Parable of the Lost Sheep

If you had one hundred sheep, and one of them strayed away and was lost in the wilderness, wouldn’t you leave the ninety-nine others to go and search for the lost one until you found it?  And then you would joyfully carry it home on your shoulders. When you arrived, you would call together your friends and neighbors to rejoice with you because your lost sheep was found. In the same way, heaven will be happier over one lost sinner who returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away! Luke 15:4-7

I am fond of Jesus’ Parables. The parables are wonderful stories for faith building, and especially for children. Most of the time I view the world through children and their faith development. This is why I chose this Bible selection: this parable talks about a shepherd who left his 99 sheep to search for a lost one (one who strayed away). He knew that the lost one was in danger. Each sheep is of high value, just as each of us is of high value and loved by God. When the shepherd found the sheep, he carried it home. In the same way, God rejoices when any of us are lost (strayed away) and we return to God. Each one of us is to be that shepherd and minister to those that have strayed and bring them back to God. This is a challenge for you to be a shepherd.

Prayer: Dear Lord, give me courage to be a shepherd and to share God’s love. Amen.

Susan Taylor (reprinted from Eastridge Devotion book, 2008)

Praise in Music

Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. James 5:13

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Colossians 3:16

Music brings us together to share our joy and sorrow, to comfort us, to rouse our spirits, to celebrate, and to stir up memories. When we get together with friends of the same “era,” reminiscing about favorite tunes and lyrics tightens the bonds among us. I know a family of musicians who take their guitars and keyboards whenever they gather.  Every family reunion is ended with a bittersweet singing of Edelweiss - “May the Lord, mighty God, bless and keep us forever.”

Although solos can be beautiful, the community created when a group of musicians perform is a unique experience. Just like athletes who feel a surge of energy when their team successfully defeats an opponent, choir and orchestra members feel their spirits soar when the climax of the finale is perfect. Individuals who previously had no connection come together to achieve a mutual goal.

Sacred music holds a special place in worship. Everyone has a specific hymn that is meaningful to them. When the initial notes rise from the piano or organ, the warmth of the familiar words and melody comfort us; we join in heartily and create a community of believers sending the message to God. Cantatas and oratorios pull us into the story they are telling. The opening chorus of Beethoven’s “Messiah” can send your heart beating in anticipation of the soaring solos and choruses to come. Whether it’s a traditional hymn written by John Wesley, a stirring gospel or spiritual, or a praise song sung with guitar accompaniment, the shared experience of joining with a congregation to sing affirms our membership in a community with shared beliefs.

A study reported in the Journal of Religion, Spirituality and Aging, found that adults who participated in religious music activities had a greater sense of purpose and meaning in life as well as reduced evidence of anxiety and depression than others who were not involved in spiritual music. Along with the spiritual benefits of music, it can improve our learning, concentration, memory, mental fitness, and reduce pain. The benefits of music affect people of all ages. Involving and encouraging young children and teens to join a community of music lovers exposes them to the same benefits.

Prayer: Dear God, make us aware of opportunities to sing praise to you. As we join with the community of your believers, let us sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in our hearts to you. Amen 

Carol McClain (reprinted from April 2024)

Words from Luke 12

"Consider how the wildflowers grow. They do not labor or spin, yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. Luke 12:27 

Here is what The Message says:

“Has anyone by fussing before the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch? If fussing can’t even do that, why fuss at all? Walk into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They don’t fuss with their appearance—but have you ever seen color and design quite like it? The ten best-dressed men and women in the country look shabby alongside them. If God gives such attention to the wildflowers, most of them never even seen, don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? Luke 12:25-28 The Message

Words of Wisdom

 "I'm a young man,

   and you are all old and experienced.

That's why I kept quiet

   and held back from joining the discussion.

I kept thinking, 'Experience will tell.

   The longer you live, the wiser you become.'

But I see I was wrong—it's God's Spirit in a person,

the breath of the Almighty One, that makes wise human insight possible.

The experts have no corner on wisdom;

   getting old doesn't guarantee good sense.”

Job 32:7-10 (The Message) 

The words above were said by Elihu to Job. It’s probably true that becoming older does not guarantee becoming wiser. But if God’s spirit is in a person, wisdom follows.

In a Bible study, we were asked to name someone we thought of as a saint. Several former members of Eastridge come to mind. One is Myra Dickerson, who lived past the age of 100. To me, Myra was the epitome of a spiritual woman who exudes God’s love for everyone.

And she demonstrates her wisdom. In one of her last Christmas letters, Myra said she had been encouraged to share some of her “wisdom,” and I’d like to share her thoughts.

o   Each person has the responsibility to relate to God, but don’t forget to talk to God all the time.

o   He is your personal friend and will understand.

o   Love and forgive. Life is too short to waste it away by hating.

o   See all the good things in people before you criticize them. The world is full of beautiful people.

o   Let there be peace and love on earth and let it begin with me.

