Welcome to the Sunday Devotion. We celebrate Mother’s Day today. On Mothers’ Day social media overflows with pictures of mothers and wonderful tributes. I join many others in remembering my mother – her kindness, her wisdom, her perseverance and determination. So many adjectives come to mind. Take a moment to reflect on your mother or a mother-figure that you admire.
Many years ago, my pastor asked me to offer a testimony about my mother using a scripture that expressed something about my mother. I struggled a bit with that. Google didn’t exist yet. What came to my mind was not a set of adjectives, but an action. I found my mother in Jesus’ words, “Feed my sheep.” My mother was ready to offer a strong, yet quiet, determination to “feed” the sheep in Jesus’ flock. I remember her working so hard to welcome others to a meal at our house. She was always ready to provide what was needed, whether it was food, encouragement, or opportunities. She worked hard to provide a life where people had the opportunity to attend church and be fed by the word of God. This was the woman who during World War ll sat up all night in the church building to keep it from becoming a dance hall. So I offered the scripture, “Feed my sheep” to paint a picture of my mother. I did use Google this time to find scriptures that offer characteristics of mothers and mother-figures. I say mother-figures because I think it is important to acknowledge that not everyone has a positive mother in their life. But hopefully everyone has found someone who has been a mother-figure (female or male). I offer the following scriptures to help us find those special characteristics of a loving, wise, and devoted mother. In Proverbs 1:8-9 we find this reference to mothers: "Pay close attention, my child, to your father's wise words and never forget your mother's instructions. For their insight will bring you success, adorning you with grace-filled thoughts and giving you reins to guide your decisions." In another Proverbs scripture (Proverbs 31:25) we find a wonderful description of a mother: "She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come." I must admit, when I read this one, I laughed at the reference “she can laugh at the days to come”. A few weeks ago, I sat with a couple of my adult children sharing memories of their antics when they were small, and also their escapades as teenagers. We may laugh at these teenage adventures now, but the adventures of teenagers are not so funny when we first experience them. In 1 Peter 3:4, we read this advice to mothers, "You should be known for the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God." We commend the loving characteristics of mothers and mother-figures today. Pay attention to the characteristics of someone devoted to God and God’s love. Those are all characteristics of people we need in our lives. It is important that we ALL proudly be mother-figures and offer God’s love, grace and generosity. These are characteristics that show no gender. Be thankful today for “mothers” who make a difference in our lives and the lives of others. And be ready to be that person for another. (Author: Bonnie Barber) Many years ago, my pastor asked me to offer a testimony about my mother using a scripture that expressed something about my mother. I struggled a bit with that. Google didn’t exist yet. What came to my mind was not a set of adjectives, but an action. I found my mother in Jesus’ words, “Feed my sheep.” My mother was ready to offer a strong, yet quiet, determination to “feed” the sheep in Jesus’ flock. I remember her working so hard to welcome others to a meal at our house. She was always ready to provide what was needed, whether it was food, encouragement, or opportunities. She worked hard to provide a life where people had the opportunity to attend church and be fed by the word of God. This was the woman who during World War ll sat up all night in the church building to keep it from becoming a dance hall. So I offered the scripture, “Feed my sheep” to paint a picture of my mother. I did use Google this time to find scriptures that offer characteristics of mothers and mother-figures. I say mother-figures because I think it is important to acknowledge that not everyone has a positive mother in their life. But hopefully everyone has found someone who has been a mother-figure (female or male). I offer the following scriptures to help us find those special characteristics of a loving, wise, and devoted mother. In Proverbs 1:8-9 we find this reference to mothers: "Pay close attention, my child, to your father's wise words and never forget your mother's instructions. For their insight will bring you success, adorning you with grace-filled thoughts and giving you reins to guide your decisions." In another Proverbs scripture (Proverbs 31:25) we find a wonderful description of a mother: "She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come." I must admit, when I read this one, I laughed at the reference “she can laugh at the days to come”. A few weeks ago, I sat with a couple of my adult children sharing memories of their antics when they were small, and also their escapades as teenagers. We may laugh at these teenage adventures now, but the adventures of teenagers are not so funny when we first experience them. In 1 Peter 3:4, we read this advice to mothers, "You should be known for the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God." We commend the loving characteristics of mothers and mother-figures today. Pay attention to the characteristics of someone devoted to God and God’s love. Those are all characteristics of people we need in our lives. It is important that we ALL proudly be mother-figures and offer God’s love, grace and generosity. These are characteristics that show no gender. Be thankful today for “mothers” who make a difference in our lives and the lives of others. And be ready to be that person for another.
