#dailydevotionals

Start your day with morning coffee and a devotional.

Ignore the Wrapping

Posted on by Betsy

Living on a canal affords us magnificent views of the sunrise, sunset, moonrise, and the neighbors’ back yards. Think “Rear Window,” the iconic Jimmy Stewart and Grace Kelly thriller. In that movie, Stewart is confined to a wheelchair after an injury, and spends hours watching his neighbors from his apartment’s rear window. He witnesses what he realizes is the murder of one of them, and the disposal of her remains by her guilty husband. If you have never seen this movie, find it today if you enjoy Hitchcock mysteries. Or just to watch Grace Kelly, who is absolutely ethereal in this film.

But here in Colington, I have only observed the mundane things of water living; neighbors and their kids swimming off their docks, people enjoying the sunshine on their decks, a lot of waterfowl, lots of fishing, and early morning crabbers going out in their boats to check their traps. On Wednesdays I see sailboats circling in the harbor for the weekly community sail out to the sound. One time I watched an aggressive osprey fight with a large eel that kept slipping out of its talons. The osprey almost dropped it on my head as it victoriously flew over my deck back to its nest to feed the family. That surely would have caused me to list my house for sale immediately, views or no views.

The fronts of our houses face the water, so when you travel along the streets of Colington, you are actually looking at the rather plain backs of houses. I remember taking my Mom on a boat ride on the canals and she exclaimed, “Oh, the houses are so pretty! I never realized I’ve been looking at the back of the houses all this time!” Indeed, the fancy decks and staircases, the covered porches, and the tiki bars that people have constructed all face the water. It’s like the houses have turned their backs on the street in order to face the prettier view themselves.

There is a saying that comes to mind: Never judge a book by its cover. This is just a reminder to us to look deeper and don’t make assumptions about books, houses, and especially people.

There was a time when a man named Samuel was sent to select the next king of Israel. When he looked at the fine young men standing before him, all of them Jesse’s sons, he naturally selected the biggest and most handsome one, but God said no. He continued down the line, and each time God rejected the obvious selection:

1 Samuel 16:7 New International Version (NIV)

7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

Finally, the smallest son was called from the field where he had been tending sheep. This one, the runt of the litter, was the one whom God chose. His name was David, and he became one of Israel’s greatest kings.

The Lord looks at the heart. People focus on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks inward.

What can we glean from this today? Is there someone in your life who needs and deserves a deeper look? Are you guilty of making snap judgements about people you meet, based solely on their appearance? Where is God calling you to take a second look, and this time to look at the heart?

I met an elderly lady once in the lobby of a very fine restaurant. We were surrounded by all sorts of people, nationalities, and ages. The younger ones were tattooed, as most younger ones are today. Within the first three minutes of meeting this woman, she expressed outrage at all the girls and their tattoos. I live on the Outer Banks and don’t even SEE tattoos on people anymore. It’s wearable art. Everybody has at least one. This lady was dressed to the nines, but would have been highly offended if someone had criticized her choice of scarves and fake pearls. She would have wanted people to see the real her. So do the tattooed girls.

Take a look around you. The down-and-out person might be just the one Christ is calling you to befriend. The uppity church lady wearing too much perfume might be shielding a life of loneliness and heartache. The frantic, hassled guy at the gas pump might have just been told his wife is dying of cancer. The rude teenager might be having suicidal thoughts.

Look deeper. Ignore the wrapper. Be like Jesus and look into the heart. What is on the outside is just window dressing, but what is inside is a real human, deserving of your kindness and consideration. That tattooed girl just might be royalty under all that ink.

After all, she is the daughter of the King.

