Devotion- Exile Hope

Isaiah 55:1-5 The exiled people of Israel felt hopeless            Life as they knew it had changed Memories overshadowed by present reality            Left them with hungry hearts With imperatives of joyful invitation            Isaiah used the imagery of rich food Available without price            To rekindle hope and courage Together we have endured COVID            A five month exile of sorts  We remember what life was like            Without masks and with toilet paper Living as we are now            Feels like being in a foreign land Unknowns and uncertainties            Leave us also with hungry hearts Isaiah’s words then speak to us             Reminding us of God’s grace There are no conditions for receiving it            It is freely there for us to “taste and see” We are reminded that in all times and seasons            God’s love for us remains a constant It is our truest and deepest companion            Especially when our hearts feel hollow Like a never ending banquet            God’s love nourishes us And satisfies the hungry heart            With encouraging grace Fed and refreshed            We set off to incarnate God’s love Offering through our words and actions            God’s rich feast of unconditional grace A Devotion by Rev. Donald Schaefer,  Northern Region Mission Engagement Facilitator

The Goodness of the Lord

"When we realize that wherever we are 

and whatever situation we are in,

 the goodness of the Lord

 is there also, the hand of the Lord is there also, 

the power of the Lord is present also, 

then whatever situation we are in is

 good growing ground to lead us

 to a deeper knowledge 

of who Jesus is and who he can be in our life."

This spoke to me today--

it was sent to me from a friend-

 seeking the author for attribution.

Resting in the knowledge 

that the hand of the Lord

 is already in our present situation-

 and in our future days.

IF-Then- A devotion

Romans 8:1-11 We learn early on that life             Is framed by “If- Then” IF we do something            THEN something happens Everything from our diet             To our work To our relationships            Is framed by “If-Then” It follows then logically            That we carry that thinking Into our spiritual connection with God            If we do “something”, then God will respond In yesterday’s epistle lesson            Paul goes to great lengths To offer the gospel’s glorious contradiction            To our human way of thinking “There is therefore no condemnation            For those who are in Christ Jesus” he writes Our connection with God isn’t about what we do            But what God has already done Through the cross of Christ            God took the initiative To restore the broken relationship            Which our willful heart created In Christ, God has been faithful            Overcoming our faithlessness We who should be excluded            Are now embraced by God’s loving heart It is God’s scandalous love            That motivates our servant lifestyle IF we are so forgiven and claimed             THEN we offer that same love to those around us Living as Jesus intended            Brings risks and vulnerability The logic of the gospel’s “IF” however,             Compels us to live out a compassionate “THEN” A Devotion by Rev. Donald Schaefer,  Northern Region Mission Engagement Facilitator Southeastern District LCMS

‌

Spiritual Connectivity with Social Distancing

SPIRITUAL CONNECTIVITY with SOCIAL DISTANCING

My sister and I went to church together on Sunday.

We were each behind closed doors, for fear of the virus,

but Christ connected us.

800 miles and one time zone separated us,

but Christ connected us.

We wore pajamas and slippers while Christ dressed us in His own righteousness.

We hadn’t planned it that way,

but Christ connected us.

Because we were gathered together, in His name,

Christ connected us.

Worshiping with the family of Pilgrim through Facebook,

Christ connected us.

My sister and I will worship together again,

Christ still connects us.

Our parents, our sister, and my husband, our grandparents, our in-laws, many cousins and friends are in glory,

Christ still connects us.

We can sing together again, with all the saints,

Christ will connect us.

Thanks to contributing writer-

 Natalie Grace Hartwig for 

"bringing us together."

Sparrows Fall

Sparrows Fall

God Knows Why

Lilies grow

And fade

I watch the seasons change.

Sparrows Fall

Without warning

Out of time.

Out of the depths

I cry why.

Answer me.  

ANSWER ME! 

please…..

God knows why we cry.

I will not leave you comfortless.

