Daily devotionals

Calling All Saints

Posted on by Betsy

Saints. They can be canonized heroes of our faith, plaster statues in a cathedral, a football team in New Orleans, or the person sitting next to you.

We usually balk at the notion that every day folks are saints, and the thought that we ourselves fall into that category is especially squirm-worthy. Comparing ourselves with the likes of the Apostle Paul, Mother Teresa, and Gabriel the Archangel is uncomfortable at best, unless you have a really, really big ego. Most Protestant denominations don’t have saints like our Catholic brothers and sisters do. Our traditions don’t include canonization, but we do have saints of the ordinary variety.

You and me.

All Saints’ Day is a way of marking the ordinariness of extraordinary people of faith. Many churches observe this on the first Sunday of November. Names of those who have died in the last year are read, and a candle is lit for each. Sometimes a bell is tolled as well. It is a sacred and solemn day of remembrance and thanksgiving for the faithfulness of these folks.

The phrase saints appears in the Bible over 60 times. In Colossians 10, Paul assures us that all of us are saints:

Colossians 1:10-14 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

10 So that you may lead lives worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, as you bear fruit in every good work and as you grow in the knowledge of God. 11 May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power, and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light. 13 He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins

The root of the word saint comes from the word sanctified. To be sanctified is to be “set apart for holy use.” We have been called out of the world to be the reflection of Christ to a world that doesn’t know him but needs him desperately.

Many years ago, I traveled to Israel. Most of the holy sites are maintained by different churches: Roman Catholic, Coptic, Greek Orthodox, Franciscans, etc. As an American Methodist, I was struck by all of the plaster statues and busts of saints I knew nothing about. It was an interesting distraction from the holy site itself.

When I got home, I reflected on our Protestant understanding of saints as ordinary people, and I sadly realized that in many instances, I have been and continue to be a plaster saint. How about you? Do you ever feel that way … That if people knew what was really going on inside of you, they surely would feel differently about you?

The scriptures may affirm us as saints with the rest of the members of the household of God, but in so many ways, our usefulness as those set apart for holy use only runs skin deep. I may appear somewhat saintly on the outside, but the plaster is covering who I really am and hiding my less-than-sanctified-self from the world.

In our ordinariness, we all sin and fall short of the glory of God. Then we put on a plaster cast and show a holiness to the world that doesn’t really speak to who we are inside. As they say, actions speak louder than words, and people can easily see past the mask. And so can God.

On this All Saints’ Day, let us spend a moment meditating on that. Do you mirror the image of God in everything you say, do, think, and post? Or is your sainthood just a plaster façade, hiding an inner self you don’t want others to see? Let us mark this day with self-examination, confession, repentance, and change.

As saints, we are called to work hard in every way to do the right thing and endure in good works no matter the cost. We are instructed to grow in our knowledge of God, so keep doing your daily devotionals, people! Thank you for reading! Saints endeavor to live a life worthy of God, not just show up to church occasionally so we can check that box.

You see, the whole point of sainthood is not to be perfect, but to be redeemed, forgiven, and strengthened by the Holy Spirit to live a life that reflects our faith. And someday, when the saints go marching in, oh Lord, let us be in that number!

Stone Saints by Alan Janesch

Hear

Posted on by Betsy

If you could distill everything important you wanted your family to know about you and put it in a box, what would you include? I recently purchased a NOKBOX (Next of Kin Box) for my husband and I to consolidate all of our important papers and information for our next of kin in the event of our passing. He has been working on it for weeks and finally completed it. It has preprinted file folders that you simply fill with the necessary documents, and viola, there it all is in one box. You’re welcome, kids! We recently had a relative die very unexpectedly and his widow and children are still trying to chase down all of the necessary documents that one must produce in these situations. This motivated us to consolidate all the important things in one location for our family when we go. I hope you have some kind of system in place for your next of kin as well.

In a strange way, today’s scripture is like a NOKBOX. Moses had brought the nation of Israel to the entry way to the Promised Land after finally escaping from Pharaoh’s grip. The years of wilderness wandering have left them depleted in many ways. They are tired of their nomadic life and long for a home. A generation has come and gone and they don’t remember what it is like to be Hebrew. More importantly, they have lost sight of the commandments that God gave them in a love letter on stone tablets. Before they move on, it was time to go over all the important parts of the covenant with God.

