Prayer: Gracious God we thank you for all you have given us. We give you extra thanks for those who have come before us and have spread the faith. Help us learn from them and proclaim the news of you wherever we go and to whomever we meet. Amen
Reading: 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 (Click to read text) Stop and GROW: After reading the text, discuss/ponder the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's Book of Faith questions, which are part of Camp Mount Luther's GROW Time with campers. QUESTION 1: What scares, confuses, challenges, or doesn’t make sense to me in this text? QUESTION 2: What delights me in this text or is my favorite part of the story? QUESTION 3: What stories or memories does this text stir in me? QUESTION 4: What is God up to in this text? Reflection: We are at the end of the season of Lent. We are in Holy Week. Easter is almost here. The reading from Corinthians is an Easter story. It talks of those who saw the resurrected Christ and went out to tell others about it. Paul who is the author of this text is one of the people who was a huge influencer in spreading the Gospel. We know his life took a U-turn and he went from persecuting Christians to being an apostle who traveled all over the place preaching and teaching about Jesus. It took a might act of God for this to happen so his outreach was powered by the grace he received. We also receive the grace of God and we should be so bold to spread the message of God’s love and saving grace. --Charlene Rineer
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We often reprint prior devotions that now reflect on the coming lectionary texts. This is a reprint from a devotion originally published on March 22, 2018.
Prayer: I praise you, O Lord. Your steadfast love endures forever! Reading: Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24 (Click to read text) Stop and GROW: After reading the text, discuss/ponder the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's Book of Faith questions, which are part of Camp Mount Luther's GROW Time with campers. QUESTION 1: What scares, confuses, challenges, or doesn’t make sense to me in this text? QUESTION 2: What delights me in this text or is my favorite part of the story? QUESTION 3: What stories or memories does this text stir in me? QUESTION 4: What is God up to in this text? Reflection: The first two verses are enough for today. O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his steadfast love endures forever! Let Israel say, “His steadfast love endures forever.” We could, as the psalmist does later in the poem, fill in how we experience God’s goodness and love. How do I love thee, let me count the ways. Wait, let’s do it this way today. How does God love me, let me count the ways. Go ahead and count………………………………………….. And then just stop and sing: O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his steadfast love endures forever! --Jim Bricker Prayer: Forgiving God, may we remember we are to forgive, too. Your forgiveness is ours. May we be forgiving and for giving. Amen
Reading: Acts 10: 34-43 (Click to read text) Stop and GROW: After reading the text, discuss/ponder the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's Book of Faith questions, which are part of Camp Mount Luther's GROW Time with campers. QUESTION 1: What scares, confuses, challenges, or doesn’t make sense to me in this text? QUESTION 2: What delights me in this text or is my favorite part of the story? QUESTION 3: What stories or memories does this text stir in me? QUESTION 4: What is God up to in this text? Reflection: I read recently that forgiveness means we are here for giveness. I had to stop and think about that for a bit. Still thinking about it, in fact. Peter was speaking to the Gentiles and telling them the Good News of Jesus Christ and our reading today ends with, All the prophets testify about (Jesus) that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name. – Acts 10: 43 Think about it. Forgiveness means we are here for giveness. Love God. Love others. Let’s be forgiving and for giving. --Ruth Gates Today, we look at a Day 3 text from this year’s summer curriculum, “From Generation to Generation.”