When sparrows fall, God knows.

God cares.

No one shall pluck you out of my hand.

By grace, these 3 things abide … Faith, Hope, and Love.

Faith is the evidence of things not seen

Love is the greatest

And Hope gives us the strength to Love.

God loves, unsparingly, even sparrows, Even me.

God knows why we cry.

I will not leave you comfortless.

When sparrows fall, God knows.

God cares.

No one shall pluck you out of my hand.

By grace, these 3 things abide … Faith, Hope, and Love.

Faith is the evidence of things not seen

Love is the greatest

And Hope gives us the strength to Love.

God loves, unsparingly, even sparrows, Even me.

© Natalie Grace

April 11, 2007

Thank you to Journeys of Faith-

Contributing Writer

 Natalie Grace Hartwig- 

for this poem and also for the photos.

Therefore- A Devotion

A Devotion by Rev. Donald Schaefer, 

Northern Region Mission Engagement Facilitator

Southeastern District

“Therefore” is the first word in Romans 5

 Paul uses that word to imply the truth

Of what he has just said before 

“Therefore since we are justified by faith

        We have peace with God through Christ”

For Paul this was a certainty that the cross provided

In the succeeding verses

        Paul uses exquisite Rabbinic logic

To show how this given peace leads to a gifted hope

Paul also however knew what it meant to suffer

        His peace and hope did not come from the world

But from the promise of God’s love above the world

        

Paul here reminds us that the light of God’s love

        Shines best in the darker moments of life

When promises that people and things make are broken

For Christian’s “hanging in there” is hanging on God’s grace alone

When we do we discover to our delight 

That god’s grace is enough to see us through

Out of that comes a hopeful peace

        Not imaginary thinking

But a clarity of heart vision

Right now peace and hope seem in short supply

People are angry and fearful

Without being sure even why

As we live out our lives

        In a corner of God’s vineyard 

We do so with a quieting courage

Through our words and actions

        We invite others to see and know

Where true peace and hope are to be found

With this “therefore” we live and die

Encouraged by both a peace and hope

That needs to be shared with the world+

Thank you to Pastor Schaefer for this reflection.

        

Creator

CREATOR

Creator, Maker of all things,

Giver of good gifts, 

El Shaddai

The Holy One,

Giver of all law,

Inscribe now on my heart

Thy will for me.

Defender, God of the fatherless,

Mighty Fortress, 

The great I Am,

The Mighty One, 

Protector of children,

Stretch out now Thy strong arm,

And lift me up.

Jehovah, God of the prophets,

Giving the promise, 

Keeping Thy word.

Heavenly Father, 

God of the ages,

Eternally with us, 

Come dwell within me.

© Natalie Grace

Tune: can be sung to tune by Patricia Cain 

for “Jesus, Name Above All Names” found on page 45 

of Jesus’ People Sing! Songbook, published by CPH.

Thank you to Natalie Grace- 

contributing writer for Journeys of Faith.

Martha's Example in Stay at Home Days

Martha’s Example in Stay at Home Days

Martha welcomed Jesus and invited him to her home. (Luke 10:38-42) 

It was her home. Scripture tells us that Martha had siblings, but there is no mention of a spouse or children. There is no genealogy given. There is a hint in another account that Martha may have worked as a cook, but that is not used as a primary identifier. Luke makes it clear. Martha opened her home to this itinerant teacher who, unlike the foxes and the birds, had “no place to lay his head.”

When Jesus entered her home, he began to teach. He wasn’t there just to mingle, to be entertained, to rest, or to eat. He was there to teach, and Mary took advantage of the teaching. She sat down, at his feet and listened. She didn’t hide out at the back of the room, she didn’t just sort of half listen as she cooked the lentils, no, she got as close as possible, smack dab in the middle of the very front row and made herself a student of the teacher.