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Welcome to the Sunday Devotion. It's the start of a new week, and I, for one, am thankful for the opportunity to refuel and refresh and get a new start. I especially love the first Sunday of the month because in Community of Christ the 1st Sunday of the month is Communion Sunday. For me, Communion signals a new start, a clean beginning, an opportunity to reset my relationship with God and my commitment as a creature of God’s love and grace.
I attended a pre-communion service that was unique in that it offered one hour devoted entirely to spiritual preparation for communion. Typically communion is part of a worship service, not the sole focus. To have this entire service devoted to preparing for communion was a powerful experience. I can’t begin to describe everything that happened in the service and the responses that were evoked, but there is one spiritual practice that I’d like to share. That was using Lectio Divina with the Community of Christ’s Prayer of Blessing on the Bread and Wine as the focus. In Lectio Divina a scripture is generally repeated 3 times and each time we listen for a different emphasis. This practice opens our minds, helping us engage with the Holy Spirit and feel God’s presence. I want to share this experience of using Lectio Divina with the communion prayer. . First time it is read, just hear the words as if for the first time. Treat them as if you have never heard them before. “… bless and sanctify this bread and wine to the souls of all those who receive them, that they may eat and drink in remembrance of the body and blood of your Son…” Be silent for a minute to rest on those words. Imagine these words are presenting new thoughts and ideas. Perhaps read it a second time to gain a better focus. Next – as you read it again, listen and think about your global brothers and sisters. “… bless and sanctify this bread and wine to the souls of all those who receive them, that they may eat and drink in remembrance of the body and blood of your Son…” Be silent again and reflect on this new emphasis. What images or thoughts does it bring to mind about your global brothers and sisters. Now for this 3rd time reading it, remember the body and blood of Christ “… bless and sanctify this bread and wine to the souls of all those who receive them, that they may eat and drink in remembrance of the body and blood of your Son…” What comes to your mind and your heart this time? If Lectio Divina is new to you, I invite you to read this prayer 3 times through again so you can feel the impact of those words with each new focus. We hear this prayer once a month and there is not a lot of time to contemplate the words. This opportunity to explore the prayer with 3 different lenses can be a real spirit-filled gift. May you also find this practice helps reset your communion experience so it is new and fresh. Do you remember your first communion? How did you feel? If you participated in a communion service recently, what speaks to your mind and your heart? Did the experience give you the sense of a new start or perhaps the never-ending love of God who is forever and again, loving you despite your failings. May you find God moving into your mind and into your heart with each communion experience. Amen. Welcome to the Sunday Devotion. I come in such thankfulness for the blessings of fellowship, friendship and love of my faith community. It is so strengthening to share the faithfulness of united hearts. I was blessed to attend Community of Christ’s World Conference this last week where roughly 60 countries were represented. The delegates in front of me represented the Pacific Islands and before we adjourned the conference, I had been blessed by Rajini from the Fiji Islands and Ral from Hawaii, whom I had never before met. I saw friends whom I’d lost touch with several decades before, a woman who had been a youth when I served as Youth Group Leader about 40 years ago. I reunited with friends who had lived in the DC area, but who now resided in Florida, Arizona, Ohio, Colorado, Oregon and Washington state.
