Resources for Prayer and Devotions
Meditations from Carol Dean Henn
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Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, gentleness. 1 Timothy 6:11
In the physical therapy room, the fifty-ish woman lying on the table next to mine was in pain. Thin and frail looking, she was struggling to do an exercise by lifting a bar-weight. Sitting in a chair next to her was her son, probably in his twenties. He was focused on his smart-phone, his thumbs flying swiftly over its keys as he played a video game. “Take this weight, please,” his mother said to him, in shallow breaths. The son didn’t move. “Please,” she said again, with urgency in her voice. “In a minute,” he replied, not taking his eyes off the smart-phone. I began to get off my table, not sure what I’d do first—help her or smack him – when the therapist came over to assist her. How simple can it be? When someone says “Help me,” we have to stop texting or making pieces of candy fall down in a video game. How hard is that to understand? For some, it seems, it isn’t clear at all. “Lord, may I never be deaf to someone’s cries; may I always hear when someone says ‘Help me,’ and then respond swiftly. Help me to ‘pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness.’” ©Carol Dean Henn, 2018 From his fullness, we have all received, grace upon grace. John 1:16
When pastors emphasize that we owe every breath we take to God, that comment can seem a bit extreme. But each day we receive graces – touches of God’s provision and love – that we don’t even recognize. Perhaps peace has come to us when our hearts have been troubled; an opportunity comes when we never expected it. Maybe a friend has said something kind, not knowing that we needed that touch of affection. Hope comes to us from … where? We don’t know. Oh, but we do know. “Thank you for your grace upon grace, Lord, seen and unseen.” ©Carol Dean Henn, 2018 O Lord, I am oppressed; be my security!
Isaiah 38:14 A newspaper story, decades ago, described a husband and wife who returned to their beautiful suburban home, from a day trip, to see many police cars in the driveway. The wife immediately began to say the Lord’s Prayer, repeating the words incessantly. Every fiber of her being knew that something was sickeningly wrong, even before the police told them that their daughter had been killed. Sometimes, when what has happened to us is so hurtful … when the pain is so unbearable, so overwhelming … all we can do is cry out to God. “God of might and mercy, be with me when it is completely dark and I cannot imagine living one hour longer with the pain. Be with those who suffer such woe and such heartache. Have mercy on us, Lord; on all who cry out in great pain.” Your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.
Psalm 138:8 Psalms are actually song-poems, and they are frequently sung rather than spoken in worship. Most psalms are either songs of celebration and thanks, or they are pleas for God’s assistance and protection. In today’s verse, the psalmist affirms that God’s love is everlasting. It cannot be outlived or negated. The psalmist asks God to remember all that he has created, including his weak and wayward children. When we quarrel with someone, especially someone close to us, we have these same feelings. We don’t want the other person to focus on the argument, on the angry words that were said. We want them to think about the good times, the positive feelings. Perhaps today’s verse shines light in both directions: We ask God to love us and not forsake us, ‘the work of his hands,’ and we must be open to forgiving others, and not forsaking all the good we have share. ©Carol Dean Henn, 2018 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from fornication.
