“Wow!”, not “so what?”

Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. John 1:3

But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish in the sea inform you. Which of all these does not know that the hand of the LORD has done this? In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind. Job 12:7-10

Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let the sea resound, and all that is in it. Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them; let all the trees of the forest sing for joy. Psalm 96:11-12

Listen to this, Job; stop and consider God’s wonders. Do you know how God controls the clouds and makes his lightning flash?  Do you know how the clouds hang poised, those wonders of him who has perfect knowledge? Job 37:14-16

There is a quote from the movie The Color Purple that I’ll paraphrase here: “I think it angers God if you walk by the color purple in a field somewhere and don’t notice it.” (This movie was originally a book, and to read the whole unedited quote, go online.) I love this quote, because I imagine it to be true! God has created a beautiful world for us, and sometimes we take it for granted.

When I was a child, I had a book that showed a photograph of a fetus in the amniotic sac at around 4 months gestation. Today, we can go to our computers and search online for photographs like this and find hundreds. In the late 60s-early 70s, this was somewhat of a novelty. I had this book along once while visiting my grandmother in the hospital. My brothers and I spent many long hours in the waiting room back when children were not allowed in the patient rooms, so we spent that time reading and running around the hospital grounds. On one such day I was reading the above-mentioned book, and commented to my brother on how amazing the photo was. Another young girl in the waiting area noticed, took a cursory glance at the photo, and dismissed it, saying "So what?" As a child I was so shocked at her response that I couldn’t say a word. Shame followed; shame that I was in awe of something that was evidently mundane to others.

Today I think just the opposite: how sad that there are people in this world who don’t notice the details and beauty of the world we live in. Miracles abound! I’m going to try my best to keep a childlike wonder at my surroundings…whether it’s the way the fading sunlight shines on the fall leaves or the delicate little bird landing on my windowsill, or the miraculous human body…I want to appreciate it.  

It’s sometimes easy to become absorbed in our own dramas and issues when things aren’t going well; we have a harder time noticing life around us. During those times we need to be reminded that gratitude goes hand-in-hand with an observant nature.

Don’t be a “so what?” person; be a “wow!” person!

Prayer: Dear Lord, thank you for the beautiful world you have created. Help us notice it, and in doing so, give the glory to you! Amen.

Donna Gustafson

Chaos

“Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” Mark 10:14

On Sunday, I worshipped in a place of chaos. Surrounded by small children, I found it hard to concentrate on the sermon or to worship in my usual way. About to become irritated, I suddenly realized that I was lucky enough to be able to worship in the midst of the future of Eastridge church. That random thought made worship so much easier and I grinned at the small child and laughed as I thought of the burp from the preceding Sunday.

Instead of gray heads, I was surrounded by young thriving children and their parents. Dressed for whatever might come their way, they bowed their heads, listened to their children sing, and generally tried to pay attention. They were especially interested in the music and children’s moment when the time came. I remembered the passage in the Bible where Jesus says, “suffer little children to come unto me for of such is the kingdom of Heaven.”

It is so good to check on these little folk, their names never stay with me long for after all I am old. But they report on chapter books, tell me about school, stop to tie grandmother’s shoe. When my oldest child was little, she sang a song which had a phrase, “I don’t want to wait until I am grownup to be like Jesus wants me to be. I can read the Bible and pray, do a loving kindness today.” I do not remember who wrote the song or what the title was, for that was nearly 50 years ago, but I do remember a small child really believing it. Yes, the church service was nearly in chaos but the future of our church looks bright and that is still another item to be thankful for in this time of giving thanks to God for all we have.

Prayer: Thank you God for little folks, for old folks and those in between. Thank you, God, for giving us all that we need and time to enjoy it all. Thank you, God, for patience and love exhibited in young parents and grandparents and help us all to appreciate what we have. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Carolyn Olsen

Gratitude

I love the Lord because he hath heard my voice and my supplications. Psalm 116: 1

Isn’t it wonderful that our God not only hears our prayers of gratitude for all that He has done for us, but he also hears our prayers when we ask for His help. Sometimes when I am troubled by a problem and know that I need lots of help from God, I may forget to thank Him for all the wonderful blessings that he has given to me and immediately begin my prayer by asking for His help. Do you sometimes wake up in the middle of the night and have difficulty falling to sleep again? It is at these times that I pray to God thanking Him for all the many blessings that he has given me and asking Him for his help for the day that will be dawning soon. These prayers help me relax and fall to sleep again.  When I awaken in the morning, I feel that God is with me and that he will be with me throughout the day guiding me in all that I do and say.

