Grace for All

Welcome to a special bonus episode of the Grace for All podcast. With this episode, we are stepping out of our normal format to bring you this 25-minute reflection by Herb Sadler. In it Herb takes us deeply into one of Jesus' most famous stories: the Parable of the Good Samaritan. We hope you enjoy this episode.

The Christian faith comes down to the great commandment. If you distill it, the essence of Christian living is to love God and love your neighbor with equal regard to yourself. The two most famous and best-loved stories Jesus told were the Prodigal Son—about our relationship with God—and the Good Samaritan—about our relationships with other people.

It is recorded in the 10th chapter of Luke's gospel, and it happened like this. There was a group of people and an expert in religious law asked Jesus a question: “Teacher, what do I need to do to have eternal life?”

And Jesus said, “Well, you know the scripture. What do you think?”

And the man replied by quoting Deuteronomy 6:5, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul and mind and strength.” And then he added Leviticus 19:18, “...and love your neighbor as you love yourself.”

Jesus said, “That's it. You got it.”

Then the lawyer asked the second question. He said, “Well, who is my neighbor?”

Great question. In other words, who is it I am supposed to love? And in answer to that question, Jesus told a story.

A man was traveling on a trip from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he was attacked by bandits. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him up, and left him half dead beside the road. Now, let me stop here. I know this road. I have traveled this road a dozen times or more. Jerusalem sits at a high altitude, approximately 2,500 feet above sea level. Jericho, just 17 miles away, is adjacent to the Dead Sea, 1,300 feet below sea level—the lowest point on the surface of the Earth. In other words, in those 17 miles, you lose three-quarters of a mile of altitude. So, it's all downhill. And once you clear Jerusalem, there's nothing. There are rocks and hills and wadis and maybe the occasional ragged Bedouin tent with a couple of goats, and that's it. Nothing. And the ancient road ran parallel to the modern road, and people knew that it was a favorite hideout spot for bandits.

And so this happened. They stripped him, beat him, and left him half dead beside the road. Now, by chance, a priest came along. But when he saw the man lying there, he crossed to the other side of the road and passed him by. A temple assistant walked over and looked at him lying there, but he also passed by on the other side.

Then a Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him. Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine, bandaged them, put the man on his own donkey, and took him to an inn where he took care of him. The next day he handed the innkeeper two silver coins telling him, “Take care of the man. If the bill runs higher than this, the next time I'm here, I'll pay you.”

“Now, which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits?” Jesus asked.

The man replied, “The one who showed him mercy.”

And Jesus said, “Yes, now you go and do the same.”

In this story, there are three groups of people, and every character in the story represents a group of folks, as we shall see.

The First Group: Those Who Are Hurt

There are all kinds of ways of being hurt. Physically, emotionally, spiritually, relationally, financially—all kinds of ways of being hurt. So, who fits in this category? Who are those who hurt? Well, sometimes it's you, and it's me. We've already heard it in the joys and concerns period. I have a son dying with cancer, and it hurts. Some of you have lost a spouse; the Bones have lost a child. You got somebody you love who has Alzheimer's. You're estranged from somebody you love. Every one of us sooner or later hurts. And even when we don't, the people around us do.

For many years, I had the same routine when I was working. I would get up about 5:30 in the morning. Barbara is an early riser, but not that early. So, I would slip away, drive down to the local Waffle House, go in, turn right, last booth, sit there. All the waitresses knew me. I knew all of them. I knew their stories. They would bring me a cup of coffee and a glass of water and leave me alone until I needed another cup of coffee. And I would read the newspaper, and I would meditate, and I would work on a sermon a little bit. I spent an hour or so, six days a week, early morning.

On Saturdays, though, I would come in later, 9:00 or 9:30. So this had to be on a Saturday. The parking lot was full, the restaurant was full, somebody was in my booth. So I just stood there at the high counter waiting for a stool, and the guy finished his breakfast, and I sat down. The person who came over to serve me was a haggard-looking young woman. I didn't know her. I knew all the waitresses. So, they had imported this girl, I guess, because it was so crowded. There was a soccer tournament or something like that.

