Grace for All

Our scripture for today is 1st Thessalonians 5:16-18

Friends, those are some tall orders!  Be joyful always!  Pray continually!  Give thanks in all circumstances!  How in the world can we even begin to fulfill these?

I offer food for thought from my own experience.

I was really sad last week.  Something bad happened to someone in my family.  The bad thing was caused by a terrible choice she made.  Her choice impacted several family members and could have long lasting consequences. This choice hurt others.  The repercussions could reverberate for a long time. I cried.  I begged God to make it go away, to let it not be true, but the hurt was real.  I felt pain, sorrow, and fear of the consequences.  I begged God for help.  For a while that morning I just wanted God to be like a Genie in a bottle and to make it all go away.

I cried and I asked God for help.  I battled my emotions but kept asking God for help. As I continued to pray, God calmed me down.  Just thinking the prayer “Help me, God,” did help.  With that simple prayer I began to calm down.

Next, in my calm, I prayed a thankful prayer.  I thanked God that my loved one was alive and well physically.  I thanked God for His great love and the gift of life and family.  I thanked God for lessons to be learned through mistakes.  I thanked God for being there with us in this turmoil.  I thanked God for loving us so much.  I thanked God IN this bad circumstance; not FOR it!

I prayed any time the thought of the mess crossed my mind that day.  I prayed continually!  And as I prayed, I reconnected with my joy, with God’s LOVE!

As I went through the day, prayer by prayer, I felt comfort.  I let go of wishing for control.  I prayed for God’s will and continually thanked him for his great LOVE.  By day’s end I felt wrapped in God.  The feeling made me joyful, so I prayed more.

The situation did not magically disappear.  There was a mess to deal with, hard feelings to overcome, and pain to pass through.  But I was in lock step with God.  The advice from 1 Thessalonians worked.  By recalling all I had to be thankful for and giving thanks to God IN the middle of the mess, I was drawn to pray continually, and as I prayed, JOY filled my heart and mind and I turned it all over to God. 

Thank you, great and loving God.  Thank you for loving us, and for walking with us through the valley of the shadow of death.  Thank you for coming to earth and living as a man so you know what we feel and what we need to grow more like you.  Thank you for lessons learned, hardships overcome, and pain healed!  Thank you for the joy of knowing and trusting in you!  Thank you for the healing power of continual prayer that rewards us with unbelievable JOY in all circumstances!  Amen!

Today’s podcast 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/.

(Our Theme for June)

One of my favorite stories is Beauty and the Beast. Maybe you saw the movie or perhaps the Broadway play. At any rate, you likely know the tale. A handsome prince has been cast under a spell which changed him into a large, ugly-looking beast. Belle is a beautiful young maiden who lives in the same castle. The beast tries to win Belle’s love but he is unsuccessful; he is insecure because he feels ugly and awkward which causes him to relate to her with anger and intimidation. Beast’s behavior only drives Belle further away until, through a single act of kindness, she sees in him the possibility of kindness. Belle begins to respond to the kindness. The kindness produces warmth and she responds to the warmth. The warmth becomes caring and she responds to the caring. The caring becomes love and she responds to the love, so that in the end her love transforms him. The beast becomes a prince again and they live happily ever after.

The beast in the story reminds me of angry people I know and it occurs to me that every single one of those people wants to be loved, wants caring and acceptance. I think of power people who try to get what they want by intimidation. And I think of myself and the times I am angry or frustrated or seek to get my way regardless of the feelings of others.

We can think of Beauty and the Beast as Christian allegory. Beauty is the Christ—pure, lovely, honorable. And I am Beast—with impulses that can damage my relationships and keep me from being my best self. But when the beauty that is Christ touches my life I am freed from the slavery to beastly behavior.

2 Corinthians 5:17 is translated in the King James Version:

Dear God, Make me a new being, changed, transformed by your love. Amen.

This 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/.

(Our Theme for June)

Welcome to the Saturday episode of the Grace for All podcast. Thank you for joining us today. Saturday is a special time when we take a few moments to review the scriptures that we have cited in the episodes this week.

If you missed any of those episodes, you might want to consider listening to them today. And even if you heard them all, there may be one that you might want to listen to again. We hope that each of these scriptures and podcasts will bring you a full measure of joy, peace, and love.

Now, let's listen to the scriptures that have been on our hearts this week.

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/.

(Our Theme for June)

Thankfully, most of us have never been arrested and brought to trial, where we have to worry about what to say.  But, we need to understand how these words of Jesus relate to us in the Court of Public Opinion every single day!

Just prior to saying these words to his disciples, Jesus was telling them that a time was surely coming, when the temple in Jerusalem would be flattened, leaving not one stone on another.  He told them of wars and rumors of wars, of many claiming to be “him”, deceiving them.  He said ,“Nation will rise against nation, earthquakes and famine will happen in various places.”  He told them that these would be the beginning of birth pains!