Deuteronomy 6 (New Revised Standard Version)

4 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6 Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart. 7 Recite them to your children and talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise. 8 Bind them as a sign on your hand, fix them as an emblem on your forehead,9 and write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. Right from the start the monotheistic nature of the Jewish faith is asserted. They are about to enter a land of pagans with false idols, so getting this part straight from the get-go would ensure their survival. They are reminded to love their Lord with everything they have. The prayer continues with an invitation to keep these words in their hearts, recite them in their homes, and put them on their hands, foreheads, and doorposts. This was done by writing this shema on tiny pieces of paper and placing them into small boxes called phylacteries, which could be bound to the arm and forehead with leather straps. In a literal sense, they boxed up everything important about God and wore them on their bodies.

One of the things that our NOKBOX does not include is a space for us to express how much we love and cherish our children and grandchildren, and how extremely proud we have always been to be their parents. This is a file that we need to add. In the meantime, I will wear my love for them on my arms and my forehead, and write it over my doorpost.

New Neighbor

Anti-Toxin

Posted on by Betsy

We are rounding the corner when holidays challenge us to try to spend time with our families. There is an expectation of togetherness that dominates our schedules between Halloween and New Year’s Day. For families that are experiencing dysfunction, these next few months can be extremely disruptive.

Does your family put the “fun” in dysfunctional or is there a deep and toxic undercurrent that threatens your peace? I spoke to a mother who has been battling with a very toxic relative who refuses to listen to her and has rejected all of her words and counsel. When that relative suddenly announced that they were coming for Thanksgiving, the mother responded that this would not work this year. I applaud her conviction in standing up for herself. Let me say this out loud for those in the back: it is okay to walk away from toxic relationships. You can still love people from afar, but to put appropriate boundaries around your heart, your mind, and your sanity is sometimes the only way to negotiate relationships that threaten to undo you.

Not only is it okay to walk away from toxic relationships, but it is also biblical.

In the tenth chapter of Matthew, Jesus was training his disciples to go out and announce that the Messiah had come. He instructed them to knock on the door and offer a blessing of peace. If the blessing was rebuked, Jesus told them to “let your peace return to you” and walk away.

Matthew 10 (New International Version)

13 If the home is deserving, let your peace rest on it; if it is not, let your peace return to you. 14 If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet.

Think about your most challenging relationships. If the relationship is deserving, let your peace rest on it. If your words, advice, and loving counsel are rejected over and over again, step away from that relationship and dust off your feet.

This is not to say that we are suddenly relieved of our duty to love others as Christ loves them. This does not discount unconditional love. But loving with healthy boundaries and space is appropriate. Jesus said so.

Are you dreading the holidays? Do you wish you didn’t have to deal with someone this season?

Dust off your feet, stand up for yourself, and walk toward your own peace of mind.

When Peace, Like a River by Kathy Schumacher

When You are Being Trampled

Posted on by Betsy

An old song from the musical “The King and I” kept floating through my mind during the recent hurricanes. As we were bombarded with images of charts and graphs showing the hurricanes increasing in intensity and coming closer and closer, this little song would replay itself. Sung by Anna as she is entering life as a teacher in the great palace of the fierce and intimidating King of Siam, the lyrics are a lighthearted reminder to try to project a brave countenance, even when you don’t feel it:

Whenever I feel afraid
I hold my head erect
And whistle a happy tune
So no one will suspect I’m afraid

I whistle a happy tune
And every single time
The happiness in the tune
Convinces me that I’m not afraid

Make believe you’re brave
And the trick will take you far
You may be as brave
As you make believe you are

The last verse is the best. You may be as brave as you make believe you are. Possibly the success in this lies in the fact that working to project a fearlessness that you don’t feel will distract you from the spinning cycle of despair that would like to swirl you downward deeper into your situation.

Today’s reading is from a time when David definitely felt afraid. The Philistines had seized him in Gath. He was alone, desperate, and very, very frightened. David was in great and constant danger from many enemies, both the Philistines and Saul’s servants. He cried out to God, knowing that divine help could rescue him from any man-made threat. He appealed to the mercy of God, not relying on what he may or may not deserve.

This is such a good place to start, whenever we feel afraid. Appealing to God’s mercy is exactly the right thing to do. David dove right into his petition, and addressed the attacks of his enemies who were “trampling” him.

