels, and of tables.
Washing of cups and pots and brazen vessels and couches — The Greek word (baptisms) means indifferently either washing or sprinkling. The cups, pots, and vessels were washed; the couches sprinkled.
Verse 5
[5] Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands?
The tradition of the elders — The rule delivered down from your forefathers.
Verse 6
[6] He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.
Isaiah 29:13.
Verse 15
[15] There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man.
There is nothing entering into a man from without which can defile him — Though it is very true, a man may bring guilt, which is moral defilement, upon himself by eating what hurts his health, or by excess either in meat or drink yet even here the pollution arises from the wickedness of the heart, and is just proportionable to it. And this is all that our Lord asserts.
Verse 22
[22] Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness:
Wickedness — The word means ill natured, cruelty, inhumanity, and all malevolent affections.
Foolishness — Directly contrary to sobriety of thought and discourse: all kind of wild imaginations and extravagant passions.____________________________
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Sermon Story "True Intimacy" by Gary Lee Parker for Sunday, 30 August 2015 with Scripture: Song of Solomon 2:8 The voice of the man I love! Here he comes,
bounding over the mountains, skipping over the hills!
9 My darling is like a gazelle or young stag.
There he is, standing outside our wall,
looking in through the windows,
peering in through the lattice.
10 My darling speaks; he is saying to me,
“Get up, my love! My beauty! Come away!
11 For you see that the winter has passed,
the rain is finished and gone,
12 the flowers are appearing in the countryside,
the time has come for [the birds] to sing,
and the cooing of doves can be heard in the land.
13 The fig trees are forming their unripe figs,
and the grapevines in bloom give out their perfume.
Get up, my love, my beauty!
Come away!”
It has been said from people that you would never hear a sermon on Sunday morning from the Book of the song of Solomon. Could this be cause we too often misunderstand these passages to be between a husband and wife and not from God t His creation? Maybe, it could be that we do not really understand what true initimacy really means. I have heard that intimacy is really the sexual expression between two people who have committed their lives to a lifelong committment to each other, but what happens if true initmacy has nothing to do with sexual expression but is about relating to each other from the inside out. We go back to the Garden of Eden and reaie that Adam and Eve had a very intimate relationship with God until they chose to disobey His word. Then we realie that King Solomon had an intimate relationship with his mother, Bathsheba, because he built a second throne for his mother next to his throne. We hqave the promise for David's son to build the Temple and for David's family to reign forever as King of Israel, but the promise continued to exist even after Solomon's death. We have these Songs about the love between two people as being beloved by the one, but we realise that we, the human race is the beloved of God. Yes, it is great for married couples to know that they re beloved my each other, but just maybe the writings which have been attributed to Solomon is about the love for God and His people, us, to let us know that we are truly beloved by God as Father Henri Nouwen has written and spoken about as in these quote:
“Aren't you, like me, hoping that some person, thing, or event will come along to give you that final feeling of inner well-being you desire? Don't you often hope: 'May this book, idea, course, trip, job, country or relationship fulfill my deepest desire.' But as long as you are waiting for that mysterious moment you will go on running helter-skelter, always anxious and restless, always lustful and angry, never fully satisfied. You know that this is the compulsiveness that keeps us going and busy, but at the same time makes us wonder whether we are getting anywhere in the long run. This is the way to spiritual exhaustion and burn-out. This is the way to spiritual death.”[Henri J.M. Nouwen, Life of the Beloved: Spiritual Living in a Secular World]
“I kept running around it in large or small circles, always looking for someone or something able to convince me of my Belovedness.
