Our Theme for June

I am reminded of a story I once heard about a young girl who was awakened in the middle of the night by a thunderstorm. She ran into her parents room and jumped into the bed between them. Her mother asked her, "what's the matter, honey?" The girl immediately answered, "the storm, mommy, the storm!" Her mother replied "It's ok, honey, you know that God will protect us." The girl, sheepishly answered, "I know, mommy, and I believe it, but right now I need God with skin on."

God with skin on. I understand that. I think God does too.

God created people to live in communion with other people. He demonstrated that by making himself, through His son Jesus, to be Emmanuel - God with us - and if I may say so - God with skin on.

Jesus lived on this earth with us. He healed us. He taught us. He loved us. And he died for us.

When He left this world Jesus promised us that His spirit would come, and that if that spirit lives in us then He would always be with us. He said that the Spirit would teach us and give us the capability and the motivation to be His representatives on Earth.

If you read further in today's scripture, you will see that Peter walked on the water to meet Jesus, but he faltered. Jesus, Emmanuel, God With Skin On reached out and saved him. Later, filled with God's spirit, Peter went on to be the hands and feet of Jesus for all the world.

That same spirit lives in you and me. We have the privilege and blessing to be God With Skin On to those people we meet who are need to know and experience the hope of the good news of Jesus Christ. May we all do so.

Father, thank you for living in us through your spirit. May we always be receptive to that spirit, and may we never tire of being your representative for those you put in our lives. Amen.

This devotional was written and read by Cliff McCartney.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.

If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: podcasts@1stchurch.org.

First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.

Our Theme for June

I have to admit that I am often afraid. I am afraid of war, bombs, terrorists, violence, guns, and evil-doers. I am afraid of what we are doing to our Earth – causing grave damage by our careless use of her resources, leading to dangerous climate change consequences.

I can feel overwhelmed when my consumption of news and social media leads to sensory overload!

That's when I must imagine a great big STOP sign. “STOP right there,” I must say to myself!

STOP with the noise of the world and go into a quiet place (even if that place is only inside my own mind).

How can I feel my Lord’s strength if I’m blocking Him out with the terrible cacophony of the negative noise of bad news and negative “what ifs”.

• God wants to be my salvation – but I must let him!
• God wants to be my strength, but he can’t pick up my burdens if I refuse to lay them down!
• God wants to fill me with a song of joy and love, but I can’t hear his song in my heart while I’m tuned to the wrong station.
• God can’t save me if I won’t let him!

My grandpa used to play an old, old song called Turn Your Radio On, written by Albert E. Brumley, Sr. The chorus went like this…

Beautiful advice! Beautiful encouragement!

So, when we are afraid, we need to find a quiet place to turn off the noise and to turn to God. We need space and time listening for God, trusting God, letting God take the load off our minds, letting God become our strength.

When we sit in His presence, we can hear peace and feel safe in the knowledge of His everlasting LOVE and Salvation.

I hope you will join me and turn your radio on today!

Help me, dear Lord! Draw me close. Give me the push I need to let go and let you become my Salvation! Amen!

This devotional was written and read by Bernice Howard.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.

If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: podcasts@1stchurch.org.

First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.

Our Theme for June

We know that God called creation good. And then came humans with the freedom to do both good and evil. As we look around our world today, we see that bad things can and do happen every day.

With news available around the clock from all corners of the globe we see and hear of disasters daily. We see reasons to be fearful.

Do we also see the compassion, altruism, and generosity of our fellow humans?

I’m reminded of the healthcare workers during the early days of the pandemic, when no one was sure what we were dealing with and how they selflessly put themselves in harm's way to care for the sick. This got our attention and gratitude for a brief time.

When fear threatens to overwhelm us, can we be reminded of the good also? Ask God if there is a place we can serve. Mortals can and do hurt us, but they also provide so much good. The letter to the Philippians put it this way.

God, we pray to you for strength to overcome our fear and to be the humans who advance your will in our world. Amen.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.

If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: podcasts@1stchurch.org.

First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.

Our Theme for June

A large army had come against Judah. The very future of their nation was in doubt. God’s prophet shares a word of hope. “This battle is not for you to fight. Do not fear or be dismayed.” When morning came they found that the opposing army had fought between themselves and the survivors had fled. They were rescued.

We have all had those times when a situation or problem is so monumental and our resources so small that we feel defeated even before tackling it. It is then that we need to be reminded that God is going before us. We may not have to fight this particular battle. God will take care of it.

I think of a time when there was great division within the church I was serving when I was first out of seminary. A major board meeting was approaching that would likely decide my future as their pastor and possibly the future of the church. The problems and how to deal with them were more than I knew how to handle. I prayed and finally turned it over to God. I approached that meeting with trepidation but also with peace, believing God was in control. What I did not know is that behind the scenes people had been working together to bring the factions together. When we gathered there was a sense of unity that had not been present just days earlier. The instigators of the problem, seeing they had no support, left the meeting. The rest of us began to plan for the future instead of fear the present. The Lord had gone before us and fought the battle for us.

I had gone worried about a fight, and God had already moved beyond the conflict to peace and the future. This doesn’t always happen but it is a reminder that when we fear the future we need to let God go before us trusting that God will fight at least some of the battles for us. When we do we will often be surprised at the results.

Loving God. When life overwhelms us remind us you are with us. You are going before us and much of what we fear will never transpire because you have dealt with it for us. AMEN.

Today's devotional was written by Bill Green and read by Amy Large.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.

If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: podcasts@1stchurch.org.

First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.

Our theme for June

“You are listening to Grace for All, a daily devotional podcast produced by the people of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee.

