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Easter Devotion

4/1/2024

Welcome to our Easter Devotion. The author is Troy Henshaw of the Chester, VA, Congregation. Thank you, Troy, for this beautiful devotion. Easter is really more than one day - it is a season.
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Happy Easter! The most sacred day on the Christian Calendar. The reason we celebrate Pentecost, Epiphany, and even Christmas.

But, we don’t have Easter if we don’t have Friday.

We all have Fridays in our life. Sometimes it seems like the whole world is stuck in Friday. Friday is violence and war. Friday is marginalized people. Homeless, sick, or just different. Friday is being hated for whom you love. Friday is being persecuted for wanting to make a difference. Friday is the anger and hatred that dominates our social medial. Friday is loss and grief. 2,000 years ago, Friday was betrayal, a sham trial, scourging, and an execution. And then Friday was pain, grief, shame, terror, loss, and feeling lost. Friday is the world saying “You can’t live like that. You can’t love like that.”

Sunday is hope. Sunday is healing. Sunday is faith. Sunday is forgiveness. Sunday is Christ saying “Yes, you can love like that.”
As I think about my own personal Friday, I realize that those emotions that run through Holy Week and Easter are too painful, too deep, too joyful, too sublime for words. I can’t express in words the pain I have felt. Nor can I express in words the joy and the love I feel when I think of the empty tomb. We can do nothing but fall to our knees both in anguish and in joy.

And, so, this morning as I cling to the hope of the empty tomb, as I cling to the love of Jesus that has saved my life this past year, the love that takes our pain and says “I understand.” “I can carry that with you.” “I can even carry you,"

I would love to hear about some of your own personal Fridays and the hope that Easter.

Palm Sunday Devotion

3/25/2024

Palm Sunday Hosannas and Joy
Hosanna they cried so loud and so clear
With loud joy-filled voices for all people to hear!
Who is this man on the donkey today
Around whom the children are dancing in play?
“Hosanna! Our King! Hosanna, Our Lord!
See us and save us!” their voices implored!

They laughed and they shouted as he rode into town.
“He is our king!” But where is his crown?
“Tell everyone, sing with confident joy.
This is a happiness that none can destroy.”
The crowds raise their hands and give homage to him,
For he has the power to bring freedom to them.

He looks at the crowds and his heart’s full of love.
His job here on earth was to serve God above,
To teach all God’s children to seek and embrace
A new life eternal filled with hope, peace and grace.

Jesus looks at the faces of these strangers and friends.
Where will they be when the week’s at its end?
They understand not what God has in His plan:
To save all God’s children, women and man.
The road’s filled with cloaks and branches of trees.
But do they understand; do they truly believe?
How great is their faith? Is their belief truly strong?
Their faith will be tested as the week moves along.

Jesus’ mind forms the thoughts that are not yet spoken
“Forgive them, Dear God, their faith will be broken.
Send them your Spirit so they can discern
That you’re their Creator, to whom they can turn.
Their voices will rise again in your praise
And they’ll seek out your Spirit with their faces upraised.”

So the donkey moves on through the chants of the throng,
And Jesus sits stoic, knowing these cheers will be gone:
“Hosanna, O Lord, please hear us and save us!
We are your kingdom, so hear us, O Jesus.”
Jesus is silent, his mind deep in thought,
“You do not know how your souls have been bought.
‘Save us’ they say. If only they knew…
And could understand, I am saving you...

If only they knew – I am saving you.”
(author - Bonnie Barber)

Lenten Devotion

2/15/2024

Weekly Devotion

1/21/2024

Welcome to the Weekly Devotion. Mark 1:15-20 tells the story of Jesus at the Sea of Galilee where he found 4 humble fishermen: Simon Peter, Andrew, James and John. Jesus approached them, “Follow me and I will make you fishers of people”. According to the scripture, the men immediately dropped their nets and followed Jesus. Immediately!

Jesus invites us to follow him, as well. How immediate is our response? How far are we willing to sacrifice? What are we willing to risk?

Unlike those first disciples, we aren’t necessarily asked to drop everything in our lives to follow Jesus. We have so many opportunities to respond and continue our lives working in our professions and raising our children. The mission field needs people who, in response to Jesus’ teachings, reach out in love to all people and work to create change in their communities.

In our daily lives, we can be like Jesus and stand up for what is right and show that we believe in the worth of all persons. Have you ever stepped in to help someone pay for their groceries or offered food? At a 7 Eleven a man standing outside the entrance asked me for money for food. I had no cash so I had nothing to offer. Once inside, I picked up a sandwich, fruit and a bottle of water and gave them to him as I left.

