Devotions
In Exodus, chapter 16, the Israelites had been wandering in the desert for a little over a month when they began to complain against Moses and Aaron, the leaders that God had chosen to oversee the Exodus from Egypt. They longed for the “pots of meat” they had left back in Egypt. But wait a minute, are these not the same people that had cried out to God for deliverance from Egypt?
Is it ever alright to speak up? It should be, but in this modern world it is often a risky business. Speaking up may require you to point out unpleasant truths. Truths that are often uncomfortable, and yet there are times when the Holy Spirit calls us to speak up. But how does one know when to speak up?
Have you ever seen a hen protecting her young? She gets vicious. When she senses a threat to her chicks, she puffs up, spreads her wings, and clucks to alert her young ones to shelter under her protective feathers. That’s what a mother does. She protects. On this Mother’s Day, we stop collectively to honor the phenomenal women who protected us in the womb and then gave us life. They did not just give us life, they cradled us, nurtured us, continued to protect us, disciplined us, taught us, prayed for us, and hopefully pointed us to, or led us to Christ. In the end that is all that counts.
St. Francis of Assissi personified devotion. It is said that he did not love humanity but men, and he did not love Christianity but Jesus Christ. What does this mean? This means that St. Francis of Assissi did not fall in love with the church, but with Jesus Christ himself. For him this faith was not about religion, it was a love affair with a person,… Jesus.
Mother Teresa was well known for living a life that exuded the love of Jesus Christ and for making powerful statements about love. One that comes to mind today, states: “It’s not about how much you do, but how much love you put into what you do that counts. ”This sentiment echoes the words of the apostle Paul to the Corinthian church. The greatest spiritual attribute any of us could ever have is love.
I watched the video of George Floyd’s murder in horror. My heart hurt; for him, for his mother, for all the mother’s who have to relive the horror of their children’s murders, and for all the black people who were reminded once again, in such brutal fashion, that their lives are worthless. And I also hurt for all the well-meaning people (of all races) in this nation, and around the world who find this moment unacceptable and too agonizingly barbaric for words. George Floyd was a child of God, fearfully and wonderfully made, in the image of God (Psalm 139: 14; Genesis 1:27) and he deserved to live. We all deserve to live because we are made in the image of the Almighty God. How can we claim to love God if we hate our brother?
What would you do if someone asked you the same question three times? This is exactly what happened to Simon Peter, Jesus’ disciple. Jesus asked him three times, “Do you love me?” as though to say, this is of utmost importance Simon. It is a question that is equally important and relevant for us today. In the midst of a world filled with God and truth deniers, there is urgent Kingdom work to be done. In the midst of a great falling away, Jesus is once again asking as he did back then, “Do you love me?” If so, then, “Feed my sheep.” And this is love as described in 1 Corinthians 13:1-13:
In 1864, while the American Civil War was still being fought, three young women, Emma Hunter, Sophie Keller and Elizabeth Myers began the custom of decorating soldiers’ graves at a cemetery in Boalsburg, Pennsylvania. They wanted to recognize the contributions of these brave soldiers from the village who had paid the ultimate price. Today it has become customary to decorate graves with flowers as a sign of our deep affection for those who sacrificed their lives for us, and for those whose lives have touched ours.
