Advent Devotional - Day 11

Matthew 5:9:  Blessed are those who work for peace; they will be called children of God.

Redstone Presbytery has had a partnership with the Sudan Presbyterian Evangelical Church since 2004 and the South Sudan Presbyterian Evangelical Church since it became the youngest country in the world in 2011. War broke out in December 2013 over issues related to political leadership. More than 3 million people were dislocated.  On October 31, 2018, a peace agreement was celebrated in Juba, South Sudan. All of the political leaders made a commitment to implementing last summer’s peace agreement. Church leaders have been very involved in the peace process from the beginning. We pray that a lasting peace is coming. 

PRAYER
God of peace, we celebrate with our partner churches, the hope for peace to finally come to South Sudan. We pray that we would all learn the ways that lead to peace.  Amen.

Rev. Sylvia Carlson, Honorably Retired

Lenten Devotional - Day 27

Scripture Reading: Matthew 9:9-13

“As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth; and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he got up and followed him.” (Matt. 9:9)

  Jesus knew that it was a religious violation to break bread with tax collectors, social outcasts and misfits, not to mention to be in close contact with a diseased woman, but he broke bread with them all. They clearly are a group gathered in fellowship. Jesus is literally a "friend of sinners." He did these things because he believed that showing mercy is never against the law of God.

  Jesus sits down to dinner with a group of tax collectors and “sinners,” people in Jesus’s day, as well as ours, who were considered misfits and outcasts, earning the disdain of the purity-conscious Pharisees. But Jesus turns the tables, telling them that he has come to call not the righteous, but sinners. “Go and learn what this means,” he orders them, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice” (vv. 10-13).

  “Go and learn what this means,” is a phrase God has frequently shared with me. Following Jesus requires us to hit the road and experience life only in the way that Jesus can show us. Working with individuals both in the depths of their addictions, those in recovery, and their family members, helped me to understand, Jesus words about mercy, grace, forgiveness and so much more.

  In calling Matthew to be one of his disciples, Jesus picked one of the most unlikely individuals. A tax collector who by profession was despised by his own people. Jesus’ had the ability to see within those he called, not only what they were, but also what they could be. What did Matthew see in Jesus that made him instantly ready to leave everything, to follow Jesus? At that moment, maybe Matthew saw in Jesus the hope of true friendship and peace with God, maybe he experienced the irresistible grace of God.

  Jesus shows real transformative power when he surprises the Pharisees with a call for mercy, not sacrifice. Jesus is calling us to see the possibilities which exist in the individuals around us, despite the problems and challenges they currently face. Our ministry believe that God’s grace and mercy will bring amazing and unexpected change. We are expected show mercy, to educate, mentor, and help them shape their lives into the potential that God created them to fulfill.

  We must note what Matthew lost and what Matthew found. He lost a comfortable job, but found a destiny. He lost a good income, but found honor. He lost a comfortable security, but found an adventure the like of which he had never imagined. We come to believe that beyond any doubt we will find a peace and joy and thrill for life that we never knew before. Do you thirst for true and lasting friendship with God? “For I have come to call not the righteous but sinners.” (Matt. 9:13)

Lee McDermott, Contributor

Remember in Prayer: Ability to care for those not always invited to the table.

Click Here PDF - Day 27 Devotion

Lenten Devotional - Day 16

Scripture: Matthew 6:19-21

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matt. 6:19-21)

  For some people, it is difficult to admit they were wrong; others have trouble making an apology. For me, the most difficult words are these: In the depths of his addiction my son stole something from me. Both money and sentimental items were gone, but they weren’t the really important issues. The loss of control over my life, the loss of trust in my child, fear for my son’s wellbeing, and the speed at which this new reality hit literally stunned me.

  Most remnants of my pride were gone by the time I asked for help for my son. But there was still an elephant in the room. I could not bring myself to reach out to friends – people in our neighborhood, our congregation, and others close to my heart. Pride remained, battered but intact.

  It was only when a friend reached out to me in her pain that I was able to break out of my self-imposed prison of silence. My friend’s child was addicted. I shared our story with her – the pain of discovery, the uncertainty of the treatment journey, and the joy of recovery – and I think we both received some measure of comfort from our conversations. We were able to put into words that our children are great gifts from God, and they are the treasures that we seek to protect – not our pride, not our community standing, not our checkbooks, and not the opinions of those around us who might not understand our journey. Acknowledging my fears and pride allowed me to then accept and examine my weakness. And I was reminded that “While we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.” (Romans 5: 6) There I was, there was my son, and there are we all.

  Once I gave up on the worry about how my loss of earthly treasures would be viewed, I joined my son in becoming a recovering addict – I still care too much about how others view me, my family and my child – but I walk each day with the faith that God’s view is different from ours. If my son can recover from his addiction to drugs, I can learn to live without pride.

Susan Perry, Contributor

Remember in Prayer: Mother, Fathers, and Grandparents who struggle to find peace as they face the addiction of one of their children.

Click Here PDF - Day 16 Devotion

Lenten Devotional - Day Four

Scripture: Matthew 11:25-30

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matt. 11:28)

  My name is Lisa and I’m an alcoholic. This is what it was like for me to go from active addiction to recovery. I went from weary and burdened to living a life of peace. Is life easy? Not at all. But because of the 12 steps of AA and a God of my understanding, I can get through life, clean and sober.

  My bottom came on April 28, 2014. Six weeks after my boyfriend died of a heroin overdose. You think that would be my bottom, but it wasn’t. Actually, I continued to use heroin, and my drinking got much worse. I lied about everything. Finally, those lies caught up with me. On that day in April I was arrested and charged with my boyfriend’s death. That is when I hit my knees and said “God I can’t do this anymore. Please help me.” That is where my journey into recovery began. 

  I knew nothing about AA or the 12 steps but was directed to the rooms through outpatient rehab. I had the gift of desperation and the willingness to go to any length. What I learned very quickly was that addiction is a disease. I wasn’t a bad person trying to become good, I was a sick person who needed to get well. I was spiritually bankrupt and needed a Higher Power in order to do that. What many people don’t know is that AA and the 12 steps are a spiritual way of living. As alcoholics/addicts we cannot and will not recover unless we find that Higher Power.

  For me that was easy. I grew up in the church with a loving God. I turned my back and walked away from him. He waited for me to turn back around and I did. We say in the rooms that God led me to AA and AA led me back to God. My boyfriend dying and me getting arrested has been the biggest heartbreak and tragedy in my life, but if it didn’t happen the way it did… I can’t imagine where I’d be.

  In recovery, I have lost custody of my child, my house, my job, have gone to trial for murder, gone through breast cancer including two surgeries and 16 rounds of chemo. I am learning to love myself, am a daughter, mother, sister and friend like I have never been. I am trying to be the best person I can every day. I humbly ask God to help me get through my day and do my best to do His will and not mine. I lay my troubles at his feet and let my faith carry me through. Am I perfect? Of course, not, I’m human. But when I fail or slip, I know what to do. And through it all, good and bad, I’ve stayed clean and sober.

  The 11th step is probably my favorite: Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understand him. Praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out. I pray…a lot. And when someone asks how I know if I’m spiritually fit, I say when I find calm in the middle of the storm, I know I am close with God and exactly where I need to be.

Lisa, Contributor

Remember in Prayer: Those seeking rest from their drug burden.

Click Here PDF - Day 4 Devotion