Prayer: Noel, noel. Born is the king of Israel. Amen.
Reading: Matthew 1: 18-25 (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: Yes, I know it is the end of September. Yes, I don’t believe in putting Christmas trees and decorations in stores this early in the year. Yes, I think we’ve commercialized Christmas and sometimes forget the true meaning of the holiday. That’s why I decided to write about Christmas today. It’s just under three months until the big day. I’m not suggesting it’s time to start getting ready; but, I would challenge us to maybe start thinking about how we might slow down this year and enjoy the Advent and Christmas season. Recently, I thought about Christmas 1997 when I was attending a Christmas Eve service with my parents and sister. This was before my sister and I were married and I didn’t have children, so our holiday revolved around us and our parents. I believe we were at the 11:00 worship and the hymn, “The First Noel” was being sung and my dad, sister, and I began acting the hymn out with motions. We were smiling and laughing as we did it and it really made it quite fun. I’m sure that if someone from another pew looked over at us, they probably thought we were being irreverent, but we are just the opposite. We were celebrating Jesus’ birth and the Spirit moved us to do it in this way. That’s one of the things I really like about camp. We praise God through song, dance, and other unconventional methods. Sometimes, I wish more traditional churches would do the same. I think it’s refreshing to have those meaningful religious experiences as my family did on that Christmas Eve. Almost 20 years later, I remember doing that and feeling good about praising God in that way. And so, as you think to the upcoming Advent and Christmas season, maybe now is the perfect time to plan a way to slow down and enjoy the season and the people who make the season great. And, make sure you carve out time to spend with God, marveling over the birth of His own son. –Chad Hershberger
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Prayer: Loving God, thank you for listening to us. Thank you for knowing our hearts. Thank you for your grace. Help us to be still and listen for you. Help us to feel your presence. Amen.
Reading: Psalm 37 (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: One of my favorite movies of all time is “Chocolat.” (Not just because I like chocolate, but that doesn’t hurt. J ) The main character, Vianne, is a single mom who roams from town to town, setting up a chocolate shop, and making just enough money to move on to the next town. She makes several good friends, but the mayor of the town is not one of them. He is troubled by the opening of a chocolate shop in the town during Lent. He does everything he can to prevent her business from succeeding. He even gets the local priest to preach sermons about how even little things, like eating chocolate during Lent, make us feel further away from God. Finally, Vianne has had enough. In my favorite scene in the movie, she has walked out to a dock and is simply standing next to the river. There is a brewing storm and the wind is blowing around her. But she simply stands there and is still. She listens to her surroundings. She feels the wind and the mist and takes some quiet moments to simply be. She listens to the stirrings in her soul and she listens for the presence of God. This little movie moment is the embodiment of this Psalm to me. She is being still before the Lord and waiting patiently for him. Because she is facing an enormous challenge and doesn’t know exactly what to do. What is the challenge that you are facing today? Take a moment to be still before the Lord and wait patiently for our God. Take a deep breath. God is alive and on the move. –Sarah Hershberger Prayer: We give you thanks, God, for those women in lives who share and teach us faith. Amen.
Reading: 2 Timothy 1:1-14 (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: Our passage today mentions grandmother Lois and mother Eunice. It reminds me of how important our mothers and grandmothers are in our faith lives. When I think of my grandmothers, I think of women of faith. They were regular church attenders, served the church in many ways, sang in the choir, and shared their faith with me. I have lots of books and Bible stories that my grandmother gave me as a child that I now use with my own children. When I think of my mother, I think of a woman of faith. She is still heavily involved in the life of the church and is passing her faith to her grandchildren (my kiddos) but sharing Bible stories and making sure they go church regularly. As you think about your faith today, think of the women in your life that help you grow in your relationship with God. And say a little prayer to God in thanksgiving for them! --Chad Hershberger Prayer: Dear Lord, I, a faithful servant to your heavenly house, a servant small and delicate like a mustard seed, commit myself to you. Amen.