Painted Rock by Kathy Schumacher

Of Lice and Men

Posted on by Betsy

Anyone who has had a child in public school has likely dealt with a lice infestation. My youngest came home from school nine times in her first grade year with the dreaded “lice outbreak” notice in her backpack. Since she was a very social child, can you guess how many times she got lice? Yep: Nine. The process of removing lice involves using a strong chemical shampoo, fine-tooth combing, washing all jackets and clothing, spraying all stuffed animals and putting them in a plastic bag for 48 hours, laundering sheets at a high temperature … it was exhausting. Finally, in deep frustration, I visited the classroom to talk to the teacher to see if there was anything to be done. Imagine my surprise when I walked in the room and found groups of children lounging together in BEAN BAG CHAIRS during reading time. I was a little like Jesus, throwing bean bag chairs out of the temple that morning. And the lice notices instantly stopped. Imagine that!

Today’s passage takes us back to the battle of God versus Pharaoh. The weapon of choice in this particular battle was lice.

Exodus 8 (Common English Bible)

16 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Stretch out your shepherd’s rod and hit the land’s dirt so that lice appear in the whole land of Egypt.’” 17 They did this. Aaron stretched out his hand with his shepherd’s rod, hit the land’s dirt, and lice appeared on both people and animals. All the land’s dirt turned into lice throughout the whole land of Egypt.

18 The religious experts tried to produce lice by their secret knowledge, but they weren’t able to do it. There were lice on people and animals. 19 The religious experts said to Pharaoh, “This is something only God could do!” But Pharaoh was stubborn, and he wouldn’t listen to them, just as the Lord had said.

The lice infestation was the third of ten plagues. God knew that Pharaoh would not listen or give in. Indeed, in Exodus 3:19, God told Moses that he was sure that Pharaoh would not let the people go. Free enslaved labor for decades was something Pharaoh could not give up. Even in this passage we see an acknowledgement that producing lice was something only God can do, yet it took seven more plagues and the parting of the Red Sea before Pharaoh understood the power of God in all its might. Of course by then it was too late.

Before we indulge in too much eye-rolling at his stubbornness, let’s stop for a moment and think about our own behavior. Do we ever underestimate the power of God in our situations? Have you ever doubted God’s interest or intention in your time of need? Have you ever felt that your sins have disqualified you from a right relationship with God? Most of us have. But we need to remember that Jesus died on a cross for the very thing you did that has made you feel disqualified. Remaining stubborn about God’s power to forgive and redeem is like saying what Jesus did at the crucifixion didn’t count. And that is heresy.

So relish the power of God and what only God can do in your life. Jesus died for it! Embrace it and live.

Early Light by Michelle Robertson

Wash and Be Clean

Posted on by Betsy

Parents of young children often experience frustration about having to repeat things over and over. It can be hard to teach kids about right and wrong when they are distracted and simply not paying attention. I remember this being an issue again when my kids hit middle school. Thoughts of boys, outfits, mean girls, academic pressure, etc. seemed to fill their heads and pushed out through their ears, preventing my sage and wise words to filter in. Any parent will tell you that one of the hardest parts of disciplining your children is when you know you’ve warned them a thousand times not to do something and suddenly you find yourself reprimanding them for the very thing you said not to do. It is heartbreaking when “Daddy said so!” no longer works.

This idea of fruitless repetition, endless warnings, constant cajoling, and then watching the children completely ignore every effort is not lost on God. Nobody can match God’s persistence, and nobody can match God’s love. But even God had a breaking point, and that is where we find ourselves in our passage from Isaiah today. God’s anger and frustration are so great that the leadership of Judah is referred to as “leaders of Sodom and people of Gomorrah.” Every listener would remember the story from Genesis when God rained down fire and sulfur to destroy these two cities due to their immorality, injustice, egregious rebellion of God’s word, and their refusal to give aid to the poor and needy, despite God’s many and continuous warnings. Judah had so far been saved from such extinction, but it is only a remnant of what it once was.

Isaiah 1:10-18

Hear the Lord’s word, you leaders of Sodom.
    Listen to our God’s teaching,
        people of Gomorrah!
11 What should I think about all your sacrifices?
    says the Lord.
I’m fed up with entirely burned offerings of rams
    and the fat of well-fed beasts.
    I don’t want the blood of bulls, lambs, and goats.
12 When you come to appear before me,
    who asked this from you,
    this trampling of my temple’s courts?