1 Thessalonians 4:3 This verse uses a word we’re not always sure we understand: fornication. Yes, we know what that means technically, but what does it mean as part of an instruction from God? Certainly, it means that we are to abstain from using people for sexual purposes, to gratify our physical desires with no thought of that person’s humanity, sanctity, or human needs and feelings. We know that’s wrong; no explanation needed. We know that this verse is also linked to the expectation that we will be faithful to our mates. God simply knows that, with fidelity, people have the freedom and trust that enhances their relationship and allows for true intimacy. Extremely conservative interpretations of this verse hold that any contact before marriage is forbidden. A more humane interpretation understands that this part of life – of intimacy – is too important to be an unknown or a subject of fear before marriage. What we can know is that God wants us to respect each other, value each other’s humanity, and be trustworthy recipients of another’s most intimate love. ©Carol Dean Henn, 2017 epent therefore, and turn to God so that your sins may be wiped out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord. Acts 3:19-20
Today’s verse is especially interesting because it goes beyond the familiar call to repentance and changing our lives. It tells us that when we make that decision – when we turn away from the wrongs we’ve done or the sins that have hobbled us – something quite wonderful happens. We feel not only renewed but refreshed as well. That word makes us think of a welcome shower when we’ve become dirty; a swim in cool, clear water on a hot summer day; something delightful to drink when we’re thirsty—something that does more than quench our thirst, it seems to quench our spirits. That’s the refreshment that comes when we return to God. That promise should make us not just want to turn to him, but to run to him. ©Carol Dean Henn, 2017 Like an eagle that stirs up its nest, that hovers over its young, the Lord spread his wings and caught
his people, he carried them on his pinions. Deuteronomy 32:11 Like Jesus, the prophets, psalmists, and teachers of the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) used examples from nature to teach lessons. We may be less familiar with wildlife than our ancient ancestors were, but we have seen films and photos. We can picture an eagle hovering over its young, soaring beneath its eaglets to catch them as they learn to fly. We see adult birds feeding little ones in trees in our backyards. We watch rabbits make nests for their bunnies. We sometimes see a possum cross the road with her young hanging onto her. Nature can teach us many things about care-taking, love, and devotion. No wonder God delighted in making nature as beautiful and diverse as it is: silvery sailfish, cardinals, cats nursing orphaned kittens, and mares nuzzling foals. And in almost every species – canines (wolves), primates (gibbons), fish (angelfish), rodents (beavers) and even insects (termites) -- there are those who mate for life and care for their young as well as for others. Lessons to learn, indeed. ©Carol Dean Henn, 2017 Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and not receive the bad?
Job 2:10 When Job posed this question to his wife … who was infuriated by the suffering that had descended on her good and righteous husband … he wasn’t suggesting that God has a bucket filled with good things and a bucket filled with bad things, and that when God has tossed enough good things at us from the first bucket, he starts tossing bad things from the second bucket. God doesn’t work that way, and Job knew it. Job simply recognized the realities of life. Bad things happen. Sometimes really, really bad things. To good people. Really, really good people. This is a world in which babies can be diagnosed with cancer. Young people’s lives can be cut short by a car accident. Older folks can suffer from dementia. This isn’t Eden or Heaven, and Job knew that. So should we. “Lord, I do not ask you for a trouble-free life. I ask only that you be with me to guide, comfort, and restore me, as you did Job, when troubles come.” ©Carol Dean Henn, 2017 No one can serve two masters.
Matthew 6:24 When the pain of divorce hits a family, children are often caught in the middle. They feel torn between two parents. When a workplace is dysfunctional, several people can be trying to give orders and ‘be the boss.’ No one can function well in such situations. And we can’t function well in our lives when we’re trying to obey competing impulses or contradictory standards. There is room in our lives for so many joys, interests, and blessings. But we have to know what matters most. We have to know that God is at the center of our lives, and that … when conflicts arise or choices must be made… we will serve God. ©Carol Dean Henn, 2017 For he delivers the needy when they call, the poor and those who have no helpers.
Psalm 72:12 Helpers are precious people. For almost 20 years, my administrative assistant, Betsy, was an extraordinary helper to me, professionally and personally. I never could have done all that I did if she had not had my work so well organized and done her own work so superbly. She had complete control of my calendar. If people wanted to see me, they knew they should call Betsy, not me. Somehow, she fitted countless meetings, events, and obligations into my schedule while still building in time for me to do my work. I trusted her to also manage large swaths of my personal life-- doctors’ appointments, community commitments, and care for my mother. In workplaces and churches, schools and organizations, there are many other Betsys who are making an enormous difference for good in our lives and our work. Working without fanfare or fame, they move the work of the world forward. Yes, the world needs its Stephen Hawkings and Steven Spielbergs, and the church needs its pastors and Popes. But the church and the world also need their Betsys. They are God’s special hands among us. God knows how important helpers are. He wants us to have helpers and to be helpers. Today, let’s give thanks for the helpers in our church, our world, and our lives. “Thank you, Lord, for Betsy; valued helper and dear friend. Thank you for all the Betsys in the church and in the world. Help me, too, to be a helper..” ©Carol Dean Henn, 2017 |
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AuthorCarol Dean Henn of St. John’s Windish Lutheran Church in Bethlehem, PA |