Never Stop Giving Thanks

Posted on by Betsy

I hate running. But I love the way running makes me feel when it’s over.

I hated practicing my bassoon. But I loved being able to play all the right notes in a concert.

I hate math. OK, that’s where it breaks down. I still hate math.

I think Paul may have had a bit of a love/hate relationship with his church in Corinth. He desperately loved them, but he hated their sin. When they were sinful, he acted like a betrayed father who has just discovered contraband in his favorite son’s bedroom. Disappointment abounds when someone or something you love lets you down. The people in that church often let Paul down.

But he never stopped giving thanks for their faith, their ministry, and their testimony.

1 Corinthians 1:3-9 (Common English Bible)

3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Thanksgiving for the Corinthians

4 I thank my God always for you, because of God’s grace that was given to you in Christ Jesus. 5 That is, you were made rich through him in everything: in all your communication and every kind of knowledge, 6 in the same way that the testimony about Christ was confirmed with you. 

7 The result is that you aren’t missing any spiritual gift while you wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. 8 He will also confirm your testimony about Christ until the end so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful, and you were called by him to partnership with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Think about your own love/hate relationships. Maybe you hate cleaning but love a clean house. Perhaps you hate cooking but love to sit down to a well-prepared meal. Do you hate the way your in-laws voted, but love the way they feel about your kids? Do you hate your adult child’s reckless behavior, but love him with all your heart?

Do you hate the sin, but love the sinner?

Give thanks for it all. Give thanks in spite of the things you don’t like. Focus on the good and be grateful. God is faithful to us in spite of our many failings. May we be that faithful to one another and may love and thanksgiving abound as we gather around the table this week.

I thank my God always for you.

November Glory by Kathy Schumacher

Two Coins

Posted on by Betsy

Last week I had the distinct pleasure of serving as a Salvation Army Bell Ringer at my local Belk store. This is my fourth year in a row to do this volunteer work and it is a fascinating look into humanity as I stand there in the cold wind and ring my bell, ring my bell. (sorry for that ear worm!) Black Friday preview sales were in effect and the joint was jumping. I like it when it’s busy like that: It gives me a chance to really experience Outer Banks culture.

As in years past, I was astounded by the loving generosity of my town. The vast majority of people who walked past me (and two who were on bikes) dropped something in my red kettle and said a cheerful word. I joked with people that it was too early for “Merry Christmas”, so I wished them a Happy Thanksgiving. They wished me well in return, and several of them thanked me for being there.

A very senior gentleman and his wife hobbled from their car on their canes and said hello as they walked into the store. I told the fellow that I liked his hat, and he beamed. An hour later, they hobbled out of the store, and he came straight to me with a $20 in his hand. He couldn’t manage the small opening in the kettle, so he handed it to me. As I put his donation in, I mentioned his hat again and he said that my compliment made his day. He had no idea how much our interaction made mine.

But the exchange that brought me to tears was a mother and her young daughter, who had her hair up in Pippi Longstocking ponytails. I had noticed them as they drove past me in a beat up old Ford truck, looking for a parking spot. When they got out of the car, I could see the mother fishing around in her purse and pockets and handing something to the little girl. She ran up to the kettle and was excited to give her offering. It was a handful of pennies and a few nickels and dimes. She wanted to put each coin in one at a time, but both were dressed modestly in old t-shirts, jeans, and flip flops and the sudden cold of the day made the mother want to hasten into the store. The girl finally pushed her pennies into the center of the kettle opening and listened to each one fall.

The mother looked at me as I was helping her daughter and said, “I’m sorry I don’t have more to give.” I immediately responded that every penny given could change someone’s life, but what she was teaching her daughter could change the world. All of a sudden she began to cry, and then of course I began to cry. I wished them both a Merry Christmas and silently prayed for them as the little girl scampered off to the store.

Jesus tells a story of people making their offering at the temple. Where are you in the story?