The issue in Isaiah’s day was Israel’s apostasy and desire for the false idols of their neighbors. Prophets had been sent one after another to warn them but were ignored. Isaiah is called to proclaim harsh words of judgement and condemnation to them in hopes that they will change their ways.

What made things worse was their ability to do evil in God’s sight and then come to the altar with a meaningless offering. God clearly detested their false worship and empty ritual, even to the point of saying that such worthless gestures were repulsive, hateful, and a burden. God is tired of bearing them any longer.

13 Stop bringing worthless offerings.
    Your incense repulses me.
New moon, sabbath, and the calling of an assembly—
    I can’t stand wickedness with celebration!
14 I hate your new moons and your festivals.
    They’ve become a burden that I’m tired of bearing.
15 When you extend your hands,
    I’ll hide my eyes from you.
Even when you pray for a long time,
    I won’t listen.
Your hands are stained with blood.

The solution is given, but like our own children, is not entirely received. God invited them to wash and become clean by ending their wicked deeds and making a new life. This new life would be marked by learning to do good, helping the oppressed, advocating for the widow and orphan, and seeking justice. This is God’s way of giving them yet another chance to turn their blood stained sins into washed-white hearts.

16     Wash! Be clean!
Remove your ugly deeds from my sight.
    Put an end to such evil;
17     learn to do good.
Seek justice:
    help the oppressed;
    defend the orphan;
    plead for the widow.

What do you bring to God’s altar today? Is it just a show of piety with darkness in your heart, or are you willing to be subjected to the rigorous cleansing that only God can give? Only when we are honest and humble in our intentions will be heard in our petitions. Your Father is calling. Are you listening?

18 Come now, and let’s settle this,
    says the Lord.
Though your sins are like scarlet,
    they will be white as snow.
If they are red as crimson,
    they will become like wool.

Daddy said so.

SnOBX

Harvest Tithe

Posted on by Betsy

How does your community assist those in need of food and basic supplies? Here in the Outer Banks we have several options, including a Beach Food Pantry as well as a Mobile Pantry that travels from location to location. These agencies are supported by private donations and local farmers who supply fresh produce every week. Volunteers sort, bag, and assist patrons who use these agencies to make ends meet in a high cost area where housing is extremely expensive. Our United Methodist Conference also provides gleaning opportunities at nearby farms where volunteers gather up fallen produce after a harvest and deliver it to regional food banks for distribution. Gleaning is hard but rewarding work and is a favorite activity for our church youth groups.

Gleaning is a biblical concept, commanded by God in Leviticus 19:9-10:

9 When you harvest your land’s produce, you must not harvest all the way to the edge of your field; and don’t gather up every remaining bit of your harvest. 10 Also do not pick your vineyard clean or gather up all the grapes that have fallen there. Leave these items for the poor and the immigrant; I am the Lord your God.

This was a law of compassion, allowing the poor to work for their sustenance with dignity and without the need to ask for charity. Offered as a form of public assistance, it trained the farmer to have a generous heart and reminded those who were fortunate enough to have a field that produced crops that the field was actually the Lord’s in the first place. That is why we talk about “God’s tithe and our offering” when the plate is passed on Sunday morning in church. Everything we have belongs to God. We are only returning a small portion back to God to do God’s work in the world.

Deuteronomy 23 is a reciprocal reminder to the poor and the traveler that generosity should not be abused, but respected.

Deuteronomy 23 (Common English Bible)

24 If you go into your neighbor’s vineyard, you can eat as many grapes as you like, until full, but don’t carry any away in a basket.25 If you go into your neighbor’s grain field, you can pluck ears by hand, but you aren’t allowed to cut off any of your neighbor’s grain with a sickle.

God’s point is much the same as when manna was provided in the desert. Moses was instructed to tell the people to only gather up what was needed for one day, trusting that God would provide “our daily bread” every day. Hoarding was unnecessary in a community of faith where provisions were shared. It was this law that enabled Jesus and his disciples to pick wheat grain and eat it as they traveled through Galilee. The Pharisees accused them of breaking the sabbath law, but not of stealing.