Prayer: Our Heavenly Father, thank you for all the many blessings that you have given us. You are with us every second of every day watching over us as your children. Help us to always do your will and to be a witness for you in everything that we do and in everything that we say. In Your name we pray.   Amen.

Linda Douglas (reprinted from the Eastridge Daily Devotion book, published in 2008)

Giving Thanks

Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thessalonians 5:18

Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Ephesians 5:20

And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. 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. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Colossians 3:15-17

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. James 1:17

Thanksgiving Day

What are you thankful for? Make a list...start a gratitude journal! 

“Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For his mercy endures forever.” I Chronicles 16:34 

“We give thanks to You, O God, we give thanks! For Your wondrous works declare that Your name is near.” Psalm 75:1

“Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.” Psalm 100:4

“Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men!” Psalm 107:8

Click on photo to view larger

Thanksgiving - Then and Now

Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise:  Be thankful unto him and bless his name. For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations. Psalm 100: 4, 5

In the United States, in December of 1941, through a joint resolution adopted by the US Senate and House of Representatives and signed by President Roosevelt, the fourth Thursday of November was officially designated as the date for Thanksgiving Day. It started in our land as essentially a harvest festival and a day of thanksgiving. The early Christian settlers brought with them their Christian heritage of giving thanks for God’s blessings.

The book of Psalms contains the rich and varied responses of many souls in Israel to the divine calling. It is essentially a collection of prayers and praises. A Christian cannot escape the admonition to nurture a thankful heart. It is a part of our national history and Christian heritage.

In a personal devotion relating to Thanksgiving it should bring our focus not to what we failed to receive, but what we did “harvest.” Only you can count your blessings. Our culture is crowded with reminders of what we “need.”  Advertisements seek to create a “desire to own.” We are not immune to these enticements. The old hymn verse “Count your many blessings, name them one by one” may seem ancient, but is it?

Don’t expect someone else to prepare your Thanksgiving list. If we are to follow the custom of a harvest festival, we must be thankful for food that sustains us. Our land produces much grain as well as meat, poultry, and many vegetables and fruits.  Many are the threats to this food supply – drought, flood, hurricanes, diseases of livestock and poultry, etc.  Probably no place on earth can match our supermarket offerings. Yet even in Lincoln, it seems the food pantries are always in need.

Sometime during this Thanksgiving season, sit down and read “America the Beautiful.” Consider carefully each verse. Did you experience any of the things mentioned during the last year?

Prayer:  Our Father, teach us to be thankful servants.  Guide our eyes and thoughts to the beautiful about us.  Help us to recall the acts of kindness that came our way and to be thankful in our spirit.  Amen.

Harold Edwards (reprinted from the Eastridge Daily Devotion book, published in 2008)

The Encouragement of Jesus’ “once-and-for-all” Sacrifice

For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made by human hands, a mere copy of the true one, but he entered into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. Nor was it to offer himself again and again, as the high priest enters the Holy Place year after year with blood that is not his own; for then he would have had to suffer again and again since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the age to remove sin by the sacrifice of himself. And just as it is appointed for mortals to die once, and after that the judgement, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin, but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him. Hebrews 9:24-28

I have always been intrigued by “the once and for all” sacrifice of Jesus.  In Hebrews, Jesus is seen as the great high priest whose sacrifice is fully guaranteed for all who would accept it.  No need to repeat it if accepted.  It’s been offered “once and for all!”  So, what does this mean?

I would suggest that it brings us a sense of freedom and a compulsion to act beyond our imagination – to give our all – to be fully invested.  I think of the poor woman of Mark 12:41-44 who gave two small coins into the Temple treasury.  Unbeknownst to her, Jesus was watching.  Jesus calls the disciples and uses that observation of the widow’s gift (often referred to as the widow’s mite) as an object lesson for them to be fully invested with no holds barred.  It is as if the great high priest has given us the green light to serve with our whole being!  We don’t have to worry about what we have to do.  We do it because Jesus has our backs!

So, translate that compulsion – that green light – that fully invested discipleship into a loving act of service and ministry.  Oh, think of the possibilities that the “once and for all” sacrifice opens up to us.  Even if we give just a “mite,” God will bless it as we freely offer it in the name and love of Jesus Christ.

Prayer: O God, may we have the compulsion and passion to love and serve as you have already done for us through Christ’s “once and for all” sacrifice on the cross.  Grant us the energy and desire to be fully invested in ways our Lord calls us to be involved.  In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Rev. Dr. John J. Duling, Parish Associate