Reading: Luke 17: 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: I remember when my grandmother used to wear a necklace around her neck with a small globe as the pendant. In this globe was a mustard seed, so small and delicate. As a child, I never fully understood the meaning of this. The reference to the mustard seed in the first part of this passage is significant because it represents the Great power that is obtained from having faith in God. Even with the smallest amount of faith (the size of a mustard seed), we, as Christians, are given the great power of God’s love. Similarly, in verses 7-10, we are reminded that in comparison to God, we are no more than slaves. As Christians of faith, we must devote ourselves to God the way a servant devotes his life to a master. Thus, we are as small and delicate as the mustard seed in comparison to God, our master. With this in mind, I now see that my grandmother’s necklace is more than a symbol of faith. It is also a symbol of servitude, the servitude of committing oneself to God’s will. --Courtney Dunn Prayer: Lead me to the ones I need and to the one who needs me. Amen
Reading: Lamentations 1: 1-6 (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 hesitate to write this devotion but here goes...I am getting lonely at church. Oh, I have many friends there. We worship, pray, sing, talk, laugh and cry together. I look forward to seeing them at choir practice, Women's Fellowship, Sunday service and more. So why am I getting lonely? Because half our Sunday School classrooms are now empty and unused as multiple ages and grades of children are combined together. I remember the year there were twenty in second grade! One year there were two dozen Confirmands. Now there are barely a dozen in Kindergarten through 2nd grade combined. And when the choir nearly outnumbers the congregation it is simply sad to look upon. Much has been written about this trend in church going so I won't delve into demographics, emergent church theory and all that. Google it. Whatever. I just know I am getting lonely at church. Which sounds a lot like the first verse of the first chapter of Lamentations: "How lonely sits the city that once was full of people!..." I wish I could say the next five verses of our text today are encouraging but they pretty much continue the same lament. Still, God is with us always and we do have each other. So I sometimes simply pray, "Lead me to the ones I need and to the one who's s needing me." We'll find each other and not be lonely anymore --Ruth Gates Occasionally, we will reprint prior devotions. This is a reprint from a devotion originally published on January 20, 2013. Prayer: Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as is heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and forever. Amen. Reading: Matthew 6: 7-15 (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: When and how did you learn the Lord's Prayer? How often do you say the Lord's Prayer? How do you feel it connects you with other Christians? Do you remember how you learned the Lord's Prayer? I do. When I was young, my mom and dad taught my sister and me the Lord's Prayer each night after we ate supper. We would have to learn a line or two before we could have dessert. Then, the next night we would have to repeat from memory what we learned the night before. Jesus taught us to pray by heralding our God's name, by praying that God's will be done, by asking for our needs, and by asking for forgiveness for our sins. He also taught up to forgive one another. What a great lesson Jesus taught in so few words! I was also told that when in doubt about what to pray, you should praise the Lord for sending us God's only son. What more would a father want hear than praise for his son? God sent us the greatest gift of all and we should thank God for it! May people wonder what they should say in their prayers. Well, just look at the Lord's Prayer. It is spelled out in that simple prayer that many have learned as children, maybe even at the dinner table. --Chad Hershberger Prayer: Be our refuge and strength, Lord, this day and forevermore. Amen,. Reading: Psalm 91: 1-6, 14-16 (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: A little something different for our devotional today. Let’s have a little bit of a history lesson! When I read this passage, I was reminded of the song “On Eagle’s Wings” that we often sing in church. But, I didn’t see reference to an eagle here. So, I decided to find out more about the hymn. According to Wikipedia, “On Eagle’s Wings” was written by Michael Joncas in the late 1970s. He based it on both Psalm 91 and Isaiah 40:31. It’s now song at Catholic masses and at Protestant services. In fact, it was performed at many of the funerals of 9/11 victims 15 years ago. It was also sung at the funeral Mass for Luciano Pavarotti. And now that we are done with our history lesson, let’s switch classrooms and have an English lesson. Wikipedia also tells me that Joncas stated that his preference for