What part of providing for the poor are you taking in your community? Are you faithfully returning God’s tithe? Is God training you to have a generous heart? Do you trust God to provide for your daily needs?

We are called to do what we can to give what is God’s to God’s people. No one should go hungry in the land of milk and honey.

Harvest in the Land O’Plenty by Becca Ziegler

The Shelter of Lent

Posted on by Betsy

It’s that time of year again, folks, where we are invited to deepen our faith, expand our discipleship, increase our discipline, and enlarge our response to God’s will and God’s word. Yes, Lent is upon us. In two days many will gather to observe Ash Wednesday, the quiet, dark, formal beginning of the season. Lent is the 40 days of preparation for the Easter celebration, and we are invited to practice a Holy Lent by fasting, repenting, studying, examining, praying, worshipping, self-denying, sacrificing, and focusing our whole attention on becoming more faithful in our ways, words, and deeds.

There have been many years when the oncoming of Lent made me silently groan. It is an intentionally dark season, and it is intentionally hard. We do this in contemplation of Good Friday, when Jesus hung on the cross for our sins in an intentionally dark and hard moment. He did that for us. How can we turn away from the Lenten disciplines that are intentionally dark and hard so that we emerge on Easter stronger, better, and more committed?

As much as we groan, we must.

Today’s lectionary passage gave me pause. It signals our transition into Lent, and it offers a completely new idea: Lent is a shelter, a refuge, and a safe place.

Think about the previous Lent seasons. Did you benefit from that special Lent study? Did giving something up for 40 days bring clarity of mind? Did your prayer life grow? Did you emerge stronger?

I hope the answer is yes. But in the meantime, let us contemplate the safe and secure fortress that Lent can be if we give ourselves over to it completely.

Psalm 91 (New Revised Standard Version)

1 You who live in the shelter of the Most High,
    who abide in the shadow of the Almighty,
2 will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress;
    my God, in whom I trust.”

9 Because you have made the Lord your refuge,
    the Most High your dwelling place,
10 no evil shall befall you,
    no scourge come near your tent.

11 For he will command his angels concerning you
    to guard you in all your ways.
12 On their hands they will bear you up,
    so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread on the lion and the adder;
    the young lion and the serpent you will trample under foot.

14 Those who love me, I will deliver;
    I will protect those who know my name.
15 When they call to me, I will answer them;
    I will be with them in trouble;
    I will rescue them and honor them.
16 With long life I will satisfy them
    and show them my salvation.

Focusing our attention on Lent will help us take our eyes off the troubles, trials, and temptations of the world. God dwells in Lent, and wherever God dwells, there is protection. May we enter joyfully, expectantly, and hopefully.

Shelter by Michelle Robertson

GodArt

Posted on by Betsy

If you have ever stood outside and watched the sunset on a clear evening, you have likely seen God’s artistry at its finest. I have never seen the Northern Lights, but the sun setting over the Albemarle Sound is a masterpiece of color, technique, and artistry unlike anywhere else. We are so blessed in the Outer Banks to behold such beauty on a nightly schedule. I can imagine God with a palette and paintbrush, deciding which colors he will use each night to delight his children.

What would we give, if we were to return the favor? Ever wonder what would delight God? What does God want from us that would give him the immense pleasure we get from a full-color sunset?

Psalm 147 New International Version (NIV)

1 Praise the Lord.

How good it is to sing praises to our God,

    how pleasant and fitting to praise him!

2 The Lord builds up Jerusalem;

    he gathers the exiles of Israel.

3 He heals the brokenhearted

    and binds up their wounds.

4 He determines the number of the stars

    and calls them each by name.

5 Great is our Lord and mighty in power;

    his understanding has no limit.

6 The Lord sustains the humble

    but casts the wicked to the ground.

7 Sing to the Lord with grateful praise;

    make music to our God on the harp.