Mark 12 (New Revised Standard Version)

41 He sat down opposite the treasury and watched the crowd putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. 42 A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which are worth a penny. 43 Then he called his disciples and said to them, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. 44 For all of them have contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”

My faith in humanity is restored when I stand next to that red kettle every year. I see young men in their work clothes digging in their wallets for single dollar bills that you know they can’t afford to give. I see well-dressed folks stop and offer larger bills with a cheerful heart and a love for their community. Yes, many walk right past me, busy with their day, but the vast majority of people stop, give, smile, and say a kind word.

Are you a cheerful giver? The Lord loves you when you are.

Everything She Had by Becca Ziegler

All Blessings Flow

Posted on by Betsy

A doxology is a “lyrical expression of praise to God” according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary. In a worship service it provides a liturgical response to the presentation of the offering. Various forms of “Praise God from whom all blessings flow” have been sung in churches since the late 1600’s.

I once had a profound moment singing the doxology at a women’s retreat. We had gathered in the dining room and our music leader suggested we sing it a cappella as our grace before the meal. The harmonies blended beautifully in the room, and it was a stunning offering to the Lord.

Psalm 67 is introduced as a doxology in one bible translation. That is fitting, as this brief psalm is a beautiful and lyrical praise chorus. It was written to the director of music “to be performed with string instruments.” Doesn’t that sound lovely?

Psalm 67 (New Revised Standard Version)

May God be gracious to us and bless us
    and make his face to shine upon us, Selah

This may sound familiar to you. It is part of the Aaronic blessing that appears in Numbers 6. The lovely phrase “make his face to shine upon us” is a word-picture that invokes an image of God’s joy in giving his blessing and his grace to a happy, responsive people.

2 that your way may be known upon earth,
    your saving power among all nations.
3 Let the peoples praise you, O God;
    let all the peoples praise you.

The psalmist cleverly offers God a small incentive. If God will bestow his blessing on us, then the world will see and thus his way will be known on all the earth. That is kind of like promising to tithe if God would just help you win the lottery.

4 Let the nations be glad and sing for joy,
    for you judge the peoples with equity
    and guide the nations upon earth.Selah

God will judge the people with equity. That is an amazing thought. There is no hierarchy of sin according to this. There is no privilege, status, religious preference, or condition that will get you off easy. Protestants, Jews, Muslims, Catholics, atheists, etc. will be judged equally with all the people of the earth. Humbling, isn’t it?

5 Let the peoples praise you, O God;
    let all the peoples praise you.

Praise is the appropriate response to all of God’s blessings. As the harvest of provision comes in the form of daily bread to us, let us join in singing our praises with all the creatures here below! For God indeed is worthy of our praise.

6 The earth has yielded its increase;
    God, our God, has blessed us.
7 May God continue to bless us;
    let all the ends of the earth revere him.

Amen.

Blessings Flow by Michelle Robertson

A Quiet Place

Posted on by Betsy

What is your mind dwelling on right now? Are you overcome with fears for your future? Are you assessing toxic relationships and trying to find a way out? Are health issues threatening to pull you completely under? Is it your finances, insecurity, lack of justice, or just a general ennui that you can’t shake?

One of the challenges we all face in our discipleship is setting aside our day-to-day worries and aggravations so that we can allow space for God’s word to filter in. It is a struggle. It takes perseverance, discipline, and a plan.

When churches were closed for a bit during the pandemic, a friend told me that she would save my devotionals to read on Sunday mornings in lieu of going to church . She would get up at sunrise, make coffee, and walk to a sand dune where she could watch the sun come up over the ocean. She read and worshipped in that setting for months. I was extremely blessed to know this. It occurs to me that she was able to spend time dwelling on God’s presence because she put herself in a quiet place that was conducive to focusing.

Where are you right now? Are you in a quiet place that allows contemplation? Or are you surrounded by distraction? Changing our locale when we are studying Scripture may just be the thing we need to really take it all in.