So, she says, “What you want?”

I said, “Coffee. A cup of coffee.”

“What you want to eat?”

I said, “I don't care for anything to eat. Just a cup of coffee.”

Well, I could see it in her brain. There goes my tip. What she didn't know was I always tipped as though I had eaten.

So, she's gone a little bit and then she comes back and she slides a glass of their coffee over and it sloshes a little bit and she turns to go and I say, “Excuse me, but may I have a glass of water?”

Well, this really steams her. And I'm steamed by now. I mean, there's this adversarial thing going on and we can both feel it. So, she brings a water and she puts it down and I don't know what motivated me to say what I did. It certainly was not what I felt, but what I said was, “Today's a tough day, isn't it?”

Tears sprang to her eyes. She paused. Then she said, “My husband left me last night. I shouldn't care. He's mean. He's mean to me. He's mean to the kids. I should just say good riddance. It's just... I don't know what I'm going to do about them kids.”

In that moment, the surly waitress became a hurting neighbor. Sometimes we can see it, sometimes we can't see it. And there are groups who, because they are groups of people, by the very fact that they belong to that group, they hurt. They're ostracized or they're demonized or they're put down just because of their religion or their race or their ethnicity or their gender. Who hurts? Everybody from time to time.

The Second Group: Those Who Hurt Others

But there's a second group in this story. There are those who hurt, and then there are those who hurt others. The robbers, of course—they hid, they waited, they pounced, they beat, they robbed, they fled. They did this on purpose. Now, we're part of the people who hurt, but we do not want to be part of this group. This is not us. This is not how we're made. This is not what we believe. We're not a part of that group.

Those who cause hurt—other than avarice, what motivates them to do something like this? I think I know. You see, if you "horrible-ize" someone or some group, then you have dehumanized them. And if you can dehumanize them, then they're less than you. And if they're less than you, then you can do things you wouldn't do otherwise.

Barbara and I, like a lot of you, have things on our refrigerator door. We use that door not just to keep cold stuff inside, but for messages and reminders. We have pictures of our grandkids. We have a couple of little plaques with sayings on them. And we have a list. It's not a grocery list. It's not a to-do list. It's a list of words.

Several years ago, then-Pastor Katherine Nance preached a sermon where she talked about words that are disappearing from use in the English language in the second half of the 20th century, and accelerating in the first quarter of the 21st century. These words—every single one of them, there are about 30 of them on this list—these words are all virtues. Now, what's troubling most of all is not that the words themselves are disappearing, but the less we use these words, the less we employ the virtues they reference. So the virtues themselves are less frequently practiced.

Here are some of them: Kindness. Sincerity. Mercy. Humility. Grace. Courtesy. Modesty. Fidelity. Gentleness. Purity. Wisdom.

And these words in usage and practice are being replaced by their opposites. And as the public discourse becomes more coarse, it becomes easier to "horrible-ize" those we disagree with and thus dehumanize them. And thus we can be cruder and crueler than we otherwise would. It scares me to think that I could become one who intentionally causes hurt.

But it's not just the robbers who are responsible for hurt. Jesus says a priest came down that road and the priest saw the hurt, distanced himself from it, and moved on. And a temple assistant, a Levite—this is like a lay leader, somebody very active in the church—saw the hurt, inspected it, and moved on. It is very significant that Jesus uses religious figures for people who did not inflict the hurt but allowed it.

This is Black History Month. And to help me get inside the black experience in ways I can't experience, among the things I've done is to reread Martin Luther King's "Letter from Birmingham Jail." In early April of 1963, King brought his nonviolent protest movement to Birmingham, considered at the time the most segregated city in America. He sought to meet with community leaders to talk about reforms; he didn't get anywhere with that. So he began scheduled protests, sit-ins, that kind of thing. And on the 12th of April, he was arrested.

