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DAILY DEVOTION MAY 28

Thursday, May 28, 2020

Pastor Matthew Woods from Grace Lutheran Church in New Albany, Indiana

“The Blessings of What’s In Front of You”

As I write this SpaceX is getting reading to launch its first manned space launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida for the first time since the Shuttle program ended in 2011. I grew up seeing the Shuttles develop and fly. I even got to watch a launch years back. Dad pulled the car off the road during a visit to Florida. We were about 20 or 30 miles away but we could feel and hear the rumble of those rockets blasting off. It was a perfect blue-sky day so we got to watch that thing soar way up in the sky until all we could see were the smoke trails. It was very impressive. I loved it.

The first time the Shuttle flew in 1981 I remember how the news held live coverage all day like it was the Big Game at the end of the football season or something. I was fascinated by it. In time however, Shuttle flights became very routine. Eventually, it got to a point that launches were, at best, a brief segment on the news.

It makes me think of the Apollo 13 mission. The news didn’t run the show that the astronauts put on while in space because “NASA made going to the moon about as interesting as a trip to Pittsburgh.” Imagine, space flight becoming as routine as an airplane ride to Florida. That would be incredible but it also would be a shame. Flying is something that still fascinates me but if you have to do it all the time it’s about as interesting as taking a car ride to the supermarket. Human behavior gets bored easily. It’s like moving to a beautiful beach for the view but over time not paying that much attention to it because living there has become so common. That seems so crazy but that is how people generally roll.

There are many things we take for granted unless they blow up on us or are taken away. Consider the Parable of the Rich Fool from Luke 12:16-21. “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. 17 He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’

18 “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. 19 And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’

20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’

21 “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”

How many things did this person take for granted? A good income? His current barns? Notice the plural—implying that he has many barns. A comfortable home? A soft bed? Maybe a nice shower before breakfast? Supper on the table? How about his life? His faith? Taking for granted God’s blessings of a good crop? This farmer stopped giving thanks for the things that were always there for him. Instead, he reasoned why not build bigger barns so that I can have more easy living. That’s how taking things for granted looks.

Taking things for granted means that one is distracted by something else. Could this be us? Could we be chasing an idea of bigger barns? Could we be taking something or someone for granted because that someone or something has become so common in our world? Could we be so invested in tomorrow that what’s happening today gets lost? Today has plenty of worries of its own but it also has blessings too. If our ambitions steal us from our families, from our church, from our Lord then what do they really profit us? What is the point of bigger barns if it costs you a relationship with Jesus, or your kids, or your spouse, or causes you to think too worldly? Jesus Himself calls such a person a fool.

If Covid has taught us anything of late it should be that we should not take anything or anyone for granted. Jesus designed our world with hugs in mind; a world where relationships are treasured, and being together shouldn’t need a permission slip. He designed us to give thanks to the Lord for what is good.

Thanks be to God that Jesus never gets tired of us. Even when we sin over, and over, and over again Jesus can’t help but love us. The Parables of Luke 15, the lost sheep, the lost coin, the lost sons, all speak about heaven celebrating the return of a repentant sinner. Repentance is celebrated. We aren’t only forgiven seven times but seventy-seven times and more than that. The Lord is more eager to forgive you than you are probably ready to think of Him.

Jesus is always thinking about you. Psalm 139 talks of Jesus knowing our words, our thoughts, our behaviors, even when our DNA patterns were woven together in our mother’s womb. Jesus counts the hairs on our head (Matthew 10:30). And given that we are talking about rockets going into space, Psalm 8 is a particular favorite. “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,4 what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?” The Psalmist is saying, “Lord you’ve got the whole universe to think about and yet you can’t stop thinking about me.” And no where is this more true than in Jesus’ cross and resurrection. We are sometimes doing our worst towards Jesus, like we were the ones driving those nails, and still he thinks of us in His words; “Father forgive them.” Jesus does not take anyone for granted but eagerly and routinely seeks us, blesses us, and right up to our arrival prepares a place in the Father’s house for each us who believe. Everyone counts in Jesus’ eyes and everything we do in this life matters. There is much to give thanks for and the beauty of it that the grace of God is with us every day because Jesus is with us, (as He promised in the Great Commission of Matthew 28:20), for the rest of time.

So, give thanks and take advantage of the view in front of you; the people, the places, and the gifts that bless your life. Savor them as much as you can. And especially savor the fact that Jesus brings heaven to you in the resurrection. No one is getting there on a rocket. The resurrection is still good news and raising from the dead is certainly anything but common. It’s promised to you because Jesus is always thinking of you.