8 He covers the sky with clouds;

    he supplies the earth with rain

    and makes grass grow on the hills.

9 He provides food for the cattle

    and for the young ravens when they call.

10 His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse,

    nor his delight in the legs of the warrior;

11 the Lord delights in those who fear him,

    who put their hope in his unfailing love.

God delights in those who fear him. I learned in seminary that the word ‘fear’ in such cases is not the same as being afraid or terrified. No, indeed, this use of fear refers to “reverential trust.” God delights in those who have a reverential trust in him, who put their hope in his unfailing love. When you come straight to him for everything, it brings him delight.

You are God’s delight! Imagine that.

We paint our own sunsets of beauty for God whenever we sing to the Lord with grateful praise. In this sense, though, it is not literal singing but leading a life of grateful praise. Serving one another as Jesus did, being generous to a fault, taking second place, praying without ceasing, encouraging the downtrodden … each of these things paints a beautiful scene for God to behold. And in those things, he is delighted.

A man approached me in a store parking lot when I was in Atlanta recently. He was gentle and apologetic. He only spoke enough English to say, “Sorry.” He indicated the grocery store from which I had just come and said, “Sorry (followed by a lot of Spanish) taco.” Taco may be the only word he knows for food, and his humility in saying sorry repeatedly touched my heart. When he opened his hand and pointed to the few coins he had and said, “one dollar,” I realized he was asking for money. One dollar.

One dollar won’t buy you a taco in this part of Atlanta, so I gave him a ten.

His eyes welled up and his head dropped in gratitude as he quietly and profusely thanked me. I don’t know if he went off to buy baby formula or beer, but as I put my cart away, I saw him walking into Publix with his head held high, and I saw God’s artistry in that moment.

Where are you being called to delight God today? Can you be generous? Encourage someone who is down? Pray for a hurting neighbor? Take a casserole to a lonely person? Help a man buy a taco?

Go ahead. Follow the leading of the Holy Spirit. Live out your life of grateful praise by painting something beautiful with your actions. God will be absolutely delighted.

Holy Art

Ohana

Posted on by Betsy

My husband and I recently re-watched a clever Disney movie called “Lilo and Stitch.” It is one of my niece’s favorite movies (her cat is named Lilo!) and when it popped on our screen one day a few weeks ago, we realized we didn’t remember anything about this 2009 movie. It is a story about family. It is a story about love. It is a story about “Ohana”, the Hawaiian word for family. “Ohana means family. No one gets left behind or forgotten.”

I got to experience true Ohana last week when I got snowed in at the Norfolk airport. I was trying to get to Atlanta to speak at a women’s event and a sudden 10 inch snowfall resulted in one Atlanta plane returning to the gate two hours after it had taxied out and the rest of the flights being canceled. That same Lilo-loving niece is an officer in the Navy who is stationed in Norfolk. Her house is a few minutes from the airport and as I was making my way back to my car to drive to an airport hotel, I called her to ask about the road conditions since I had been inside the airport since before the first flake fell. “Oh, Aunt Bets, we don’t plow very well here. I will come and get you in my four-wheel drive jeep and take you there.” She showed up with a bag of snacks, heated seats, and a welcoming smile. Ohana!

I think that is the vision Jesus had for his followers when he was preparing to leave them. I think he hoped we would be “one” in our love for each other and our love for God. The unity of the Father, the Son, and believers was what he prayed for at the end of his life.

John 17 (New Revised Standard Version)

20 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— 23 I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

Paul’s letters to his churches reinforce this: Most of his writings to them emphasized cooperation, collaboration, mutual love, and acceptance.

Ephesians 4 (Common English Bible)

 2 Conduct yourselves with all humility, gentleness, and patience. Accept each other with love, 3 and make an effort to preserve the unity of the Spirit with the peace that ties you together. 4 You are one body and one spirit, just as God also called you in one hope. 5 There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 and one God and Father of all, who is over all, through all, and in all.