That same day, there appeared in the Birmingham News an editorial. It was actually a letter to King and those who worked with him from eight clergymen. It was entitled "A Call to Unity," but it was in fact a call to step down, citing things like "outside agitators," and saying "you're creating unrest in the community," and "it's not the right time"—those kinds of things.

Now who were these eight clergymen who sent this message to King? They were the two Methodist bishops in Alabama. Now, let me pause to say I knew these guys. Nolan Harmon, the bishop of North Alabama, would later teach me the Book of Discipline at Emory University. Paul Harden, the bishop of South Alabama and Northwest Florida, was my bishop when I was a college student, a junior, and serving six little country churches in South Alabama. Paul Harden had previously been the pastor of First Methodist Church in downtown Birmingham. Two Methodist bishops. The two Episcopal bishops in Alabama. That's four. The Catholic bishop of Alabama. The moderator of the Synod of Alabama of the Presbyterian Church. That's six. The pastor of the First Baptist Church of Birmingham. And finally, the rabbi of Temple Emanu-El of Birmingham. Without question, the eight most prominent Christian leaders in the state of Alabama.

Somebody smuggled the newspaper into King's cell and he took a pen and began to write in the margins. He got other scraps of paper and he continued to write and finally he had a notepad, and he penned what is a religious and devotional classic: "Letter from Birmingham Jail." It does a variety of things, including explaining the use of nonviolence as a proactive tool in erasing injustice. But for our purposes this morning, I want to read just a little bit of it that has to do with passing by on the other side.

"I must confess that over the last few years I've been gravely disappointed with the white moderate who paternalistically feels that he can set the timeline for another man's freedom. Shallow understanding from people of goodwill is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will."

And then he talks about white churches:

"I have watched white churches stand on the sideline and merely mouth pious irrelevancies and sanctimonious trivialities."

I think it was Burke who said, "All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men and women to do nothing." So there are those who hurt, and sometimes it's us. And there are those who cause hurt, and sometimes it has been us.

The Third Group: Those Who Help

But there's the third group. There are those who help. Jesus said a Samaritan came down the road. Don't fail to recognize: He makes an immigrant the hero. Samaria was the adjacent region, and the Jews looked down on the Samaritans, considered them inferior. They were inferior religiously. They were inferior socially. They were inferior racially. They were inferior politically.

The Samaritan of all the characters had the least to gain and the most to lose. And he was not well-equipped to solve the problem. He wasn't a doctor, but he did what he could to bind the man's wounds. He had no ambulance, but he put the man on his donkey, took him to the closest thing to a hospital, paid for his care, stayed as long as he could, and said to the innkeeper, “I'll come back and do more to help.”

So Jesus finishes his story and he says to the lawyer, “Now, who was neighbor to the man who was beaten?”

The lawyer can't even bring himself to use the word Samaritan, he says, “The one who showed him mercy.”

And Jesus said, “Yeah, that's what you ought to go and do.”

And here's what I want you to notice about this. When Jesus asks, "Who is my neighbor?" and he answers the question with a story, he is saying: Who is it you and I are to love?

The answer doesn't have anything to do with what we feel, with who we care about, with who we have an affinity with, who our friends are. Neighbors are who hurts and that we can help.

So we have to ask the question: With all the hurt out there, we can't solve all of that. So where do we help?

I can only tell you—and the story doesn't address this—I can only tell you my answer to that. For me, where my interests and my abilities intersect a specific human need... there is where I find, in the words of Jesus, is the cross to take up. So let me say that again. My gifts, my passion, specific human need. There I find the place of service. And that's true collectively. That's true for us as a class. What we have to bring and what we care about and what need exists that matches our abilities and our heart. That's our mission. That's our ministry. That's where we help. That's who we love.