the title would be “On Eagle’s Wings,” showing that the wings belong to one single eagle (a metaphor for God). But, he said he could also argue that the title could be “On Eagles’ Wings,” since many wings would be needed to lift up the multitude of God’s people. Neat! If you’ve never heard this song below, we’ve included a link below to a YouTube video with Josh Groban singing this hymn. The words are also included. --Chad Hershberger Prayer: Dear God, I invite you into my life. I put my hope and trust in you, and I thank you for your great love. With it, I am forever wealthy. Amen. Reading: 1 Timothy 6: 6-19 (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: While studying abroad in Cameroon, Africa, I was invited to a women's council meeting. We sat in an un-air conditioned room (in fact the meeting space was no more than a building under construction, open to the outside world through numerous broken windows). The chairs were covered with dust, and each one had to be wiped off with rags that the women had brought to the meeting for that purpose. We didn't start our meeting with appetizers. We didn't even have water. We drank bottles of beer and soda because it was easier to get. All around me, I saw poverty. When the meeting was about to begin, we positioned ourselves in a tight circle, and held hands. I noticed immediately that the woman to my left wouldn't take my hand. Everyone else in the circle was holding the hands of both neighbors, and I quickly grew anxious, aware of my presence and worried that it was simply this presence that had created the gap in the circle. I reached out my hand again and looked at the woman. With a knowing smile, she shook her head. "It is for God," she told me. "This way he can enter in." In that moment, looking around at these women, their foreheads damp with sweat, and the unfinished paint on the floors, and the cement bags piled up under fragmented window frames, I was being commanded not to put my hope in money. I was being commanded to put my hope in God. And in that moment, all I saw was great wealth. --Courtney Dunn Prayer: Dear God, help us through complicated days. Thank you for the assurance of your love. Amen.
Reading: Jeremiah 32: 1-3a, 6-15 (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: Reading the directions God gave to Jeremiah regarding the purchase of Hanemel's field in Anathoth sounds like me getting through one of my more complicated days. I read the text twice and still can't quite keep it straight who is to sign what, seal how and deliver where. Some days go like that for all of us. The logistics of life are often complicated. There was a good reason why God wanted the transaction to be done just right. Signed, sealed and delivered, the purchase of the land with so many steps, witnesses and exact accounting of money made it clear that houses and fields and vineyards shall again be bought in (the Promised Land) (v. 15). This was to give the people hope even though hope does not always come easy. Next time I seem to struggling through a complicated day, I will keep hope until all is signed, sealed and delivered. What an assurance of God's presence and purpose that will be! --Ruth Gates Prayer: Almighty God, help us to put you first in our lives. Amen.
Reading: Luke 16:19-31 (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: My children like to have races, particularly up the steps of our home when it’s bathtime. Sometimes, they race out of the bath to the sink to brush their teeth. They want to be first. My son, who is a loving and caring boy, often will remark when he and I are racing, “It was a tie, daddy!” He usually beats me up the stairs but wants to make sure I feel good at the end of our race, too. My daughter, who often gets upset if she is not #1, will often point to the Bible. “Well in the Bible it says the last shall be first and the first shall be last!” Both my children have a way of making everyone feel like winners. In fact, I’m reminded as I write this of how many times during a summer our staff says, “Everyone’s a winner at Camp Mount Luther!” In our story today, I’m reminded of being first and last and having that world literally turned upside down. The rich man thinks he “has it all.” He probably didn’t even bother to give Lazarus the time of day. But later, Lazarus is the one who “has it all” and is seated next to Abraham, in a prominent place. As I reflect on this story, I think about the children’s sermon that I heard preached yesterday at church. Our supply pastor reminded the kids that it is more important to put God first rather than money. I’ve been thinking about that in the last day and wonder how often I make decisions based on the “almighty dollar” instead of “Almighty God.” I’m going to continue thinking about that in the coming days and hope you would, too. How do we truly put God first in our lives? --Chad Hershberger Occasionally, we will reprint prior devotions. This is a reprint from a devotion originally published on September 22, 2013.
