The Upper Room Daily Devotional Nashville, Tennessee, United States “Threads of Love” for Saturday, 17 January 2015 - Scripture: Psalms 121:1-8

The Upper Room Daily Devotional Nashville, Tennessee, United States “Threads of Love” for Saturday, 17 January 2015 - Scripture: Psalms 121: (A song for worship.)
The Lord Will Protect His People
1 I look to the hills!
    Where will I find help?
2 It will come from the Lord,
    who created the heavens
    and the earth.
3 The Lord is your protector,
    and he won’t go to sleep
    or let you stumble.
4 The protector of Israel
doesn’t doze
    or ever get drowsy.
5 The Lord is your protector,
there at your right side
    to shade you from the sun.
6 You won’t be harmed
by the sun during the day
    or by the moon[a] at night.
7 The Lord will protect you
    and keep you safe
    from all dangers.
8 The Lord will protect you
    now and always
    wherever you go.[Footnotes:
121.6 harmed. . . sun. . . moon: In ancient times people saw the harmful effects of the rays of the sun, and they thought that certain illnesses (especially mental disorders) were also caused by the rays of the moon.]
Jesus came and stood among [the disciples] and said, “Peace be with you.” After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side.[John 20:19-20 (NRSV)]
I love to knit. So when my dear friend was battling cancer, I made her a shawl. At first, I just concentrated on the pattern, making sure to get the number of stitches right and keeping the rows even. Then, as I settled into the rhythm of knitting, I began to pray. I prayed for my friend’s comfort. I prayed that Christ would hold her in his arms. I felt my prayer become tangible as the shawl grew longer.
One of the last times I saw my friend, she was resting on her sofa, covered by the shawl I had made for her. And while I knew that there was no earthly cure for her illness, I also felt some measure of peace. Something as commonplace as yarn had been threaded through with compassion. Christ was there for both of us. I think that is what peace is: filling the darkness of pain and grief with love.
Read more from the author, here.
"Knit Together"

All my knitting friends reading this blog will understand when I say that I never have enough yarn, even when my stash is overflowing. I learned how to knit in college, and then, a few years later, decided to knit a sweater for the intelligent and wonderful man who became my husband. When he tried it on, he looked puzzled and asked whether I had really made it for him. The arms were at least three inches too long and the rest of it would have fit someone twice his size! Needless to say, I learned a lot about gauge after that.

The Stitchers of Love began at Christ Church years ago, and we have had many projects. We made blankets to help the Katrina babies and scarves upon scarves for the Special Olympics program in Atlanta. In both cases, word spread quickly and soon boxes began arriving at the church from other groups in town and in the diocese. It was an incredible expression of love! We’ve made prayer shawls—both regular size and pocket-size, and hats for the volunteer Red Cross workers who go out in the middle of the night no matter the weather. When word went out from our church’s Lunch Bunch that scarves were needed for the children at a housing project in town, the box was soon filled to overflowing. We didn’t know who made the scarves; but we did know that they were made with love. Our latest project is preemie hats for the “Don’t Shake Your Baby” campaign.

I really think that we all knit in myriad ways, whether it is “stitching” together a meal, a budget, or a baseball team. And we all have stashes, from the stack of tools and wood a handyman stores in his garage to the books and papers a teacher has stacked in her study. My prayer is that we find ways to knit ourselves together into a grand and wonderful pattern threaded through with love for our brothers and sisters.[Patricia Marks]

The Author: Patricia Marks (Georgia, USA)
Thought for the Day: Christ’s love can flow through the works of our hands.
Prayer: Dear Lord, we ask that you use our hands and our hearts to bring your peace to those who need comfort as we pray, “Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil” (Luke 11:2-4, kjv). Amen.
Prayer focus: Those facing a friend’s death
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