Do You Speak English?

“Once upon a time, all the world spoke a single language and all used the same words.” Genesis 11:1

“Do you speak English?” This was a question which I found myself asking often as I traveled with a tour group in England and France in the summer 2006. To my amazement, most people to whom I spoke did speak English even though they had emigrated from many countries.  

Did we always understand each other? Probably not. I often heard unfamiliar words. I feel quite sure that I have never used the word, “whilst” in my entire life. Each time I heard it, I kept wondering what had happened to the word, “while.” A truck was called a “lorry, and an English policeman was called a “Bobby” because Sir Robert Peel was the founder of Scotland Yard. I still found myself doing mental gymnastics each time I heard that word. 

When I returned to the U.S., I thought it would be so wonderful to speak to people and understand them without carefully listening or translating the meaning of unusual words. This was not to be. Working with a group of young people, I found myself wanting to ask that same question all over again. “Do you speak English?” What caused my concern? On the chalkboard was written the following description of the Biblical character, Sampson. “He was the dude who got his hair cut.” 

That evening, I read Chapter 11 of the Book of Genesis. “Come let us go down there and confuse their speech so that they will not understand what they say to one another.” Genesis 11:7 (NEB) I felt so much better after I read that verse! Maybe now I could relax, smile and see the humor of it all. It wasn’t just me being inept. This language barrier problem, it’s by divine design. “Go figure!” (Am I speaking English now?)

Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for the gift of speech. Thank you for giving us different languages and different words. Help us smile and really listen when we converse that we might understand the meaning of one another’s words then go about the work that You planned for us to do. In Jesus’ holy name we pray. Amen.

Judy Welch (reprinted from 2006)

I Can Do That

And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for me," Then I said, "Here am I.  Send me." Isaiah 6:8   

There is a delightful song in the Broadway musical, "A Chorus Line". A young boy, a want-to-be dancer, begs his parents to let him have his sister's tap shoes and take tap lessons after she wants to quit. The chorus is "I can do that; I can do that". They grant his wish and the song goes on how he grew in his abilities and never doubted that "I can do that".

Recently I learned that my grandson's church in Iowa had joined with three other churches in the community to sponsor Vacation Bible School. It was their church’s  turn to sponsor the week and the preparations had been running smoothly. His wife, the pastor, mentioned that it would be an intergenerational week held in the evenings with a meal and then a time together for the lesson, and then break up into classes. She thought she had all the teachers ready, but had just learned that the pastor who would lead the adult class would be unavailable. She voiced how hard it was to find a teacher for this group. That night I suddenly thought, "I can do that", and texted her that I would be glad to lead the adult group. Now I'm looking forward to it.

So often when we hear of a need, we tend to let a little voice inside our heads tell us all the reasons we can't do something. However, we also should hear that small voice say boldly, "I can do that."

I love the song, "Here I am Lord". The chorus is:

Here I am, Lord.

Is it I, Lord?

I have heard you calling in the night.

I will go Lord,

If you lead me.

I will hold your people in my heart.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, continue to present opportunities for us to serve you. Remind us of the words from Isaiah of "Here I am, send me" and the words from the musical, "I can do that, I can do that." Amen

Nancy Hall

Storing Treasures

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven where moth and rust do not destroy and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:19-21

Jesus teaches about the orientation we must endeavor to achieve, directing our hearts toward the things of heaven, rather than worldly possessions and desires. He speaks of moths, rust and thieves as threats to the material goods we strive to attain. Of course, Jesus is also addressing more broadly the many agents ready and waiting to erode the worldly wealth we are so inclined to try and possess.  

I am inclined to be a saver, or as we sometimes joke, an “archivist,” following in the footsteps of my parents and grandparents. My more minimalist adult children often respond with a polite “no thank you” when I offer “treasures” that I see as important elements of the history of our family. Their arguably more scriptural perspective prompts me to contemplate how I might direct my heart more faithfully in sharing the worldly possessions—from financial assets to antique china—with which I have been endowed. This is especially true during the season of stewardship.  

The poet Ralph Waldo Emerson puts it another way: “The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.” 

Prayer: Heavenly Creator, thank you for the many ways you care for us as we navigate this physical world. We ask for your direction in turning our hearts toward heaven. Guide us in using and sharing the worldly possessions for which we are responsible in ways that bring glory to you and your light to those we encounter. Amen 

Barry and Alinda Stelk (reprinted from 2017)

He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands

"In his hand are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are his also. The sea is his, for he made it.” Psalm 95:4–5

Last Sunday in worship, we sang He's Got the Whole World in His Hands. A timeless favorite!