Prayer: As we go through life’s journeys, may we see the good in the periods of waiting. Amen. Reading: James 5: 7-9 (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: When I was a kid, I enjoyed visits to my grandparent’s farm. It was fun there—we could play in the haystacks, feed milk to the stray cats, and watch the cows get milked. We played in the old chicken coop once in awhile. It was also a treat to ride the tractor with my cousin Steve who would go and get the cows out of the fields each evening. The trip to Grammy and Pappy’s was long—over three hours. Often it was very hard to be patient until we got there. At a young age, trains fascinated me. If I fell asleep during the trip to the farm, I told my parents to wake me up if we were near any trains. I liked to see those trains! My dad grew up on the farm. As we were traveling through the countryside, often we would smell the odor of manure. My dad called it “fresh country air.” I’m sure that smell took him back to his childhood, down on the farm! On these trips, my sister and I could usually predict what our grandmother would have to eat when we got there- sloppy joes. She also made really good chocolate chip cookies and we would hope that she had time to make a batch. A trip to the farm was almost always a good experience. It took awhile to get there, but once we were there, we had a good time. We all need to learn to be patient in our lives. There usually is something good on the way when we are! --Chad Hershberger Prayer: As you love us, God, help us to show that love to others and not be vengeful. Amen.
Reading: Psalm 79 (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 wrote the other day that I’ve been thinking lately about mercy. God shows us mercy and love every day of our lives. In this passage from Psalms, I’m reminded about how God has grown, too. We see stories in the Old Testament when God was vengeful. I’m wondering if this was written during a period when the people where feeling God’s wrath. But, God “changed ways” and acts differently as we read more stories in the Bible and relate God in our lives today. And so I wonder how often we are more in a vengeful mood. And I wonder how we might become more merciful and loving, just like God. –Chad Hershberger Prayer: We offer supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings for everyone. Amen.
Reading: I Timothy 2: 1-7 (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 I Timothy 2, Paul urges that supplications, prayers, intercessions and thanksgivings are to be made for everyone. Everyone! I know someone whose bedtime, "God bless..." list became quite long over the years but it never got shortened and no one ever got skipped. I know another person who has a day of the week system to pray for different groups of people different days so no one falls between the cracks. Whatever works, as long as we are praying for everyone. My church just started a practice of each week praying for 5 or 6 families from our membership roster. I must admit, when the first name is read, I wonder, "Oh dear, what is going on with the Harmon family?" Then I hear Hermann, Hirsch, Holoran,....and as my brain gives up wondering, I realize we are simply praying through the H's of the church family. However many weeks it takes, we will have prayed for everyone! I hope as soon as we finish we start over back at the beginning and pray for everyone again. --Ruth Gates Prayer: Seasons go by but not everything gets done. Thank you for each new day and your saving grace which never ends. Amen
Reading: Jeremiah 8: 18-9: 1 (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 harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved. Jeremiah 8: 20 When Labor Day weekend rolls around, many find themselves saying, "Where did the summer go?" (Funny how we never say that about winter?..."It's the end of March already? The winter went by so fast!") There is something about the long days of summer that make us think the time should stretch out forever and much should be accomplished right along with big vacations and boatloads of fun. But before you know it, summer is ended and we are neither done nor rested. Seems that is how the people felt as Jeremiah the prophet wrote. The best time for growth and harvest had gone by and still they were not saved. One thing I try to remember is although I will never be finished with what I set out to do, I am saved. Summer is ended but God's saving grace never ends. --Ruth Gates Prayer: We have a balance of zero in our account to you, o Lord. And for that we are grateful. We give thanks for your love and mercy! Amen.
Reading: Luke 16:1-13 (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: If I had it to do over again, I’d probably take an accounting class in college. My bachelor’s degree is an arts degree so I had to take languages and writing courses and stuff like that. My college roommate, however, was a business major and had to take accounting, management, and courses like that. Why would I take an accounting course? Because that is an area that I did not have much expertise in when I took on the job of camp director. And, running a non-profit organization requires a certain amount of knowledge in that area. I’m pretty good with my home finances and I’ve learned more about assets and liabilities and ledger entries. But, it would have been nice to know a little more! In this passage, the manager is making an accounting of his accounts. He’s calling in his receivables. And, he shows mercy. He doesn’t make everyone pay what they owe. He takes a lesser amount. He’s very generous! This story reminds us that God is even more generous than that. We could never repay God for all that God does for us. Our bill would always have an amount due. But God through God’s love and mercy pays the bill for us in full. Live in the good of that this day! --Chad Hershberger Prayer: Help us to align our priorities to yours, O Lord. Amen.