You may or may not have “enemies” per se, but can you list people who oppose or oppress you? Are there people in your life who attack you on social media, family members who ignore or dismiss you, or rebellious teenagers who are working your last nerve? Who or what tramples you?

Psalm 56 (New International Version)

56 God, have mercy on me because I’m being trampled.
    All day long the enemy oppresses me.
2 My attackers trample me all day long
    because I have so many enemies.

Having made his petition David turned to his God on High, calling him “Exalted one.” This is David’s way of reminding both God and David that he understood the high and powerful nature of the God to whom he cried out. If you were writing this psalm, what name would you use for God? Who is God to you?
Exalted one, 3 whenever I’m afraid,
    I put my trust in you—
4         in God, whose word I praise.
        I trust in God; I won’t be afraid.
    What can mere flesh do to me?

David put his whole trust in God, and it made him feel less afraid. What would it mean to put your trust in God and leave all your fears there?

David now expressed his paranoia over his enemies ganging up against him. Have you ever felt that way? Can you recall a time when you felt ambushed or trapped by people or circumstances that you couldn’t overcome?

5 All day long they frustrate my pursuits;
    all their thoughts are evil against me.
6 They get together and set an ambush—
    they are watching my steps,
    hoping for my death.
7 Don’t rescue them for any reason!
    In wrath bring down the people, God!

But watch what comes next. David remembers and acknowledges where God has been all along. God has kept track of his misery. There is a tenderness in his statement “you put my tears into your bottle.” The tear bottle tradition dates back nearly 3,000 years, when mourners were said to collect their tears in a tear bottle, also called a lachrymatory. Tear bottles were buried with loved ones to express honor and devotion.

8 You yourself have kept track of my misery.
    Put my tears into your bottle—
    aren’t they on your scroll already?

What does it mean to you to know that God has numbered and kept every tear you have shed? For David, it gave him courage. It took his anxiety away and helped him see God’s activity in his situation. Then came this beautiful statement: “I know this because God is mine.” God is yours as well.

9 Then my enemies will retreat when I cry out.
    I know this because God is mine.
10     God: whose word I praise.
        The Lord: whose word I praise.
11 I trust in God; I won’t be afraid.
    What can anyone do to me?

When God is yours and you are God’s, what can anyone or any circumstance do to you, indeed?

12 I will fulfill my promises to you, God.
    I will present thanksgiving offerings to you
13     because you have saved my life from death,
    saved my feet from stumbling
        so that I can walk before God in the light of life.

God saves us from death and saves our feet from stumbling. We don’t have to be afraid! God enables us to walk in the light of life. Whenever you are afraid, God creates space for you. He counts, stores, and records everything about your fears and your tears.

And to know that the God of the universe cares about you makes everything all right. 

Moonrise over Colington

Too Big for Their Britches

Posted on by Betsy

Do you have phrases stuck in your head that your grandparents used when you were a kid? These down-to-earth tidbits of elder wisdom are priceless core memories that can instantly take you right back to Grandma’s dining room table laden with Thanksgiving dinner delights whenever you hear them. I recently had a conversation with a friend who was bemoaning the fight in her neighborhood between the HOA and a separate governing board. We talked through the issues and finally she threw up her hands and said, “They’ve all just become too big for their britches!” Grandma would have loved that. It was one of her favorite sayings! Indeed, the ego driven arrogance of some of these “leaders” in that neighborhood fits that description. Paul would say, “They think more highly of themselves than they ought.” And you know the problem of becoming too big for your britches: You risk splitting the back seam of your pants and showing your … um … core memory.

Today’s passage is a classic tale of two brothers who had gotten way too big for their britches, or robes in this case:

Mark 4 (Common English Bible)

35 James and John, Zebedee’s sons, came to Jesus and said, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask.”

36 “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked.

37 They said, “Allow one of us to sit on your right and the other on your left when you enter your glory.”

38 Jesus replied, “You don’t know what you’re asking! Can you drink the cup I drink or receive the baptism I receive?”

39 “We can,” they answered.

How conceited was that response? They had no idea what drinking the cup and receiving the baptism meant, but they were absolutely positive that they were big enough to handle it. In their limited thinking, sitting at places of honor in Jesus’ kingdom would be amazing. In truth, it would involve drinking from the cup of sorrow and receiving a baptism of suffering, death, and resurrection.

