Category: Virtual Chapel

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell—and great was its fall!” – Jesus in Matthew 7:24-27

The rains came hard in our area of Tennessee this weekend. I was at the river for sunrise on Saturday morning. The water was low. The flowers were blooming. Bird singing. It was a beautiful morning.

Late yesterday before sunset I returned to that same spot. Everywhere I had been was covered in rushing water. Just like that.

I remember working my first “flood” as a Paramedic. It all happened so fast!  We had to rescue many people from their homes and stranded vehicles. As is often the case with flooding, some people lost their lives.

Life can be like the rains that come so quickly and, in some cases, with great destruction.  Whatever foundation we have when “life happens” is what we have to stand on as we navigate through it. If we are standing on shifting sand…well, you get the picture and it’s not pretty. The good news is, we don’t have to stay on the sand. 

When Jesus said these words about the foundation we build for our lives, he was teaching some very practical things that help develop that foundation. When it feels like we are standing on sand instead of rock, there is something we can do. Jesus offers us a lot of practical instructions and counseling.  He mentors us along with very different ways of doing life.  When we follow his teachings, our feet slowly begin to find the foundation underneath us getting stronger and stronger. Our faith begins to grow. Our trust in God’s grace and love is strengthened. We experience the gift of mercy. And when the rains come, as they will, we find ourselves standing on solid ground.

Wonder what to do to start building a more solid foundation for your life?  Read the 7^th chapter of Matthew to discover a few actions that Jesus encourages to do. He even invites us to ask for what we need:  https://bit.ly/3mo7AnI

Prayer
Lord, we need more lives built on rock for this time in history. Please help us see our way to following your teaching that leads us to abundant life. We need you. We love you and we trust you completely.

David Wesley’s Virtual Choir#6
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkIr6eHjqXI

David asked, “Is there anyone still left of the house of Saul to whom I can show kindness for Jonathan’s sake?”  – II Samuel 9:1

David and Jonathan were dear friends. Jonathan’s father, Saul, was the king under which both young men served. Their story includes a difficult and required parting due to circumstances beyond their control.  It was a messy situation with wrongs enacted by Saul and power struggles that drove decision making.  Before David and Jonathan parted, a promise was made. Jonathan helps save David’s life and David promises Jonathan he will always show kindness to the house of Saul.  This includes the whole lineage from Saul.  Both men knew that one day David would be king, and also that a lot of difficult things were likely to happen before that day was established, things they could not know or control.  The promise made between the two friends was lasting though they were never able to be together again. The covenant between the two never wavered. Read the details of their story here:  https://bit.ly/3lpT1PF

At this point in David’s life, there is a break from the difficulties. He is able to take a breath and ask the question – about whether or not anyone is still left in the house of Saul to whom he can show kindness. He has not forgotten his promise to Jonathan.  Time and circumstances have  passed, but the heart of the friendship remains. The story follows that Mephibosheth is found as the living relative of the house of Saul. He is Jonathan’s son. When Saul and Jonathan were killed in battle, Mephibosheth was 5 years old.

When David learns that Mephibosheth is living isolated and away from his own family’s resources, he takes immediate action. Mephibosheth became crippled through a fall that happened during the same crisis when his father and grandfather died.  It is not uncommon that he would have been shifted out of sight and away from the access of the family’s heritage. David recognizes this as the kindness he needs to offer to the house of Saul.  He immediately restores all of Saul’s assets to Mephibosheth, so he shares in the inheritance of his family.  And then with a radical and clear act of love, David sets a permanent place for Mephibosheth at his table. Hospitality was one of the most important virtues in ancient times. Having a place at the table and a safe place to sleep at night were immeasurable gifts of grace.

Life can go down a lot of roads we didn’t plan to travel. Things happen. We get redirected. Sometimes the journey or actions of another person impacts ours in permanent ways. We make choices but we also learn to embrace situations that unfold in life.  We don’t always get to choose how that happens.