Reading: Luke 13: 10-17 (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: Jesus was clearly out of line. There he was in the synagogue on the sabbath - the day each week set aside to honor God by doing no work or business. A bent and crippled woman showed up, who had been suffering for 18 years. Jesus surely knew better, but he touched her and healed her anyway. The leader of the synagogue was indignant. In many ways, the leader was right. The rules and customs of their community made it clear that the Sabbath was a day to be free of work. But Jesus didn't back down. He pointed out that everyone did the work necessary to care for their animals on the Sabbath. This woman, a child of God, ought to receive the same. Responding with care and compassion to the needs of others also honors God. The leader of the synagogue had missed an important point. He had gotten caught up in the details and intricacies of following the Sabbath rules and had actually missed the larger point of honoring God by caring for another in need. Perhaps he believed that the woman's ailment was some kind of punishment from God. But Jesus makes it clear that God is the source of healing, and not pain. It is usually easier to simply follow rules than to live with compassion. It is certainly easier to judge people than to care for them. Jesus invites us all to notice the needs around us and care for them, to discover ways to reach beyond boundaries and rules, and bring healing and wholeness to our world. Jesus broke the rules, not for the sake of rebellion, but to heal and transform lives. To reconnect people to the God who loves us all. To help us move from judgement to compassion. To make it clear that God's priorities are different than ours. –Alicia Anderson Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, today I pray for Christians around the world. I pray that you give us strength. I pray that you help us find answers to the difficult questions that arise when confronting both fellow Christians and those who do not practice Christianity. Finally, I pray that Christians around the world remember your love so that we may also show your love, even in times of fear and great distress. Amen.
Reading: Psalm 14 (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: Psalm 14: Verse 1 “The fool says in his heart, / “There is no God.” / They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; / there is no one who does good.” Psalm 14 provides a commentary on atheism, no doubt. The psalm begins by making a statement about atheists and the implications of atheism, and it ends by offering a prayer for salvation. It also raises an important, and challenging, question: Is atheism to be feared? Psalm 14 highlights an ever-growing fear of widespread atheism. Why this fear of atheism? What do we make of the carnivorous language inherent in this psalm? (“Will evildoers never learn – those who devour my people as men eat bread,” Psalm 14, Verse 4, emphasis added.) A related question is this: Should we feel threatened by atheism? Often times this feeling of being threatened (feeling like the weaker animal, that which stands to be devoured) results in the impulse to act defensively. We have all seen, or at least heard of, such defensive actions between Christians and atheist groups. While I do not have answers to the difficult questions inherent in Psalm 14, I believe that it is important to remember the final verses of Psalm 14. The psalm ends on a note of hope – hope for the continued practice of Christianity. It is this hope that we must draw comfort from when we feel fearful or threatened. When we feel these things, we must remember that we are not alone nor easily defeated. We are a part of God’s kingdom, and it is a kingdom of greatness. By calling on God’s love and the Lord’s teachings, we can shed our fears and our defensiveness and, instead, focus on the glory of the Lord now and to come. --Courtney Dunn Prayer: As we strive to make love the law of our lives, help us to show mercy. Amen.
Reading: 1 Timothy 1:12-17 (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: In this passage, we are reminded of mercy. Mercy is shown to us by God who accepts us, despite our sinful nature. And, we are to show mercy to others. I was reading another devotional resource today and the author of that devotion reminded me that we should make love the law of our life. I was thinking about a situation I’ve been dealing with in my life and how maybe I should show some more love and mercy toward a person who is causing the strife in my life. Maybe that would make the situation better for both of us. Think about mercy today. How can you show mercy and love toward others? --Chad Hershberger Prayer: Lord, your mercy is great. Thank you for keeping us from a full end with your saving power. Amen
Reading: Jeremiah 4: 11-12, 22-28 (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: “For thus says the Lord: The whole land shall be a desolation, yet I will not make a full end.” --Jeremiah 4: 27 Well, the text for today is just chock full of doom, gloom, and destruction. Honestly, I read it through three times before I could find anything to grab onto for hope. There it was in verse 27. ...yet I will not make a full end. Thank goodness. That's a comfort to know. It is always darkest before the dawn but a new day always begins and even at the end of our days here we have a new beginning in heaven. --Ruth Gates Occasionally, we will reprint prior devotions that now reflect on the coming lectionary texts. This is a reprint from a devotion originally published on June 9, 2013.