Jesus said, “You will drink the cup I drink and receive the baptism I receive, 40 but to sit at my right or left hand isn’t mine to give. It belongs to those for whom it has been prepared.”

I wonder if when Jesus told them they will drink the cup and receive the baptism they smiled and high-fived each other, thinking they had won something. But I am sure that Jesus did not participate in their celebration, as he knew exactly what would happen. James was the first disciple to be martyred according to Acts 12, and tradition suggests that John survived an attempted murder when he was submerged in a vat of boiling oil. In truth, the baptism they received was a baptism of fire.

41 Now when the other ten disciples heard about this, they became angry with James and John. 42 Jesus called them over and said, “You know that the ones who are considered the rulers by the Gentiles show off their authority over them and their high-ranking officials order them around. 43 But that’s not the way it will be with you. Whoever wants to be great among you will be your servant.44 Whoever wants to be first among you will be the slave of all,45 for the Human One didn’t come to be served but rather to serve and to give his life to liberate many people.”

Jesus dressed them all down and then redressed them in pants that fit their mission. They were called to be humble servants of each other and greatness would be defined by how well and faithfully they served. In this way, they took on the servanthood appearance of our Lord, who humbled himself even unto death.

Is God trying to humble you? Do you need to take a step back and see where you might serve someone in quiet kindness and gentle generosity?

The only way to be first in Jesus’ kingdom is to choose to be last.

Serving the Hungry at Fayetteville United Methodist Church by Kathy Schumacher

Clean Your Room

Posted on by Betsy

How many of you clean your house before you go on vacation? It is so nice to come back to a tidy abode after some time away, but this practice confused me as a kid. Like, who were we cleaning for? We’re not even going to be here. Are we expecting ghosts? Squatters? A surprise inspection? GRANDMA??

I remember feeling that having to clean my room before every trip was a real buzz kill. But my parents had a strong ethic of first things first, and work before play that I appreciate now that I am older.

Our letter from Jude today started out exactly like that. He intended to pen an epistle on salvation but had to “clean up” a few things first. There were godless people who had infiltrated their community and brought their immorality and ungodly desires with them. So Jude had to address first things first.

The name Jude is short for Judas, but as the canon was being developed it was deemed wise not to allow him to be confused with Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus. This Judas was in fact the half-brother of Jesus. Mary and Joseph’s son was humble in his position as sibling to the Lord. Rather than flaunt his position, Jude rolled up his sleeves and got to work.

The main issues he addressed in his letter had been addressed against the godless long before. Jude recounted what happened to those who survived the exodus from Egypt only to fall away from God. He went all the way back to Genesis to describe what happened to angels who fell from grace, as well as the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah who met a fiery fate due to their sins. These stories, contended Jude, should serve as a warning.

Jude 1:1-25

3 Dear friends, I wanted very much to write to you concerning the salvation we share. Instead, I must write to urge you to fight for the faith delivered once and for all to God’s holy people. 4 Godless people have slipped in among you. They turn the grace of our God into unrestrained immorality and deny our only master and Lord, Jesus Christ. Judgment was passed against them a long time ago.

5 I want to remind you of something you already know very well. The Lord, who once saved a people out of Egypt, later destroyed those who didn’t maintain their faith. 6 I remind you too of the angels who didn’t keep their position of authority but deserted their own home. The Lord has kept them in eternal chains in the underworld until the judgment of the great day. 7 In the same way, Sodom and Gomorrah and neighboring towns practiced immoral sexual relations and pursued other sexual urges. By undergoing the punishment of eternal fire, they serve as a warning.

8 Yet, even knowing this, these dreamers in the same way pollute themselves, reject authority, and slander the angels. 9 The archangel Michael, when he argued with the devil about Moses’ body, did not dare charge him with slander. Instead, he said, “The Lord rebuke you!” 10 But these people slander whatever they don’t understand. They are destroyed by what they know instinctively, as though they were irrational animals.

The pressing issue in Jude’s time was the invasion of people into the faith community who rejected God’s authority and slandered things they did not understand. Jude warned that these people are like “jagged rocks just below the surface of the water waiting to snag you” (verse 12) and “wild waves of the sea foaming up their own shame” (verse 13). His use of imagery is striking! We can just imagine ourselves being pulled under and drowning in sin. Jude cautioned and counseled them to clean their house of these people. Judgment is coming.