And now the Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make His face to shine on you and be gracious to you. The Lord look on you with His favor and give you His peace. Amen

Pastor Woods — John 3:30

PRINTABLE PDF: DailyMay28

Youtube Video: https://youtu.be/WjEO-WtdPVs

matt.woods@glcna.com — (502) 523-9327

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Reflections of Hymns and Songs of Worship

By: Helen Bohannon, Music Director of GLC

With the coming of Confirmation Sunday and many of our young students graduating and finishing out this interesting school year, the beautiful song;

“I Was There to Hear Your Borning Cry,” will be sung for some of our services in the next few weeks.

This wonderful song was written in 1985, by one of the most popular composers of contemporary Lutheran music; John Carl Ylvisaker. He was a graduate of Concordia College in Minnesota and for over 50 years wrote more than 2,000 hymns. Ylvisaker had a gift for composing biblical text and writing folk style melodies that people in the pew could readily sing.

John had been asked to provide music for a video series on Baptism and had already begun working on this beautiful song. This hymn, encapsulates the verses of Ecclesiastes 3, where there is a season for everything under heaven.
Borning Cry, perfectly reflects that God is the one who gives us our time in every season, from beginning to end.

Many of us can remember the joy in hearing the first cry of your children and the wonderful miracle of birth. From baptism, to Confirmation, graduation and weddings, we rejoice at every season in life. This hymn is also a comfort and reminder that as we grow older, God is with us and will guide us. Even at the end of our lives, the Lord has a place for us in His Kingdom.

I Was There to Hear Your Borning Cry

John Carl Ylvisaker (1937-2017)

I was there to hear your borning cry
I’ll be there when you are old
I rejoiced the day you were baptized
To see your life unfold
I was there when you were but a child
With a faith to suit you well
I’ll be there in case you wander off
And find where demons dwell

When you found the wonder of the Word
I was there to cheer you on
You were raised to praise the living God
To whom you now belong

Should you find someone to share your time
And you join your hearts as one
I’ll be there to make your verses rhyme
From dusk till rising sun

In the middle ages of your life
Not too old, no longer young
I’ll be there to guide you through the night
Complete what I’ve begun
When the evening gently closes in
And you shut your weary eyes
I’ll be there as I have always been
With just one more surprise

I was there to hear your borning cry
I’ll be there when you are old
I rejoiced the day you were baptized
To see your life unfold

PRINTABLE SONG SHEET: IWASTHERE.PDF

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NEWS & TIDBITS at the top right box

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For more Devotions check out RECENT DEVOTIONS
at the top right box

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Grace Lutheran Children’s Ministry
Easter 2020

Dearest families of Grace:

God’s blessings to you all in this unusual time. We have been given a gift of greater family time that would be hard to come by in the former schedule of life. This is a time to build family devotions into your daily schedule, a time to be at the same table for dinner more often, and a time to cherish, in fact.

While we are separated from extended family, teachers, pastors, and friends, how about resurrecting the USPS mailed card, letter or picture. Yes, we can post online and gather with online meeting apps but is it not so much more personal to hold that colored page in one’s hands. Is it not so much more personal to see a grandchild’s or niece/nephew’s handwriting? Technology is A wonderful tool, but it is not the only tool. It does allow us to stay connected, but God intends for us to be connected in other ways, more personal ways.

Easter bags await you. They are in a box near the Pantry grocery carts at the front entrance as of April 5 for you to pick up. The story book, The First Easter, starts with Palm Sunday and covers the events that lead to His resurrection Easter morning. Other goodies include coloring pages, crayons, a puzzle, a bracelet, and a notebook.

Be sure to follow the children’s ministry on Facebook: Grace Lutheran Children’s Ministry, and on our website and church app. I post/share many items I believe of interest and relevant to teaching our children about God. A group has been set up named Grace Children’s Show and Tell. In this group, you can post to let the rest of our family know how you are doing and especially how the children are doing. I am posting a Color God’s Word opportunity every couple of days. The Show and Tell group is the perfect place to post your children’s art!

If you would like to be added to the children’s ministry email list, please send an email to sabrina.haug@glcna.com.

He Lives!! He Lives Indeed!!

Color God’s World #2

Type “Palm Sunday” into your internet browser; choose a picture to color. Post it on the Grace Children’s Show and Tell group. It is a joy to see your creative work!

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WHY 20 SECONDS?

