When we chose to rely on God and put the needs of others before our own, we create a caring community. Caring followers of Jesus are at the heart of every faith community. It takes courage to choose to give up time in our very busy schedules, to care for people in need.
Jesus is always beckoning us to come toward him – to trust him – to brave the storm and participate in a miracle. But life is rough and scary, and dangerous. It’s easy to lose your nerve and your faith to waver.
The phrase that jumps out to me immediately as I reflect on “Courage” is “Be Strong!” (vs.2:4). Haggai is the tenth book in the minor prophets and isn’t preached on very often so I’m pleased to look more deeply into it for today’s devotional. Haggai’s prophetic words were given to the Judean community returning from the diaspora
Peace – we all want it, but it certainly feels elusive in our own little spaces and throughout the world. Peace can be elusive even within us as we can be anxious about so many things day to day. When I was thinking about peace within myself, I thought about the song “Peace Like a River.” The song says…
What does it look like to approach life in a strong and courageous way? When we remember that the Lord God, our God, is always with us, we can do the work we need to do in this world to make our world a better place.
When we think about the characteristics of a person who stands firm in their faith, someone who is brave and strong; loving might not be the first thing that comes to our mind. We might believe that to be firm, brave, and strong, we need to be forceful with our beliefs and values.
Sometimes the courage we need is the courage to keep doing right. It’s easy to get discouraged in that. People will question our motives and intentions. They’ll be kind to our faces, but talk smack when we’re not around. We’re often tempted to take the low road and give it right back, to take our revenge by being malicious and petty. They deserve it, don’t they?
Time after time Jesus modeled caring behavior by his response to the suffering of others. In this scripture, Jesus models the courage to be vulnerable. Jesus is in crisis, he knows he is about to be betrayed, arrested, tortured, and crucified-all for our sakes. Jesus knows he’s not doing this for himself,
Time after time Jesus modeled caring behavior by his response to the suffering of others. In this scripture, Jesus models the courage to be vulnerable. Jesus is in crisis, he knows he is about to be betrayed, arrested, tortured, and crucified-all for our sakes. Jesus knows he’s not doing this for himself,
I am a scaredy pants, but my girls don’t need to know that. As a mom, as a camp counselor, as a teacher, it is and was my task to protect “my” kids. Even when I was scared, I needed to summon the strength and courage to make the smart decisions to keep them safe or teach them something worth knowing.
Be Brave! Be Strong! Bon Courage!
The setting for this statement is the bank of the river Jordan at the end of the journey for the children of Israel. Moses has led them up to this point but now Joshua will take over as their leader. Tradition and scripture tell us that Moses first said this to the entire entourage
Together we can turn the nation’s largest weekend of football into the largest weekend of giving. Youth group members will be collecting monetary donations at each service this Sunday and will then send the donation to the Turning Point United Methodist Food Pantry in Trenton. Your generosity will be very much appreciated. The link below will take you to our PushPay system. You can select “Give One Time” then use the Fund Selector to choose “Souper Bowl of Caring.”
PEDAL for PROMISE – SATURDAY, MAY 11, 2019: Medford United Methodist is fielding a team for the Urban Promise fundraiser “Pedal for Promise.” This year the ride begins and ends at Valenzano Winery in Shamong. You can register to ride, make a donation to the team or register as a spectator to enjoy the party and cheer on our team.
Go to urbanpromiseusa.org/pedal for more information about the event, to donate, or to register as an individual. OR you can go directly to the TEAM MEDFORD UMC page at www.crowdrise.com/team-medford-umc.
Questions or need help? Speak with Pastor Kathleen, Wayne Richards, or Heidi and Mike Polhemus