11 They are damned, for they follow in the footsteps of Cain. For profit they give themselves over to Balaam’s error. They are destroyed in the uprising of Korah. 12 These people are like jagged rocks just below the surface of the water waiting to snag you when they join your love feasts. They feast with you without reverence. They care only for themselves. They are waterless clouds carried along by the winds; fruitless autumn trees, twice dead, uprooted; 13 wild waves of the sea foaming up their own shame; wandering stars for whom the darkness of the underworld is reserved forever.

14 Enoch, who lived seven generations after Adam, prophesied about these people when he said, “See, the Lord comes with his countless holy ones,15 to execute judgment on everyone and to convict everyone about every ungodly deed they have committed in their ungodliness as well as all the harsh things that sinful ungodly people have said against him.” 16 These are faultfinding grumblers, living according to their own desires. They speak arrogant words and they show partiality to people when they want a favor in return.

Take a look around you. Are you listening to the faultfinding grumblers who speak arrogant words and reject God’s authority? If you are, clean out your room!

17 But you, dear friends, remember the words spoken beforehand by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. 18 They said to you, “In the end time scoffers will come living according to their own ungodly desires.” 19 These people create divisions. Since they don’t have the Spirit, they are worldly.

Jude leaves us with a beautiful word of encouragement to build each other up on the foundation of our good and holy faith while we protect ourselves from falling in with the wicked ones.

20 But you, dear friends: build each other up on the foundation of your most holy faith, pray in the Holy Spirit, 21 keep each other in the love of God, wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will give you eternal life. 22 Have mercy on those who doubt. 23 Save some by snatching them from the fire. Fearing God, have mercy on some, hating even the clothing contaminated by their sinful urges.

Let us leave this devotional with the beautiful benediction and doxology of verses 24-25. Amen!

To the one who is able to protect you from falling,
        and to present you blameless and rejoicing before his glorious presence,
25 to the only God our savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord,
        belong glory, majesty, power, and authority,
            before all time, now and forever. Amen.

Glory, Majesty, and Power

Nowhere to Hide

Posted on by Betsy

Several years ago I ran a Half Marathon in the Outer Banks. It was a well-planned event, and it felt like the whole town came out to cheer runners on. People held up signs and rang cowbells as we trotted past them. But my favorite sign of the entire race was in front of the Kitty Hawk Police Station. It read: “You can run, but you can’t hide. Good luck from the KHPD!”

Our passage from Isaiah reads just like that sign. God warned the sinners and the scoffers who rejected his word that they could run, but they couldn’t hide from him forever. These leaders of Jerusalem and Judah thought they had made friends with death and could live their lives any way they wanted. Losing their dignity and indulging in too much wine gave them a false sense of security in their ability to avoid God’s judgment. They thought that because they did not believe in God’s covenant, God could not punish them. Using their falsehoods and lies like a refuge, they thought they were untouchable.

They thought wrong.

Isaiah 28 (Common English Bible)

14 Therefore, hear the Lord’s word,
    you scoffers who rule this people in Jerusalem.
15 You said, “We’ve cut a deal with death;
    with the underworld we made a pact.
When the overflowing flood passes through, it won’t reach us;
    for we have made lies our hiding place,
    and in falsehood we take shelter.”

God laid a building stone in Zion that would be sure, tested, tried, and solid. Upon this cornerstone God would build a people who would be straight and righteous. Those attributes would serve as the plumb line for the generations to come.

16 Therefore, the Lord God says:
Look! I’m laying in Zion a stone,
    a tested stone, a valuable cornerstone,
    a sure foundation:
    the one who trusts won’t tremble.
17 I will make justice the measuring line
    and righteousness the plumb line.

To the people of Isaiah’s time, this promised Messiah would come and annihilate the wicked who had temporary rule over Zion. Christians understand this to be fulfilled with the coming of Jesus, our sure and tested cornerstone: “You are being made into a holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 Thus it is written in scripture, Look! I am laying a cornerstone in Zion, chosen, valuable. The person who believes in him will never be shamed” (1 Peter 2:5-6).

