For Such A Time As This 4-2-20 – John Grace
To the Good Folk of the Palmyra Church of the Brethren,
Be sure to check our website at www.palmyracob.org for links to our:
Karen Meads and Carol Danz send these words of gratitude:
“Thank you so much for your thoughts, prayers, phone calls and cards we received during the past few weeks, from the passing our Mother, Esther Buck. We miss all of you. Be safe and healthy.”
Carol Hoke writes:
“Thank you to the Palmyra Church. Your thoughts and prayers are appreciated. Thank you.”
Two Reminders:
If you have a joy or concern you would like us to share and pray about in our Sunday worship videos, please call, text or email it to me each week by Friday morning.
If you know someone who does not have email, please call them and offer to read this email to them and share this devotion with them. And, check in on how they are doing.
I am thankful to John Grace for providing today’s devotion. John shares a lived perspective that can help us all with the living of these days. If you wish to respond to John directly, his email address is djgrace@comcast.net.
Shalom,
Dennis
Scripture: Matthew 6: 31-34 (NRSV)
Therefore, do not worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed, your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.
Thoughts
I’m writing this on April 1. I just finished deleting from my digital calendar one by one all the plans I had for April. There were a lot of April plans. Choir practice, practice for the Easter Cantata at Londonderry Village and the scheduled performance of the Cantata, Palm Sunday, Love Feast, Easter, a PET scan to confirm I’m still free of cancer, a week at the end of the month with my son to plant trees at my place up north, and various meetings. I had planned way too far ahead for Love Feast, and there are 25 pounds of beef intended for beef rice soup quietly resting in our freezer.
As I was deleting everything on my calendar for April through my tears, I thought about what Jesus had said as reported in the scripture cited. Why should I worry so much about the future, and why should I not just put my trust in God to see to it that the future will be all right? When I was first diagnosed with metastatic melanoma, I really believed that whatever the outcome might be, it was guaranteed to be good. That attitude was very helpful to me in looking ahead. It may have even helped to make the treatment successful.
Friends, I hope you can take to heart the teachings of Jesus. I hope you can not worry too much about the future, even though it may be scary. I hope you can put your trust in God and face the future with calm and confidence.
Prayer
Gracious God, we know that the future is not ours to control, but yours. Help us to worry less about what lies ahead and know that we will rest in the palm of your hand.
Be sure to check our website at www.palmyracob.org for links to our:
- Daily Announcements & Devotions
- Virtual Worship Services
- COVID 19 Community Resources
- Online Giving Instructions
Karen Meads and Carol Danz send these words of gratitude:
“Thank you so much for your thoughts, prayers, phone calls and cards we received during the past few weeks, from the passing our Mother, Esther Buck. We miss all of you. Be safe and healthy.”
Carol Hoke writes:
“Thank you to the Palmyra Church. Your thoughts and prayers are appreciated. Thank you.”
Two Reminders:
If you have a joy or concern you would like us to share and pray about in our Sunday worship videos, please call, text or email it to me each week by Friday morning.
If you know someone who does not have email, please call them and offer to read this email to them and share this devotion with them. And, check in on how they are doing.
I am thankful to John Grace for providing today’s devotion. John shares a lived perspective that can help us all with the living of these days. If you wish to respond to John directly, his email address is djgrace@comcast.net.
Shalom,
Dennis
Scripture: Matthew 6: 31-34 (NRSV)
Therefore, do not worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed, your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.
Thoughts
I’m writing this on April 1. I just finished deleting from my digital calendar one by one all the plans I had for April. There were a lot of April plans. Choir practice, practice for the Easter Cantata at Londonderry Village and the scheduled performance of the Cantata, Palm Sunday, Love Feast, Easter, a PET scan to confirm I’m still free of cancer, a week at the end of the month with my son to plant trees at my place up north, and various meetings. I had planned way too far ahead for Love Feast, and there are 25 pounds of beef intended for beef rice soup quietly resting in our freezer.
As I was deleting everything on my calendar for April through my tears, I thought about what Jesus had said as reported in the scripture cited. Why should I worry so much about the future, and why should I not just put my trust in God to see to it that the future will be all right? When I was first diagnosed with metastatic melanoma, I really believed that whatever the outcome might be, it was guaranteed to be good. That attitude was very helpful to me in looking ahead. It may have even helped to make the treatment successful.
Friends, I hope you can take to heart the teachings of Jesus. I hope you can not worry too much about the future, even though it may be scary. I hope you can put your trust in God and face the future with calm and confidence.
Prayer
Gracious God, we know that the future is not ours to control, but yours. Help us to worry less about what lies ahead and know that we will rest in the palm of your hand.
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