Mephibosheth is in that situation. A lot has been removed from his control. Living isolated and without the resources of his family, he is clearly not where Jonathan would be if Jonathan was alive.  David could easily have left his promise to Jonathan unfulfilled. Saul and Jonathan are both dead, no one would know the difference. But he doesn’t because he can’t forget his friend, or his promise.  He asks the courageous question and he learns of Jonathan’s son.

David has the power to restore order and honor; he does so right away.  His actions also restore all of those who are connected with Mephibosheth.  Once physical assets and places are reestablished, David restores what money can never buy. He sets a place at his own table, offering friendship and hospitality, the same as he would have done for Jonathan.

Jesus, many years later, reminds his disciples of the same teaching: “Love one another has I have loved you.” – John 15:12

And Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, because he always at the king’s table, and he was crippled in both feet.  – II Samuel 9:13

Prayer
God thank you for finding ways to remind us of the most important things in life.  If there are unfulfilled kindnesses we need to offer today, please bring them to our minds. Give us courage to ask the questions and always to act with humility and love. Amen.

“Take a guard,” Pilate answered. “Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how.”  So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard.
– Matthew 27: 65-66

It must have been the scariest of times. Tensions rising and dreams crushed as the people who followed Jesus watched everything unravel. Pilate is responsible to keep order. Joseph of Arimathea offers a grave and Pilate grants his request.  Mary and the “other Marys” keep watch across from the tomb, silently staring into the depths of their grief.  The disciples who were so close to him have retreated, perhaps attempting to comprehend what they are supposed to do now. Everyone is doing whatever they can or whatever they know just to walk through the hours and days following the crucifixion. Pilate’s soldiers warn him of the pending possibilities for harm.

We do all sorts of things when uncertainty is high. We are a people who take particular pride in being prepared, planning ahead and executing well in the right time. After all, we are a developed society, we have experience and resources.  But life still unravels and gets out of control. And sometimes, everything we planned or thought would be… is not that way at all! An isolated situation or a bizarre turn of events, like a global pandemic, for example, sends the dominoes falling and everything is quickly out of control. One thing leads to another; it doesn’t seem to stop.

So we retreat. We grieve. We offer a helping hand. We do what is in our power to do to keep order. We pray. We go numb. We act normally and strangely and everything in between.  God doesn’t do any of those things.

When things begin to unravel in our lives, the Spirit of the LORD reaches out with a hand of grace and says, “grab my hand…let me pull you from the sinking sand; I’ve got you.”  When life runs out of its safe boundaries – the ones that keep everything operating in status quo, and we don’t know what to do; the Spirit of the LORD announces:  Do not be afraid. I am with you. And my kingdom is being fulfilled on earth as it is in heaven.

A stone can be placed to cover our sin. A seal can be secured to protect us from healing. Even a guard can be placed over our hearts. But the Spirit of LORD has never been halted by our barriers and our seals. No guard can stop the love and grace of Christ from reaching into our tombs and calling us out to live again. Our failures cannot stop it. Our attitudes and strategies cannot divert it. When the God of heaven acts, when the Spirit of the LORD rolls the stone away – we will breathe again! Do not be afraid.

Prayer
God we all get into places that feel like tombs. Our mistakes and even sometimes our successes get us there. Our fear keeps us locked up inside. We cannot imagine a way out or a way through. We know you are different. We know your ways are far more powerful than our seals and guards.  Please free us from whatever hinders us from breathing again. Thank you, Jesus, for loving us enough to break the seals we have secured around our hearts. We love you and we trust you. We place ourselves in your hands again. Breath of life…help us rise now.  Amen.

A Living Hope by Phil Wickham
https://bit.ly/34bwzDR

 

 

The day and evening have slipped by
breezes blessed the walks at sunset
reminding our heart of the gifts that come
at day’s end.
We come before sleep
to leave at your throne, Jesus,
all that was this day.
We leave our joys, our sorrows
our questions, our anger,
the pending dreams.
We leave them safety and humbly with you.
YOU who know us better than we know ourselves.
YOU who love us the same on our best and worst days.
YOU who do not stop…you never stop
inviting us into your peace; your presence…
where there is fullness of joy.

