Devotions- Ongoing Witness

Colossians 1:1-14

The Lesson for the Fifth Sunday of

Pentecost, July 10, 2022

A tree bearing fruit is a wondrous thing

Gifting us with something to experience

A measurable result that satisfies

Both our heart and our mind

Paul’s prayer for the Colossians

Was that their faith would also bear fruit

Always boldly displaying to the world

The joy of knowing God’s incessant love

Faith isn’t to be kept comfortably quiet

But instead to become a growing richness

Shaping our words and actions

Into an ongoing witness of the gospel hope

This happens when we allow ourselves

To be completely open to God’s presence

Being filled with a  spiritual wisdom

 That grows deeper every day

It begins by gently accepting

The reality of who we are without God

And who we have become because of God’s grace

Beloved, redeemed, and claimed forever

Thus claimed we offer ourselves to the world

As a tree offering fruit to satisfy

An invitation for all to taste and see

That the Lord is good+

A Devotion By Rev. Donald Schaefer,

Southeastern District- Northern Region Facilitator

for Mission Engagement

Momentary Life- Eternal Home

Revelation 1: 4-8

The Epistle Lesson for the

First Sunday After Easter, April 24, 2022

It is an effusive greeting Far more than customary But through it John states clearly Where the focus should lie   Reiterating the heart of the gospel John’s words are more than reminder They are a creedal statement of belief Echoed by every generation of disciples   Like the first Christians, we are a distinct minority Our society likewise dismisses the gospel As wishful thinking or just a well-rehearsed tale For us however, it is an abiding truth   Through the risen Christ we have a new identity Beloved by God, not forsaken More cherished than we deserve or imagine A relationship that cannot be broken   Confidently we live out our momentary life As John’s first readers did Inviting others to join our company while here As we joyfully journey back home+ A Devotion By Rev. Donald Schaefer, Northern Region Facilitator for Mission Engagement

Devotion- A Life Lived Wisely

 

Ephesians 5:15-20 Epistle Lesson for the Sunday August 15th Living differently than others do May bring ridicule or worse It is easier to just go along Being like everyone else   Paul encourages Christians To be deliberately different Not pretentiously holy Or spiritually arrogant   He invites them to live carefully And not be pulled into Society’s suggested path to happiness Which always leads to a dead end   The motivation for doing so       Is centered in a grateful heart A persistent internal awareness That all comes from God’s generosity   Beginning with gratitude Directs a life lived wisely It pushes aside inner desires And outer temptations   Joining others in a gratitude chorus Brings a different mindset A joyful awareness of grace That inspires serving above self + A Devotion By Rev. Donald Schaefer, Northern Region Facilitator for Mission Engagement for the  Southeastern District- LCMS

Devotion- Jesus for ALL

Ephesians 2: 11-22

Epistle Lesson for the Sunday July 18th

A darker part of the human heart Insists on categorizing other people Exposing differences instead of similarities Creating mistrust and hostility Being a diverse group with different roots Early Christians struggled with this too Paul reminded them that God sees all of us From the inside out Beneath the differences on the outside God sees the same wounded heart Unspoken fear, and subtle greed in us The commonality is our need for a savior It is the same Jesus who died for each of us The same cross bringing the same result A bridge of reconciliation between us and God No one a stranger or alien anymore It is that redeeming gospel That provides courage enough For us to risk seeing beyond differences In order to reflect God’s love for all+ A Devotion By Rev. Donald Schaefer, Northern Region Facilitator for Mission Engagement

Devotion-New Beginnings

2 Corinthians 5:6-10, 14-17

Epistle Lesson for Sunday, June 13th

With reasoned logic     We make choices That shape our daily living            Having decided, we move on   There are other matters however           Driven by deeper feelings Which catch our mind and heart Not letting us go   Paul told Corinthian Christians            That the gospel compelled him The good news of God’s love            Had captured his heart forever   This Divine compulsion            Turned his life upside down He put aside what he knew            Letting go, and letting God   Our faith is likewise formed by assumptions            But when grace finally catches us False illusions under the law give way            To the chance of graceful new beginnings   Like Paul, we also become compelled            To see ourselves and others Through the prism of the Cross           Beggars joyfully healed and free+

A Devotion By Rev. Donald Schaefer, Northern Region Facilitator for Mission Engagement

Devotion- God is Light

 

1 John 1:1-2:2 - Second Sunday of Easter

After a lengthy prelude John gets to the point “God is light and in God There is no darkness” If we are to be followers of Christ Then we cannot remain  In comfortable shadows of anonymity While pretending to be agents of light The confession of which John speaks Draws us to the light of honest truth Like a match lit in a dark room It removes the shadows where we hide Without it, our hearts remain a darker place Filled with fears that consume us Guilt that will not leave us alone And anger we cannot let go of Accepting God’s gracious forgiveness Lights a path to a peaceful mindset Bringing a courageous attitude to each day so we may live and die with unaltered hope Living as people now claimed as God’s own We offer glimpses of light  To others still steeped in darkness So they may find their way home+ A Devotion By Rev. Donald Shaefer, Northern Region Mission Engagement Facilitator