I share this because I want to testify about the value of being in a faith community following the ministry of Jesus Christ, the Peaceful One, with hearts united in purpose. Together we advocated for the refugees, examined our role in Climate Change, and addressed our responsibilities while having difficult conversations of racial, ethnic and gender injustice. Do you have such a community, one in which you can grow and offer opportunities to others to grow in Christ-like behavior and values. The disciples had such a group as they traveled with Jesus. It must have been such an amazing bond of “family”. Their conviction of faith, although severely tested, was strengthened by having one another – a strong lesson for us today. In Hebrews 10:24-25 we read, “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” We need each other. We find great value and strength in our community of faithful believers. In Romans 1:11-12, we are told, “I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong— that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith. In Romans 12:5 we are told, “so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.” This is the strength of participating in a faith-filled community. It doesn’t preclude us from reaching out to others who have not pursued or been introduced to a spiritual path. But as one body we gain strength, knowledge, and a treasure of gifts that enhance our abilities to do more in Christ’s name. Seek the fellowship of a faith community. Find the light of Jesus in others. Then share it with the world. Welcome to the Sunday Devotion. Together we face a new week and a new beginning. Take a deep breath and let the peace of starting fresh seep into your soul. I find that I need this sense of newness and starting fresh. Have you been in this situation?
When you feel overwhelmed, or sinking in exhaustion, are you one to barrel through or do you step back and allow yourself to refuel and heal? I’m normally one who barrels through. I move forward, confident that I will survive and regain the sleep that I’ve lost or just get a flood of renewed energy sourced by my adrenaline. How do you face such times in your life? Over these last few weeks, I finally realized that I needed to step back and refuel. It’s hard to do that. It’s one thing to tell someone else that when you’re busy and burdened, know that you can find rest in God. I say that because I believe it. In Matthew 11:28-29 we are told, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” But there are times I just refuse to take a breath. I am too anxious about completing all of my good ideas to allow the priority of feeling God’s peace. Recently I came across this scripture. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” These words have a remarkable message in them. Sometimes we feel we are too busy to allow ourselves some quiet time with God. So I challenge you (and myself) to find time with God each day. Try it for 3 days. Track your time with God. And once you come to the end of those 3 days, add a few more. Create a new habit where you find a renewed energy and attitude about spending time with God. God is always ready to spend time with us. So once again I say “take a deep breath and let the peace of starting fresh seep into your soul." (Author: Bonnie Barber) Welcome to the Sunday Devotion. Today is the first Sunday of Lent and I invite you to turn off the sounds around you to allow for prayerful reflection of the journey ahead. Take a deep cleansing breath. Do you hear the silence? Perhaps you need to move to a quieter place, far away from the noise and chaos of the day. It may be tempting to put this off because it seems there is just too much to do. Or perhaps you think you can fade out the sounds around you. But I encourage you to allow yourself to slip away to a place where you can find silence. What place might that be for you?
As we enter the Lenten season, I recall how Jesus drew away from the crowds and entered the wilderness. He sought out the silence of his journey which would ultimately lead the cross. He valued his time where he could focus on God and the struggles and temptations of life. My goal during Lent is to also find silence where I can focus on God and listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit. Many times, I have a problem with silence. Do you? In the silence, my brain gets distracted by what happened during my day, or past situations that caused me anguish. My mind often finds no silence because my worries and concerns, or just the day to day agenda, although not spoken aloud, are loud nonetheless, and intrude the silence. I would love to offer a quick and easy remedy to this, but I don’t really have one. That’s because it takes practice. If you want to be a great chef, you have to practice the skills that are needed. You have to practice if you want to play an instrument, drive a car, paint a picture, etc. What particular skill have you had to practice? I remember learning to play a flute. I could barely make a sound at first. At times it seemed hopeless that I could get better. But my music teacher made me account for my practice time and I had to write down the amount of time I practiced each day. While reflecting on my experience when learning to play my flute, I remember my Practice Card which documented the times I practiced each day, and I was inspired to grab a pen and paper (actually I opened an app on my phone) and began to document my “practice time” where I sought moments of silence to spend time with God. On the first day it was a five-minute struggle that had very little silence. I hesitantly wrote down “5 minutes”. As I struggled to begin my “practice time” I rediscovered a hymn in our Community of Christ Sings hymnal titled “Listen in the Silence”. It is a beautiful, peaceful way to tame my mind so I can practice my time of silence. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZO-GLmShiVE I invite you to join me in engaging in silence. Take another deep cleansing breath and join me in prayer. Dear God, You are my power and you are my strength. You walk with me in the chaos. You walk with me as I quickly step through my day, often rushing to accomplish one more thing. Help me to stop and find the silence where you wait for me. Help me listen for your voice and find the precious silence to dedicated to You. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen (Author: Bonnie Barber) Welcome to the Sunday Devotion. In my daily life I sometimes get too involved in busyness. But as I sit at my computer, as I am doing now, and I start gathering my thoughts in preparation for writing a devotion, I find that this quiet tap-tap-tapping brings my thoughts into focus, pushes away the distractions and starts to arrange my thoughts into some order. My thoughts become words and my words becomes sentences. The theme for this week’s worship is “Tend the Light” and that is what metaphorically and spiritually is happening. For me, I am tending the Light of God as it touches me. I am shaping the light, focusing on it, letting it push away the chaos of my busyness.