Prayer:

I want to close with a prayer and then I want to invite us into some conversation. And the prayer is from the 13th century. It is from my hero, Francis of Assisi. Let's pray.

Lord, make me and us an instrument of your peace.Where there is hatred, let us sow love.Where there is injury, pardon.Where there is doubt, faith.Where there is despair, hope.Where there is darkness, light.Where there is sadness, joy.Divine Master, grant that we may not so much seek to be consoled as to console,to be understood as to understand,to be loved as to love.For it is in giving that we receive,it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Amen.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.

If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: [email protected].

First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.

John 19:28-30 (ESV)After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.” A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth. When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

When Jesus said, in verse 30, it is finished, every Jewish person who heard him would have immediately understood their significance. Every year, on the Jewish holiday known as the Day of Atonement, the Jewish High Priest sacrificed an animal to atone for the sins of the nation of Israel, as prescribed in the law of Moses. The sins of the nation were symbolically placed on the animal, and its blood served as payment for those sins. Immediately after the sacrifice was made, the Priest would come out of the temple and announce, "It is finished." The sins of the nation were covered for another year.

When Jesus used that same phrase - it is finished - he signaled that the need for animal sacrifice was over. In his death, he took the sins of the world on himself and paid for them with his own blood.

The “it” in the sixth utterance of Christ on the cross - it is finished - refers to the whole reason he came to earth in the first place. He came to take the sin of the world on His shoulders and offer Himself as a sacrifice to His Father for it. He came to pay for my sins and yours. He came to give us a new beginning.

That "it" is the reason we all sit here today reconciled to God with the hope that we will live with Him, starting today and for eternity.

Let’s all remember that as Jesus uttered his last words, He was thinking about you and about me, and how he had just accomplished His mission—the "it" of making all of us God’s children again.

God, we thank you that you made a way. We thank you that although we live in rebellion, you love us and want a relationship with us. We are thankful that Jesus finished his mission and because of that, we can once again and forever call you Father. Amen.

This devotion was written by Cliff McCartney and read by Judy Wilson.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.

If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: [email protected].

First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.

John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you.

A very wealthy man publicized that he was willing to pay a substantial price to the artist who could best illustrate the presence of peace. Several artists submitted pictures depicting sunsets, lazy rivers, and serene landscapes, but none of those were what he was looking for. One day he came across two paintings: one was a quiet mountain lake as still as glass and reflecting the bright blue sky and the mountains. Sitting next to it was a painting of the same lake, but choppy waves, dark clouds, rain, and lightning.

The people who were following this exercise watched as the man examined the paintings, thinking that of those two paintings, surely he would choose the one with the still lake and mountains. They were shocked as he chose the second picture - the one depicting the stormy lake.

The crowd looked to man, understandably confused. He explained his choice: The first painting was peaceful, but it didn’t describe where peace came from. Peace is easy to see in a crystal-clear lake with white clouds drifting across the sky.

Then he pointed out something in the second painting. There was a waterfall, and tucked into a crevice of the mountain near it was a small nest on which a mother bird sat on her eggs.

The man said, “This second painting is a picture of true, perfect peace because it is within the storms of life we find real peace in God, knowing His presence will guard and protect us even in the midst of this world’s storms.”

Peace is not the absence of strife or despair or hope. It is not the absence of anything. It is the presence of God. The word for peace used in our scripture today - eirēnē - is the same word used in Galatians chapter 5 in which the fruits of the spirit are listed: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. It is the same word used in Paul's letter to the Philippians in which he says that the peace of God "which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Strong's Concordance beautifully defines eirēnē as, "the tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and content with its earthly lot, of whatsoever sort that is."

When Jesus said he was leaving his peace with us he was speaking of an active component of a life lived under the influence of the Holy Spirit; a peace that is unlike what passes for peace in our world today. It is not the absence of conflict, but the presence of Jehovah Shalom - the "God who brings peace."