Prayer: Leading God, you call your disciples with the simple invitation to come and follow you. As we prepare for this Holy Week ahead, remind us that, even when we venture down paths preferably left untrodden, we follow the one who knows the way, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen. Reading: Matthew 4:18-22 (Click to read text) Stop and GROW: After reading the text, discuss/ponder the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's Book of Faith questions, which are part of Camp Mount Luther's GROW Time with campers. QUESTION 1: What scares, confuses, challenges, or doesn’t make sense to me in this text? QUESTION 2: What delights me in this text or is my favorite part of the story? QUESTION 3: What stories or memories does this text stir in me? QUESTION 4: What is God up to in this text? Reflection: I wonder if the disciples knew where they would end up. It seems a bit odd to focus on this text as we get ready to enter into Holy Week, as we prepare for this culmination in the story of our faith. As we prepare for the end of Jesus and the disciples’ journey, it seems jarring to go back and remember how it all started. Here in this passage from Matthew, we are reminded of the sudden and urgent willingness those first disciples bore in the wake of Jesus’ invitation. With the simple words of “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people” from Jesus, these first disciples have the whole trajectory of their lives changed. In the time that follows that seaside invitation, Peter, Andrew, James, and John bear witness to the praise-worthy ways of life that Jesus paves in his healing, feeding, and restoration of those around him. But now -- now they are being called upon to bear witness to a new thing. As we look to Palm Sunday this weekend and Holy Week in the days ahead, we are reminded that this path of discipleship that these fishermen now follow will call them to bear witness to something far more difficult than they may have imagined. As we journey toward Jerusalem and the cross that waits for Jesus there, we are reminded that his invitation to come and follow him often leads us down paths we might rather avoid. The invitation to come and follow still stands, but can we do it? We can’t have a resurrection without the cross, but can we really come along and bear witness to the sheer depths to which God is willing to stoop for God’s people? “Follow me,” Jesus says; we probably ought to see where this goes. ~ Justin Lingenfelter Prayer: May all creation sing as we enter Jerusalem. You are king, leading us toward the cross. Amen.
Reading: Mark 11: 1-11 (Click to read text) Stop and GROW: After reading the text, discuss/ponder the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's Book of Faith questions, which are part of Camp Mount Luther's GROW Time with campers. QUESTION 1: What scares, confuses, challenges, or doesn’t make sense to me in this text? QUESTION 2: What delights me in this text or is my favorite part of the story? QUESTION 3: What stories or memories does this text stir in me? QUESTION 4: What is God up to in this text? Reflection: I was just standing there. Looking around, taking in the smells, hearing the hustle of the city around me. Suddenly, I heard two men say to no one in particular, “The Lord needs it and will send it back here immediately.” What was going on? The two men took the rope and untied me. They led me back to a man who appeared to be heavy with whatever was to happen next. Coats were put on my back and people began to put their coats on the road. The man sat down on my back. I could feel his weight on me as I was led toward crowds of people. What was going on? “Hosanna!” the crowd cried out. “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our ancestor David! Hosanna in the highest heaven!” This went on for a while. Then, the man on our back steered me toward the temple. He got off my back, but I could still feel his weight. He looked at me and he looked around at everything. He took in the smells; he heard the hustle of the city around us. He went into the temple. What was going on? --Chad Hershberger Prayer: Come into my world, Lord. Let the same mind be in me that was in Christ. Amen
Reading: Philippians 2: 5-11 (Click to read text) Stop and GROW: After reading the text, discuss/ponder the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's Book of Faith questions, which are part of Camp Mount Luther's GROW Time with campers. QUESTION 1: What scares, confuses, challenges, or doesn’t make sense to me in this text? QUESTION 2: What delights me in this text or is my favorite part of the story? QUESTION 3: What stories or memories does this text stir in me? QUESTION 4: What is God up to in this text? Reflection: A favorite author of mine talks of her mind (on a bad day) being tuned to a radio station whose call letters would not be appropriate for a GROW Time writing. Another analogy is from a book I read that speaks of the different rooms our minds can go into; some very unhappy or angry. But perhaps my favorite understanding of a hurting mind comes from Amy Grant’s song “Come into My World.” Listen here: https://youtu.be/GncIr33Eza4 So, what can we do? Tune our minds to a different radio station? Go to a different room that is a bit happier and more content? Or, as Amy sings, invite someone into our world who is brave? Someone who loves. What is your world like, particularly after this year of pandemic? Messy rooms? Scattered pearls? Lovely from the outside but dark inside? Doorway so overgrown with vines that it cannot be found? Love will find a way. Love is brave. And “Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 2: 5). Invite someone in. Invite Christ in. --Ruth Gates We often reprint prior devotions that now reflect on the coming lectionary texts. This is a reprint from a devotion originally published on March 31, 2020.