But hail will sweep away the hiding place of lies,
    and water will overflow the shelter.
18 Your deal with death will be dissolved,
    and your pact with the grave  won’t stand.
The rushing flood: when it passes through,
    you will be annihilated by it.

God surely detests liars. The scoffers who hide away in their sinful apostasy won’t get away with it for long. This comes as good news to those of us who have been the victim of someone’s lies. We live in a world and in a time when lying has become part of every institution and every system. Scientists speculate that people lie at least once every day.

Jesus came to be the way, the truth, and the life. We who follow him are expected to use that as our plumb line. The call to imitate his righteousness includes a call to truth telling.

Have you told a lie today? Have you heard a lie today? May we strive to build ourselves upon our Cornerstone and model his honesty and openness, with nothing to hide.

Nothing to Hide by Kathy Schumacher

Versus Verses

Posted on by Betsy

A thousand or so years ago, I was a young child whose mother took her to the dentist every six months. I disliked the dentist very much, and that hasn’t changed as I aged. But I loved the free “Highlights” magazines that the dentist kept stocked in his waiting room. One of my favorite features in this popular children’s magazine was a cartoon called “Goofus and Gallant.” Simply put, Gallant did good things and was always right, while Goofus was, well, a goofus who made very bad decisions. It was a classic good versus evil lesson every month.

Our reading today from the Apostle John harkens back to that familiar trope of good brother versus bad brother, which in all fairness began in the Old Testament with Cain versus Abel. Abel is very good and likable while Cain is selfish and evil. John’s treatment of Gaius, the good brother in Christ, is reminiscent of Abel. Diotrephes, however, is Cain all the way.

The Book of 3 John is one of five books written by the apostle: The Gospel of John, 1, 2, and 3 John, and Revelation. The Third Epistle of John is actually a very personal letter to Gaius, the leader of the churches in Asia Minor. Diotrephes had been resisting John’s leadership. His accusations and actions threatened to undo the good work that Gaius was doing. Diotrephes’ excommunication of some of the church members and refusal to welcome others created a hardship for the church, and John encouraged Gaius to continue to live in the truth and remain faithful to that truth. Their sound doctrine and orthodoxy in creed were the strength of their truth.

3 John (Common English Bible)

To my dear friend Gaius, whom I truly love.

2 Dear friend, I’m praying that all is well with you and that you enjoy good health in the same way that you prosper spiritually.

3 I was overjoyed when the brothers and sisters arrived and spoke highly of your faithfulness to the truth, shown by how you live according to the truth. 4 I have no greater joy than this: to hear that my children are living according to the truth. 5 Dear friend, you act faithfully in whatever you do for our brothers and sisters, even though they are strangers. 6 They spoke highly of your love in front of the church. You all would do well to provide for their journey in a way that honors God, 7 because they left on their journey for the sake of Jesus Christ without accepting any support from the Gentiles. 8 Therefore, we ought to help people like this so that we can be coworkers with the truth.

What is this truth? Scholars agree that John was referring to the church’s genuine, authentic faith, lived out in such a way that there was no phoniness or deceit. In colloquial terms, they “talked the talk and walked the walk.”

9 I wrote something to the church, but Diotrephes, who likes to put himself first, doesn’t welcome us. 10 Because of this, if I come, I will bring up what he has done—making unjustified and wicked accusations against us. And as if that were not enough, he not only refuses to welcome the brothers and sisters but stops those who want to do so and even throws them out of the church! 11 Dear friend, don’t imitate what is bad but what is good. Whoever practices what is good belongs to God. Whoever practices what is bad has not seen God.

How about you? Do you walk your talk, or are you living a life of deception? Would John commend you as a child of God who lives according to Christ’s truth, of are you just talking like a goofus?

Do you believe you are a child of God? Then walk like one.

Walk in the Truth by Kathy Schumacher

The Sincerest Form

Posted on by Betsy

What is the sincerest form of flattery? Imitation. When someone is trying to copy you, it is because they admire you and want to be like you. Unless it’s your sibling playing the copy-cat game where they repeat everything you say. That’s just annoying.

In our passage today, Paul advises that we should do what we can to imitate the life of Christ. Now that’s a copy game worth participating in! Living, loving, giving, and serving in the manner of Christ is the goal for every believer.