Psalm 105 (Common English Bible)

Give thanks to the Lord;
    call upon his name;
    make his deeds known to all people!
2 Sing to God;
    sing praises to the Lord;
    dwell on all his wondrous works!

Being able to dwell on God’s wonderful works makes a huge difference in how the rest of the day will go. Putting his mercy and grace foremost in our thoughts can change our perspective and attitude.

3 Give praise to God’s holy name!
    Let the hearts rejoice of all those seeking the Lord!
4 Pursue the Lord and his strength;
    seek his face always!

A day that starts with pursuing God and his strength is a day that moves in the right direction. When we remember his wondrous works and seek his face we find ourselves not looking to the world for direction and comfort. The world has no comfort to give. The direction it would send us in is not anywhere we want to be. Looking solely to God for these things is what is necessary for survival.

And that is a very good thing indeed.

5 Remember the wondrous works he has done,
    all his marvelous works, and the justice he declared—
6     you who are the offspring of Abraham, his servant,
        and the children of Jacob, his chosen ones.

God is a just God, a loving God, a generous God, and a powerful God.

Dwell on that today and you will be blessed by the hour.

Lone Flower

Ruling Justly

Posted on by Betsy

It is interesting to consider people’s last words. Some are poignant, some humorous, and some are irreverent. It is said that Joan Crawford told those around her “don’t you dare ask God to help me” as she was dying. Winston Churchill is said to have uttered “I’m bored with it all” before his demise. But perhaps Karl Marx gets the last word on last words. He stated that “last words are for fools who haven’t said enough”. If that’s the case, don’t look to me for my last words, as I’m sure I have said more than enough for several lifetimes!

Today’s passage records the last words of David. These words are not necessarily “death bed” words, but the last oracle he would share at the end of his life:

2 Samuel (New Revised Standard Version)

23 Now these are the last words of David:

The oracle of David, son of Jesse,
    the oracle of the man whom God exalted,
the anointed of the God of Jacob,
    the favorite of the Strong One of Israel:

2 The spirit of the Lord speaks through me;
    his word is upon my tongue.

Having established his credentials as God’s spokesperson, he goes on to give guidance for rulers, according to God’s standard:
3 The God of Israel has spoken;
    the Rock of Israel has said to me:
“One who rules over people justly,
    ruling in the fear of God,
4 is like the light of morning,
    like the sun rising on a cloudless morning,
    gleaming from the rain on the grassy land.”

God has one standard: to rule justly. When our rulers rule in the fear (reverent awe, respect, faithful love) of God, the people will be well served. These rulers bring light and life to their constituents. David knew that even in his sinfulness, God would continue to allow his house to rule Israel because of the covenant that he made with David.

5 Is not my house like this with God?
    For he has made with me an everlasting covenant,
    ordered in all things and secure.
Will he not cause to prosper
    all my help and my desire?

Since Jesus was born of David’s lineage, the just ruler mandate continues through him and to all who consider themselves followers of Christ. But woe unto the godless rulers! They will be consumed by fire, much like the dead wood that God prunes from the branches that abide in Christ. (See John 15.)

6 But the godless are all like thorns that are thrown away,
    for they cannot be picked up with the hand;
7 to touch them one uses an iron bar
    or the shaft of a spear.
    And they are entirely consumed in fire on the spot.

These are great words for us today as we consider the rulers of this world from great nations down to the president of the local PTO. Those who rule justly will enjoy the warmth of God’s light. Those who don’t will be like thorns that are thrown away.

May it be so on earth as it is in heaven.

Consumed by the Fire by Michelle Robertson

“No”

Posted on by Betsy

I have a friend who is going through the last months of a decades-long marriage that has dissolved. Her husband has left the family for another one, and she has prayed fervently over the last several months that God would change her husband’s heart. His heart has not changed.