We all can have that peace. We just have to ask—and receive.

Prayer:

Father, thank you for your peace. Thank you for always being with us. Give us the strength to share your peace with all those we meet. Amen.

This devotional was written and read by Cliff McCartney.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.

If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: [email protected].

First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.

Isaiah 42:9-10 See, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth, I tell you of them. Sing to the Lord a new song, his praise from the ends of the earth!

Isaiah 42:1-9 is often referred to as the first of the Servant Songs. Early in the history of the Christian church these songs became associated with the life, ministry and death of Jesus. God, through the Prophet Isaiah is proclaiming new things will happen. And new things require a new song, sung not just by some, but by all the earth!

In Luke, the story of Jesus’ birth, the new thing that God declared would happen, is filled with music. We have Mary’s song, called the Magnificat, Zechariah’s song, the Angel’s singing “Glory to God in the highest!” on the night of his birth and in the temple Simeon breaks into song at seeing the infant Jesus. It seems as if all the world is singing as God does a new thing.

What a great reminder to all of us. When new and amazing things happen in our lives we should not take them for granted but instead pause and sing out our praise.

When the news is joyous, like the birth of a baby, praise comes easily to hand. But sometimes the new things come with loss and heartache and pain. Are we still to sing a new song to the Lord?

We know the answer, it is yes. If not for what we are experiencing, at least for the knowledge that God is with us and we are not going though this time alone. And that song may go out and touch people in ways we do not expect.

So God is always doing a new thing in our lives. Sometimes what is new causes us great joy and at times what is new is also pain filled. Even then we are comforted that God is with us. Our God is the God of creation. Our God is continually doing a new thing. We are encouraged to sing praises to God for his love and faithfulness.

Where has God done a new thing in your life? Did you pause to sing out your praise? It isn’t too late to do it now. Where is God doing a new thing right now in your life? Are you singing your praises?

Let us pray:

Loving God. We take comfort that you are with us in all the newness of life. May we always celebrate your loving presence by singing a song of praise and may it echo to the ends of the earth. Amen.

This devotion was written by Bill Green and read by Amy Large.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.

If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: [email protected].

First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.

Psalm 30:5 (NIV)For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.

This verse is part of a Psalm that is a direct conversation with God. It moves from the emotions of dismay, despair and wailing to dancing, joy and praise. The Psalmist moves from the realm of death to renewed life and hope in the Lord.

We all have moments in our lives that cause us dismay and despair. These moments stop us in our tracks and can change the course of our lives. They test our resilience and faith.

Bishop Michael Curry, who is the first African American Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, described such an event in his memoir, Love is the Way.

In 1986, Curry was serving as Rector of St. James Episcopal Church in Baltimore. He found himself in a once prosperous church, the church where Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall had been baptized. But the neighborhood had changed, As Curry said, “In West Baltimore, high society had long ago ceded the area to the merely ‘high.’” Crack cocaine had taken over the streets. Curry encouraged the church to reach out into the community and reclaim the lives of children and the poor. He believed “the church is the only society that exists primarily for those who are not its members.” He and other ministers went out into the streets and preached. St. James established programs for children and youth. The church was making a difference.

But one night lightning from a thunderstorm struck the church tower and the entire roof caught fire. Curry feared that “Another good, lasting part of the neighborhood seemed to be disappearing before our eyes.” The fire chief told Curry the only way to save the building was to break the largest stained-glass window to allow oxygen in. Curry gave permission and the firemen saved the building but lost the window and the roof. It felt like God was giving up on this neighborhood. It felt like a time of weeping and loss.

A reporter at the scene asked Curry if the church would rebuild in the suburbs. But Curry looked around and saw a young neighborhood boy who was in St. James’ confirmation class. And he said aloud, “We are not leaving. We will rebuild right here.”