Prayer: Our times are in your hands, O LORD. As we go about serving others, may we feel your face shine. Save us in your love. Amen Reading: Psalm 31: 9-16 (Click to read text) Stop and GROW: After reading the text, discuss/ponder the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's Book of Faith questions, which are part of Camp Mount Luther's GROW Time with campers. QUESTION 1: What scares, confuses, challenges, or doesn’t make sense to me in this text? QUESTION 2: What delights me in this text or is my favorite part of the story? QUESTION 3: What stories or memories does this text stir in me? QUESTION 4: What is God up to in this text? Reflection: Today’s verses from Psalm 31 are so timely. Verse 9 begins, I am in distress, and the Psalm continues with even more dismal declarations. Then in verses 14 and 15 come the positive words, I trust in you, O Lord. My times are in your hand. So many concerned friends have called and offered all kinds of help these past few weeks. I also have felt the need to reach out to those alone or facing major health issues. Our hands can do many things. Notes written on simple paper from home. No need to go out to the store to buy a card. Pints of soup made by just three ladies in the church kitchen. Lunches packed for children whose schools are closed. Servant hands at work. Ours and others' faces shining with love. And through these times remember to tell yourself, My times are in your hands...Let your face shine upon your servant; save me in your steadfast love. (v. 15, 16) -- Alice Yeakel Prayer: Lord, sustain me in times of adversity. Help me to find the humor in every situation, to smile and go on, in your name and will. Amen.
Reading: Isaiah 50: 4-9a (Click to read text) Stop and GROW: After reading the text, discuss/ponder the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's Book of Faith questions, which are part of Camp Mount Luther's GROW Time with campers. QUESTION 1: What scares, confuses, challenges, or doesn’t make sense to me in this text? QUESTION 2: What delights me in this text or is my favorite part of the story? QUESTION 3: What stories or memories does this text stir in me? QUESTION 4: What is God up to in this text? Reflection: I like smart comedy. Stand-up comedians who challenge my assumptions. Sketches that exploit the silliness in situations, and movies that make me giggle while thinking. There are some terrific Christian comedians and belly-jiggling movies. Ken Davis is hilarious and honest—his Bible studies and stage shows will waken the ear and sustain the weary with a word. The Monty Python troupe often blends religion and irreverence; my German Lutheran pastor introduced me to several of their funniest flicks. Steve Carrell’s Noah (Evan Almighty), the songs in “Sister Act,” Greg Kinnear and Tim Conway in “Dear God,” and George Burns as a sneaker-wearing “Oh, God!” are other favorites. Why not enjoy the sense of humor God graciously gives and take in an hour or two with a humorous take on His word? Who will declare you guilty? Who cares? Stand up together and laugh. --Heather LeBlanc Today, we look at a Day 3 text from this year’s summer curriculum, “From Generation to Generation.”
Prayer: Shepherding God, when we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, we admit that sometimes we do have some fears. Comfort us with the promise of your presence as you lead your people to green pastures and still waters, through Christ our Lord. Amen. Reading: Psalm 23 (Click to read text) Stop and GROW: After reading the text, discuss/ponder the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's Book of Faith questions, which are part of Camp Mount Luther's GROW Time with campers. QUESTION 1: What scares, confuses, challenges, or doesn’t make sense to me in this text? QUESTION 2: What delights me in this text or is my favorite part of the story? QUESTION 3: What stories or memories does this text stir in me? QUESTION 4: What is God up to in this text? Reflection: This week marks the one-year anniversary of our pandemic lifestyle. It was this week last year that we were really made aware of the urgency of responding to COVID-19 and were called upon to make some drastic changes to our lives in order to “flatten the curve” and look out for one another. This week makes it official that our two-week quarantine has lasted a full FIFTY-two weeks. But you don’t need me to tell you that. The past year has brought with it tremendous change that we would have never imagined. From wiping down packages to mask wearing, from grocery pick-up orders to contactless delivery, it seems like we’ve embraced a whole sweeping series of cultural shifts. They’ve