Grace for All

Who is my neighbor?

This is as difficult a question today as it was in Jesus’ time on earth. It is a question that begs for limits. Is it my next-door neighbor? Is it my brother-in-law? Is it the  homeless person I drive by at highway entrances?

I have a story. Back in the 1980s we lived in Cedar Rapids, Indiana and were members of St. Paul’s United Methodist Church. St. Paul’s is a historic church. Its building was designed by Louis Sullivan, a brilliant architect and mentor to Frank Lloyd Wright. St Paul’s was for many years the flagship Methodist church in the state of Iowa. But that is not the story.

At St. Paul’s, I was a member of a church committee dedicated to outreach. The neighborhood around the church was changing and many of our members had moved to the suburbs. We decided we needed to establish an event titled “Who is My Neighbor?” We wanted to identify and celebrate people in our city who had been good neighbors to others. We found that our first good neighbor was a member of our church.

In 1961, Dr. Percy Harris was a renowned physician in Cedar Rapids and the only Black member of St. Paul’s UMC. He and his family wanted to build a home on a lot in a residential community owned by the church. The problem was that Dr. Harris was a Black man. Even though he was Linn County Medical Examiner and County Clinic Director at St. Luke’s Methodist Hospital, his desire to build a home in a white neighborhood was controversial. The church members had to vote on whether to approve the sale. The vote was 460 yes and 291 no, and some members left the church afterwards. But the property was sold to Dr. Harris and his wife Lileah, and he built a home for his family and lived there for many years.

In 1981, the first “Who is My Neighbor” award was presented to Dr. Percy Harris, and the award was named “The Percy and Lileah Harris Award ” in honor of their leadership and lifelong roles in bringing the community together.

44 years later, the “Who is My neighbor” Award continues to be presented at St. Paul’s. When Jesus was asked “Who is my neighbor?” he told the story of the good Samaritan, a stranger on the margins of society who stopped to help another stranger in need. This year’s award was presented to Mike and Toni Loyal, a same sex couple who serve as  leaders in arts and education in the Cedar Rapids community. The plaque they received states, “In recognition of your commitment to live in harmony with others and promote equality and social justice in the community.” St. Paul’s UMC has raised up many in the community who reach out to expand the meaning of neighbor and to heal divisions and bring people together.

Dear Lord, be with us as we seek to be neighbors to those whom we are tempted to pass by, or overlook in our everyday lives. Give us the courage and strength to stop and connect with new and unexpected neighbors. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

Today’s podcast was written by Laura Derr 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/.

Simeon was an old man by the time that magic day described in this passage had arrived. He was devout and righteous, and many years before, he had been informed that he would not die before seeing the Messiah. It was a promise from God, but it did not happen immediately. Simeon had to wait.

When we look back to the Old Testament, the first thing we are told about Sarah, the wife of Abraham, was that she had been unable to have children. Her condition had placed a heavy burden on her marriage and on her personally. But then, God promised that she and Abraham would be the ancestors to a great nation and that she would indeed bear a child. We know from reading through Genesis that God’s promise to Sarah was kept. But it did not happen immediately. Like Simeon, she had to wait.

What has God promised you? What are you waiting for?

All of us have longings, things we wish we had, things in our lives we wish were different. God encourages us to present these things to Him, to “ask and ye shall receive.” We should be bold in our asking. But we should also be patient. Because our requests are not fulfilled immediately is no reason to abandon them or to abandon God. The examples of Sarah and Simeon tell us that waiting is sometimes part of God’s plan.

So ask yourself today, “What am I waiting for?”

Our Father, help us to be bold in our faith and our requests to you, but give us the patience and the courage to wait. Remind us that we should live in your time, not ours. Amen.

This devotion was written by Jim Stovall.

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/.

I must have read these verses before. In fact, I must have read them a dozen times or more. I do not recall it. I do not recall having heard a sermon based on these verses. But this time when I read them, they spoke to me. Isn’t that the way it is with our favorite verses? They speak to us with a deeper meaning when we both hear and understand them in our heart, in our mind, and in our world.

Sometimes I have thought that people are like mirrors, and that I receive back what I give. If I am angry, I get an angry reaction. If I am calm, I get a calm or calmer reaction.   Maybe people are more like lamps than mirrors. In either case, I have the ability to shape what is about to happen.  How my eye sees what is before me, whether in light or shadow, affects how I then choose to behave.