I have fond memories of singing it as a child at camp. For one, it had some groove to it. Second, it was one of those songs with words simple enough that we sometimes sang it not in German, but in English. For a young kid in rural Switzerland, English carried the exciting scent of the wide world. Singing and praying in English could turn a camp kid from the Swiss countryside into a glowing cosmopolitan.

Third, we loved all the variations in the verses—"the little tiny baby"—and making up our own. It was the kind of song you could sing on and on forever and ever, hallelujah, hallelujah.

Until you grow up.

And suddenly you realize: I'm not sure I can sing that anymore with a clean conscience and an adult faith.

It's not just the obvious question: Does God literally have hands? It's also that you look around at the world. With injustices and terrible things happening all around us—and sometimes very close to us—how can anyone sing that God is holding this world in God's hands?

It sounds like wishful thinking.

Reality is harsh. Terrible things happen. Not just in distant places. Sometimes it’s the phone call in the middle of a lazy afternoon that turns your whole life upside down.  It’s our neighbors having to decide whether to go buy groceries or fill up their gas tank.

And then there is another objection. Isn't this image of God "holding the world" theologically suspicious? Doesn't it risk making us passive? "Don't worry, it's all in God's hands." An invitation to close our eyes, ignore the fragility of this beautiful planet, and assume that nothing we do really matters.

If God has the whole world in God's hands, then why should my little human hands make any difference?

And so years pass.

Until one day you find yourself in a worship service, at a gospel concert, or somewhere else entirely, and this old children's song starts up again. And before you know it, you're singing. Maybe even clapping along.

It's as if there is a deep-seated muscle memory in your praying faith that bypasses all your intellectual objections.

There is something within you that still wants to sing these words.

And you realize something: You don't sing these words because the world actually looks like God is holding it all together. It often doesn't. And it certainly doesn't always feel that way.

You sing these words because you want it to be true.

You sing them because they are not a statement about how the world is.

They are an affirmation of faith.

And affirmations of faith are not sung from the theological armchair. They are sung in the arena.

In the arena where people of faith gather with their small faith and their large doubts. In the arena where people roll up their sleeves, show up for their neighbors, care for creation, comfort the grieving, and work for justice.

It is precisely because we trust that God holds the whole world in God's hands that we dare to use our own little hands and feet.

And we trust that the little things done with great love truly can make a difference.

God's got the whole world in God's hands. 

Prayer: God, hold this fragile world in your love, and teach us to use our hands for healing. Amen 

Rev. Thomas Dummermuth

Finding the Way

Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." John 14:6 (NKJV)

Recently, I received an invitation to one of those milestone birthday parties for a friend. However, my excitement regarding attending was dampened by the fact that the party was to be held in a home in a new subdivision of our city. I had never been there before, and my record for finding places with which I am unfamiliar is not stellar.

On the day of the party, I looked at the map and saw that all the streets were curved and winding around the perimeter of a lake. So I drove very slowly looking for the three street names that would lead me to my destination. It was then that I noticed all the beautiful homes in various styles with park-like landscaping. I was tempted to explore their beauty, but knowing how easy it is for me to get lost, I stuck to my path. I arrived at the party a little bit late, where I found that three people were on the lookout for me. With an abundance of teasing, I was welcomed inside.

Later as I was on my way home, I thought that this experience had been a lesson in life's journey. Even in unknown territory, we know the way that we should go: Jesus said that He is the way. He even gave us directions: to follow Him. But life's pathway is often curved and winding. Unexpectedly, we encounter new roads that promise beauty and adventure, and we are so tempted to follow them. If we make that first wrong turn, we are lost.

What a blessing it is to know that the Lord Jesus is our compass, our true north, and if we get lost, we can return to Him. He will be on the lookout for us, and He will welcome us back into the fold.

Prayer: Thank You, Father, for the many words in Scripture that guide us on our way each day. Help us to resist those enticing pathways that lead us astray and separate us from You. Watch out for us, we pray, so that one day, we, too, will be welcomed into our heavenly home. In Jesus' holy name, we pray. Amen.

Judy Welch (reprinted from Presby Can devotional page)

Words from Psalm 113

 

Words from Jeremiah

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11