gone hand in hand with a year that all of the polite emails and business ads in our inboxes have affectionately addressed as these “unsettling” or “unprecedented” or “uncertain” or “challenging” times. But you don’t need me to tell you that. This past year has been a veritable slugfest of muscling our way through “new normals” that are only begrudgingly adopted by some around us while diligently maintained by others. It has harbored the resting places of over 530,000 people in the US and 2.65 million people globally from this pandemic, bringing heartbreak and isolation to so many of our families and loved ones. It has peeled back the veneer of our everyday life to disclose disparities and bring them to the surface of our awareness. But you don’t need me to tell you that. This past year has felt like nothing short of a prolonged journey through the psalmist’s valley of the shadow of death. But you probably don’t need me to tell you that either. It’s impressive to me, then, that when the psalmist puts their trust in the Lord who is their shepherd, they fear no evil. After the year we’ve had, throughout this valley that, it turns out, went deeper and darker than I think a lot of us first imagined, it seems reasonable to have at least a little bit of fear. In a year where we’ve turned to this psalm more time than we might have preferred, maybe we need the reminder once again: here, even in the deepest darkest valley, we are not alone. Even when and where it seems least likely, the Lord who is our shepherd improbably meets us to bring us through whatever tumult and fear might lie ahead. And this week we might just need the psalmist to tell us that. -- Justin Lingenfelter Prayer: Dear God, your only son came for all of us. He died so we may all have life everlasting. What better thing can we do than share the best of your love with all. Amen
Reading: John 12: 20-33 (Click to read text) Stop and GROW: After reading the text, discuss/ponder the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's Book of Faith questions, which are part of Camp Mount Luther's GROW Time with campers. QUESTION 1: What scares, confuses, challenges, or doesn’t make sense to me in this text? QUESTION 2: What delights me in this text or is my favorite part of the story? QUESTION 3: What stories or memories does this text stir in me? QUESTION 4: What is God up to in this text? Reflection: John reminds us of three things in these verses. Jesus came, not for a certain group, but for everyone. Different as we are. All are God’s children. Together sharing God’s love. When a seed is planted, it dies. But from the seed can grow many amazing thing. Fruit, vegetables, trees, flowers. It has been said you can count the seeds in one apple but you cannot count the apples in one seed. So many to share. Jesus died on the cross and was raised from the dead. God’s only son died on the cross and countless have life everlasting. His life continues through all who believe in Him and share the Good News. So, a thought. A cake made by mixing flour, milk, eggs and other different ingredients. Mixed together becoming something better than the parts alone. And something best to be shared. --Alice Yeakel Prayer: As we continue to the cross, may we keep our eyes on Jesus. Thanks for sending your son to die for us. Amen.
Reading: Hebrews 5: 5-10 (Click to read text) Stop and GROW: After reading the text, discuss/ponder the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's Book of Faith questions, which are part of Camp Mount Luther's GROW Time with campers. QUESTION 1: What scares, confuses, challenges, or doesn’t make sense to me in this text? QUESTION 2: What delights me in this text or is my favorite part of the story? QUESTION 3: What stories or memories does this text stir in me? QUESTION 4: What is God up to in this text? Reflection: In this passage, we are reminded of the story of Jesus’ baptism when God’s voice says, “This is my son.” It has been almost three months since we celebrated the birth of Christ and now, we are nearing our entrance into Holy Week in about ten days. How has your Lent been going? Have you been successful in giving up what you planned? If not, it is never too late to pivot and change ways or habits that you need to be better. Lenten is a season of pausing and looking to Jesus. No matter if we are at the beginning or end of this church season or we are in another part of the year, may you always take time to pause and turn your attention to our Lord. --Chad Hershberger We often reprint prior devotions that now reflect on the coming lectionary texts. This is a reprint from a devotion originally published on July 30, 2015.