Short video on why you need 20 seconds for handwashing viruses.

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Due to the COVID-19 virus and in complying with “social-distancing”, the following activities have been canceled. We will make changes to this list weekly to keep you up to date on our activities.

THE MOTHERS OF PRESCHOOLERS MEETING FOR APRIL 10.
THE CHURCH RUMMAGE SALE APRIL 25.
WEDNESDAY EVENING LENTEN SERVICES.
GRACE ON WEDNESDAY’S CLASSES FOR REMAINDER OF SCHOOL YEAR.
THURSDAY’S SAINTS BIBLE CLASS UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.

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Food Pantry Collection

Food in carts under the canopy by the front doors

Thanks to all those who have stopped by and dropped off food at the church. Your donations are deeply appreciated. We will continue to collect items. Do not need green beans, corn or peas. Please leave any non-perishables in the carts under the canopy by the front glass doors. Call us when you leave freezer donations and we will come out and get them.

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A Word From Tom Perryman
President — Grace Lutheran Church

Great is Thy Faithfulness

When Job lost his health, his wife, children, and all his means, his response was simple: I know that my redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand on the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; (Job 19:25-26) This was evidence of an unshakable faith that the Lord was with him and no matter what happened, he knew that the promise of his salvation was intact. Since the resurrection of Jesus, we Christians are guaranteed salvation if only we trust in the Savior. This is because of the faithfulness of the Christ, who endured the suffering and death on a cross for you and me.

If we call ourselves Christian, we must reflect Christ’s faithfulness. We are now faced with an unprecedented series of events that are outside our control in the form of a virus that has made it impossible for us to function normally as a church. But the church’s work continues and we must be faithful to that mission.

As the president of the congregation, I am imploring our members to continue to give their offerings to the church just as they would if everything was normal. If we fail in this, the church falters and is unable to continue its work. Grace has seen hard times before and has persevered due to the faithfulness of its members. I am certain that this faith, by the Grace of Christ Jesus, is still alive.

Tom Perryman
President — Grace Lutheran Church, March 19, 2020

President.PDF

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THANK YOU!

Thank you to Limeberry Lumber

Pastor Woods and Grace Lutheran want to thank Limeberry Lumber for partnering with us this year to help bring home Katie and her five children. They have been a wonderful, caring group to work with and we highly recommend their expertise to anyone who may choose to build or remodel their homes. Thank you for being a blessing to our community.

— Pastor Woods

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Thank you to Jenkins Family Dentistry

Pastor Woods would also like to thank Dr. Chris and Krista Jenkins for partnering with us this year to help bring home Katie and her five children. Your attention, concern, and devotion shown to this family has truly paid off in smiles and in a complete transformation from what was a challenging project. Thanks for being a blessing to fellow members of Grace and to our community.

— Pastor Woods

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Thank you to Hertel Heating and Air

Thank you to Keith Hertel for helping us get the heating and cooling on track and for helping to make Katie’s home comfortable again. We appreciate the hard work and time you put in to get the system back on track.

— Pastor Woods

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Thank you to all who helped

Thank you to our friends and members who provided their talents and all kinds of time to help bring Katie and her five children back home. We are grateful that you have been so faithful and contributed so much to make it all possible. We could not have succeeded without you. Thank you for demonstrating the love our Lord Jesus.

— Pastor Woods

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Voters Assembly

Call to Ms. Heather McCormick Declined

Has been delayed until after the virus changes.

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Grace Radio Ministry

Listen to Grace’s broadcast of the sermon, text, and other portions of our services every Sunday morning at 8:30 a.m. on AM 1570 & 1600 or FM 94.1 & 101.9
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THE LUTHERAN HOUR RADIO BROADCAST

The Lutheran Hour can be heard on WHAS 840, at 6:30 a.m. Louisville and WSLM (1220 AM and 97.9 FM) 10:15 a.m.

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Grace Lutheran Preschool

Call: (812) 941-1912 Email: preschool@glcna.com
www.gracelutheran.school, click here!

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CENTENARY MEALS
FOR THE HUNGRY

Feeding the Hungry in 2020 Volunteers from Grace are needed to help cook, serve and clean up at Centenary on the 2nd Thursday of every month.
Talk to your friends, to your team, to your group. We need volunteers for March thru December 2020.
Let Tim Goebel know if you can help. See Pastor Kischnick or Tim Goebel with questions.

Centenary’s Christ’s Kitchen
2231 Green Valley Road, New Albany, IN