So what creates a healthy eye? An eye filled with the light of the Holy Spirit is a Christlike eye that sees what is not visible. It casts light that makes the unseen seen. True vision begins with the heart, is led by the heart, and loves the beloved.

There are many dark and trying circumstances in life. Every day has its challenges. The eye that focuses light and love on these challenges brings hope. It is not about fixing problems. It is about shining a light over what we see and sharing love with those around us. 

I learned a long time ago that I don’t fix other people’s problems. That frustrates me and the people around me. I shine a light that makes their path easier. In my best moments, I illuminate dark corners that bring understanding to myself because I am spirit led. How dark my world is when I allow myself to think I know what others need or focus only on my own wants. It is God’s light that shows the way for us and for others, not mine.

Let us pray. God, give us healthy eyes that cast your light into your world that illuminates your love. May our eyes shine your light and not reflect the world in a mirror image. Allow us to make a righteous path more visible for those we are among. Help us understand that we are followers of your light not the light itself. When we love, it is you that we share, and may we remember this today and always, 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/.

God has always known us. After all, he made us, crafted us from dust, breathed life into us, set the world in motion and called it good. As our Creator, God has always understood us better than we understand ourselves.

But there’s a difference between knowing something from the outside and experiencing it from the inside. God knew what it was like to be human. But in Jesus, God became human. Because we couldn’t make our way to God, God came to us.

The writer of Hebrews puts it like this: “We have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, who is Jesus, God’s Son.” And then comes the heart of it: “We don’t have a high priest who can’t sympathize with our weaknesses, but instead one who was tempted in every way that we are, except without sin.”

Jesus didn’t skip over the hard parts. He didn’t float above the pain, immune to hunger or exhaustion or betrayal or grief. He lived it. He felt it.

That matters.

Because sometimes what we need most is not a lecture on the meaning of suffering, but a companion who won’t leave us in the middle of it.

That’s why Jesus means so much more than words can express. He is not just the Son of God. He is the Son of Man. He walked dusty roads, got blisters, cried at funerals, and was abandoned by friends. When he faced temptation, it wasn’t some cosmic formality. It was real. When he suffered, he didn’t get a divine exemption. He felt every lash, every nail, every heartbreak.

The book of Job may be the oldest book in the Bible in terms of when it was written, and it wrestles with one of the oldest human questions: why do good people suffer? Job never got an answer. Maybe that’s because some things are too deep for explanation. But what Job didn’t get, what no one got until Jesus, is presence.

God didn’t just speak out of the whirlwind. He came wrapped in skin and bone and walked among us. Jesus is the final Word, not explaining suffering but entering it with us.

That’s why we can “hold on to the confession” as the Hebrew writer urges us. We don’t hold on to doctrine alone. We hold on to a person who knows what it’s like to be us.

So when you’re hurting, when the questions come with no answers, remember this: You are not alone. You have a high priest who gets it, not just because he’s God, but because he’s been here.

Lord Jesus, thank you for stepping into our world and sharing in our pain. When life overwhelms us and answers fall short, help us remember that you are with us, understanding not just as God, but as one who has walked in our shoes. Strengthen our grip on hope through your presence. Amen.

Today’s devotional was written and read by Donn King.

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/.

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.

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.

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/.

Jesus is making a specific point in this passage about our  enemies, or those who oppose us or who seem to be the opposite of what we are. We should love those people and do so extravagantly. We have heard this many times.

I think there is another lesson in these verses that we may miss if we focus solely on enemies. During nearly forty years of my adult career, I was privileged to be a college teacher, and I loved the work that I did. I truly enjoyed delving into the topic that I was assigned to teach, and I always tried – sometimes more successfully than others – to generate some enthusiasm for those topics and to convey that enthusiasm to my students. It was sometimes hard work, and it often required many daytime, nighttime, and weekend hours. But I enjoyed it and felt like that’s what was required if I wanted to give my students a good experience in my classes.

Along the way, I learned something that all teachers know. It is a secret of the profession, but I will let you in on it. When you teach, you inevitably learn more than your students.

I was always trying to give my students something. But I always found that the rewards of knowledge and understanding were greater than what I could convey to them.

Yes, you should love your enemies – and your friends. You should love without expecting anything from them. You should give your whole self to other people without holding back. Then, according to Christ, your reward will be great and you will be the children of God.

