Harvest Time

He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your resources and increase the harvest of your righteousness. 2 Corinthians 9:10

For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, without uncertainty or insincerity. And the harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. James 3:16-18

This time of year, the fields are filled with combines, tractors, wagons and other equipment as farmers work long hours to bring in the fall crops. Drought and rain, heat and cold, hail and wind, all these elements influence the harvest. We pray for a bountiful harvest, even as we rely on technological inventions such as hybrid seed, irrigation, and global positioning. In the end, the outcome of harvest comes down to seeds, soil, and weather.

Fall is a good time of year to reflect on what we have sown and how we have tended our own gardens. What will be our harvest and the fruits of our labors? James explains that we will reap what we sow, saying: "Can a fig tree yield olives or a grapevine, figs?" He urges us to be "open to reason, full of mercy, and good fruits." As the harvest is brought in from Nebraska's fields this fall, let us renew our effort personally, in our communities, and as a nation to sow seeds of peace in the sincere hope of a future harvest of peace.

Prayer: Creator God, help us to be peacemakers as we look ahead to a harvest of good fruits, mercy, and peace for all of your people. Amen.

Claudia Reinhardt (reprinted from Eastridge Daily Devotion book, 2008)

Hope

May the Lord answer you when you are in distress;

    may the name of the God of Jacob protect you.

May he send you help from the sanctuary

    and grant you support from Zion.

May he remember all your sacrifices

    and accept your burnt offerings.

Some trust in chariots and some in horses,

    but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.

They are brought to their knees and fall,

    but we rise up and stand firm.

Lord, give victory to the king!

    Answer us when we call! ~(portions of) Psalm 20

Why, my soul, are you downcast?

Why so disturbed within me?

Put your hope in God,

for I will yet praise him,

my Savior and my God. Psalm 42:11

But those who hope in the Lord

will renew their strength.

They will soar on wings like eagles;

they will run and not grow weary,

they will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40:31

In two Eastridge groups recently, we were discussing the meaning of the word “hope” (Bistro Theology and my Wednesday morning bible study). Like the words “fear” and “joy”, meaning can lie within one’s interpretation, especially of scripture.

In his devotional New Morning Mercies, Paul David Tripp talks about biblical hope. Instead of just wishing for something, he defines biblical hope as “a confident expectation of a guaranteed result that changes the way you live.”

I like how he goes on to say that biblical hope is confident in the power, love, faithfulness, and wisdom of God, not dependent on our own qualities. “Because God is who he is and will never, ever change, hope in him is hope well placed and secure.”

Hope in Christ gives us strength and security. During this time of pandemic uncertainty, we can rest assured in Him.

Prayer: Dear Lord, thank you for promising that you will be with us, no matter what happens. You have not promised us an easy life, a predictable tomorrow, or exemption from grief and pain. However, you have promised that you know what our future holds, and it is with You. Comfort us when we feel hopeless, and help us remember that You are in control. Amen.

Donna Gustafson

Change and Consistency

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Hebrews 13:8 

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 2 Corinthians 5:17 

Change and consistency. That’s what 2020 has been all about for me! What things can I control and keep familiar? What changes do I want to initiate and control?  Of the changes beyond my control what do I like about this “new” socially distant world?  It is comforting to know that God is always with us. When I have gotten “fussy” about the changes to the act of worshipping I have found some comfort in thinking about what worship looked like 100 years ago, 200 years ago, 2000 years ago. 

I have especially wondered about how churches functioned during the 1918 influenza pandemic. While there were 6 million people with a home telephone by 1910 and there were certainly party lines; Zoom, Facebook Live, YouTube and Webex were certainly unimagined.  I have wondered about the HUGE cathedrals on the East Coast and if they used anything similar to our current efforts like keeping individuals physically separated and staying home when you were ill.  What would skipped aisles and family seating arrangements look like in a church that could accommodate 700 worshippers? Did the minister travel to homes?  Were there recordings of sermons? Did we use radio stations? Outdoor services? Deacons to spread the word to smaller groups?   