Do you respond to the people on the street corner who are asking for money? Or do you just look straight ahead and not even acknowledge that they are there? Take a risk, open your window, and offer some help and say a few words. Once all I had was a $10 bill and I would not normally give that much money. But when stopped at a traffic light, I handed the woman there the $10. This caught her by surprise and she started crying and sharing that she was going to go find her husband so they could get something to eat together.

There are small things we can do, and there are bigger causes where we can join others to accomplish the greater good. As followers of Jesus, we can find ways to live by example to follow Community of Christ’s Mission Initiative to Abolish Poverty and End Suffering, and the Enduring Principles: Worth of All Persons, Pursuit of Peace (Shalom), and Unity in Diversity. Jesus still calls us and we can be “fishers of people”. What better way to invite people to Christ than to live the life according to Jesus’ teachings.

Weekly Devotion

1/14/2024

Welcome to the Weekly Devotion. Today the message on the DC Community of Christ front sign, as seen in the picture, says, “Be the Hands and Feet of Jesus the Peaceful One”. We often recognize that in our individual or group ministry outreach, we can and should be actively serving in the name of Jesus.

Scripture directs us to serve others. Hebrews 13:16 says: “And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.” Luke 6:30 provides the following guidance: “Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back.”

Monday, January 15, is Martin Luther King Day and it is the only federal holiday designated as a National Day of Service to encourage all Americans to volunteer to improve their communities. As we live the Enduring Principles identified by Community of Christ, “The Worth of All Persons” is one Enduring Principle that sets us on the right track to be in service to others.

Recently the DC congregation filled Shoebox Presents for the Homeless. Next week we will pack Blessing Bags, which are filled with bottles of water, crackers, fruit pouches, toothbrushes, hand lotion, etc. We hand these out to individuals who are standing at traffic lights holding signs asking for help.

In the DC area, there are numerous shelters and food programs seeking assistance with their food pantries. Friendship Place offers multiple volunteer opportunities to provide services for people experiencing homeless situations. See https://friendshipplace.org/get-involved/how-can-i-help/ to find volunteer opportunities.

May we be inspired by Martin Luther King, Jr, who said, "Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?'"

Let’s be the hands and feet of Jesus.

Weekly Devotion

1/8/2024

Welcome to the Weekly Devotion. We’ve put away the Christmas decorations, and without the greenery, red bows and colorful lights, we may think the celebration is over. But it is not. It has only begun. Now we begin the year celebrating all that happened because God sent an amazing gift - his son, Jesus.

Looking at Acts 19:1-7 we have Paul’s accounting of his time in Ephesus when he met with people who had been baptized just as John the Baptist had instructed to be done, but when asked about their encounter with the Holy Spirit, they asked, “What is the Holy Spirit? We’ve never herd of it.” They did not know the “rest of the story”. Paul then baptized them in the name of Jesus and then laid his hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is a wonderful gift, a powerful gift, and one that is always available, so the celebration is not only not over, it is eternal. What do you remember about your baptism of water and the Holy Spirit? How old were you and what did it mean to you? When have you encountered the Holy Spirit and how did it make you feel? Don’t you just yearn for more time with the Divine? What happens – where does it go?

I love the story of the young man who complained that whenever he was filled with the Holy Spirit, he was like a bucket with holes. The Spirit merely drained out of him. His friend said, "That may be true, but even a bucket full of holes can be filled with water if it is immersed in the river and left there."

Sadly, we are all buckets with holes. How do we immerse ourselves in the “river” of the Holy Spirit? Even if total and continual immersion may not happen, we can seek those special moments that help us feel closer to God and the Holy Spirit. For example, when I start the day with a simple song from my church campfire repertoire, such as “In my life, Lord, Be Glorified”, the song comes back to me off and on through the day. It’s a spirit-seeking earworm. I also have an alarm set on my phone to direct my attention to God at 8 am every day. I may open a journal entry on my computer and type a prayer or prayer thoughts. Or I may only succeed in directing my attention for that moment. There are so many spiritual practices that help move us into a deeper relationship with God. What kinds of spiritual practices are special to you? If there is not a way to share in comments to this devotion, share your thoughts by emailing the DC Community of Christ through our email [email protected], I’d love to hear from you and share your experiences with others. Your testimonies help others grow in faith.

Galatians 3:14 says that we “receive the promised Spirit through faith.” And in Romans 10:17, we are told, “So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the word of Christ.” I pray that each of us find ways to connect our hearts to God’s heart, and may our buckets be full.