As we approach Lent, I hope we all can find ways to push away the darkness of distractions and focus on the Light of God. We must tend to this light as we would a newly started campfire. Nurse it into flickering flames, add more fuel, watch it grow. Then enjoy the light as it grows bigger and brightens more space around us. That is what happens as we spread God’s love. May we sit in this realm of growing light and enjoy the warmth. God’s love is warm and welcoming, and we rejoice that we have Jesus, God’s son, to be a light unto our world. Dear God, the Light of Love, We come in thankfulness of your amazing love and greatness. Help us to push away the distractions and replace them with renewed focus on the gift of your son, Jesus Christ. Quiet our minds. Help us to breathe in your spirit. Help us envision the light you cast in the darkness, pushing away the shadows. Open us to allowing your light to fill us. May we tend and nurture your light, making us a light beam of your love. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen. Welcome to the Sunday Devotion. As we experience days of growing warmth, I feel the changing of the seasons and anticipate the newness of spring. That is what we have been experiencing in 2023 as the new year makes us pause and reflect on new ways ahead, new possibilities, new growth for ourselves. Is there new growth in our spiritual journey? Imagine us as a garden. What seeds have been planted? How fertile is our ground? Can we feel the warmth of God’s love? Are we getting abundant rays of the “Son”?
I love the metaphor of us being a garden. We at times may feel dormant, but the new months of 2023 have allowed us time to become more fertile, for weeds to die out, for the “ground “ to be prepared for spring. Today, let’s concentrate on that preparation. Clear the weeds. Water the soil. Prepare for the renewal of spring. Be a garden where the seeds of love, kindness, compassion and grace will find a fertile soil Find a place where you can listen to this beautiful meditative chant “You Shall Be Like a Garden” by John Philip Newell: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxHYw4vMNx0, Dear God, We long for the tender care of your hands, the watering of the Living Water, and feeling the warmth of your Son. Help us to fight back the weeds. Help us to grow and flourish and bring beauty of your spirit to everyone. May we become that garden, receptive to the You, the Master Gardener. Amen. Author: Bonnie Barber Welcome to the Sunday Devotion. In what directions has your life journey moved recently? Have you pursued new ventures? Have there been times where you felt you were stuck and needed help moving forward? Or perhaps, you just needed a way to keep your head above water. Take a moment now to breathe. Release the tension and just breathe. Allow God’s presence to enter into your space.
In the last few weeks I have had to contend with the tension of thrusting forward in my life’s rush. It seems to be the way I run. I live by “To Do” lists. But I think I need to add my down time to my list. I need to add my time with God. How do you claim your time with God? Is it in brief flitting moments or greater amounts of intentional time? Jesus knew that he needed the alone time to be with God, to listen and to pray. “And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.” (Mark 1:35) So before I pick up my phone or turn on the TV news program in the morning, that is the time that I need to claim with God. I can rejoice over the new day and seek God’s care, blessings and help. I also find time when I lay my head down on my pillow at night and reflect on God’s presence during the day. I find God in the friends and strangers whom I encountered. I find God in the blessings. I find God in His comfort and grace as I reflect what has happened. God’s love and grace is transforming, if we allow it. We can find and make a better world by seeking God intentionally and discerning God’s will in our lives. May we keep and protect our time with God. May we push away the “To Do” lists that feed anxiety and fill our busyness of life. It is our oneness with God offered through Jesus that has the potential to transform us and the world. Author: Bonnie Barber Welcome to the Sunday devotion. As we move forward in this new year, we are looking at new ways to face and embrace changes that seem to be happening rapidly in our lives. Even as we engage in pursuing Christ’s mission, we must discern how we go about doing that amidst a new normal that seems to be constantly evolving. When you go to church, what are your expectations? Why do you go? Or why do you choose not to go? What parts of Sunday morning traditional worship speak to your spiritual self? Do you find the music to be the most engaging, or is it prayers, readings, sermon, etc.?