Martha was not happy. She knew Mary was supposed to be a proper woman, helping to prepare the meal, not mingling with the men, and absolutely not taking the best place.  So, she acted just like any other big sister, she called Mary out, and she did it in front of the guest of honor. She was trying to shame Mary away from Christ.

It did not work. Mary stayed right where she wanted to be. She had made her choice, and Christ validated it. Please note, he did not chide Martha for her choice of service, but he did call Mary’s choice the better one.

Martha and Mary called for Christ’s assistance in time of trouble and welcomed his company in time of grief. (John 11:1 – 43) 

You know the story. Lazarus falls seriously ill. The sisters send word to Jesus, asking for him to come. Jesus receives their plea and seems to ignore it until it is too late to intervene and prevent their brother’s death. When he does show up, Martha chides him for his delay. Jesus offers what sounds like a cliché comfort and ties it to a conversation about Martha’s faith. Martha, through her tears, acknowledges that she believes in life after death, but she is still crying, still sad. Jesus gets more explicit and declares himself to be The Christ and asks if she believes this. Her response is a creed, “I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world.” Then she gets her sister and brings her to Jesus so that he may also comfort her. Together they see their brother raised again. Together they hear the instructions to “take off the grave clothes and let him go.”

There is another feast at which Martha chose to serve Jesus with her labors. You will find that account in John 12:1-8. 

Martha’s gift is accepted without negative comment, but Mary’s gift of praise, anointing Jesus’ feet with nard, is criticized. Again, Christ came her to defense. 

What can we learn, which examples can we follow?

1. Be like Martha, open your home to Christ and expect him to show up. This is not another version of the ‘I can worship anywhere’ excuse for not attending corporate worship. Rather, it is establishing the practice of keeping Christ in the most intimate parts of your life, the place where you live, into the thoughts you hold privately, and making him a part of the company you keep.
2. Welcome Christ when he comes, and spend time with him. When you have invited him, do not seat him comfortably in the best room and then leave him alone while you go off to take care of other tasks. To be blunt, if you invite Christ home by accepting a devotional booklet, hymn book, or Bible, do not just place that word of God on the coffee table or book shelf and leave it there. Open it, read, learn, and inwardly digest it. Live it. If, today, during this time of social distancing, you invite Christ in by clicking onto live streaming or other electronic means, do not just shift to another screen and check your email or play a game, stay at Jesus’ feet and listen, learn, visit with him, be with him. 
3. If you have chosen to honor him with service, do so gladly, without resentment, and extend that service beyond just the time spent welcoming or visiting with him. 
4. Fear or grief are reasons to want Christ in your home and in your life. The sisters invite Christ and chide him for what they see as a less than adequate response to their request. Today we pray fervently for a miracle resolution of the pandemic. It seems like God is taking his own sweet time about answering our prayer. Still, when he did come, they shared their very raw grief and pain. They took him to the grave. They wept with him and he wept with them. It wasn’t a magic “Jesus is here and loves you and now everything is suddenly wonderful” sort of thing. They had to open the grave. They had to smell the stench of necrotic tissue. They were not allowed to withdraw from the pain. Martha had work to do. She had to bring her sister to Jesus. Our work also involves sharing Jesus with others who share our grief and or fear. 
5. If, today, during this time of social distancing, you have invited Christ in, if you are moved to honor Christ with service, praise, or a gift of a tithe, do so with joy and love. Do not worry if your voice is weak or your gift is small. (Remember the story of The Widow’s Mite – Mark 12:38-44.) Christ accepts your gift. No loving parent refuses the hugs of a young child or the child’s handmade card. Because the parent loves the child, the gift is valued. Because God loves you, your gift, your repentance, your love is accepted.                                   

Thanks to Journeys of Faith Contributing Writer-

Natalie Hartwig for this reflection.

Faith of Our Mothers

I recently came across this information

 from Barna Research and find it interesting.

Whose faith influenced you?

(among practicing Christians)

Though we know that Biblical order

 states the father is the head 

of spiritual nurture in the home, 

he is often in need of encouragement.