Weekly Devotion - New Years Day

1/1/2024

Welcome to the first devotion for 2024. As I look to the new year, I am excited about embarking on a new adventure. When I say that, people are expecting to see something like taking up scuba diving or visiting a foreign country. But my adventure is to build stepping stones to spiritual encounters. For me this means seeking God in the elements of creation, moments of simple conversations, and intentional acts of love. Please note that I have listed the act of building stepping stones and not engaging in major encounters.

A few months ago I participated in a spiritual practice where the participants were instructed to settle down to observe something in God’s creation for 20 minutes. We were to look at the details and seek God in what we saw. This was a challenge as I pondered and explored a tree growing in an enclosed courtyard. The first thing that caught my attention was the bark. I noticed the color variants and traced the pattern with my eyes, watching for living creatures. Then my attention went to the movement of the leaves as they fluttered and swayed. There was so much time assigned to this activity that I was forced to keep exploring, entrenching myself into minute details. I pulled out a journal to document what I saw, what I felt, and what I discerned. It was a stepping stone to a spiritual encounter that continued to deepen as time progressed.

A few days ago I accompanied my youngest daughter’s family on a 1 mile hike in Mason Neck State Park which is located on a peninsula formed by Pohick Bay, Belmont Bay and the Potomac River. This hike provided me beautiful and spiritual invitations to ponder elements of God’s creation. With no opportunity to sit for a 20 minute observation and because there were so many amazing elements of creation, I found myself taking copious pictures to spend many 20-30 minutes spirit-filled sessions in the future.

Today I offer you one of my pictures of God’s creation in Mason Neck State Park. Expand the picture and take some time to see the details of God’s artwork in nature. Offer praise as you observe. Offer thankfulness. Ask the Divine to enter your mind and move to your heart as you encounter God in the details.

Psalm 148:5-10 leads us in praise of God and God’s creation:
“Let them praise the name of the Lord!
    For he commanded and they were created.
And he established them for ever and ever;
    he fixed their bounds which cannot be passed.

Praise the Lord from the earth,
    you sea monsters and all deeps,
fire and hail, snow and frost,
    stormy wind fulfilling his command!

Mountains and all hills,
    fruit trees and all cedars!
Beasts and all cattle,
    creeping things and flying birds!”

I pray that you, too, take time to pursue your own stepping stones to a deeper spiritual encounter with God. Engage with the Divine in thankfulness, praise and worship. Be sure to take along a journal so you can document what you see and feel in the presence of God’s creation. This can become your adventure for 2024.

Author: Bonnie Barber

December 26th, 2023

12/26/2023

Christmas Day has come to a close. At the Washington, DC Community of Christ we have a Christmas Eve service every year and I find it helps me to leave behind the hustle and bustle of the gift-giving and reset my focus on the real reason for the season.
    At our Christmas Eve service we used the book “Listen to the Silent Night” by Dandi Daley Mackall, and Lou Fancher. Using beautiful storybook pictures and costumed tableaus, we experienced the birth story of Jesus together. An innkeeper beckoned us to the stable, then we were with a Shepherd hearing the Angels proclaim Jesus’ birth, and sat in anticipation of the approach of the Wisemen.
    Together we enjoyed the best parts of Christmas by singing the familiar Christmas Carols – Away in the Manger; Hark, the Herald Angel Sing; We Three Kings and Joy to the World. But also, one of the best parts of Christmas is to sing new Christmas songs and add them to our favorites. For this Christmas Eve we turned to my newest favorite, “No Obvious Angels”.
  This hymn brings us into our modern world and reminds us that today we have no angel singing in the skies, no shepherds following a star. We have the here and now, and how do we herald in Jesus’ birth? Here are the words of “No Obvious Angels”:
“No obvious angels sing through the night skies,
no thunderstruck shepherds tell out their surprise,
for Christmas comes into the here and the now
through star-sighted people, the watchful and hopeful,
who wake us to see a new world.

   Our angel potential is waiting to start!
The Spirit will teach us the song of the heart,
for Christmas comes into the here and the now
through peacemaker people, the just and the gentle,
the stars who will light the new world.