Prayer: Dear God, cleanse us and pardon our sins; those we know ourselves and those that have been pointed out to us. This is not always easy. Thank you for an example in David’s Psalm. Amen. Reading: Psalm 51: 1-12 (Click to read text) Stop and GROW: After reading the text, discuss/ponder the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's Book of Faith questions, which are part of Camp Mount Luther's GROW Time with campers. QUESTION 1: What scares, confuses, challenges, or doesn’t make sense to me in this text? QUESTION 2: What delights me in this text or is my favorite part of the story? QUESTION 3: What stories or memories does this text stir in me? QUESTION 4: What is God up to in this text? Reflection: O.k., I admit it. I watched a VeggieTale video for inspiration. Psalm 51 is titled Prayer for Cleansing and Pardon. The subheading reads: To the leader. A Psalm of David, when the prophet Nathan came to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba. Well, anyone who knows VeggieTales would immediately think of King George and the Ducky, right? If you haven’t seen it, here is a link: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x26tky0_veggietales-king-george-and-the-ducky_school. Enjoy. But back to writing. Psalm 51 is David’s reaction when he was caught in sin. Granted, it took the prophet Nathan to point out to David his tale of adultery and murder, but then David confessed, and this poem was one result. (VeggieTale version: Melvin points out King George’s selfishness.) Psalm 51 is an example of confession for us, too. Just in case you did not click on the link above – for the scripture reading, not the video – read this: Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence and take not your holy spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and uphold me with your free spirit. Psalm 51: 10-12 Sound familiar? You may even be singing it. Thousands of years later, David’s confession is a guide for us, too. When you fail, what is your response – to cover up your failure, or to publicize your confession? --Ruth Gates We often reprint prior devotions that now reflect on the coming lectionary texts. This is a reprint from a devotion originally published on March 13, 2018.
Prayer: Dear God, when we feel alone, help us to remember we belong to you. Amen Reading: Jeremiah 31: 31-34 (Click to read text) Stop and GROW: After reading the text, discuss/ponder the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's Book of Faith questions, which are part of Camp Mount Luther's GROW Time with campers. QUESTION 1: What scares, confuses, challenges, or doesn’t make sense to me in this text? QUESTION 2: What delights me in this text or is my favorite part of the story? QUESTION 3: What stories or memories does this text stir in me? QUESTION 4: What is God up to in this text? Reflection: I will be their God, and they shall be my people. --Jeremiah 33: 33c Overheard on the bus one day: "I got kicked out of school." "We don't know where we are going to live after we lose the house." "My (adult) brother is taking me to the doctor because my mom won't." The speaker longed for belonging. My heart ached and I did not know what to say. I was also eavesdropping and glad the person who was actually in the conversation was being a good listener and caring support. Still I wanted to share this message: "You belong to God!" Sure, I may need to come up with more practical encouragement like make a fresh start in the new alternative school and suggest to the brother to seek out agencies to help with bills and budgeting. And that even if people let you down, God's love is written on your hearts. I hope I see this young girl again. I will say hello and kindly ask how she is doing because there is belonging even among bus riders. -- Ruth Gates Today, we look at a Day 3 text from this year’s summer curriculum, “From Generation to Generation.”
Prayer: Redemptive God, you look with favor on those whom you have chosen. When we would prefer to take redemption into our own hands, hold out our tattered pieces and remind us that yours is the way of compassion and mercy. This we pray through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. Reading: 1 Samuel 24:9-22 (Click to read text) Stop and GROW: After reading the text, discuss/ponder the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's Book of Faith questions, which are part of Camp Mount Luther's GROW Time with campers. QUESTION 1: What scares, confuses, challenges, or doesn’t make sense to me in this text? QUESTION 2: What delights me in this text or is my favorite part of the story? QUESTION 3: What stories or memories does this text stir in me? QUESTION 4: What is God up to in this text? Reflection: Harry Potter faces down Voldemort to defeat the evil that killed his parents. Superman fights on behalf of the people of the lost Krypton to take on the traitorous General Zod. Katniss Everdeen leads a revolution against President Snow and the Capitol that has caused so much misery among the Districts. Sic semper tyrannis, right? The good guy always wins. The hero always defeats those who have caused personal