So if we deal with the reality in many homes,

how can women take seriously

 the importance of their influence?

The percentages for teaching by example

  highlight the role that lifestyle

 gives in influence to our children.

That probably connects with the old adage that -

"seeing makes believers more than hearing."

These are also great talking points for parents.

How can they work better as a team for:

teaching the Bible, 

responding to faith questions,

praying together,

 teaching about God's forgiveness,

encouraging church attendance,

discussing God, 

and teaching about faith traditions.

It is very important to remember that -

IT IS NEVER TOO LATE,

to find a door into 

faith encouragement for our children.

Pray for them,

send them a visual prayer,

text them your prayers.

Show them how and what 

you are praying for them.

Live out a culture of prayer

 in your family-together.

Thanks to Genevieve Cooper for the photos.

Article photo from Christianity Today.

Celebrating Connections

 This blog for the 

Women of the Southeastern District 

was started on April 23, 2013.

Just about 6 years ago.

There have been 368 posts.

 Stories of the women and their lives and 

a heart for the ministry 

they have been called to live out.
Today we celebrate that we just reached
100,000
post readings.
While that may not seem 
like an astronomical number-
it is significant.
We live in a far-flung world in our daily lives-
yet WE CAN get to know a bit about each other.
There is hope and joy in our lives-
because we are connected by
 our love for Jesus.
And HOPE from His Word:

         Psalm 42:11

Why are you cast down, O my soul,

    and why are you in turmoil within me?

Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,

    my salvation and my God.

Romans 12:12

Rejoice in hope, 

be patient in tribulation, 

be constant in prayer.

May your prayers reflect this hope and praise.

May you live out each day with this assurance.

Prayer Reflections

Doing some writing on prayer 

these days for an upcoming conference.
Loved a devotion this week in 
My Utmost for His Highest
 by Oswald Chambers.
"Keep your life so constantly in touch
 with God that His surprising power 
can break through at any point. 
Live in a constant state of expectancy
 and leave room for God to come in as He decides."
He speaks about not expecting God 
to come in a particular way,
 but to LOOK FOR HIM.
We tend to plan and script the way that God 
can enter into our life situations 
and for those we pray.
He always responds in surprise.
More that we could have imagined in our prayers.
Even though sometimes,
 we won't see it in our lifetime.
Oh, Lord, let us be surprised.

Caring for Caregivers

Although the term “caregiver” as we use it now is relatively new, dating to the mid-1970s, caregiving is hardly a new idea. Family members have been caring for the young, the old, the sick and those with disabilities for the entire span of human existence. Yet as modern medicine is helping individuals live longer lives, even with serious impairments and chronic diseases that would have been fatal in the past, unpaid family caregivers are providing care and companionship at surprising rates.  

According to a 2015 study published by the National Alliance for Caregiving, an estimated 43.5 million adults (representing 18.2 percent of the adult U.S. population) had provided some form of unpaid care for a loved one within the past 12 months. These numbers are expected to increase in coming decades as our population ages, especially since a substantial number (34.2 million) of these caregivers reported caring for an adult over age 50. 

These data suggest that in your congregation, right this very moment, nearly one in five adults is a caregiver of some kind, on average providing 21 hours of care (or more) per week. These men and women often find themselves burdened by responsibilities they may not have asked for and may not have been prepared for. Yet even so, the individuals serving in this capacity fulfill their commitments day in and day out, sometimes over many years. The assistance they provide may take the form of bill paying, shopping and housekeeping, companionship, emotional support and personal care. Yet whatever their caregiving looks like they are daily living out God's commands to "honor your father and mother" and "love your neighbor as yourself" as they serve, love and cherish their parents, spouses, children, siblings and others. 