To that end, he wrote to the Corinthians that they should look out for each other and do things for the advantage of promoting the Good News of Christ to the unbeliever. If that meant eating meat that might have been sacrificed at the pagan temples and then sold in the market, something Jewish Christians did not do, then simply accept the dinner invitation and don’t worry about it.

1 Corinthians 10-11 (Common English Bible)

23 Everything is permitted, but everything isn’t beneficial. Everything is permitted, but everything doesn’t build others up.24 No one should look out for their own advantage, but they should look out for each other. 25 Eat everything that is sold in the marketplace, without asking questions about it because of your conscience. 26 The earth and all that is in it belong to the Lord. 27 If an unbeliever invites you to eat with them and you want to go, eat whatever is served, without asking questions because of your conscience. 28 But if someone says to you, “This meat was sacrificed in a temple,” then don’t eat it for the sake of the one who told you and for the sake of conscience. 

Verse 26 offers more support for his argument. This reference from Psalm 24:1 is a bold reminder that everything that is in the earth belong to the Lord. Thus the meat sacrificed to idols cannot have any power. It’s just meat. The “gods” to whom the meat was sacrificed cannot have any power. They are just false idols. So the food is not the issue here: It’s a matter of conscience.

29 Now when I say “conscience” I don’t mean yours but the other person’s. Why should my freedom be judged by someone else’s conscience? 30 If I participate with gratitude, why should I be blamed for food I thank God for? 31 So, whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, you should do it all for God’s glory. 32 Don’t offend either Jews or Greeks, or God’s church. 33 This is the same thing that I do. I please everyone in everything I do. I don’t look out for my own advantage, but I look out for many people so that they can be saved. 

Paul’s primary goal in Corinth was to save people. He longed to save all people. So if someone was disturbed by the idea of meat that had been in the temple before it made it to the market, he advised his people not to eat it: Not because it is bad, but in regard and out of respect for the conscience of the one who is objecting to it.

11 1 Follow my example, just like I follow Christ’s.

We remember that Christ ate with the sinners. We remember that he gave his very life as a sacrifice for all sinners. So what would Jesus do in this case? He would give thanks to God for the meal and eat.



All That Is in it Belongs to the Lord by Kathy Schumacher

Taking Off and Putting On

Posted on by Betsy

My daughters and I exchange clothes like other people exchange recipes. We are able to wear each other’s things and have very similar tastes, so this makes it easy, not to mention affordable. One of my favorite dressy dresses is a hand-me-down Lily Pulitzer lace dress from my youngest and I just delivered a bag of work-appropriate skirts to my oldest. It is fun for us to see each other in our used clothes and it always reminds me of when they were little girls and would play dress up in my closet. I did the same in my mother’s closet when she was getting ready for a night out with my father. I loved to parade around her bedroom with my grandmother’s hand-me-down fox stole over my pajamas. It came complete with the head and beady eyes. I did not let that pass down to me.

In our reading today, Paul wrote a letter to the church at Colossae and advised them about taking off things in order to put on better things. We are invited to dress up in the image of Christ, who wears neither Greek not Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free. In clothing terms, Christ’s clothing is one-size-fits-all.

Colossians 3 (Common English Bible)

5 So put to death the parts of your life that belong to the earth, such as sexual immorality, moral corruption, lust, evil desire, and greed (which is idolatry). 6 The wrath of God is coming upon disobedient people because of these things. 7 You used to live this way, when you were alive to these things. 8 But now set aside these things, such as anger, rage, malice, slander, and obscene language. 9 Don’t lie to each other. Take off the old human nature with its practices 10 and put on the new nature, which is renewed in knowledge by conforming to the image of the one who created it.11 In this image there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all things and in all people.

Imagine what our world would be like if we took off anger, rage, malice, slander, and obscene language. Gosh, imagine what political campaigning would be like if we took off those things! Then imagine what would our world be like if we put on compassion, kindness, gentleness, and patience. Can you feel the difference?

12 Therefore, as God’s choice, holy and loved, put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. 13 Be tolerant with each other and, if someone has a complaint against anyone, forgive each other. As the Lord forgave you, so also forgive each other. 14 And over all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.

It starts with you and me. It starts with how we treat people in the grocery store, how we speak to our neighbors, what we post on social media, and how we talk to our children. Take off the ugly and let your life be a reflective image of our Lord.

Let there be peace of earth. And let it begin with me.

Peace on Earth by Mary Anne Mong