Self-rejection is the greatest enemy of the spiritual life because it contradicts the sacred voice that calls us the "Beloved". Being the Beloved expresses the core truth of our existence.”[Henri J.M. Nouwen, Life of the Beloved: Spiritual Living in a Secular World]
Truly, this intiacy that God has for us in telling us we are His beloved is what existed between Adam and Eve and Himself as well as many people who remained close to God through prayer and actions as Jesus showed in His life as the Beloved Only Son of God the Father as God the Father told Him at His baptism and on the Mount where He was Transfigured. God has called each of us His Beleoved even those who society does not count as having value like the people who are Diferently Abled. There are many people who have discovered this in relating to either their family members who are differently abled or people who work and live in community with people who are differently abled. There has been tow people who have written about this sense of Belovedness who are Father Nouwen in his book about Adam simply called Adam and Jean Vanier in his experience in L'Arche at an invitation from a French Catholic Priest in 1964 which developed in L'Arche International (1964) and Faith and Light (1965). He has written several books from the philospher point of view with his experiences, but is first one Community and Growth has him compare his students in his philosphy class who picked his brain to get rich while the people who were differently abled would pick his heart to find God's love in finding each of us are the Beloved Children of God. How do you react to the knowledge that you are a bleoved Child of God? How do you respond to other people in letting each of the people whether they are like you or not that each of us are beloved children of God? How would our churched be looked upon by outsiders that we are a Beloved commnity of God and react to all people as Beloved children of God? Just maybe as Beloved children of God, the people who happen to be differently abled are able to teach us to live out God's Belovedness to all the people of the world. Will each of suearch our hearts and minds to see where we have sinned against God and other people in not treating ourselves and others a bleoved children of God as we come forward to eath the Body of Jesus and drink His Blood in the Holy Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. We come to reconfirm our Belovedness singing the Hymn "The Love Of God" by Merch Me:
1. The love of God is greater far
Than tongue or pen can ever tell
It goes beyond the highest star
And reaches to the lowest hell
The guilty pair, bowed down with care
God gave His Son to win
His erring child He reconciled
And pardoned from his sin
2. Could we with ink the ocean fil
And were the skies of parchment made
Were every stalk on earth a quill
And every man a scribe by trade
3. To write the love of God above
Would drain the ocean dry
Nor could the scroll contain the whol
Though stretched from sky to sky
Chorus:
Hallelujah [3x]
O love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure
The saints' and angels' song
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Gary Lee Parker
4147 Idaho Street, Apt. 1
San Diego, California 92104-1844, United States
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Today's Devotional:
The Upper Room Daily Devotional "Chosen" for Tuesday, 1 September 2015 - Scripture: Ephesians 1:3 Praised be Adonai, Father of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah, who in the Messiah has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in heaven. 4 In the Messiah he chose us in love before the creation of the universe to be holy and without defect in his presence. 5 He determined in advance that through Yeshua the Messiah we would be his sons — in keeping with his pleasure and purpose — 6 so that we would bring him praise commensurate with the glory of the grace he gave us through the Beloved One.
7 In union with him, through the shedding of his blood, we are set free — our sins are forgiven; this accords with the wealth of the grace 8 he has lavished on us. In all his wisdom and insight 9 he has made known to us his secret plan, which by his own will he designed beforehand in connection with the Messiah 10 and will put into effect when the time is ripe — his plan to place everything in heaven and on earth under the Messiah’s headship.
11 Also in union with him we were given an inheritance, we who were picked in advance according to the purpose of the One who effects everything in keeping with the decision of his will, 12 so that we who earlier had put our hope in the Messiah would bring him praise commensurate with his glory.
13 Furthermore, you who heard the message of the truth, the Good News offering you deliverance, and put your trust in the Messiah were sealed by him with the promised Ruach HaKodesh, 14 who guarantees our inheritance until we come into possession of it and thus bring him praise commensurate with his glory.
God chose us in Christ to be holy and blameless in God’s presence before the creation of the world.[Ephesians 1:4 (CEB)]
I wasn’t brought up going to church. My family didn’t discuss God, but Mom sang hymns as she went about her chores. As I listened to her sing, “He walks with me, and he talks with me” and “Precious Lord, take my hand,” I began to know a heavenly Father who loved me. I began to talk to God daily and to pray when I was afraid or needed help. When I was in my twenties, I kneeled in front of the TV during a Billy Graham crusade and gave my life to Christ.
In a household in which five children grew up without the benefit of Sunday school or conversations about God, our heavenly Father was made known to us. How much the Lord wants a relationship with us! God pursues us in many ways — in church, yes, and sometimes through television and music. The Lord is patient with us. God gives us every opportunity to respond to the call of faith.
Read more from the author, here."More about Diana Walters"
I was delighted to have my meditation chosen for publication. It is a privilege to share a bit of my faith story with others.
In both my paid work, as director of an assisted living unit, and my church ministry, I have had the opportunity to help other people share their faith stories. The spiritual journey of individuals who have Alzheimer’s disease or another form of dementia is often overlooked. Or worse yet, the person with dementia cannot express their faith because they need help remembering God’s amazing love.
I help people with dementia remember their faith walk by providing multi-sensory “tools” to uncover their memories. These tools come in the form of books and cards that stimulate the sense of touch, sight, and smell. The idea is based on work by Maria Montessori, who engaged the senses of cognitively challenged children, allowing them to learn. In the case of people with Alzheimer’s disease, engaging several of the senses and pairing them with symbols of faith can spark memories of God’s love. This may allow them to feel a sense of peace.
I am also involved in a church ministry that provides a twice-monthly day of respite for family caregivers. I believe church members are called to help those in need and anyone caring for a loved one with dementia knows that it is a 24/7 job.
For ten years I’ve taught church groups how to minister to those with cognitive deficits. Remember, you are never too young or too old to be a blessing to others.
You can find out more about me and my ministry projects at www.touchinggrace.org.[Diana Walters]
The Author: Diana L. Walters (Tennessee, USA)
Thought for the Day: God's love is made known to us in a variety of ways.
Prayer: Faithful God, thank you for knowing us, loving us, and pursuing us long before we recognize our need for you. Amen.
Prayer focus: Those who worship through music____________________________
Contact Information
Great Plains Episcopal Office
9440 E Boston, Suite 160
Wichita KS 67207
316-686-0600
800-745-2350
info@greatplainsumc.org
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