She told me last week that she feels that God isn’t listening to her. I kindly responded that perhaps it is she who isn’t listening to God. I don’t believe there is ever a time when God doesn’t hear our prayers, though it certainly can feel that way when we don’t get the answer we are desperate to receive.

When disappointment, illness, tragedy, or hardship comes, do we ever lose our enthusiasm for God? Do we ever feel rejected by him when we don’t get the answers we want?

Proverbs 3 brings us into the heart of the matter. We are not to lean on our own understanding when things happen, but rather trust in the Lord with ALL our heart:

Proverbs 3 (New International Version)

Trust in the Lord with all your heart
    and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways submit to him,
    and he will make your paths straight.

Sometimes, God will say “No” to our prayers. 

But remember this: Sometimes God’s “No” is not a rejection, but a redirection.
Sometimes God’s “No” is not a punishment, but a preparation. 
There are times when God’s “No” will bring greater glory to his kingdom. Some “No” responses help us understand the scope of God’s reign as he teaches us to live with the consequences of our actions.
And God’s “No” can even start us on an adventure with him.

One thing is sure … God is more interested in our character than our comfort, and that is often reflected in his response to our prayers.

God even said “No” to Paul when Paul asked for his “thorn to be removed,” and then gave Paul special grace to carry on. And pretty much everything Christians know about grace comes from the letters of Paul.

So can we find comfort in God’s wisdom when he says “No”? Maybe not today. Maybe not tomorrow. But we can try to live into God’s grace, knowing that he always works for our good, and always listens to us when we reach out to him. Always.

So in all your discouragement and disappointment, submit to God, and he will make your paths straight.

Straight back into his arms.

The Straight Path by Kathy Schumacher

Not That Kind of King

Posted on by Betsy

If you read these devotionals on a regular basis, you have hopefully noticed that this space is a politics-free sanctuary. Indeed, my intent is to make Scripture approachable and understandable so that readers may form theologically-based opinions about every facet of life. But I have to share something that I heard recently. A friend who was very disappointed in the recent Presidential election commented to me that this election has made her long for the Second Coming of Christ. She then chuckled ruefully and went on to say, “and he better come back by January 19th!” I am sad that she feels that way, but I found it interesting that in her disappointment, her thoughts turned so quickly to the Second Coming. Sometimes the things that stress us the most are the ones that drive us back to God, and that’s never a bad thing.

I am not making light of anyone’s feelings about the election. But truly, all of our attention in every season of life should be focused on the Second Coming. We are citizens of heaven, and a better way of governance will be ours when we enter those gates. Christ the King will reign and all of our inadequate human leaders on every side and in every nation will fade away and become a thing of the past, not to be remembered or revered. Won’t that indeed be a wonderful day? All nations, races, and peoples will gather before one throne and worship the one true king. These present situations are something that just must be endured until then.

John 18 (The Message)

33 Pilate went back into the palace and called for Jesus. He said, “Are you the ‘King of the Jews’?”

34 Jesus answered, “Are you saying this on your own, or did others tell you this about me?”

35 Pilate said, “Do I look like a Jew? Your people and your high priests turned you over to me. What did you do?”

36 “My kingdom,” said Jesus, “doesn’t consist of what you see around you. If it did, my followers would fight so that I wouldn’t be handed over to the Jews. But I’m not that kind of king, not the world’s kind of king.”

Jesus’ kingdom will look nothing like the kingdoms of this world. His statement that his followers would only “fight for him” if his kingdom was like those of earth is a direct indication that his kingdom will not have warring, fighting, or violence. There is no kingdom on earth that can boast that.

He is not that kind of king.

37 Then Pilate said, “So, are you a king or not?”

Jesus answered, “You tell me. Because I am King, I was born and entered the world so that I could witness to the truth. Everyone who cares for truth, who has any feeling for the truth, recognizes my voice.”

Christ will reign over all the earth in due time. That is the truth. We who care for the truth and have any feeling for the truth recognize the voice of our one true king. And so we wait for righteousness, justice, and peace.