Devotion-Tools for Christ

1 Corinthians 1:18-25 - Epistle for Lent 3

Knowledge and wisdom are two different things We can know facts about something While its deeper meaning eludes us In next week’s epistle lesson Paul contrasts The supposed wisdom of the world With what appears to be the foolishness of God The wisdom of political and religious leaders Concluded that Jesus had to go Seeing Jesus die, they returned to a secure familiar  As sunrise  broke the next sabbath morning The leaders’ wisdom became foolishness As God’s hidden wisdom became revealed Lured by the Internet’s ability to offer knowledge We are tempted as were 1st century leaders To think we know many things and so are wise              But our supposed wisdom is an illusion We yet cannot explain the mystery of love Or why a fading sunset can gentle our heart Thankfully God was foolish enough To think we were worth saving Good Friday covering a Divine rescue plan               Because of that love, we are “fools for Christ” Sure of purpose while we are here and waiting to be welcomed home To others, our serving looks foolish But our heart knows better Understood or not, we joyfully persist+ A Devotion By Rev. Donald Shaefer, Northern Region Mission Engagement Facilitator

Devotion- Graced Forever

 

1 Corinthians 8:1-13 -  Epistle for January 31st “Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up”              So wrote Paul to early Christians Reminding them that what is permissible             May not always be useful Paul’s words are still applicable to us As we presently live in a society Where a sense of pervading entitlement   drives the greedy will inside of us As Christians, the question on our heart              Should not be what we think we deserve But more what we think would be helpful             In incarnating God’s love into the world In the splash of baptismal water Our focus becomes outward, not inward Meeting the needs of another’s heart             Before satisfying our own desires Society’s voice keeps insisting              That we should be at the front of the line Getting all that we can while we can             Keeping all that we can for as long as we can We quietly beg to differ             Preferring  to follow another voice which calls us beloved and forgiven             undeserved, but yet cherished by God In hearing that voice             Our heart is deeply satisfied Focused on giving so that others’ hearts             May be open to God’s scandalous love A gift of identity which              No one and no thing can change Once that identity is claimed             It marks one graced forever+ A Devotion By Rev. Donald Shaefer, Northern Region Mission Engagement Facilitator

Devotion- Time of Waiting

 

2 Peter 3:8-15 If there is one thing That all people don’t do well It is using time wisely  While having to wait From our first breath to our last We are creatures in motion Physically or emotionally always  Moving from what was to what is Patience in a time of waiting  Does not come gracefully As we wait for something to begin Or for something else to end The first Christians were impatient too Their lives anxiously anticipating  That Jesus would soon return in glory So they wondered about the delay Peter acknowledged their anxiety But invited  them to use their time For continued growth in their faith And having peace in their hearts There is likewise a part of our heart That also expects God to act To change  someone or to fix something We too often grow impatiently weary Peace comes when we let God be God Simply content in the divine love for us And  boldly trusting that its Spirit is still at work In us and through us While we wait, we use our time wisely Using who we are and what we have To incarnate the gospel hope In a restlessly impatient world A Devotion By Rev. Donald Shaefer, Northern Region Mission Engagement Facilitator Southeastern District LCMS

Devotion- The Mission Intended

1 Thessalonians 5:1-13 The house church in Corinth Begun through Paul’s efforts Had become conflicted Mistrustful divisions abounded Paul’s response does not begin With a torrent of criticism But by reciting the litany of blessings God had provided for them Grace, gifts, calling and hope None of these were earned But had been freely given Through God’s divine generosity These were the things  Paul wanted them to focus on So that they might faithfully fulfill The mission God intended Our congregations may be struggling now As was the one in Corinth In this restlessly divisive time Disagreements are many Since it is always easier to tear down Than to build up We sometimes lose sight  Of what unites us as Christians The outstretched hands   Of an outstandingly gracious God Have likewise presented us with Grace, gifts, calling and hope These things likewise shape our faith Moving us beyond division Toward unity in serving A higher purpose than our own Living as God’s Advent people We are encouraged by grace So that we may use what God has richly provided To present a lively hope to the world A Devotion By Rev. Donald Shaefer, Northern Region Mission Engagement Facilitator

Devotion- Be awake in the Light

 

1 Thessalonians 5:1-13 In yesterday’s epistle lesson Paul encourages early disciples By reminding them of the uniqueness Of the Christian perspective By using contrasting imagery Of darkness vs light Being asleep vs being awake Paul makes the difference clear We are called to meet other’s needs Before we satisfy our own wants We are called to be shrouded in humility Not surrounded by pride We are called to be people of hope  And not be trapped in despair We are called to live each day with wonder And to face difficulty with courage We look at life and death differently Not as hopeless romantics  But out of a compelling belief that God’s love is our truest companion              Our perspective differs from society As much as day from darkness Or sleep from wakefulness So we are labeled as fools Nevertheless we persist Encouraging each other So that our collective lives May incarnate the gospel hope As we do, others through us Catch a glimpse of how faith Can satisfy the wandering heart And lead it to joy A Devotion By Rev. Donald Shaefer, Northern Region Mission Engagement Facilitator The photo is Temple Mount in Jerusalem after a rain storm. This spot also brings together the Christian  and Muslim faith traditions on such a Holy spot. The building is bright with the gold dome  but this is still in the darkness without Jesus.  photo by Connie Denninger