Prayer: God, this day, we pray for the lost. Amen. Reading: Luke 15: 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? Additional Questions:
Reflection: It was a Saturday in the summer after my college graduation. I was canoeing down the Susquehanna River with some friends. We spent about half a day on the river, enjoying the company and being in the outdoors. The day was a bit overcast, but it was pleasant nonetheless. When we reached our destination, we had to step into the water to get our canoes to shore. One person I was with did just hat and her sandal came off in the mud of the river. They were fairly new shoes and she was distressed that she could not find it, not to mention that she could only walk with one shoe on. So, those in our group took to looking for the lost piece of footwear in the river. Luckily, the water wasn't too terribly high and we did find the sandal after a time of searching. Just as our whole group stopped everything we were doing to look for the one lost sandal, so Jesus tells us that we should take the time to find the one lost sheep. Even if we have 99 more, we should rejoice in finding the lost one. We should take the time to find that one lost sheep. Jesus says there is more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than the 99 who do not need to repent. --Chad Hershberger Occasionally, we will reprint prior devotions. This is a reprint from a devotion originally published on February 1, 2013.
Prayer: Pray the following, which is the baptism prayer from Evangelical Lutheran Worship. We give you thanks, O God, for in the beginning your Spirit moved over the waters and by your Word you created the world, calling forth life in which you took delight. Through the waters of the flood, you delivered Noah and his family, and through the sea you led your people Israel from slavery into freedom. At the river your Son was baptized by John and anointed with the Holy Spirit. By the baptism of Jesus' death and resurrection you set us free from the power of sin and death and raise us up to live in you. Pour out your Holy Spirit, the power of your living Word, that those who are washed in the waters of baptism may be given new life. To you be given honor and praise through Jesus Christ our Lord, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, now and forever. Amen. Reading: Psalm 105:41 (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? Additional Questions:
Reflection: It was a Saturday afternoon. I was in my high school gymnasium, practicing with the percussion ensemble that I was part of. We were getting ready for an upcoming competition. Suddenly, we heard the sound of rushing water. It was almost like a monsoon. We looked out the doors of the gym and it was raining heavily-- inside our school. For some reason, the sprinkler system had turned on and the hallway outside of the gym was getting soaked by the water from above. A call was made to someone who came to turn off the sprinkler. It took several days for the carpet to dry and numerous ceiling tiles to be replaced. In addition, a new floor had to be put in the gym since water warped the hardwood floor. It was strange to see it raining inside that day. We were glad that we were there for practice. Otherwise, who knows when the sprinkler activation would have been discovered and what other damage it would have done. Water can be destructive, but it is also a necessity of life. We need it to live. However, it is also something I think people take for granted. I often thought it times of drought what would happen if we ran out of water. What would we do? I'm sure that would never happen because I'm confident God would provide for us, but it is something to think about. Don't take water for granted. Appreciate it and conserve it whenever you can. --Chad Hershberger Prayer: All-knowing God, search my heart and remind me in the end I am still with you. Amen
Reading: Psalm 139: 1-6, 13-18 (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 get a little edgy when I think people are trying to analyze me, especially on a bad day. Perhaps you feel the same. It makes me wonder how any of us put up with each other. This is a good thing to remember: There is bad in the best of us and good in the worst of us. You find what you are looking for. Meanwhile, from before we were born and until eternity, God knows us through and through. The difference is God always sees us through eyes of grace and love. We are searched and known and, in the end, God is still with us. That is a comforting thought. What are you looking for today. The bad or the good? --Ruth Gates |
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