For Such A Time as This July 30, 2020 – Bethany Hoffer
To the Good Folk of the Palmyra Church of the Brethren,
Joys and Concerns
If you have a joy or concern you would like us to share and pray about, please call, text or email it to me. If you would like it included in our Sunday Worship sharing and prayer time, please share it with me that week by Friday morning.
Pray for:
To all who call others to check in on them and share our emails and devotions.
Today’s Devotion:
I am thankful to Bethany Hoffer for providing today’s devotion. Bethany first shared this devotion on June 21st in her weekly Connect post on our website Youth Page. Bethany’s devotions to the youth this summer are connected to their upcoming virtual Sunday School lesson for that week. If you wish to respond to Bethany directly, her email address is bhoffer@palmyracob.org .
Shalom,
Dennis
And during supper Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going to God, got up from the table, took off his outer robe, and tied a towel around himself. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was tied around him. – John 13:3-5
Luke 22:19-21
Then he took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” And he did the same with the cup after supper, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood. But see, the one who betrays me is with me, and his hand is on the table. – Luke 22:19-21
Thoughts
My favorite part, and the most humbling part, about this scripture is that Jesus washes everyone’s feet, and blesses the bread and cup for everyone, including the one he knew would betray him. How many of us have felt betrayal before? Is your first instinct to serve that person? To bless them? Mine is certainly not. And if you are reading this and you have been betrayed before, it wasn’t betrayal that lead to torment and death. But that’s exactly what happened to Jesus. Yet he served anyway. He blessed anyway. Wow. That requires so much strength, so much love.
This is why we practice love feast and communion. Jesus left us an example and then said, “do this in remembrance of me.” It’s a beautiful thing. Jesus sets aside everything that we have done in the past and everything we will do in the future. He knows we are not perfect. And he loves us still. He invites us to sit at his table still. These two practices are opportunities for us to reflect on who Jesus was, what he did for us, and who we are called to be as his followers. As we consider the practices of communion and love feast this week, may we reflect on the life and teachings of Jesus and work a just little harder to follow in his footsteps.
Prayer
Gracious God, give me “a mind to love right,” like “Jesus gave me.” Thank you for his example. Amen.
Joys and Concerns
If you have a joy or concern you would like us to share and pray about, please call, text or email it to me. If you would like it included in our Sunday Worship sharing and prayer time, please share it with me that week by Friday morning.
Pray for:
- Please pray for Amy Rhine and her family.While traveling home this week to California, they were in a serious automobile accident near Tulsa, Oklahoma.Amy and her husband Greg suffered numerous cuts and bruises.Their children, Sutton and Nordy, suffered injuries that require surgeries to address.Their injuries are serious but not life threatening.Please pray for healing for the injuries and from the trauma of this accident.
To all who call others to check in on them and share our emails and devotions.
Today’s Devotion:
I am thankful to Bethany Hoffer for providing today’s devotion. Bethany first shared this devotion on June 21st in her weekly Connect post on our website Youth Page. Bethany’s devotions to the youth this summer are connected to their upcoming virtual Sunday School lesson for that week. If you wish to respond to Bethany directly, her email address is bhoffer@palmyracob.org .
Shalom,
Dennis
Scriptures
John 13:3-5
And during supper Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going to God, got up from the table, took off his outer robe, and tied a towel around himself. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was tied around him. – John 13:3-5
Luke 22:19-21
Then he took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” And he did the same with the cup after supper, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood. But see, the one who betrays me is with me, and his hand is on the table. – Luke 22:19-21
Thoughts
My favorite part, and the most humbling part, about this scripture is that Jesus washes everyone’s feet, and blesses the bread and cup for everyone, including the one he knew would betray him. How many of us have felt betrayal before? Is your first instinct to serve that person? To bless them? Mine is certainly not. And if you are reading this and you have been betrayed before, it wasn’t betrayal that lead to torment and death. But that’s exactly what happened to Jesus. Yet he served anyway. He blessed anyway. Wow. That requires so much strength, so much love.
This is why we practice love feast and communion. Jesus left us an example and then said, “do this in remembrance of me.” It’s a beautiful thing. Jesus sets aside everything that we have done in the past and everything we will do in the future. He knows we are not perfect. And he loves us still. He invites us to sit at his table still. These two practices are opportunities for us to reflect on who Jesus was, what he did for us, and who we are called to be as his followers. As we consider the practices of communion and love feast this week, may we reflect on the life and teachings of Jesus and work a just little harder to follow in his footsteps.
Prayer
Gracious God, give me “a mind to love right,” like “Jesus gave me.” Thank you for his example. Amen.
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