Come, Lord Jesus, come.

Lord, Hasten the Day

Unbinding

Posted on by Betsy

What has you tied up in knots today? Surely the election results have at least half of the country feeling bound up in restrictive cloths while the other half is feeling suddenly set free. There are lots of things in life that can make us feel wrapped up in burial cloth: Divorce, the sudden death of a loved one, financial woes, natural disasters, food and housing insecurities … the list goes on and on. What has you trapped today?

Our lectionary passage from last week tells the incredible story of a man who died and was bound up in strips of cloth like a mummy. This man was dear to Jesus, as were his sisters. Mary and Martha were strong believers in Jesus’ power to heal. They had sent for him to come and heal their brother, but he arrived too late:

John 11 (Common English Bible)

32 When Mary arrived where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother wouldn’t have died.”

33 When Jesus saw her crying and the Jews who had come with her crying also, he was deeply disturbed and troubled. 34 He asked, “Where have you laid him?”

I find it striking that he was deeply disturbed and troubled at the news of his friend’s death and at their grief. Do you know that whatever has you bound up today causes Jesus some consternation? He loves you that much.

They replied, “Lord, come and see.”

35 Jesus began to cry. 36 The Jews said, “See how much he loved him!” 37 But some of them said, “He healed the eyes of the man born blind. Couldn’t he have kept Lazarus from dying?”

Notice that the Jews who were observing this acknowledged Jesus’ power to heal. They were believers.

38 Jesus was deeply disturbed again when he came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone covered the entrance. 39 Jesus said, “Remove the stone.”

Martha, the sister of the dead man, said, “Lord, the smell will be awful! He’s been dead four days.”

In the King James Version, this sentence reads “He stinketh.” I think we should revive that word. It kind of adds class to a smelly situation. If you’ve ever changed a diaper, you know what I mean.

Then Jesus had his “hold my beer” moment. They wanted him to heal Lazarus, but he showed an even greater power than that: He showed them the power of resurrection.

40 Jesus replied, “Didn’t I tell you that if you believe, you will see God’s glory?” 41 So they removed the stone. Jesus looked up and said, “Father, thank you for hearing me. 42 I know you always hear me. I say this for the benefit of the crowd standing here so that they will believe that you sent me.” 43 Having said this, Jesus shouted with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 The dead man came out, his feet bound and his hands tied, and his face covered with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Untie him and let him go.”

The bottom line for this story for us today is this: Jesus wants to unbind you from whatever has you trapped. He longs to set you free from your burial shroud and watch you enter into new life, healed and whole. I bet you know exactly what to do to make this happen. Whether it’s leaving a toxic relationship, ending a destructive habit, stop obsessing over the past, or standing up for yourself against an enemy, you know what to do. So do it!

Untie yourself and let it go.

Free Flowing by Kathy Schumacher

Without Flaw

Posted on by Betsy

I am currently writing a women’s retreat for a large church in Alpharetta, Georgia based on the Temple. That was my one-word assignment: write a retreat on the Temple. Let me tell you, this has been the most challenging one yet! But after many, many long hours of research and study (and sweat and tears) it all boils down to one sentence: You are God’s dwelling place in which God lives by his spirit.

This one sentence undoes thousands of years of temple building! Let’s do a brief history lesson on the Tabernacle/Temple thing. In the beginning, God designed a perfect dwelling place in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve but when they sinned, they were expelled. From that point on, fellowship with God was broken and yet somehow, God still desired to dwell with us. As we follow the story from Genesis to Exodus, we see the people wandering in the wilderness after God delivered them from Egypt and Pharaoh’s vicious pursuit. At this point, God made a plan for them to build a mobile tabernacle, a “meeting tent,” so that his presence could go with them everywhere, and gave Moses very specific instructions for building it.

