Tuesday's Noon Devotion

Noon Devotion

April 14, 2020

Welcome to our noon devotional.

Two readings today for you, but they are short.

We’ll start with Isaiah chapter fifty-two, verse one:

Awake, awake, put on your strength, O Zion!
Put on your beautiful garments. 

And Jeremiah chapter one, verse nine:

I hereby command you: Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.’

As we continue to observe social distancing and shelter-in-place guidelines, we continue to need strength for our days. 

Billy said yesterday, “Aren’t you off today?  It’s the day after Easter.” 

I said, normally I would be. 

He replied, “This is anything but normal.”

Yup. 

We need strength to get through these times that are anything but normal. 

A few weeks back or maybe last month, the days are beginning to blur together for me, anyway, a while ago, I read the following phrase:

Treating myself like a precious object will make me strong. 

Treating myself like a precious object will make me strong. 

I took some time to write out the words and color around it with colored pencils.  It was a soothing hour of music and coloring.  (If that’s your jam, find some time today to do that.) 

I ended up meditating on those words.  Treating myself like a precious object will make me strong. 

When I think about treating myself as a precious object, I don’t think about hiding myself away in a safe, never to be seen, but rather I think about the care and nurture I can give my body.  When I care for and treat my body well, it is more likely to be strong and flexible and ready for whatever may come my way. 

Treating myself like a precious object means any of the following for me:  running, reading, writing, taking a nap, coloring, turning off my phone for an hour, going for a walk, writing a note to a friend, taking time out of my day for a good cry, sipping coffee with a cat on my lap, making a big bowl of popcorn and watching a movie – or reruns of the TV show Psych – you know that’s right! 

How does care for ourselves help our strength for others?

How can we model to others that care for ourselves is important and holy and needed in these times? 

You see, we are called to be bold and strong, because God is with us. 

How we (you and I) show that strength will look different for each and every one of us. 

What’s one thing you can do today that will treat yourself like a precious object?  So that you will be strong. 

What is one way you can be strong for someone else today? 

What words can you share to strengthen someone’s faith, hope, energy, emotions or day? 

Take time to care for yourselves and others today, friends. 

Share where you find strength. 

And share that strength. 

Amen. 

And now for a few announcements. 

Daily devotionals continue at noon – Monday-Friday.

Wednesday – Holden Evening Prayer at 7:30pm

Thursday – sing and dance with Ms. Sarah’s choir at 6:15

Sunday – 9am Youth Led Worship

If you are in need of food or help running errands, please call the church, we can get you paired up with someone to help you out. 

If you would like someone to talk to or would like to call people on the phone, let us know, we can get you paired up for that as well. 

You are not going through this alone, we know we cannot be together at this time, and we miss you, we love you and we are praying for you. 

I’d like to share a prayer I read as part of my morning devotions today from Sounds of the Eternal. 

Let us pray,

And remember us in your kingdom as you’ve taught us to pray,

Our Father, who art in heaven,

hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come,

thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread,

and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us;

and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,

for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever, amen. 

And now may the One who brought forth Jesus from the dead raise you to new life,

fill you with hope,

and turn your mourning into dancing. 

Almighty God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, bless you now and forever.  Amen.