And over the next two years the congregation did just that, meeting in a plain parish hall in folding chairs. It was a time of joy and renewal. Bishop Curry said, it “might have been the best years we had at St. James.”

What seemed like a disaster actually brought renewal. By the time Bishop Curry moved on, the congregation had grown from 250 to 400.

Let us pray: Dear God, help us see the hope in times of loss. Help us experience renewal when all we can see is destruction in our lives. We know that you are with us and will show us how to reclaim and renew our lives for your purposes. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

This devotional was written by Laura Derr and read by Ryan Smith.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.

If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: [email protected].

First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.

Mark 4:30-32 He also said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable will we use for it? It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.”

A tiny seed growing to great stature! That is what we can all be! Through our actions we can be the wind that gusts upon the calm waters of the pond, stirring up a ripple effect for Christian good in our community.

The editorial notations in my Bible indicate that the book of Mark is one of action! Forty two times the Greek word for hurry up is used across Mark. This gospel is imploring us to hurry up! Make a difference for Jesus!

So let’s follow Mark’s example and let’s hurry up and grow our own faith. Let’s hurry up and get out there in the world and make a difference modeling the love that God has for us.

There are so many things that can grow as the mustard seed does. This podcast originated as an idea, a discussion among three Christians that I know of, and they hurried up and got busy!

In my own experience at the food pantry, local middle schoolers hurried up and collected bags and bags of canned goods that were donated. Well, all those cans upon arrival at the pantry had to be organized into flats and moved onto the shelves. We hurried up and got busy!

For some reason those students were focused on peas! With their own creativity, I am told that they created a “leaning tower of Peasahhh”! They hurried up and got busy, and we had plenty of peas on flats, on shelves to share with those in need, to share God’s love, as those students and their teachers did!

Let us pray:

Heavenly Father, give us the energy and conviction to hurry up as Mark urges us to model our lives after Jesus! Amen.

This devotion was written and read by Sam Barto.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.

If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: [email protected].

First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.

Romans 5:15 But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!

Adam

Jesus Christ

Dust and breathe to dust

The Word incarnate, eternal

Sin

Grace

Broken

Unbreakable

Selfish sin

Grace-filled sacrifice and forgiveness

Take and take and take

Freely given in boundless measure

The gift given through Jesus Christ is so fundamentally different from any sin committed by Adam or any other person that there is no comparison to be made. No strength I have, no love I share, no forgiveness I offer, no sin I commit, no anger I feel compares with God’s act of love, sacrifice, and forgiveness.

Nothing I do—absolutely nothing—good or bad will ever be greater than the love and forgiveness shared through the gift of Jesus Christ.

Friend, if you take one thing today, let it be the grace of God. Take it humbly. Take it with thanksgiving. Take it to share with all you encounter today and become one in the body of Christ.

Let us pray:

Merciful God, whose immeasurable grace always exceeds our greatest trespass, may we receive your gift of grace with joy, that it may, indeed, overflow to many. Amen.

Today’s devotional was written by Jill Pope, and read by Greta Smith.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.

If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: [email protected].

First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.

Luke 4: 16-21 When he came to the village of Nazareth, his boyhood home, he went as usual to the synagogue on the Sabbath and stood up to read the Scriptures. The scroll of Isaiah the prophet was handed to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where this was written: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.” He rolled up the scroll, handed it back to the attendant, and sat down. All eyes in the synagogue looked at him intently. Then he began to speak to them. “The scripture you’ve just heard has been fulfilled this very day!”

It long has been recognized that the more clearly an organization understands its mission and the more nearly it operates by that mission, the more effective it is. This is true of corporations, non-profits, athletic teams, and other organized groups, including churches. So the fundamental question for any group to ask is: what is our mission?

It likewise is true that individuals who discover a personal mission and build vision and behavior around it likely live highly productive and rewarding lives. Therefore, all of us would do well to ask ourselves: what is my mission in life?