Now let’s fast forward to the Temple. For Jewish people, God’s Temple meant something very specific: it meant the Temple in Jerusalem. The Temple that was built by King Solomon. The Temple that housed the ark of the covenant in the Holy of Holies. The Temple that was destroyed by the Babylonians, and then rebuilt by Zerubbabel, before being destroyed a second time by the Romans in 70 AD. The Temple which now remains only as a single wall, the Wailing Wall, is still a sacred place for Jewish people. 

Now we move on to the arrival of our Messiah, Jesus. When Jesus came, he completed God’s full plan for the Temple by becoming the temple himself. As high priest, Jesus offers the best and most complete sacrifice at the altar and allows us to be tabernacled with him, becoming the dwelling place ourselves.

Hebrews 9:11-14 (Common English Bible)

11 But Christ has appeared as the high priest of the good things that have happened. He passed through the greater and more perfect meeting tent, which isn’t made by human hands (that is, it’s not a part of this world). 12 He entered the holy of holies once for all by his own blood, not by the blood of goats or calves, securing our deliverance for all time. 13 If the blood of goats and bulls and the sprinkled ashes of cows made spiritually contaminated people holy and clean, 14 how much more will the blood of Jesus wash our consciences clean from dead works in order to serve the living God? He offered himself to God through the eternal Spirit as a sacrifice without any flaw.

Paul goes on later to explain the completion of the plan in Ephesians 2:

 22 And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

This is the great charge and challenge for today. As a dwelling place for God, how will you reflect his Spirit to the world in a winsome, inviting way? Do people see enough of God’s Spirit in you that they want to come in and know more? Are you a reflection of his glory and grace?

May we strive to be an open door to others until everyone hears.

(Georgia friends, you are invited to attend this retreat: February 22nd, Midway United Methodist Church, Alpharetta, GA. Registration forms will be available soon on their website.)

Peachtree City UMC

Election Angst

Posted on by Betsy

I had a conversation with a church member who is facing a lot of personal challenges right now. On multiple levels she is dealing with life changing events in her family and her stress level is high. As we talked about each one, trying to find possible solutions, I began to realize that we were both affected by another kind of pressure: Election angst. These last few months have taken a terrible toll on all of us. The vitriol, the false claims, the lying, the accusations, the intense fear of what is to come … whatever pressures you are going through in your work/life situation, there is an overwhelming dark cloud of “what ifs” that has affected us all. In some ways I can’t wait for it to be over but in other ways, I am terrified at what comes next.

This morning I was reflecting on all of this, and guess what God had to say about it? “Do not put your trust in princes, in human beings, who cannot save.”

Psalm 146 (New International Version)

Praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord, my soul.

2 I will praise the Lord all my life;
    I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
3 Do not put your trust in princes,
    in human beings, who cannot save.
4 When their spirit departs, they return to the ground;
    on that very day their plans come to nothing.
5 Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob,
    whose hope is in the Lord their God.

Blessed are we when we put our hope for help squarely on God’s shoulders. God created the universes and told the stars and moons where to be! Even in the darkest moments of anguish over the future of our country, we must remember this. God remains faithful forever.

6 He is the Maker of heaven and earth,
    the sea, and everything in them—
    he remains faithful forever.
7 He upholds the cause of the oppressed
    and gives food to the hungry.
The Lord sets prisoners free,
8     the Lord gives sight to the blind,
the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down,
    the Lord loves the righteous.

We may feel like the bowed down right now as we await the results that will shape the course of our future together, but God still and always reigns forever. Yes, it is scary. Yes, it is unbelievable to be in such a place at this point in our lives. But even still, God watches over us.

9 The Lord watches over the foreigner
    and sustains the fatherless and the widow,
    but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.

So lift up your head to the Lord today and give up all your fears and worries. In the end, it is the Lord who reigns forever.

10 The Lord reigns forever,
    your God, O Zion, for all generations.

Consider the Flowers of the Field by Kathy Schumacher