and communal anguish. They fight on behalf of all those wrongs, channeling them into the climactic moment of confrontation. They are righteous in their ways and dole out the justice that is owed to the evil forces of their world. It’s no shock, then, that we should expect David to finally at last get his moment in the light when he finally catches up with Saul. After Saul’s fall from grace, after having his “chosen” status move on to David, we would expect that David should get his righteous moment to exact defeat upon Saul and his armies. Saul has, after all, been relentlessly chasing David for a few chapters now, seemingly intent on destroying the one who has found new found favor in God’s eyes. Now, as David catches up with a vulnerable Saul caught in a cave, we might think David will finally get his decisive victory and Saul his just desserts! But no. Instead, we find a David who, rather than kill Saul for all the torment he has caused, instead simply tears a piece of his cloak and spares his life. In his words, David makes clear the cause he chooses: “May the Lord judge between me and you! May the Lord avenge me on you; but my hand shall not be against you” (v. 12). In other words, “I’m going to leave this one to God.” The tattered piece of cloak he carries is enough to show Saul how close he came from exacting the plot of justified revenge that everyone expected, yet the relic is also a reminder of the faith and trust David places in the God who brought him this far. On the one hand, the scene of this text might feel anticlimactic. On the other, it might be the reminder we need: we don’t have to be the hero. The burden of redemption doesn’t rest in our hands. If the conflict between Saul and David shows us anything, it’s that it does no good to simply repay with evil. The ways of God are grounded in compassion and mercy, not cold revenge. We can surrender our heroic arc in order for God’s trajectory to take root. And in that, we might just find the better story. -- Justin Lingenfelter Camp Mount Luther is participating in Raise the Region, a 30-hour philanthropic event in our area. If you enjoy our First Light Digital Devotions and would like to contribute to our ministry, you can do so at https://www.raisetheregion.org/organizations/camp-mount-luther
Prayer: Dear God, your love lights our world and drives out darkness and fear. May we look to the light - Look to the day! – until our tasks are done. Amen
Reading: John 3: 14-21 (Click to read text) Stop and GROW: After reading the text, discuss/ponder the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's Book of Faith questions, which are part of Camp Mount Luther's GROW Time with campers. QUESTION 1: What scares, confuses, challenges, or doesn’t make sense to me in this text? QUESTION 2: What delights me in this text or is my favorite part of the story? QUESTION 3: What stories or memories does this text stir in me? QUESTION 4: What is God up to in this text? Reflection: Light! We cherish the light. We put a night light in our child’s bedroom. There is a children’s book, “The Underbed”, where mom and her little boy check under the bed with a flashlight to calm his fears. We get the winter “doldrums” in January and February when the days are gray and dreary. I’m reminded of an old gospel hymn, “Jesus! The Light of the World”. More recently there’s a lovely poem set to music both by John Rutter: Look to the light that will drive out darkness; Look to the hope that will conquer fear. God’s strength will uphold us ‘til the fight is won; ‘til we see our task is done. Look to the day! Look to the day! --Alice Yeakel Prayer: Gracious God, you save us as certainly we cannot save ourselves. May we offer that grace to all we share your love. Amen
Reading: Ephesians 2: 1-10 (Click to read text) Stop and GROW: After reading the text, discuss/ponder the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's Book of Faith questions, which are part of Camp Mount Luther's GROW Time with campers. QUESTION 1: What scares, confuses, challenges, or doesn’t make sense to me in this text? QUESTION 2: What delights me in this text or is my favorite part of the story? QUESTION 3: What stories or memories does this text stir in me? QUESTION 4: What is God up to in this text? Reflection: By grace we have been saved. That’s it. No more; no less; and nothing on our part. It’s a gift from God. We live in faith of that promise often thinking of eternal life down the road. But what kind of a difference would it make if we kept in mind God is forgiving and recreating us all the time? One of my favorite verses is Lamentations 3:22-23 which reminds us “(God’s) mercies are new every morning.” Keep in mind, they are new after lunch, too, and just before falling asleep at night. Depending on the day, it may help to remember that especially then. Whatever time of day you are reading this, know that in this moment God’s grace is on you without you even trying. What a difference that makes. --Ruth Gates We often reprint prior devotions that now reflect on the coming lectionary texts. This is a reprint from a devotion originally published on March 12, 2015.