We come at the end of evening
before sleep
before the hours of not sleeping.
We come to you
And we humbly and boldly ask at this late hour:
Father, give us peace for this night
refresh our spirits to meet the morning
with the same love and grace you have so generously
offered us tonight.
We love you, LORD, and we trust you completely.
We leave all that we love in your hands
There is no safer place for rest tonight.
Amen and Amen.

‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world;  for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’
“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?  When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?  When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ – Matthew 25:34-39

‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for the least of one of these
brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
– Jesus, in the Gospel of Matthew 25:40

Everyone Jesus mentions in this parable is in a very vulnerable situation.  On the surface it sounds like there is a group of people who are lacking something critical; they are in need of the very basics of life. But actually, there is more. The group of people named as “blessed” or “righteous”, are also in need of something critical: their inheritance in the kingdom of God.  The need from both groups is mutual and when the two come together, it is life changing.  There is a caveat: they have to come together to recognize it.

The “righteous” are named and invited to come for the blessing, an inheritance waiting for them. Others in the parable are weighed down by the difficulties of life.  All stand in need of what the Father offers:  the kingdom of God.  And where the kingdom of God is present, there is sustenance for abundant life:  food and drink; the hospitality and welcome of another; clothing to cover us in the most vulnerable of moments, care of the body, care of the spirit.

These are not things you buy at the grocery store or manufacture in a factory. These are human needs that require the eyes and spirit of another human to see and touch.  The situations named are not projects to begin and end, nor are they to rewards and accolades to seek. These are places of vulnerability where our deepest human needs are met by the love and presence of another.  And where the presence of the other opens us to the kingdom of God. This is where Jesus is spending his time and love.  This is where the Spirit equips us to serve one another. Whether giving or receiving; it is the shared need that helps us experience the Holy that transforms our lives.

Have you found yourself missing the presence of God lately?  In the full parable (read it here:  https://bit.ly/39RYZUn ) neither the righteous nor the unrighteous recognize the moments where Jesus is present. Neither the righteous nor the unrighteous seem to know that their encounter with another person was actually a pathway into the kingdom of God.

The longing to experience God is real and it is a yearning we all share. When we are hungry, that yearning may be first expressed by a need for food.  When we are well fed, that yearning is for a much deeper need that feeds our spirits and redeems our lives.  In either case – and in many unnamed here, Christ meets us and offers what is needed.

COVID19 has disrupted human interactions all over the world. Racial unrest is peeling back the layers of our shared history and revealing more to us about our lives together than we have known. Our economic challenges stretch us to share what we have with many whose work has decreased or even disappeared.  Still, the resurrected Christ continues to show up and offer each of us the grace, mercy and love we need in our journey of becoming whole. The presence of Christ persists.

Where are you encountering Jesus in the situations you experience?  Sometimes life is so beautiful it’s hard to know who is giving and who is receiving. I pray God gives you that glimpse of the kingdom today.

A parable gives us something to ponder.  A deep truth rests way the below the surface. It is available when we dive in for it. It is rarely found when we remain on the surface.  Keeping everything safe and at a distance will often hold wisdom and freedom far away as well.  When we find ourselves longing for something that has more meaning; another way to see this life, it may be an invitation to go a little deeper. You may find the resurrected Christ there waiting for you. It’s safe for diving.

Oceans by Hillsong

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dy9nwe9_xzw

Prayer
Holy God open our eyes to your presence with us and in us today. We love you Lord and we trust you completely.  In your presence there is fullness of joy! Amen.

