Grace for All

First, let’s face it – in our lifetime, very few people carry around or own a harp.  Our vision of the harp is a very large, multi-stringed instrument with rollers on at least one end to assist with moving it from place to place.  In biblical times, the harp was what we now consider a lyre, much smaller, portable with 8 strings.  Again, we don’t carry those around on a normal day.

However, we have each been gifted with the ability to lift our voices and make music.  I admit, some voices are more desirable than others, but God hears our voices in a much different way.  It’s all beautiful music to His ears when it is filled with praise, joy and gratitude.

And then, you will note that this particular scripture refers to “grateful praise,” not thanksgiving.  Gratitude is mentioned more than double the number of times thanks or thanksgiving shows up in the scriptures.  There is a difference in the two.  Thanksgiving is more of an emotional response.  We feel pleased or relieved and express our emotion driven thanks. 

On the other hand gratitude is an attitude.  Regardless of the circumstance, there remains an attitude of appreciation.  It permeates our entire lives, even in our worst moments. In those times we must ask God to help us see what is good and what good will come.  This attitude is found by faith and observing, intentionally responding through affirming the good things.  We may acknowledge the role others played in the good and in seeing, really seeing, the influence and blessing of God. Our attitude and actions tell a story.  Simple acts such as smiling, saying thank you, and mentioning our blessings are indeed songs of praise.

So today whether you are singing, humming or praising the One who holds you, remember that the attitude of gratitude touches every moment and every thought you have and share. 

Sing, in every way, your praise to God for life, for love, for challenges and for your fellow travelers.  Others just might hear your “experience and music” and find the strength to sing as well.  Thanks be to God for this and every day.

Our Father, give us a deeper understanding of your gifts and an attitude of continual praise. Amen.

This devotion was written by Lisa Blackwood and read 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/.

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 or podcast app.

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/.

Many years ago, during the most painful time of my life, I read Psalm 40 daily.  When words to express the depth of my emotions eluded me, I found them in this psalm.  The Psalmist reminded me that God’s people throughout recorded history had felt the same feelings as I and had also wrestled to make sense of human suffering.  These ancient words connected me with God’s people across geography and time and convinced me that I was not alone.  The Hebrew people had also cried out to God in pain, and just like me, most of all, they cried out in search of hope.

Psalm 40 begins this way: “I waited patiently for the Lord.  He turned to me and heard my cry.  He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire.  He set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.”  

Life is messy, and waiting patiently in the mud and mire is hard.  But when I needed it most, this psalm reminded me that God is faithful.  It encouraged me to take heart when the ground seemed to be falling away underneath my feet.  In time, God would lift me up, give me a firm foundation on which to stand, and put new song in my mouth.

Once upon a time, I could not find the words to pray.  Now, I can sing a song of praise.  Isn’t that God’s way?  To redeem our greatest sufferings and use them to deepen both gratitude and faith?  To turn, as the prophet Isaiah writes, ashes into beauty, and mourning into joy?  To clothe us with praise instead of despair?  And that is not all.  For to what end does God restore hope and give a new song of praise?  So that others will hear and also find their way to God and trust in God’s faithfulness.

A trusted pastor and wise friend once said to me, “God doesn’t waste anything.”  Amen and amen.  God redeems despair, and turns words of lament into a new song, a universal language of hope, so that many will see—in awe—and place their trust in God.

 Oh Lord, my Rock and Redeemer, when I find myself stuck in the mire of despair, lift me up, set me on firm ground, and fill my mouth with your music—a new song of hope, that others may hear and find their way to you.  In Christ’s name I pray, amen.

This devotion was written and recorded 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/.

Everyone has, from time to time, picked up an earworm.  It's one of those songs that plays over and over in your head that you just can't seem to get rid of.  In those situations, you long for a new song to replace this tune that just won't go away.

A few years back, I had a series of arguments that played over and over in my head with various people, some of whom I was very close to but with whom I had significant differences of opinion on a variety of topics.  I honed these arguments to a razor's edge and waited for just one of these folks to say something and I was ready to jump in with the speech I had practiced over and over to really nail them.  These mental arguments became for me vile ear worms with no melody.  At some point I realized a couple of truths: first, because I cared about these folks, I was probably never going to jump into a debate from which we could probably never fully recover; and second, harboring these noxious arguments in my head was robbing me of my peace and making it difficult to have civil if not loving interactions with those folks who were the targets of my internal battles. 

