Mid-week Devotional:
Week of September 4, 2023
Scripture for this week’s mid-week devotional comes from the Old Testament the book of Lamentations, Lamentations 3:22-24.
Hear the word of God.
“22 The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; 23 they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. 24 ‘The LORD is my portion,’ says my soul, ‘therefore I will hope in him.’” (NRSV)
This is God’s word for God’s people. Thanks be to God. AMEN.
I grew up on a farm in southwestern Minnesota where there are few hills and on a clear day one can see forever across the plains. There was only 1 phone in our home and it hung on the wall near the kitchen doorway. When one lifted the receiver off of the phone you often heard other people talking for it was a party line; a phone line shared with nearby neighbors. My parents knew all their neighbors and counted all of them as friends. As a community of farmers, they helped each other year-round. They made sure everyone’s crops were planted and harvested, that there was enough food for everyone to eat every day and also when there was a wedding, a funeral, a child was born, or when a new family moved into the rural community there was always plenty of food.
All of their children attended the nearest rural school through 8th grade with all of the children learning together in a 1 room schoolhouse. Many of them worshiped together each Sunday morning at the little Rose Hill Lutheran church a few miles down the gravel road to the south of where my parents farmed. It was a community that looked out for each other; helping in myriad of ways. They were connected to each other through their experiences, their love for each other, and their faith in God’s continual presence in their daily lives.
The world around us has changed since then… In today’s world many families keep their distance from other families. For many it has become important to be separate and self-sufficient. There are those who distance themselves physically and emotionally. In today’s world it is less common for families and individuals to seek help from those around them; their neighbors. There is little connection, little sharing of daily joys and concerns among neighbors. When changes occur in their lives, they do not share it with those around them with the result that no one knows when their world turns upside down... No one knows if they are going through a financial crisis, a health crisis, or a spiritual crisis. No one knows… There are many who are lost, alone, and adrift in the world in which we live. There are many who look at the world around them and see a world filled with humanity that doesn’t care.
Scripture from Lamentations reminded the Israelites as they wrestled with the changes in the world around them that the LORD God cared for them.
The Lord was ever present.
The Lord’s “love was steadfast and the Lord’s mercies were never ending” (v. 22).
Every morning when each person awoke the Lord was there beside them for the Lord was faithful (v. 23).
These words from Lamentations remain true.
The Lord never leaves each person alone. The Lord created each person in the Lord’s image; loved and precious from the very beginning. The Lord is ever present. The Lord hears the cries and laments along with the joys and the thanksgivings. The Lord knows the times we sin and the times we repent. The Lord loves us.
I shared these thoughts this week during worship at a retirement home near us where members from our circuit of churches lead worship and serve holy communion once each month. I encouraged those who came to share God’s love and grace with each person they pass daily in the hallways, with those they sit and eat with in the dining room, with those who share a room with them, and with those who care for their needs. I encouraged them to share their joys and concerns with those around them for they are part of their neighborhood, their community. Over time connections between them will grow and deepen as will their faith and trust in God. The Lord will be with them for the Lord is faithful (v. 23).
In these days of turmoil in our world we are called as Christ’s disciples no matter where we live to reach out and connect with those around us.
It is my prayer that in the days ahead you will consider if you truly know the needs and hopes of your family members, those who live around you, and those you work with.
If your answer is “I don’t know much about them” then it is my prayer that you ask yourself: how can you connect with them, how can you share with them God’s love through your words and actions.
They are your “neighborhood” and your “community” in which God has placed you in order for you to connect with them, to build relationships with them, and most importantly to share with them God’s love and grace through your words and your actions.
I will be praying for you.
Peace be with you.
AMEN.