Chances are good, however, that most of the time, the work they do goes completely unnoticed by those around them — including their fellow church members. There are several reasons why this is so. Caregivers are generally focused on the care of others and tend to neglect their own needs. And while they are good at offering help, they often avoid asking for it. Additionally, all too often, our society simply takes the important work of caregiving for granted. 

While caregivers may be reluctant to be recognized, it is only fitting that we should shine a light on them and their dedication — and offer them our help as they face a range of significant challenges. 

What are some of the challenges that caregivers routinely face? 

• Time. Caregivers feel overwhelmed by their responsibilities and burdened by a lack of time.
• Stress. They experience the stress of balancing work, family and caregiving and sense that nothing is getting done well because of the overload. 
• Physical health. Caregivers often put off medical care or disregard healthy activities they enjoyed in the past.
• Mental health. Forty to 70 percent of caregivers display significant symptoms of depression. 
• Fear for the future. Caregivers observe daily the distressing challenges care receivers face in their lives. They may understandably fear the future when considering further deterioration of their loved one’s health and abilities.  
• Relationships. Time spent caregiving takes time away from the support and companionship they may receive from spouses, children, friends, social interests, church activities and spiritual pursuits. This creates isolation and loneliness.
• Identity. Caregivers may experience a loss of identity as they put aside travel, fitness, friendships and other interests and hobbies they once pursued. 
• Finances. There is often a financial downside to caregiving. The majority of caregivers adjust their work schedules to accommodate their caregiving schedule. They may reduce work hours, take a leave of absence or even quit work altogether. In addition, while the caregiving is unpaid, there are still out-of-pocket expenses involved in caregiving. 
• Commitment. Caregiving may continue for a significant amount of time. The average length of time for caregiving is 5.5 years. 

What does this mean for congregations? Just as we try to anticipate the needs of other groups of people in the congregation, such as teens, young parents or seniors, it is important for us to consider the needs and concerns of caregivers, too. 

Here are several ways in which your congregation can uplift and sustain the caregivers in your midst:

1. Identify and acknowledge the caregivers in your congregation. Although they may be reluctant to be individually named, pray for them as a group.
2. Look for and support any “formal” programs, including congregational wellness initiatives and support groups, that may be in place to provide encouragement to caregivers. If such programs don’t exist within your church or at other LCMS congregations nearby, consider starting one yourself. (Ask your circuit or district offices to recommend resources or organizations that can help.)  
3. Consider informal methods of reaching caregivers, such as an email support group or a private Facebook group for encouragement.
4. Be flexible and accommodating. In order to attend services or meetings, caregivers may need to bring along their care receivers. This means that special needs individuals or adults with dementia may accompany them. Offer these children of God a warm welcome.

    What can you as an individual do to help?

1. Pray for the caregivers in the congregation as well as for the care receivers.
2. Provide an ear to listen and the comfort of your presence. Regularly phone or visit.
3. Brainstorm ways to make the life of the caregiver and care receiver easier. Provide a meal or a dessert. Offer to provide respite care for an hour or two. If the caregiver has children, offer to take them for an afternoon or even an overnight visit.
4. Look for home maintenance projects you could help with. Purchase and hang a holiday wreath or plant some annuals. 
5. Send an encouraging greeting card. Add a Bible verse.
6. Remember that caregiving is long term. The need for help doesn’t diminish after a month or two. 

Consider the individuals around you who are caregivers. There will likely be more than you realized. What can you do today to help support them?

So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith. (Galatians 6:10)

 Vicki Hanson and Sue Bohlmann are members at 

Bethany Lutheran Church in Waynesboro, Va. 

Both have extensive experience listening to

 and working with caregivers.

If you would like to Read More in The Lutheran Witness-
lutheran-witness
You can Subscribe right here:
lutheran-witness

“This article originally appeared in the October 2018 edition
 of The Lutheran Witness magazine 
and is reprinted here with permission.” 
A special thank you to Rachel Bomberger- Managing Editor
 for her help in securing this reprint.

Photos in this post are original- Connie Denninger