So, I decided for one Lent to give up the arguments in my head. However, it was not enough to just decide to stop the ear worm of these internal debates. That's not how ear worms work. They had to be replaced with something different, a new song if you will.  I found that it's difficult to have a raging internal battle with someone if you reflect on what, instead, brings you together.  It's also difficult to pursue these virtual arguments if you pray for the folks who were the targets of those debates. These can be the new songs that return peace to your own heart and restore a loving outlook towards those who have been the targets of your internal wrath. 

The good news is that these new songs can be sung by any of us; they are not limited to the 144,000 from the book of Revelation. Any of us can learn to sing a new song of love and compassion to replace those nasty earworms that plague us. 

Prayer:  Dear Father, create in me a clean heart; teach me a new song; help me to be more loving in my internal musings as well as my external words and actions. Amen

This devotion was written by Charlie Barton and read by Joey 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/.

When I first read this verse, the phrase “play skillfully” really piqued my interest. Skill, after all, can be interpreted many different ways, and because of that, it’s kind of a loaded term. So I did some digging. Nearly every English translation of this verse that I could find uses the same terminology.

Does that mean that only the most skilled should participate in making music to God? Does it mean that we must have some sort of formal training in order to praise? I can’t imagine that was the intent. Of course, as a trained musician, I do understand the value of such training. I’m not trained on the clarinet - at all - so if I picked one up and started to play, I imagine the sounds would be less than worshipful for most people. That doesn’t mean, as long as I did this with a heart geared toward praise, that God would find it anything less than beautiful. “Make a joyful noise,” after all… 

And of course, I think about how incredible it is to be around someone with more skill than I have, and how much more I get out of the experience of hearing them play or sing. What an incredible gift that is! 

But that is still not what the verse said - it said as an imperative statement, YOU play skillfully. Worship is not, or at least, it should not be a passive event. It is not a spectator sport. It requires active involvement. Even when we’re listening, I think we are supposed to be engaging in the act of thinking about and considering what we’re hearing.

I think that’s why the Psalms so frequently command us to “sing a new song.” When we sing something familiar, we are not challenged to be engaged in the same way. (Of course, the higher the quality, the more we can get out of a song on repeated experiences, so I don’t think this is necessarily an indication that we should throw away music after one time through, either.) 

But I keep coming back to the idea that not everyone has musical training and therefore would not necessarily have “skill.” So, I looked up one more translation - the Common English Bible. It translates this verse as “Sing to him a new song! Play your best with joyful shouts!” YES! We always give God our best, even in our music-making…maybe especially in our music-making. That translation doesn’t imply that only the very best musicians may offer music to God. Instead, it says that we ALL should offer music, and we all should do our best as we praise. I have to believe that this is what the psalmist meant.

God, we thank you for the music in our lives. Help us to come into your presence more fully, allowing music to engage us in all the miraculous ways you have provided. Let us not take this for granted, but instead, let it be a vehicle to allow us to give our best to you. Amen.

This devotion was written and read by Dwight Dockery.

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 42:1-9 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? 

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/.

Have you ever been in a group of people who are all in the same place for the same reason and felt the energy of the room gathering together? For me, it’s like you’ve taken a bunch of lightning bugs and scooped them up in a jar. It’s vibrant - much brighter than they would be on their own. You can still see each one of the creatures doing their own thing and shining individually, but the energy has become something of its own. Brilliant!

My friend said she had heard it called the “collective effervescence”, and I’ve never gotten that out of my head. 

At a concert, it’s later in the show when the first few notes of a favorite song comes on, and there’s an audible cheer from thousands of voices across an arena. At a potluck, it’s when only a handful of people remember to bring something, but you always end up with enough. In choir, it’s when nervous altos with only a few solid notes blend in with the larger group to create beautiful harmonies that reverberate through the hallways into one song.

