Devotion
Don’t Be Afraid To Ask!
Frances Taylor
Today's gospel gives us two very different approaches to getting help. Jairus tells Jesus about his daughter and asks for help. The woman with the hemorrhages has faith that Jesus can heal her but doesn't ask – just touches his cloak. Makes you wonder why. Was she afraid that he would say "no?" We will never know. But, what do these examples tell us? First of all, don't be afraid to ask Jesus for help. He knows our struggles, our dreams, our sorrows. He had them too. There are some who think that God is somehow punishing them when bad things happen but our readings today tell us that this is not true. Yes, some of the things that happen to us are consequences of the decisions we have made, but they are not punishments. If we get into an accident while speeding, or get a ticket for it, it is not God punishing us. We are responsible. If we, or someone we love, gets sick or dies, it is not God's punishing us or them. When a child is born with disabilities, it is not the God punishing the parents. God did not make death nor does he wish for us to suffer. Death and suffering are part of the human condition from the time of Adam and Eve. Many times, Jesus tells us to ask for help, and to persevere in our prayers and petitions. The request line to God will never give us a busy signal and Jesus is waiting for our call.
Prayer
Gracious God, you are always there waiting for our call whenever we need help. Let us be more like Jairus, knowing the Jesus knows our needs and only needs to hear from us. Amen.
Night Prayer
A fool uttereth all his mind: but a wise man keepeth it in till afterwards.
Inspiration
Often, we speak before we have to opportunity to think about our words. In the heat of the moment, we immediately express negative feelings without analyzing the situation first. We jump to conclusions when directing meetings and speak in haste with our children before evaluating all sides. As leaders in any setting, we must be tactful and make decisions by weighing all details. Instead of expressing emotions with our authority, we must seek to mediate justly and reflect the mercy of God with our decision-making.
Prayer
Dear Lord, Please forgive us when we jump to conclusions and fail to lead with mercy and grace. Guide us to reflect Your character when You place us in a position of authority. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Devotion
A Simple Creed
Frances Taylor
Although the last verse of this passage is considered to be a portion of a hymn prayed by the people in the communities around Ephesus, I think of it as a creed, a simple statement of beliefs. It lets us know that they believed that Jesus was God, coming in the flesh, who was justified, or vindicated as another translation has it, by the Holy Spirit, seen by the angels, which could mean actual angels in heaven, or that he was seen by the disciples and others considered to be holy, preached by those disciples to reach out to a world that believed in the message of the Good News and was received by the Father into heaven where he would reign. Of course, I could be wrong about the actual meaning of the hymn, but it really doesn't make any difference. It makes me think about creeds, or statements of belief. I know there are a few formal ones such as the Apostles' Creed, or Baptismal Creed, and the Nicene Creed which expands a little on the first. But ...
Morning Prayer
For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully.
Inspiration
It may seem that the lives of some non-believers are often much easier and carefree than our own. Unshackled to principle, they may float free between pleasures with no particular conscience. But this 'freedom' is not true freedom, and one shouldn't mistake it for what it really is; being lost in the wilderness. This 'freedom' of the non-believer does not extend into the afterlife, and is in fact, shackled only to this, our material world. Since they have not had to endure the call of their consciences, they will not find our God's eternal peace.
Prayer
Lord God our Creator and Father, let me endure all that is sacred, just and fair in this world. Help us understand in facing our sufferings that we are doing so for you sake, in your glory. Thus, give us grace and show us mercy, for in answering to our consciences, we know we are doing your work. Help us stay pure ...