What about in 1820, when America was still young, and smallpox was a worldwide issue. The CDC reports that in the worst of times the mortality rate for smallpox was one in three infected. Would we be more serious about protecting ourselves and our community if the risk from COVID was that great?  Small churches were being built and groups gathered to worship. This would have been nearly 30 years before the telegraph and 50 before the telephone. Did ministers arrange for outdoor gatherings with appropriate social distancing? Did you bring a blanket or tablecloth to sit on to identify the space for your family? Did you stay home if you were ill and have a family member share the good news with you in your sick room?

Then I think about what things would have been like when Jesus was still on earth. When he was leading worship he asked for the sick to come forward. We are told in the Bible of his healing of those burdened with leprosy, which we now know as Hansen’s disease and are now aware is not spread from casual contact with others. I think of pictures of beautiful outdoor amphitheaters with stone and wood benches in ancient Jerusalem and wonder about other open air ways for the people to worship. Obviously a pandemic would not be a good time for the feeding of the 5,000.   

It has been hard to be apart from one another as a congregation. Worshipping independently from home feels unfamiliar. In some ways there are benefits. I can catch an Eastridge service live and then later in the day or on a different day hop on You Tube and hear my daughter in law’s sermon. With my Smart TV and my Smart Phone I can watch and listen to worship while I am doing other things. I might be cutting a quilt, or cleaning the house.  I can get dressed up or attend in my pajamas. I can mow the lawn right before the service and start listening from the shower. I admit, communion has been coffee and toast, instead of juice and bread. Even though I am alone, it is comforting to know that I am listening with others. This week we recorded our bell performance at the end of practice. We were able to have more than one “take” to record our pieces and we weren’t rushed to get in one last practice before the sanctuary filled up. It was nice but so different.      

Prayer: God who has watched us on this earth for so many years, we are fortunate to have so many ways to access your word. Help us to remember that there have always been times when it wasn’t easy for your people to gather in worship. Help us to maintain perspective and continue our efforts to protect one another and remain healthy. Amen.   

Christi Moock

Better Than New

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” 2 Cor. 5:17

“Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” Is. 43:19

“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” Ps.147:3

“He has made everything beautiful in its time." Ecc. 3:11

"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Is. 41:10

I heard the crash from the next room. My fears were confirmed as I peeked around the corner to find my favorite ceramic platter had fallen on the table. As I retrieved the two broken pieces, I reflected on the sweet gift from my sister and the happy events it had served, as I threw it away. Disappointed. Ruined. Then, I thought, perhaps with some super glue, it wouldn’t look too bad. So, out of the trash it came with hopes of restoration. The pieces fit back together nicely but the crack was still evident and right down the middle. No hiding it. I set it back on the easel but every time I walked by it, what did I see? The crack, front and center. As I lamented to my husband that is was flawed and useless and threatened to throw it out a second time, he gave me the nicest compliment. He said, “No! We must keep it! It reminds me of you! You try to see the best in people. Because of their brokenness, not in spite of it, you love and accept others as they are. You see beauty and value, where others see flaws. You work to mend hurts, bring people together, and extend forgiveness.” Well, I don’t know if I am deserving of such nice words but I know someone who is.     

Writer Debbie McDaniel shares this in a recent devotion. In Japan, they’ve made an art out of restoring broken things. An ancient practice called Kintsugi, meaning “golden joinery” or “to patch with gold,” is an age-old custom of repairing cracked pottery with real gold, not only fixing the break, but greatly increasing the value of the piece.

The heart of it all - turning what is broken into beautiful, cherished pieces, by sealing the cracks and crevices with lines of fine gold. Instead of hiding the flaws, Kintsugi artists highlight them, creating a whole new design and bringing unique beauty to the original piece. The pottery actually becomes more beautiful and valuable in the restoration process because, though it was once broken, it not only has history, but a new story.