As Jesus began his ministry he announced his mission when he preached his very first sermon in his home synagogue in Nazareth. It’s worth noting that this came after he had: 1) Been baptized, and in effect, commissioned; 2) Spent 40 days of preparation and discernment in the Judean wilderness. The mission statement of Jesus, which we read a moment ago, is followed by his declaration, “The scripture you’ve just heard has been fulfilled this very day.” In other words, Jesus was saying of the Isaiah prophecy, “This is me. This is what I came to do. This is my Mission!”

Those of us who have pledged our allegiance to Jesus as Lord and Savior, who have committed to follow in his steps, should see that his mission must become our own, and we are called to the very people he identified in his inaugural public message. Notice again, who these people are:

1. The poor
2. The captives
3. The blind
4. The oppressed

It is easy to forget that our Lord saw his mission to the marginalized of society. And Christians, when we understand Jesus, know these are the very people we are to be lifting up. It was his mission. And it’s ours.

Prayer:

Dear God, Forgive us when we limit Jesus to what he means to us and what he has done for us. Remind us again that belonging to him means that he sends us out to where there is brokenness and darkness. Help us to make his work our work, and his people our people. Amen.

Today’s devotional was written and read by Herb Sadler.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.

If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: [email protected].

First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.

If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: [email protected].

First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.

John 13:34 A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. (John 13:34)

To love others seems so easy. A statement we hang on our walls or draw into notebooks surrounded with red hearts. However, when God calls us to love, he doesn’t always mean easy love. Love that comes natural to others who look, talk, act and love like us. That’s simple love. That’s not commandment love. That’s not love that even needs to be taught.

God is constantly reminding us that he loves every single one of us. The one’s of us that don’t look like us. The one’s that don’t worship or rejoice or mourn like us. That don’t read the same books to their children or live in the same type of homes or spend their money like we do. The one’s whose families make up an entire rainbow. This type of love can be hard work! It calls me and you to love everyone we meet like family. Like they are part of ourselves.

It calls us to put down my expectations that I am right and recognize that we are called to something larger.

Prayer:

Lord, I pray that all who hear this message will feel pulled to real love–love for a stranger, love for themselves, and love for You. May You teach each of us to love just like You do, without question or hesitation. Amen.

Today’s devotional was written and read by Wendy Wand.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.

If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: [email protected].

First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.

Ephesians 6:10-18 (NIV) Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

It seems that the troubles and woes of the whole world are piling up higher and higher, right outside our own front doors! The news is filled with wars and rumors of wars, death and destruction, cruelty and starvation! We are bombarded with bad news stories, rumors and speculation. I don’t know about you, but I sometimes worry for the whole world and I often feel helpless against the onslaught.

I think today’s scripture is particularly important, as we live under the heavy burdens of too much information and so much bad, sad news.

Most of us desperately want to help, to do something about the pain of the world, to help alleviate the suffering. And my fellow Christians, we can help! Each day we can wake up and put on the Armor of God!

First, strap on your Belt of Truth, and your Breastplate of Righteousness. Tie on your Sandals of Peace and put on your Helmet of Salvation. Now, holding your shield of Faith, strap on your Sword of the Spirit. Ready for your battle, you now Seal it all with Prayer, which activates your armor, and you are ready for whatever comes your way!

Step into your day alert and praying for others – all others – especially your enemies! Pray for LOVE to win and backup your prayer by moving through your day in the Fruit of the Spirit, with Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Gentleness, Faithfulness, and Self; confident that God is in control.

Will you pray with me?

Dear Loving God, help us to be your faithful servants, wearing Your Armor and sealing our hearts with trust in You. Help us to remember what you said in Ephesians 6:12 – “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”

And Dear Lord, lead us in the way we should go. Help us to contribute to good in the world and to stand wearing your Armor as a beacon of Hope for the world. In Jesus Name we Pray. Amen.

This devotional was written and read by Bernice Howard.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.

If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: [email protected].

First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.