We all have our preferences and our specialties. Individually, we can do many great things, but I believe the praise and new song that we’re asked to “sing” here can only happen when we assemble. It’s the creation of our collective effervescence at that instance in time. Because the group changes and what we bring changes, every time we gather and put our energy into praising the Lord together it’s a new song. 

Thank you for connecting us with others in all sorts of ways. Help us find moments to come together and create new songs with what we have to give in those moments. Let the collective effervescence flow through us to you and back out into the world.  

This devotion was written and read by Heather Davis.

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/.

Today’s podcast was written and read by Bernice Howard.

Our Bible verse for today is Col. 3:16 - New International Version says: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.”

I am not a very good singer.  I have a loud voice, but sometimes I tease that I think God forgot to tune it.  And while I may frequently sing off key, I can definitely make a joyful noise to the Lord, with gratitude in my heart.  

I am happy that singing on key is not our assignment from Colossians Chapter 3.  Let’s consider a few more verses from this Chapter for a broader look at our important assignment.

Colossians 3:12-16… ¹² “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.  ¹³Bear with one another and forgive one whatever grievance you may have against one another.  Forgive as the Lord forgave you.  ¹⁴And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

¹⁵Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace.  And be thankful.  ¹⁶Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, as you sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.”

Now we have clarification of our assignment!  We need to dress ourselves properly, with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience - then “put on LOVE,” like a cloak which will bind all these together.  With such beautiful garments binding us, we can joyfully sing praises to God – no matter the key in which we sing!

The Word of Christ is His Message, His Teaching, His Advice.  And he gives lots of advice during His time on Earth.  He gives advice to friends and enemies, to those who love Him and those who hate Him.  But all this advice can be summed up in his answer to the question – “Lord, what is the greatest commandment?”  To which he replied (and I paraphrase) – “LOVE GOD, LOVE OTHERS.”

So, clothed in LOVE, with gratitude in our hearts, let’s sing His praises…

Hallelujah!  Hallelujah!  Hallelujah!  Hallelujah!  Hallelujah!  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/.

Listen to this special episode where we share the Scriptures used in the episodes 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/.

My dad was almost certainly tone deaf. I mean, literally. He could not carry a tune at all, and I really don’t think he realized it. In other words, he could not hear the variations in pitch that other people could hear.

I am guessing at that, because I could never ask him directly. Sitting next to him in church at an early age, I noticed that what came out of his mouth had absolutely no resemblance to what came from everyone else. I developed some musical ability early, and could “hear” natural major, minor, minor seventh, etc., chords and relationships, so Dad’s atonality grated on me.

But one day in the car as I rode in the back seat on the way home from church, I said something to Dad about how he couldn’t carry a tune. He said, “What?” and looked puzzled. Mom shot me that look that could scorch paint off the side of a barn, and I quickly shut up and never mentioned it again.

In retrospect, I see the kindness of my mother at that moment. I knew Dad couldn’t carry a tune. She knew it. Everyone for six pews around us knew it. But I don’t think Dad knew it. All he knew was how much he enjoyed music. He would listen to old 45s and 78s on the home stereo for hours—Patsy Cline, Dean Martin, Conway Twitty. I don’t know what his experience was like, but I know he loved music. And he loved singing in church.

The Psalmist said, “Sing to the Lord a new song! Sing to the Lord, all the earth! Sing to the Lord! Bless his name! Share the news of his saving work every single day! Declare God’s glory among the nations; declare his wondrous works among all people because the Lord is great and so worthy of praise.” He didn’t say to sing so that others would admire you.

Dad wasn’t singing for me or for the surrounding people. With all his gusto, he sang to the Lord. Had I managed to, in my arrogance, communicate to Dad how he sounded to others, he may have lapsed into silence. It would have robbed him of something precious. It would have robbed the people around him as well. They may not have enjoyed his dissonance, but I know how much people looked up to him. I am certain that his joyful noise uplifted hearts—his own, and those around us.

Dear Lord, thank you for the wisdom you shared through my mother to keep my mouth shut and my dad’s voice open. Grant to us unselfconscious, joyful participation together in singing to you! Amen.

This devotional was written and recorded 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/.