I can’t help but see a correlation to these words in the news each day in 2024.  Just as Jesus warned, we do hear of wars and rumors of wars, of nations rising against nations, of earthquakes, famine, fires, bombs, and many abominations!

What are we to do? What are we to say–in the court of public opinion–on social media, in conversations with our families and friends? 

Jesus clearly says that we shouldn’t worry beforehand what we are to say.  He assures us that if we are quiet and listen for the Holy Spirit, we will hear Him speaking through us!

It will take a lot of prayer and quiet time for me to hold my tongue and to let the Holy Spirit take over.  I have plenty of opinions about everything!  But the news wars, the political wars, and the bitter fights with angry hate-filled words, will help no one, and certainly will not be following this advice Jesus gave us – his disciples.

So, my friends, let’s pray together now and let’s pray mighty prayers each day – asking for Jesus to help us to hold peace in our hearts and to let the Holy Spirit of LOVE, speak for us as we face this Court of Public Opinion every single day.

Dear God, please guide my heart.  Help me to allow Your Loving Holy Spirit to speak LOVE, instead of me blurting out my own fearful, angry words.  Help me, Lord, to be diligent in my efforts to draw closer to you and to allow you to take over ALL my conversations.  I ask all of this in Jesus’ name.  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/.

(Our Theme for June)

The maternal side of my family consists of worriers. My father said he used to worry until he married my mother, then he figured she did enough worrying for both of them. 

When I was eight years old, my maternal grandfather was diagnosed with lymphoma. To obtain that diagnosis, he and my grandmother, and eventually my mother, traveled to Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. 

At the time, I didn’t fully understand what was going on, but I knew all the adults were concerned. My brother, then four, and I prepared a card for my mother to deliver to our grandfather. Now, we had some typical childish drawings on the card, but I had also written these verses: Matthew 6:25-26.  

My grandfather lived for 16 more years … until I was 24. He had planned his funeral, and that plan included instructions to place that card in his suit pocket after making a copy for my brother and me. 

He also requested that the minister read the verses from that card at the service. After sharing those verses, the minister looked over at the family and said he was sure my grandfather wanted to share those words with us as we mourned his passing. 

And these verses keep coming back to me. My grandfather was a prolific letter writer. My father recently found some letters he had written during the time surrounding his diagnosis. In a letter to his sisters, he mentioned the verses I had written in the card. He commented that men were supposed to be stoic, but his glasses certainly fogged up as he read it. 

I do sometimes worry. Sometimes worry seems to be part of parenthood as we hope for our children’s happiness and wellbeing. However, when I worry, I reflect upon these words from Matthew, look at the birds of the air, and remember how much my heavenly Father cares for all of us.  

Heavenly Father, when we worry, help us to remember how you care for the birds of the air. Let us turn our worries over to you with the steadfast assurance that you care for us. Amen. 

This devotional was written by Kathryn King 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/.

(Our Theme for June)

That is easier said than done! Anxiety seems to be our constant companion these days, perhaps as a legacy from the covid pandemic years of isolation and fear. Perhaps it is also partly because of the fractured political environment we inhabit. It may come from health issues, economic issues, or strained relationships. Or it may just be a part of the human condition.

Writer F. Scott Fitzgerald famously caught the spirit of anxiety when he wrote, “In the real dark night of the soul it is always three o’clock in the morning, day after day.” Fitzgerald wrote these words in 1936 in “The Crackup,” a book of essays about his own spiritual and physical breakdown.

For me, anxiety can literally wake me up at 3:00 in the morning. Usually a flag has gone up in my head that says, “You forgot to make that phone call…. send that email.... visit that friend.” Or it whispers to me, “You should not have used that tone…used that word…you may have hurt a friend.” Or it shouts at me, “You have wasted your life!”

When morning comes, all these anxieties shrink back to the shadows and life goes on. But how to get to the morning? I have discovered a ritual of prayer in the form of memorized bible passages.

I find Psalm 46 comforting, especially when I get to the part that says, “Be still and know that I am God.”

Matthew 6:34 encourages me: “do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will take care of itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

1 Peter 4:7 comforts me, “Throw all your anxiety onto him, because he cares for you.” 

These words remind me that I am not in charge and that I cannot see the full reality of my life. Only God, through the Holy Spirit, can see and guide me. I take deep breaths and say prayers of thanks for all the blessings of the day. And I fall asleep. 

If you suffer from anxiety, perhaps these rituals, all forms of prayer, can turn your anxiety into an encounter with Christ and a sense of God’s wholeness. May your soul be calmed and quieted. 

Dear Lord, forgive us our anxieties which signal that we are trying to be the center of our world rather than making you the center. Forgive us for feeling alone instead of seeking your company. Breathe on us and fill us with peace. In Jesus' name we pray, amen. 

This devotion 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/.