This is Scripture Saturday, a time when we pause and reflect on the scriptures we have read throughout the week. If you missed any of our devotionals on these passages, you can find them on our website at firstchurch.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

Now, we invite you to listen and receive Grace. Welcome, and thank you for joining us.”

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.

If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: podcasts@1stchurch.org.

First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.

Our theme for June

This is the famous story of Jesus and his disciples feeding the 5,000, the crowd that had gathered around Jesus. It appears in all four of the gospels, but in the verses we just read, we don’t hear the end of the story. We should pay attention to the way in which this story develops.

The problem is enormous. Five thousand people need to be fed. Jesus asked Philip what he should do, and Philip, typical of the disciples and typical of many of us, simply describes the problem. A half a year’s wages would not feed all of these people adequately.

Another disciple, Andrew, brings to Jesus, a small boy who has only five loaves and two fish, and Andrew is quick to point out how little this is compared to the problem that they face.

We face enormous problems. Wars and cruelties surround us. Climate change is upon us. Our political and social systems are wracked with division. Even the church has problems that seem insurmountable. And we have so little to offer. Our resources are totally inadequate, and, as shown here, there are always people who are willing to point that out.

We fear that we cannot solve these problems, and the temptation for us is to give up.

It is certainly true that in facing many of our problems, both personal and social, we lack to resources to solve them or even to make much difference. But then we remember what happened in this particular story. Jesus took the bread and the fish that the little boy had brought and blessed it. And after that, in a short amount of time, everyone in that multitude was fed and satisfied, and there was food leftover.

In facing the problems that we have today, what if we simply presented the small resources that we have or did the inadequate things that we could do, and then we asked Jesus to bless those things. What do you think might happen?

Would you pray with me? Our Father, we do not need to be reminded that our resources and efforts are totally inadequate to solve many of the problems that we face. We do need to be reminded of your power and your grace and the way it works in all situations. Help us to rely not on the resources that we have but on the abilities and resources of your spirit. Amen.

This devotion was written and read by Jim Stovall

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.

If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: podcasts@1stchurch.org.

First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.

Our Theme for June

Has God spoken to you? Perhaps it was a sermon from your pastor. I know that there have been times when I was shocked to the core. Times that lead to true introspection and a distinct pivot in my life.

Maybe it was in Sunday School as a youth or an adult. I know as a child, my father would drop me off. Our church was not part of my neighborhood. I was dwarfed by the immense, unfamiliar hallways, but somehow I always found my way to Mrs. Culp. Every Sunday morning her smile and presence radiated Christian kindness. I paid close attention to our lessons, and always looked forward to seeing her the next week. I know heaven has a special place for her!

The beauty of God’s creation, do you hear His whisper in the wind through the lush forest or bountiful, sun spackled meadow? Such moments give me pause, to stand in wonder and appreciation of His spirit stirring within.

Is it a co-worker or a neighbor that shares their faith in Jesus Christ? The risen Lord and Savior, whose coming was foretold in the Old Testament, was born into the world to teach us as the Messiah, to speak for the Father, who will yet come again.

It could be with your interaction with a total stranger. The person you paused to help out of a jam, or the less fortunate person that you assisted in some way, shape or form just like Mrs. Culp would.

I know God spoke to me as a child! In my home, the lights were on, the bills were paid and there was food on the table, but I was on my own, without direction in my young life. So I prayed to God, “Please send someone to show me the way.” As can frequently happen, that prayer was answered, but not exactly how I expected. God did not send just one person, but six! Six coaches and/or teachers that shared praise, instilled confidence and taught the values of discipline, perseverance and teamwork.

I am the person I am today because God spoke to me by answering my prayer and sending those six that showed me the way.

God in Heaven speak to us all, show us the way. Send your Holy Spirit to stir us up. To love our neighbor as ourself, just as you command us!...

Our theme for the month of June.

My wife and I are always happy when we get to spend time with our grandson, He just turned three, and he is a joy to be around.

I remember once when we were keeping him. I was sitting in a recliner reading, my wife was across the room, and our grandson was in the floor playing with his trains. We had the window shades down, so we couldn't see outside.

All of a sudden we heard a loud boom. I figured it was thunder, but I got up and looked out the window. Sure enough, a thunderstorm was well underway. My grandson had a worried look on his face as he looked up at me. I said, "Don't worry, buddy, it's just a little thunder." He looked just a bit better as he went back to his trains, definitely keeping his eyes and ears open.

About two minutes later, we heard the thunder boom again, this time louder than before. It was the kind of thunder that you feel as much as you hear. My grandson looked at me then suddenly stood up, ran across the room, and jumped into my outstretched arms. He crawled up into my lap and dug himself close to me. I said, "It's ok. Nothing's going to get you." I picked up a book, and we read it together.

He went from fear to peace in about five seconds. He was at peace because he knew that he was safe in his Pop's arms.

I'm not afraid of thunder and lightning anymore, but the fears and worries of life sometimes overwhelm me, and I feel scared and alone.

The phrase, "Do not be afraid," or some variant of that appears multiple times in the Bible. I know that is true, but there are some times I am still afraid. Honestly, there are times when it is right to be afraid. Fear sometimes evokes a protective instinct that keeps us safe.

More times than not, however, we worry about things that are beyond our control, or like my grandson, we fear things for no good reason.

In all our fears, we should know that we are safe in our Father's arms. Holding ourselves close to God brings us a peace; the peace that the apostle Paul said "passes all understanding."

God the Father stands ready, with His arms outstretched, to draw us close - wherever we go and whenever we need it. All we have to do is run toward Him.

Father, thank you for being there, not just when are frightened or overwhelmed, but always. Thank you for your peace, and the grace that makes that peace possible. Amen.

Today’s devotional was written and recorded by Cliff McCartney.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.

If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: podcasts@1stchurch.org.

First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.