  Whoever will take it is given the role:
the fruitful, the faithful, the joyous of soul,
for Christmas comes into the here and the now
when we are the angels who dream and deliver,
who rise and create this new world!” 1

Today there are no obvious angels proclaiming Jesus from the skies. But this song reminds us that we are the “angels” in the here and the now. As a star-sighted people, we can visualize what the world should be. As peacemakers we can bring light and hope. “…for Christmas comes into the here and the now when we are the angels who dream and deliver, who rise and create this new world!”
    As we ended our service, we meditatively reflected on these words, and in proclamation and commitment to be these “angels”, we brought paper angels to the manger and laid them within.
    Together we ask God to help us in this world of no obvious angels to realize our own roles. Are you a star-sighted person, following the teachings of Jesus in the here and the now? Are you a peacemaker, a visionary, a person who gives of their heart and their hands? How can you be an angel today in your community? Together let’s give voice to this message and share where we find our angels in the here and the now, counting ourselves among them.
1 Words: Shirley Erena Murray, 1931–
Music: Carlton R. Young, 1926–
Words and Music © 2000 Hope Publishing Company
License number: 722962
A Community of Christ Sings resource
www.CofChrist.org/hymnal

Sunday Devotion

12/17/2023

Welcome to the 3rd Sunday of Advent when we celebrate with the Advent Candle of Love. We are getting so close to the day we celebrate Jesus’ birth. The best-known passage of scripture is about God’s Love. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” (John 3:16) That amount of love in hard to fathom. Even as I told my kids, “I love you so, so much, but God loves you more,” it was hard for me to fully comprehend.

In the Old Testament, Isaiah prophesied the words of the Lord, “‘For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed.” (Isaiah 54:10).

For 100’s of years God was steadfast in his love for us – humankind. Then he sent his son and God incarnate was a human infant child. God brought his love to earth, to live, love and suffer as humankind lives, loves and suffers. Jesus lived a life teaching and exhibiting love. What do we do with that? Are we just waiting for a second advent – a new arrival of Jesus? As we wait, what do we do? We do what Jesus did.

When his critics tried to test him, asking which commandment is the greatest, Jesus answered “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Matthew 22:37-39).

In 1 John 4:7-12 we are told, “Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.”

I recommend you read the above scripture from 1 John 4:7-12 again, then read it tomorrow when you wake up and read it everyday. Share this with others, for there are some who do not feel loved. God has given them to us to nourish and care for, and to show God’s love through our hearts.

From Community of Christ’s Doctrine and Covenants 153:9a-b:
“Let my word be preached to the bruised and the brokenhearted as well as those who are enmeshed in sin, longing to repent and follow me. Let the truths of my gospel be proclaimed as widely and as far as the dedication of the Saints, especially through the exercise of their temporal stewardship, will allow.
My Spirit is reaching out to numerous souls even now and there are many who will respond if you, my people, will bear affirmative testimony of my love and my desires for all to come unto me.”

If you have a candle at home, any candle, light it, and declare it the Candle of Love. Breathe in God’s love and hold it close to your heart and let it grow. And get ready for the birth of Jesus Christ.

Author: Bonnie Barber

Weekly Devotion

12/10/2023

Welcome to the 2nd Sunday of Advent. Welcome to the anticipation of Jesus’ birth. In Isaiah 9:6 we read, “For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; and the government will rest on His shoulders; and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.”

We still seek the promise of this scripture. What is not fully stated here, however, is that we have a responsibility in creating this world of peace. This child of God provided us the blueprint for a life of loving our neighbor and caring for all of God’s sacred creation.

The second candle in our Advent Wreath this week is the Candle of Peace, also referred to as the Bethlehem Candle because it represents Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem before Jesus’s birth. They had a lot to do to prepare for Jesus’s birth. We, too, have a lot to do. In John 14:27 we are told that Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

Jesus put peace into our hands. There is a hymn that is not in the Christmas section of our hymnals, perhaps because it is a song for all times of the year, but it belongs here with the Advent Candle of Hope. “Put Peace Into Each Other’s Hands” (Reprinted using OL 722962)
“Put peace into each other’s hands and like a treasure hold it; protect it like a candle flame, with tenderness enfold it.
Put peace into each other’s hands with loving expectation; be gentle in your words and ways, in touch with God’s creation.
Put peace into each other’s hand like bread we break for sharing; look people warmly in the eye: Our life is meant for caring.
Give thanks for strong yet tender hands, held out in trust and blessing. Where words fall short, let hands speak out, the heights of love expressing.
Reach out in friendship, stay with faith, in touch with those around you. Put peace into each other’s hands, the Peace that sought and found you.“

God sought to give us this message through Jesus. May the anticipation we feel in the preparations for Christmas light a flame within us to find and fuel a passion for peace and love in our homes, our communities, and our world.
(Author: Bonnie Barber)