Happy Easter! Christ is risen!
Happy Easter!
When this publishes Easter will be almost over, so I hope it has been a wonderful day for you and yours.
On these high holy days I do like to publish a devotional. I don’t write them, but maybe some day I will. That day isn’t this day. I recently came across a collection of Eastertide (the 50 days between Easter and Pentecost) devotionals and I thought, that might be more appropriate since Easter is almost over. It is a collection of devotionals about belonging. I thought that was apropos considering we are living in times where people are being told constantly that they don’t “belong” for being “different” in any way shape or form. And it gets worse and worse and worse every day as government sanctioned persecution is becoming the norm in increasing numbers.
Here is a devotional reminding us that everyone belongs! Everyone!
Living as a Sojourner
Rev. Hung Su LimAll of these died in faith without having received the promises, but from a distance they saw and greeted them. They confessed that they were strangers and foreigners on the earth, for people who speak in this way make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. HEBREWS 11:13-14 I love the word sojourner. It reminds us that faith is often filled with mystery and questions. Abraham and Sarah lived as sojourners, strangers, and foreigners on the earth, just as we sometimes feel. What does it mean for us to walk by faith as sojourners today? When I first came to the United States to study, I arrived with only $500 in my pocket. I was a stranger and a foreigner, with no family or friends, unsure of how to find my place. Sundays were especially hard because I did not know which church to attend or where I might belong. Each week, I longed for a sense of welcome and community. After my first semester, I needed to find an internship. I sent my résumé and personal statement to several churches, hoping someone would welcome me. At last, one congregation invited me to interview. I will never forget the first words the pastor said: “I have been praying for someone like you. You are the one I have been praying for.” At that moment, I felt noticed and comforted. Even before I arrived, God was already at work. Though I was a stranger, I encountered God’s unexpected grace. At the church, my new faith journey began with love and care from people who shared God’s heart. Abraham and Sarah knew what it was to be strangers and foreigners. They wandered in a land that was not their own, leaving behind all that was familiar because God called them. They followed, not knowing exactly where they were going, but trusting that God would lead them. They held everything with open hands, believing that all belonged to God. Their daily questions were not very different from ours: What will we eat? What will we drink? Where will we sleep? Yet as sojourners, they learned to trust and depend on God. Faith invites us to trust God’s provision and guidance, even when we fail to see the way ahead. Living as sojourners opens our eyes to others who feel like outsiders. In Genesis 18, Abraham saw three strangers passing by and ran to greet them. Sarah and he offered generous hospitality, perhaps because they remembered what it was like to be strangers themselves. When we live as sojourners, we remember that all we have is a gift from God. We hold our possessions, our positions, and our plans with open hands, ready to follow when the Spirit calls. We become more attentive to the needs around us, and in this way, God uses us to bless others and bring hope to the world. God promised Abraham descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and the sand on the shore. That kind of abundance comes through love, such love that welcomes, shares, and trusts. To live as sojourners is to walk by faith, to depend on God, and to become a channel of God’s blessing wherever we go.
PRAYER: Gracious God, you call us to live by faith as pilgrims and sojourners. Teach us to trust your provision when the way feels unsure. Open our eyes to strangers who need welcome and 44care. Free us from clinging to what is not truly ours, and help us to become a blessing in every place you send us. In Christ’s name, Amen.
PRACTICE OF BELONGING: This week, you’re invited to notice someone who may feel like a stranger, at church, at work, or in your neighborhood. Reach out with a word of welcome. Offer hospitality, whether it is a meal, a listening ear, or an invitation to community. As you do, remember your own journey and let it shape the way you welcome others.
https://www.resourceumc.org/en/content/i-belong-stories-on-resurrection-and-belonging-eastertide-devotional
Happy Easter! Christ is risen!
Since it is Easter and I’m just about out of food adventures… I’m going to zag a little bit this Sunday. I’m going to share pictures from Easter of LAST year. These are just pictures of the Easter Egg Hunt I attended. But shouldn’t let them go more than a year before being published. (I know it isn’t an exact calendar year.)
Next Sunday we will get back to food adventures.