While most normal repairs of broken things hide themselves, like nicely sealed super glue fixes, the usual intent is simply to make something “as good as new.” Yet the art of Kintsugi reinforces a profound belief that the repair can make things not only as good as they were before, but “better than new.”

Better than new. Soak that in for a moment.

There are lies out there that swirl around and whisper to your deepest soul in weak moments, when you’ve lost your grip, and things come crashing down. You feel the need to hide the scars. You feel like the brokenness has rendered you useless in life. You feel beyond repair this time. You feel tossed aside. Forgotten. Shamed. Rejected.

Yet God breaks through all that mess. You are never beyond healing. You are never too broken for restoration. You are never too shattered for repair. Don't be ashamed of your scars, of the deep crevices that line your soul, or the broken places of your life. They have an amazing story to tell.

We have a Healer. One who repairs; who can fit the broken pieces that no longer seem to fit right into a perfect design. God works, often behind the scenes, mending, fitting together, creating a better work of art, more than we ever dreamed possible. He makes all things beautiful. Especially in the broken. All from His grace. Jagged edges and all.

You are not just simply patched back together, as He secretly hopes the glue will stick this time. Your repair and healing is never intended to be invisible; but beautifully lined with shining grace through every scar and broken space. Gold filled crevices of our heart, now stronger, better, more beautiful than before.

We did keep our platter. It is still used for many happy occasions and is proudly displayed, on a sturdier base, now. It reminds us of the unconditional love and healing grace, that only God can provide. We pray, that as we realize the restorative love we have received in our own lives, let us ask God to soften our hearts and extend grace and encouragement, so that others might experience “better than new” life in Jesus Christ.

Lovingly submitted by Diane Worrell Eaton

(Click on photo to view larger)

 

 

 

The Power of Prayer

Men ought always to pray, and not to faint. Luke 18:1

Lord teach us to pray. Luke 11:1 

Being on the prayer chain I have said to dozens of people in the church, “We are praying for you or your child or husband.” I’ve also had dozens of people thank me with a quiver in their voices for the prayers. Someone said to me the other day, “It was the prayers of this congregation that helped my baby get well.”

There are many different kinds of prayers...prayers of petition, prayers of thanks, prayers of confession, and prayers of praise. We need to include all kinds of prayer in our conversations with God.

A woman whose son was having brain surgery said that the boy had the best brain surgeon in the country. “But,” she said, “unless we have the prayers of those who care, we don’t feel like we have the whole team in the game. God needs us to be members of his team and we can only do that through communication with him every day."

Living a life without prayer is like building a house without nails. Prayer is releasing the energies of God. For prayer is asking God to do what we cannot do ourselves.

Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you so much for listening to our foolish requests and for answering them. We thank you for being available to us every day. What a gift you have given us to be able to talk to you. May we remember to praise you, to confess our sins and to ask for your forgiveness. May we remember that prayer shouldn’t always be about asking for something. Amen.

Gerry Draney (in memory of Gerry...reprinted from the Eastridge Daily Devotion book, 2008)

God's Strength

“He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.” Isaiah 40:29 (NIV) 

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” Psalm 46:1 (NIV) 

At the height of COVID 19 hospital admissions, “Kelly” a young RN, had worked a double shift, as they were so short on staff. Kelly was exhausted and looking forward to going home and getting some sleep. Then her supervisor informed her that an elderly patient likely would not survive overnight. Because of COVID 19, none of his loved ones were allowed to be with the elderly patient. Kelly decided to be with him and hold his hand so he would not be alone. When Kelly’s supervisor told the man’s loved ones, they were touched and grateful that Kelly stayed with him as he passed. I have heard of similar stories from my relatives from coast to coast. 

Ordinary people have found ways to help others during the pandemic. In Omaha, two neighbors decided to organize an effort to sew 10,000 mask covers for area hospital personnel during the coronavirus.  More than 600 volunteers signed up in just a few hours after a story about the effort ran in the Omaha World-Herald.  So many volunteered, they had to tell people they couldn’t help on the first project. A total of nearly 2,400 people found their Facebook page, Nebraska Masks for Medicine. All have kept busy. Members of the group helped sew more than 140,000 masks and mask covers. They also produced 3,600 surgical caps, 200 surgical isolation gowns, 500 face shields, and 1,000 ear savers. They organized fabric, elastic cutters, sewers, kit assemblers and drivers who helped pick up and drop off kits and supplies.