Our Father, show us ways that we can give ourselves to others without expecting anything in return from them. Show us how to love extravagantly and generously. Amen.

This devotion was written by Jim Stovall.

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/.

You are listening to Grace for All, a daily devotional podcast produced by the people of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee.

This is Scripture Saturday, a time when we pause and reflect on the scriptures we have read throughout the week.

If you missed any of our devotionals on these passages, you can find them on our website at 1stChurch.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

Now, we invite you to listen and receive Grace. Welcome and thank you for joining us.

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/.

In Matthew’s Gospel, Chapters 24 and 25, Jesus is teaching his disciples and telling parables.  Our scripture for today tells one such parable and clearly emphasizes how we should treat strangers in need.

There are many poor wanderers, homeless people, and strangers in our land today.  Regarding them, we must follow Jesus’ command from this parable.  We must not reject them or turn a blind eye.  We must open our hearts and our purses.  We must feed the hungry, provide clean water for their thirst, invite them in, and offer them clothes.  We must tend the sick and the well, visit the prisoners.

If we are not generous to these in need, God will send us away. But if we are found to have helped the least of these, we will earn eternal life!

In our churches, in our communities, in our country, there are so many opportunities to help; to be the hands and feet of Jesus.

If we reject and neglect these strangers in need, we reject and neglect Christ.

Dear Lord Jesus, help me to constantly look for the opportunities before me, to see your face in the face of the wanderer, the stranger, the alien, the homeless.  Help me to follow your commands to take care of the least of these.  In your name we pray. Amen.

Today’s 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/.

In Eden, Adam and Eve’s relationship with God was intimate and life-giving. Their connection with Him brought purpose to their work and harmony to creation. This abiding relationship was not distant but deeply intertwined, sustaining their every moment.  

Jesus echoed this truth with His image of the vine and branches. Just as a branch cannot survive apart from the vine, we cannot bear fruit apart from Him. Life, growth, and purpose flow only when we remain connected to our source.  

The redwoods offer a striking example. These towering trees are among the oldest on earth, yet their roots are shallow. What keeps them standing for centuries is their interconnectedness. Beneath the surface, their roots intertwine, sharing strength and nutrients. Alone, a redwood would fall; together, they thrive.  

Our lives mirror this design. Without God, our efforts falter. But when we remain in Him—through prayer, worship, and trust—we draw from His strength, becoming rooted in His love. This connection sustains us and enables us to bear fruit in ways we cannot achieve alone.  

The invitation to abide in God began in Eden and continues today. It’s an invitation not just to work for Him but to live in Him—to walk daily in His presence and see our lives as part of His greater purpose.  

Lord, teach us to abide in You as branches cling to the vine. Let Your life flow through us, nourishing all we do. May we bear fruit that reflects Your love and brings You glory. Amen. 

This devotion was written by Chuck Warnock and read by Jim Stovall.

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/.

In our scripture today, God is speaking to Solomon after he finished building his magnificent temple.

Soloman was the 4th King of Israel and Judah, succeeding his father, David.  Solomon was also a wise and powerful prophet and dedicated follower of Yahweh/God.  Solomon’s wisdom and great wealth are legendary, not only in Christianity, but in Judaism and Islam as well.  He had 700 wives, hundred of concubines, and so much wealth that the Queen of Sheba came to marvel at his excessive display.

Solomon was led astray by his excessive wealth and luxury, and by his wives, who turned him to other gods.  He became selfish and greedy, turning away from God and leading others to follow him.

God became angry with Solomon and turned away from him.  Solomon lost respect and prestige, and some say he became like a commoner.  I imagine that when his world fell apart, Solomon felt abandoned by man and God. 

Some days I wonder if we Christians (God’s people) have let God down as Solomon did.

• Do we turn too often to the “gods” of FB, Instagram, and other social media and news outlets, instead of turning to God?
• Do we worship the gods of our favorite hobbies, instead of spending time as Jesus’ hands and feet serving others?
• Do we turn a blind eye on the stranger in our land and fail to welcome them?

I pray that we are not like Solomon, being led astray by other things – other gods!

I pray that we humble ourselves and pray and seek God’s face and turn from our wicked ways.  I pray that we will hear from heaven and that God forgives our sin and heals our land – our suffering and broken land!

Forgive your people.  Help us, Lord.  Heal us, Lord.  In Jesus’ name we pray.  AMEN.

This devotion 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/.