 

 

One night, Eli, whose eyes were becoming so weak he could barely see, was lying down in his usual place. The lamp of God had not yet gone out and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was.  Then the LORD called Samuel.  Samuel answered, “Here I am.”  – I Samuel 3:2-4

Eli and Samuel are in two different stages of life. Eli is old and his body his weakening. Samuel is young and growing – both physically and spiritually. They are both in their “usual places” when the LORD interrupts their routine with a call.  The Scriptures say that this was a rare occurrence in this time (I Samuel 3:1)

Nothing really feels like “usual” right now. In fact, everything seems highly UNUSUAL.  And yet – there are places and roles and responsibilities that remain intact and need tending.  Leaders still have to shoulder the weight of decision making. Students still need to learn so teachers will be teaching. Law enforcement officers begin their shifts prepared to protect and respond. Parents have children dependent upon them for love and care. Friends still need each other. Marriages still need attention.  Homes still need order and peace – however that needs to be offered. Nurses and lab techs and teachers and accountants, pastors, contractors, custodians… you get it: all of us have our “usual places”.

The way we live into our responsibilities right now looks very different. And it may be easy to get knocked off track or for us to find ourselves wondering so much about what’s ahead that we don’t see the importance of today.  The steady faithfulness of our most basic responsibilities is one of the ways we navigate these days.  Start there. If your “usual place” has been removed or changed dramatically just ask: “what is most important right now? How do I serve today?” The question helps us dig deeper. And maybe…like Eli and Samuel, while you are doing that usual thing…like sanitizing the building or working from home, perhaps even pulling weeds in the garden…God will speak.

Eli and Samuel were doing what they always did in those days.  Being attentive and available for the service of the Lord was their daily task. It was while they were in their usual place that God called out with something they needed to hear. It’s Monday. What is your “usual place”?  How is God calling you to serve in that role today?

God please help us all see you in our usual places today. Thank you for the surprising ways you show up when we least expect it!  In the name of the resurrected Christ, Amen.

Hallelujah by Wauauquikuna

 

When August rolls around we all know what to do. School starts. Sports begin. Summer play returns to the order and familiarity of how we do life. Except when there is a global pandemic and a cure is not yet found. Except when our nation is roaring with protests and division and angst. Except when we are isolated from the very people we need and love.  With jobs changed or missing, and bank accounts shrinking nothing looks anything like “normal”.  Our lives are still disrupted! Tensions are high! The layers of our comfort and stability are peeled back one by one, and sometimes chunk by chunk. What do we do now?

When everything is shaking underneath our feet and it feels as though stability is much too far away… it is a time to stop and THINK.  When life is spinning out of control and what we thought or imagined would be our summer, our fall or the year just vanishes from view… it is a time to stop and BREATHE.  When our daily task is creating something we’ve never seen or innovating in ways that feel awkward and exhilarating all at once…it is a time to TRUST.

Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me;  for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
– Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew; Chapter 11 verses 28-29

It is totally normal to long for what “was” because it is the most familiar and we know how to do it. It is our default to have packed schedules, building and lives. COVID19 requires us to empty what was filled. It is our default to gather in numbers (more always considered “better”) and sing at the top of our lungs. COVID19, when present, spreads illness like a wildfire at the raising of our voices. It is our default to order life around school schedules, sports, music and community events. COVID19 suggests that life within households, neighbors and small circles is life-giving for now. It is our default to “go” somewhere else to serve and COVID19 reveals the need to serve with each other wherever we can be today.

Trusting God is an intentional practice in the moments when we cannot see or imagine how to take the next step.  “Hope is hope for that which is unseen….”   So just before we claim it is all too much, too late or too wrong:  THINK. BREATHE. TRUST and ask for help from our Creator and Redeemer.  God is faithful.

Prayer
God, we need your help. Please come, Holy Spirit, and guide us through these days. Show us the way you are making that is something we have never seen or done before. Please offer each of us and all of us the wisdom we need right now.  We will follow your nudges. Thank you for filling in the gaps we will never be able to fill.  We need you, Lord, and we trust you. We are at your mercy; help! We pray in the name of Jesus, the Christ. Amen.

Way Maker by SINACH
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QM8jQHE5AAk

For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. Romans 8:24-25