Myra’s words were special when she wrote them, but they resonate with me given the issues happening in society today. May we include these thoughts in our prayers.

Prayer: Dear God, thank you for sending people like Myra to demonstrate your love. Everyone who knew her is a better person for having known her. Help us all to follow her words of wisdom and strive to become like her. Amen.

Robin Hadfield

Grey Days

When the righteous call for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles.  The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all. He keeps all his bones; not one of them is broken. Psalms 34:17-20

The winter sky at dawn and dusk is often the most colorful part of the landscape all day.  When my daily drives take me past miles of tawny taupes and charcoals in the palette for the views, I crave a burst of color and a vivid plump flower or two. 

These hues saturate parts of my life, and I see them reflected in other people's moods as we struggle with the challenges of cold-weather months. Tasks can be wearying, and we are prone to experiencing drudgery.

The imagination is the precious gift that can keep us going when we feel oppressed by our surroundings or by the nature of the work ahead of us. It seems appropriate that Lent comes when we are struggling with external issues that seem to trigger internal issues.  There is often a feeling of loss at this time of year; an emptiness that indicates some kind of disconnect.

The challenges of Lent are many, but one I always try to focus on is what I can eliminate that is distancing me from God.  The flip side is exploring what I can add to encourage a closer relationship with God.  There is a switch in my brain that can take me from the process of letting go to the process of practicing discipline that will bring a fuller life. It becomes a cycle of cleansing and becoming involved. 

What I see very clearly is that time spent in front of a screen typing ideas from inspiring things I have read fills me up; and time spent in front of a screen scrolling down through selfies and memes and videos absolutely drains me. There is a great resource in technology, and a great danger as well.

I am trying to be diligent about items on my to-do lists, but I find I really need to intersperse some moments of reading or looking at something beautiful while enjoying a cup of tea, in between digging for tax records and washing dishes and doing a load of laundry. These tasks are wearying to me because I sometimes let myself see the punitive nature of work rather than rejoicing in the sacrament of daily tasks. I need to practice remembering joy.

While scrolling down my Facebook feed today, I was entranced by this poetic prayer posted by a young pastor friend, and I know she would be happy to have it shared. I suppose this, and the photos my old friend has been posting of his trip around World War II memorials in France and Belgium, are the reasons I still look for something on Facebook.  But I do think that there are more worthy distractions that actually engage the soul and mind and body, and I mean to find them.

Prayer on the road of life, attributed to Augustine of Hippo:

God of life, there are days

when the burdens we carry are heavy on our shoulders

and weigh us down,

when the road seems dreary and endless,

the skies grey and threatening,

when our lives have no music in them,

our hearts lonely,

our souls losing their courage.

Flood the path with light.

Turn our eyes to where the skies are full of promise,

tune our hearts to brave music,

give us the sense of comeradeship

with heroes and saints of every age.

So quicken our spirits

that we may be able to encourage the souls of all

who journey with us on the road of life,

to your honor and glory.

Amen.

Mollie Manner (reprinted from 2018)

Words from First Thessalonians

May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you. 1 Thessalonians 3:12 NIV 

Love Your Enemy

“You’re familiar with the old written law, ‘Love your friend,’ and its unwritten companion, ‘Hate your enemy.’ I’m challenging that. I’m telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. . . [God] gives his best—the sun to warm and the rain to nourish—to everyone, regardless: the good and bad, the nice and nasty. If all you do is love the lovable, do you expect a bonus? Anybody can do that. . . 

“In a word, what I’m saying is, Grow up. You’re kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God-created identity. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you.” Matthew 5:43-48 (The Message)

As a part of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells those present to love their enemies because God gives his best to everyone, whether they are “nice” or “nasty.”  Anyone can love the loveable, but what about the unlovable?

In Appreciate These Things by Jill Duffield, the author asks us to consider the words in Philippians 4, including one which means “lovely, friendly, amiable, acceptable, pleasing.” She tells of her daughter’s experience in attending college in another country and discovering a difference between the people in that country, who were “nice,” and the people in her home state, who were “friendly.” The difference arises in part from what she calls “outward social graces” and “genuine connections.” Those social graces may be pleasant, but they don’t indicate that we are pleasing others or God. Shuffield states that when we see with the eyes of Christ, we must look attentively, even if what we are looking at doesn’t appear lovely or acceptable.

As Jesus directs in the Sermon on the Mount, we can live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward us. Duffield asks us to imagine looking at everything we encounter in the same way in which God gazes at it. If we use our eyes to look in this way, we allow the lovely to be more visible.

Prayer: Dear God, help us to learn to look at our world in the same way you look at it. Help us to remember to love our enemies and to love the unlovable. Amen.

Robin Hadfield