How do you think we are doing with that? As followers of Jesus Christ, as people who continue the mission and vision that the Bible lays out for the modern day church, are we Ohana for one another? And more importantly for us today, are you Ohana in your own circle of family, friends, neighbors, and the strangers God sends to you?

Ohana means nobody gets left behind or forgotten. Where is God calling you to reach out to someone today and offer your love?

“Ohama” by Kathy Schumacher

Unbreakable Cord

Posted on by Betsy

Last week I wrote a few devotionals about the famous “love passage” in 1 Corinthians 13 and its prominence at weddings. You remember that one: “Love is patient, Love is kind…love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” … It certainly is a lovely choice for every wedding-type occasions!

But to be honest, I actually prefer a different scripture when I officiate a wedding. It comes from the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes:

Ecclesiastes 4 New International Version (NIV)

9  Two are better than one,

    because they have a good return for their labor:

10  If either of them falls down,

    one can help the other up.

But pity anyone who falls

    and has no one to help them up.

11 Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.

    But how can one keep warm alone?

12 Though one may be overpowered,

    two can defend themselves.

A cord of three strands is not quickly broken

It is that last verse upon which a strong homily, and relationship, can be built. The way it applies to relationships is this: There are two people in a relationship who are bound together spiritually by adding the “third strand” of Jesus Christ. Couples who come to the altar to make a covenant with each other and with Christ are inviting and including the power and presence of the Holy Spirit to provide strength and beauty to their relationship.

Think of a braid. Two strands alone are weak. Three strands woven together are ironclad.

Does this mean Christian relationships are impervious to disruption? Sadly, no. When one or the other partner unbinds themself from the relationship, or from Christ through sin, the cord indeed can fall apart. In decades of marriage counseling I’ve heard the same story told with different characters. At some point of tiredness, ennui, boredom, or temptation, one pulled away from the braid and the relationship unravels. When “self-importance” overtakes the importance of “us,” that single strand elects to go wayward and the grip is loosened enough for the Enemy to pry in and pry it apart.

I think it is fair to say that the Enemy, whose job it is to “steal, kill and destroy,” finds the breaking apart of relationships, marriages, and families a veritable playground for the havoc he comes to bring. Couples in jeopardy will spend years in the breaking-apart and putting-lives-back-together process. The grief, expense, overwhelming fatigue, anger, and debilitating soul-exhaustion that can accompany divorce can pull people away from their faith as they negotiate the troubled waters of permanent separation.

Keeping Christ at the center of your marriage, family, and relationships gives you the best weapon against this. When you turn your eyes upon Jesus and partner with him as a couple in your home, work, leisure time, finances, and focus, you stand a better chance of surviving the fiery darts that assault all relationships. And joy.

God invites you to find shelter in him:

Psalm 62 New International Version (NIV)

1 Truly my soul finds rest in God;

    my salvation comes from him.

2 Truly he is my rock and my salvation;

    he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.

3 How long will you assault me?

    Would all of you throw me down—

    this leaning wall, this tottering fence?

4 Surely they intend to topple me

    from my lofty place;

    they take delight in lies.

With their mouths they bless,

    but in their hearts they curse.

5  Yes, my soul, find rest in God;

    my hope comes from him.

6  Truly he is my rock and my salvation;

    he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.

7 My salvation and my honor depend on God;

    he is my mighty rock, my refuge.

8 Trust in him at all times, you people;

    pour out your hearts to him,

    for God is our refuge.

No matter where you find yourself today, whether it is in a strong and committed relationship or in the chaos of one that is breaking apart, pour out your heart to God and trust in him. He is your rock, your salvation, and your refuge.

God is our Rock by Kathy Schumacher

Pushy Mamas

Posted on by Betsy

I have had the pleasure (and sometimes the discomfort) of observing motherhood in my congregations, family, and neighborhood. I am convinced that we mother the way we were mothered. This Christmas, my oldest asked for books for her children. I saw a direct line from that request to how I raised her and to how I was raised. Reading has always been a top priority in our families, and afternoons spent lounging under blankets for family “read-a-thons” are some of my favorite memories of raising her, and of my own childhood. What patterns or practices can you see in your family that have been passed down?