(Our Theme for June)

From the time that I was a teenager, I wanted to be a journalist. I was able to fulfill that ambition, first as a news reporter and editor, later as a journalism educator. During my teaching career, I tried to give students some instruction on the basic techniques and tenants of journalism. One of those tenants was to try, as much as humanly possible, to be accurate in the reporting of news. What you want, I would tell them, is for people to believe what you report.

As a journalist and journalist educator, it has meant something special to me that the gospel is described as “good news.“ All of us know that there is a lot of bad news in our world today. The bad news can overwhelm us.

Indeed, some people not only believe the bad news, but they believe IN the bad news. They believe that the world is doomed and that we are condemned to be consumed, either by environmental catastrophe or apocalyptic war. There is simply no hope for the world.

In this passage in the gospel of Mark, Jesus tells us something very different. The kingdom of God is at hand, he says. He has good news, and we are to believe in that good news.

Yes, there is plenty of bad news in our world today. We believe that bad news. But Jesus has given us good news, the good news of God’s love and grace. While we believe the bad news, we can believe IN the good news of the kingdom of God.

Our Father, with all of the bad news around us each day, help us to keep our eyes focused on the good news of your kingdom, your grace, and your love. Amen.

This devotion was written 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/.

(Our Theme for June)

The scripture for today comes from Acts 18:9.

In this passage of scripture, Paul has been proclaiming the gospel, and in many cases, it was not well received.

Earlier in Chapter 18, we were told Paul was threatened and often turned away when he tried to share his message. Many were less than thrilled to hear about this new Messiah. They looked at Paul much like we do at fly joining our picnic, a pest ruining their current version of existence.

For most of us, Paul's experience is relatable. We know what it is like to have information that others need, but that they may not wish to hear, much less believe. In my line of work, I often have to face this task.

As a therapist (the mental health variety), confronting others with the truth is sometimes the part of my job that I enjoy the least. It is difficult to point out to someone that they have been living in a way that is no longer serving them well. There are times when I create scenarios in my head of what the person's reaction will be, and I am often tempted to stay silent. I don't want the backlash. Silence feels safer.

I'm sure Paul felt this way at times. Day after grueling day of intimidation can wear a body down. We feel isolated and sometimes fearful. In those moments, silence can feel like the best route.

Maybe this was Paul's headspace. I imagine his vision coming to him just in the nick of time. Paul, ready to throw in the towel and God comes in, cheering him on and reminding him that he is not alone, "I've got your back Paul, keep going." This type of support gave Paul the courage to speak up despite the potential outcome. 

I believe that God continues to do for us what he did for Paul. He may not come to us in a vision, but when we quiet ourselves and open our hearts, God allows us to have a sense of peace in the face of fear, ridicule, or intimidation. He's there to push us forward in the face of fear and give us courage so that we do not fall silent. 

God of grace of courage, help us to remember that you are with us always. When we are afraid to speak, give us your words. When we are frozen in fear, ignite the fire of courage within us. Help us to remember that when you are with us, there is no need to be afraid. 

This devotion was written and recorded by Edha Brown. 

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/.

(Our Theme for June)

There are plenty of things that trouble our hearts and cause us to be afraid in our modern world. In fact, we can make quite a long list: political unrest and war across the globe, natural disasters, climate change, pandemics, and that’s just the top of the list.

Then there are the more specific fears we experience at different points in our lives. As students, we fear failure or embarrassment if we don’t measure up to parents’ and teachers’ expectations. We fear making mistakes and looking foolish.

As parents, every stage of our children’s lives brings its own fears: will my baby be healthy, will my child make friends and do well in school, will my teen-ager make good choices and remain safe?

As older adults we may fear being lonely or ill and unable to maintain independence.

These are all natural and common fears we face. 

However, when you stop to think about it, does holding and feeding these fears ever affect the outcome? In spite of our best efforts, we may find ourselves in the middle of a tornado, our teen-agers may make one poor choice that endangers their lives, we may become ill and need assistance from family or friends.

Our fears do not prevent anything; they just keep our hearts and minds in turmoil.

We cannot make ourselves never experience fear, but we can remember that Jesus gives us the great gift of peace of mind through his unfailing love and grace. We can release our fears to Him so that our hearts are not troubled. 

I admit that I am sometimes overcome by the anxiety that modern times induce. If I read the news, if I listen to others who focus on all the wrongs they see in the world, then I become afraid. Once I was sharing some of my fears with my eldest daughter, and her response reflects the essence of this Bible verse. “It’s going to be okay, Mom. You know how the story ends.” I do know how the story ends. Jesus gives us peace in this world and the gift of eternal life with Him. It’s a perfect, happy ending.

Father, help us to let go of our fears and live in your peace. We know that we have no reason to fear because of your ultimate gift of eternal life, which is the perfect ending. Amen.

Today’s devotional was written by Pat Scruggs 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/.

Grace for All is 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 firstchurch.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

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/.