More recently, I learned of a team of nurses, respiratory therapists and a doctor who worked through the night to care for 19 tiny babies as Hurricane Laura slammed southwest Louisiana. The babies, some on ventilators or eating through feeding tubes, survived the storm in the neonatal intensive care unit at Lake Charles Memorial Hospital for Women. Hours before Hurricane Laura made landfall, the staff had to move the babies from the women’s hospital to the main hospital after it became clear that the storm surge could inundate the women’s hospital. The nursing staff cared for the babies that in some cases were born weighing only a pound or two. Some of the nursing staff lost their houses in the storm but put their concerns aside to care for their tiny patients.  

Each of us can help in some way during difficult times. We can pray for those who choose to serve in extraordinary ways. We can be grateful that God is with us and with all those who need God’s strength.                             

Prayer: Dear God, remind us that with your strength, we can serve others at all times. Amen.

Lois Poppe

Unexplained

A spirit glided past my face, and the hair on my body stood on end. It stopped but I could not tell what it was. A form stood before my eyes and I heard a hushed voice: ‘Can a mortal be more righteous than God? Can even a strong man be more pure than his Maker? If God places no trust in his servants, if he charges his angels with error, how much more those who live in houses of clay, whose foundations are in the dust, who are crushed more readily than a moth! Between dawn and dusk they are broken to pieces; unnoticed they perish forever. Are not the cords of their tent pulled up, so that they die without wisdom?’ Job 4:15-21

Five years ago, when our Eastridge Ladies Night Out group was in its infancy, we decided to go on the Lincoln Ghost Tour lead by Scott Colborn.  We received special permission from the ministers and we assured everyone it was not a church sanctioned event. Just a group of ladies going on a bus tour offered to the community. Part history lesson, part scary story, a mix of interesting facts and puzzling hearsay. We drove past spaces with unexplained sightings and heard Scott’s theory that if a spirit/soul doesn’t move on to the next phase/place that they would spend their time in places where they enjoyed life and definitely not a cemetery. This could be their home, or Memorial Stadium, or their favorite walking trail.   

I knew Scott Colborn for years before taking the tour. He was a longtime owner of “The Way Home”, a new age/metaphysical store in southwest Lincoln. Scott loved to talk about all the possibilities in the world. When we first met, he didn’t follow any specific spiritual or religious path but was fascinated by studying all of the world’s religions and he could discuss theology with scholars of any level. If you listened to KZUM you might hear his thoughts about UFOs, ghosts, government conspiracy and opportunities for world peace. Sadly, Scott passed away in March of 2020, very unexpectedly and not from COVID. Because of the large number of ties that remain in the community and the limitations of the pandemic, his family hasn’t had his service yet.  At the end of his life he was attending a Presbyterian church in Lincoln. 

In August, I took my mom to the Beach Boys concert at Pinewood Bowl. When we got home that night I told my husband, if I didn’t know Scott was dead I would have SWORN that I saw him at the show. As the end of summer drew near we talked more about those times when you feel like you saw someone that is no longer alive, or felt something. I wondered if there were moments that our minds showed us something, or identified a scent, or color, or experience to help us remember someone that we had needed as a coping mechanism. Times that we cannot explain, that we may think are supernatural or against all scientific explanation but that lead us to feel that the line between life and death is somehow less veiled. The presence of angels maybe. I can’t explain those moments, but I know that Scott would have loved to talk about them, and share his research, and help me consider the reason that I wanted to see him that day. 

Prayer: Mysterious creator, our human experiences are sometimes unfathomable and unable to be explained.  Help us to take these experiences and carry them with us, even in times that we cannot understand their meaning.  Amen.   

Christi Moock