Another thing that I have noticed in my family is a tendency for mothers to be somewhat pushy. Not in a mean, demeaning, or aggressive way, but in a way of showing deep confidence in our children and not letting up on encouraging them when they are about to give up on themselves. “You can do it! Try again! Don’t give up!” are things we say to our children because they were said to us.

Call us pushy, we don’t care. Pushy mothering is holy.

Today’s lectionary passage is about Jesus’ first miracle. That should be the star of the show: For the first time ever, Jesus revealed his divine nature in public and transformed water into wine. But this time around, let us focus on his pushy mother. I think even John would be okay with this: Notice even before he mentions Jesus’ presence at the wedding, he tells us “Jesus’ mother was there” as if to say, “pay attention to Mary.”

John 2 (The Message)

2 1-3 Three days later there was a wedding in the village of Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there. Jesus and his disciples were guests also. When they started running low on wine at the wedding banquet, Jesus’ mother told him, “They’re just about out of wine.”

4 Jesus said, “Is that any of our business, Mother—yours or mine? This isn’t my time. Don’t push me.”

Has your kid ever said, “Don’t push me” to you? Did you ignore it? I did. So did Mary. I love John’s comment that “she went ahead anyway.” You go, Mary!

5 She went ahead anyway, telling the servants, “Whatever he tells you, do it.”

6-7 Six stoneware water pots were there, used by the Jews for ritual washings. Each held twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus ordered the servants, “Fill the pots with water.” And they filled them to the brim.

8 “Now fill your pitchers and take them to the host,” Jesus said, and they did.

9-10 When the host tasted the water that had become wine (he didn’t know what had just happened but the servants, of course, knew), he called out to the bridegroom, “Everybody I know begins with their finest wines and after the guests have had their fill brings in the cheap stuff. But you’ve saved the best till now!”

I will boldly assert that as divine as Jesus was, we have Mary to credit with this first miracle. Even God Incarnate needed a push from someone who believed in him even more than he believed in himself at that moment.

So push on, Mamas. Encourage, equip, cajole, support, and don’t take “no” for an answer. Your belief in your child may be all they need to succeed. And mother-love is a miracle in and of itself.

So go be Mary.

11 This act in Cana of Galilee was the first sign Jesus gave, the first glimpse of his glory. And his disciples believed in him.

Morning Miracle by Michelle Robertson

Wet Wings

Posted on by Betsy

Behold the lovely cormorant. These waterfowl are common in central Florida, and they live along lakes that provide them with fish feasts. This fellow took a lively dip into the water, caught his breakfast, and then perched along the shore on a rock to dry out his wings.

You see, wet wings don’t fly.

The water adds weight that makes it hard to lift the wing, and so the bird must patiently spread his wings out and wait for the air to eventually dry out his feathers.

There is a lot to be gleaned from his behavior.

So often we approach a situation with wet wings, not realizing that time and air will assist us if we are patient enough. When we look at a problem with the cumbersome burden of the past, the weight of our sin, or the heaviness of anxiety that is strong enough to immobilize us, we fail to do what we were meant to do: To soar.

Isaiah 40 (Evangelical Heritage Version)

But those who wait for the Lord will receive new strength.
They will lift up their wings and soar like eagles.
They will run and not become weary.
They will walk and not become tired.

Did you catch that? Wait. Wait for the Lord. Wait for your roiling emotions to settle down enough to think more clearly. Wait for God to intervene, and don’t try to take matters into your hands until he does. Wait long enough to pray and listen to his answer.

Just wait.

Are you troubled this morning by something you can’t control? Are your wings heavy with regret or indecision? Do you believe God has a plan? Just wait.

God desires that we soar like eagles who fly with grace, ease, and joy. Maybe in order to do that today, we’ll need to stop and dry out our wings. May we find new strength in the waiting so that we can move forward with energy and purpose.

Wet Wings