Prayer: God, you are the love that endures forever and the one we should remember first. Help us to depend on you. Amen. Reading: Psalm 107: 1-3, 17-22 (Click to read text) Stop and GROW: After reading the text, discuss/ponder the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's Book of Faith questions, which are part of Camp Mount Luther's GROW Time with campers. QUESTION 1: What scares, confuses, challenges, or doesn’t make sense to me in this text? QUESTION 2: What delights me in this text or is my favorite part of the story? QUESTION 3: What stories or memories does this text stir in me? QUESTION 4: What is God up to in this text? Reflection: I was just reading this morning a story about a person who lacked confidence. He lacked that confidence because his father, who was an upstanding man in their community, had an affair which tore apart his family. The son felt that he could not do anything because eventually he may go down the same path as his father. He had looked up to his father so much. A wise person in the son’s life pointed out to him that he was depending more on his father than on God. If he depended on God, the son could have confidence and forge a different path than his father. When I read that story, I was reminded that too often we think we can do it ourselves or depend on earthly people for our only lens of living life. But we should be depending on God. God can help us do anything, even when we lack the confidence. It is God who we should put our trust in! --Chad Hershberger Prayer: Generous God, may we recognize in what we have your blessing and care and be grateful before we look for more. Amen.
Reading: Numbers 21:4-9 (Click to read text) Stop and GROW: After reading the text, discuss/ponder the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's Book of Faith questions, which are part of Camp Mount Luther's GROW Time with campers. QUESTION 1: What scares, confuses, challenges, or doesn’t make sense to me in this text? QUESTION 2: What delights me in this text or is my favorite part of the story? QUESTION 3: What stories or memories does this text stir in me? QUESTION 4: What is God up to in this text? Reflection: It is awful to watch someone you care about lose the admiration and love of family and friends as they turn away from the blessings they no longer recognize. Out of boredom or dissatisfaction, they give up stability and constancy for momentary gratification. Sadly, the exciting adventure fantasized is rarely sustained. Instead, pain, loss, regret, and shame result. By then, perhaps boredom would be a welcomed extravagance. When I read this passage today, I wonder how badly it must have broken Moses’s heart to see such sin. He must have been angry and disappointed at this rejection of the gifts God gave to His people. Yet he prays, for their salvation and forgiveness. God grants both, but with a stinging reminder for all to face. Ouch. If only they could have seen the richness in what they had. --Heather LeBlanc Today, we look at a Day 3 text from this year’s summer curriculum, “From Generation to Generation.”
Prayer: Pray for political and religious world leaders, that they may keep their leadership focused on what is good for people and for all creation. Reading: 1 Samuel 16 (Click to read text) Stop and GROW: After reading the text, discuss/ponder the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's Book of Faith questions, which are part of Camp Mount Luther's GROW Time with campers. QUESTION 1: What scares, confuses, challenges, or doesn’t make sense to me in this text? QUESTION 2: What delights me in this text or is my favorite part of the story? QUESTION 3: What stories or memories does this text stir in me? QUESTION 4: What is God up to in this text? Reflection: 1 Samuel 16 is where the story of King David starts, when he is a young shepherd. Imagine the surprise for David, his brothers, and his dad when the prophet Samuel shows up and makes David the next king of Israel! How many surprises do you see in your life? You may think immediately of the big ones but I bet there are small surprises every day. How have these surprises shaped who you are? Who your family is? God chose David to be king and surprised everyone by anointing him. Surprise the people important to you by anointing them with blessings of love today. Maybe send a note or card in the mail—or put together a little gift bag and leave it on their doorstep. I bet they, too, will be surprised! --Chad Hershberger Prayer: Lord, may we keep calm when life is difficult. Amen.
Reading: John 2: 13-22 (Click to read text) Stop and GROW: After reading the text, discuss/ponder the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's Book of Faith questions, which are part of Camp Mount Luther's GROW Time with campers. QUESTION 1: What scares, confuses, challenges, or doesn’t make sense to me in this text? QUESTION 2: What delights me in this text or is my favorite part of the story? QUESTION 3: What stories or memories does this text stir in me? QUESTION 4: What is God up to in this text? Reflection: This incident happens during Holy Week. Some who read this might wonder why Jesus lost his cool. Consider what was happening. It was the beginning of the end and Jesus knew it. Do you ever lose your cool when you are stressed out? Do you lash out at someone who really does not deserve your wrath? I admit- it has happened to me. We can only take so much. Reading this story reminds me that Jesus truly knows what being human is like and can relate to what we are going through. --Chad Hershberger We often reprint prior devotions that now reflect on the coming lectionary texts. This is a reprint from a devotion originally published on January 29, 2014.
Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 (Click to read text) Stop and GROW: After reading the text, discuss/ponder the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's Book of Faith questions, which are part of Camp Mount Luther's GROW Time with campers. QUESTION 1: What scares, confuses, challenges, or doesn’t make sense to me in this text? QUESTION 2: What delights me in this text or is my favorite part of the story? QUESTION 3: What stories or memories does this text stir in me? QUESTION 4: What is God up to in this text? Reflection: It is a challenge to come to believe that God uses foolishness and weakness to convince the world of the good news. But if you think about it, there is no science or rationality in the world that can conclude that the death of a man on a cross 2000 years ago is good news. No reasonable person can accept that the dead man, truly dead man, is raised and lives. No, no, no!!!! None of that makes sense. But, that is what we proclaim. That world did its damnedest, but God said “NO.” The world continues to work against God, but God says, “Nice try.” In the resurrection God says, “I win. And since I win---so do you.” But that is foolishness. To believe and proclaim that this nonsense makes sense. But, by the grace of God, that is what we believe and what we proclaim. It is not our wisdom or our power that makes this true. It is the power of God. So, we proclaim and we boast—not in ourselves, but in God. Go ahead be proud today: “Boast in the Lord.” --Jim Bricker Prayer: Creator God, may we hear your praise in all of creation. Bring us to explain your word to all. Amen
Reading: Psalm 19 (Click to read text) Stop and GROW: After reading the text, discuss/ponder the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's Book of Faith questions, which are part of Camp Mount Luther's GROW Time with campers. QUESTION 1: What scares, confuses, challenges, or doesn’t make sense to me in this text? QUESTION 2: What delights me in this text or is my favorite part of the story? QUESTION 3: What stories or memories does this text stir in me? QUESTION 4: What is God up to in this text? Reflection: Ask my kids. When they were little I wanted to learn birdsongs so I could identify birds when out on walks and hikes. The library had a wonderful bird book with a cd that I would play over and over. I would renew the book as often as I could and then return it only to borrow again a few weeks later. I don’t know if I learned all the birds and their songs. I do know there were times when my family looked at me funny. Friends, too, as they walked in the house and heard birds in the background. It took some explaining. This came to mind today I stopped by church and, at the pastor’s office door, heard…I’m not kidding…birdsong. I popped my head in, looked around saying, “Hello?” She laughed and told me the background sound of birds help her as she thinks. Oh, no need to explain. I get it. Psalm 19 begins with how creation praises its Creator using words and speech humans cannot understand, and yet in some mysterious way humans do indeed overhear creation’s praise of God. Perhaps that is why the birdsong cd became my soundtrack for awhile. Perhaps that is why people like to fall asleep to the sound of ocean waves. Perhaps that is why the sound of a thunder and rainfall is both strengthening and soothing. Creation speaks and we hear praise. When have you sensed that creation was praising God? It may be hard to explain, but try. --Ruth Gates Prayer: Jesus my friend and savior, help me to see in others what you see: imperfect but lovable friends and family created in God’s image. To turn from them is to turn from you. To sin against them is to sin against you. Forgive me my trespasses, Lord, and guide me always. Amen.
Reading: Exodus 20:1-17 (Click to read text) Stop and GROW: After reading the text, discuss/ponder the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's Book of Faith questions, which are part of Camp Mount Luther's GROW Time with campers. QUESTION 1: What scares, confuses, challenges, or doesn’t make sense to me in this text? QUESTION 2: What delights me in this text or is my favorite part of the story? QUESTION 3: What stories or memories does this text stir in me? QUESTION 4: What is God up to in this text? Reflection: The Ten Commandments. We know them. We recite them. Do we obey them? The prime commandment is to make God the focus of your consciousness – no other gods before God. Jesus taught us how to live that worship – love others as He first loved us. Don’t cheat, don’t steal, don’t hurt one another. Yet every day, lies and loss and pain abound. Why? Why is it so hard to follow ten simple rules? Our human nature is flawed. All sins derive from selfishness. Try to look outward, around and outside of your Self to see God in humankind. Then, perhaps, these commandments will become easier to obey. --Heather LeBlanc |
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