As I reflect on my worship experiences, it is often the music that fills me with the presence of the divine. It is said that those who sing, pray twice. Whether it is the music of the choir, the hymns or special instrumentals, music calms, inspires and fills my heart, mind and soul. It helps nullify the anxieties of my daily life. It awakens my senses and allows the spirit more avenues to enter in. What parts of worship speak to you? Some people question the value of gathering together for 1 hour a week – what does it really accomplish? In the traditional worship service, it offers a separate time to intentionally spend time worshiping and focusing on our relationship with God. Some may not find this valuable. Others really look forward to it and need it. We must realize that the diverse ways of worship help speak to the unique and diverse souls gathered together. Plus, it brings us together with others who share our basic beliefs and need for community and fellowship with those who share our faith. I also have to admit, I really like it when worship is ”outside the box” and offers something new. I catches my attention. Perhaps it is something like writing special thoughts of God on strips of cloth and attaching them to a tree in the churchyard to “allow our prayers and thoughts to blow in the wind and into the world.” But we must also recognize that we are a community that pledges to live Christ’s mission. And that mission exists outside the church walls. As a way to reach out in mission and take advantage of the dedicated Sunday worship time, our congregation has found ways to incorporate service into the worship hour. We’ve created inspirational artwork to send with packages to Ukrainian people, letting them know we are thinking of them. It is amazing the responses we hear about these handmade offerings. We’ve also packed lunches for those experiencing homelessness and cooked meals to be delivered to shelters. This, too, is worship. May we continue to expand our expectations of what is worship and how we express God’s love to others. May we grow to appreciate the spiritual needs of others and allow the unity of diversity and the blessings of community to be exhibited in our worship time and expanded in living Christ’s mission. We’d love to hear about your experiences. Feel free to contact the Washington, DC Community of Christ at dccofchrist@gmail.com and share with us what worship means or can mean to you. Author: Bonnie Barber Welcome to the Sunday Devotion. We step out every day, making a new path at times and, at times, retracing the old. Are there significant moments where you have had the good fortune to cross paths with someone who shared their experience and their faith and hopes bolstered your state of mind or resolve? Those moments, those testimonies, big or small, may offer strength or peace, hope or grace, just when you need it. Sit back for a moment and allow yourself to draw those experiences from your memories and reflect on the good feelings they offer.
I can remember when as a young adult I first heard people offer personal testimonies in a church Prayer and Testimony service. In Community of Christ, there is a rich history of these services. I remember being amazed by people’s testimonies. Not necessarily because those testimonies were astounding, but because they gave witness to people seeing and experiencing God during their normal day. It made me aware that every day, God was present in even the simplest of moments. I began to look for those moments in my life where I encountered God. I found my faith expanding as I felt God walking with me, holding me and loving me. Have you shared such testimonies from your life with someone? We shouldn’t be shy about sharing. Just as another’s testimony spoke to my heart, your testimony and my testimony may also offer a window of hope, love, peace, insight, or any of so many feelings. It builds relationships with each other and with God. Perhaps as you sit here reading these humble words, you have recalled such testimonies. Even if you don’t remember the details, your heart may remember the sense of a spiritual space where you felt God working in people’s lives. Make it a point to develop new testimonies where you see God working in the lives around you and in your life. At the end of the day, as you settle your head on your pillow, look back at the course of the day and find your moments where you see God’s presence. And be ready to share your testimony, remembering that not all testimonies are through words; many testimonies are through actions. Dear God, our Ultimate Companion, help us to approach each day with eyes open to your presence. Help us to share our stories with others so they may find You in their life. May our community of faith grow and reach out to others so that the peace of Jesus is shared throughout the world. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. Author: Bonnie Barber |
AuthorVarious authors throughout the Chesapeake Bay Mission Center and beyond provide these thought-provoking weekly devotions. Archives
February 2024
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