Daily Devotions

Throughout the Easter Season, the daily devotions have been written by members of Faith Lutheran Church. Today’s writer is Yvonne Moody.

“Now in Joppa there was a disciple whose name was Tabitha, which in Greek is Dorcas. She was devoted to good works and acts of charity. At that time she became ill and died. When they had washed her, they laid her in a room upstairs.

Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, who heard that Peter was there, sent two men to him with the request, “Please come to us without delay.” So Peter got up and went with them; and when he arrived, they took him to the room upstairs. All the widows stood beside him, weeping and showing tunics and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was with them.

 Peter put all of them outside, and then he knelt down and prayed. He turned to the body and said, “Tabitha, get up.” Then she opened her eyes, and seeing Peter, she sat up. He gave her his hand and helped her up. Then calling the saints and widows, he showed her to be alive. This became known throughout Joppa, and many believed in the Lord. Meanwhile he stayed in Joppa for some time with a certain Simon, a tanner.” Acts 9:36-43

I did not have a positive reaction to this text the first time I read it. First, we don’t know much about Tabitha, except that apparently, she was a good person and well liked, but she got sick and died. When Peter arrives, he is surrounded by widows, who are weeping and grieving over the loss of Tabitha. They admired her so much that they showed off her fine seamstress accomplishments. Then Peter asks everyone to leave, and after praying, Tabitha is raised from the dead. Just like that.

Maybe I’m too sensitive. Maybe I’m skeptical. I’ve been widowed for three years now, and in the span of just one month this past summer, I lost both my grandmother and my father. I haven’t had one glimpse of hope that my loved ones will be raised from the dead. So, what am I to think about this text?

Well, if I’ve learned anything about grief, it’s that you don’t do it alone (or at least you shouldn’t). I’ve had lots of people show up in my life, just like the widows in this text, to grieve with me and help me keep going. And now I am much more aware of being sensitive to grief in other people’s lives.

As Christians, we are called to walk together. To care for the sick and lonely. And I feel that in my life every day. When I come to church, I know there will always be someone willing to sit with me if I don’t want to sit alone. And if I’m having a bad day, and shed some tears during the service, inevitably there’s someone near to give a hug and a word of encouragement.

So, do I believe in miracles? Absolutely! But I’ve come to realize that most miracles today aren’t the grand gestures we might hope for, but they happen every day in small acts of kindness and love. And I hold on to the hope that one day, we will all get to experience heaven, and then I will be reunited with the loved ones that I miss so much.

Let us pray: Lord, we don’t always react the way you would want us to. Help us to see beyond our own pain and wants in life, to the life that you would have us live. Help us to be present with those in need. And, when we are the ones hurting, teach us to reach out for help and be willing to be loved by those who do so in your name. Let us love one another, as you have loved us. In Jesus, name. Amen.

Throughout the Easter Season, the daily devotions have been written by members of Faith Lutheran Church. Today’s writer is Zach Boihem.

“After some time had passed, the Jews plotted to kill him, but their plot became known to Saul. They were watching the gates day and night so that they might kill him; but his disciples took him by night and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a basket. When he had come to Jerusalem, he attempted to join the disciples; and they were all afraid of him, for they did not believe that he was a disciple. But Barnabas took him, brought him to the apostles, and described for them how on the road he had seen the Lord, who had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had spoken boldly in the name of Jesus.

So he went in and out among them in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord. He spoke and argued with the Hellenists; but they were attempting to kill him. When the believers learned of it, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus.”  Acts 9:23-30

In this passage of Scripture, we see Saul just after his encounter with Jesus in a vision – the encounter where Jesus famously says, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” Earlier in this chapter, before the miraculous vision Saul has, he was threatening to seize and even murder the followers of Jesus.

Understandably, as Saul made his way to Jerusalem, the disciples were afraid of him because of all the terrible rumors they had heard about him. The disciples didn’t realize, however, that Saul was a changed man. Thankfully, one of the disciples named Barnabas was willing to look past the rumors and give Saul a chance.

I love how Barnabas saw something in Saul that the other disciples in Jerusalem didn’t see immediately. Despite the fact that Saul was formerly a fervent persecutor of the church and even a terrorist of sorts, Barnabas’ initial willingness to trust Saul is perhaps one of the main catapults that launched the great apostle to become one of the prominent figures of the early church.

In the book of 1 Samuel, we hear the Lord say to Samuel, “The Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7). I would not be surprised if Barnabas was thinking about these words when he was willing to give Saul a chance.

How often do we make superficial judgments about others because of their race, gender, social status, or even their past? We all have a past, and we all have certain labels that are attributed to us through no fault of our own. Obviously, we do not choose the race, gender, or social class we are born into. And while we have certainly made some poor decisions in our past, hopefully we have repented and moved forward, just like Saul did.

Let us pray: Lord Jesus, may we show mercy to others as you have shown mercy to us, in spite of our sin and our shortcomings. Help us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. Amen.

Throughout the Easter Season, the daily devotions have been written by members of Faith Lutheran Church. Today’s writer is Sabrina Schlather.

“For several days he was with the disciples in Damascus, and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.” All who heard him were amazed and said, “Is not this the man who made havoc in Jerusalem among those who invoked this name? And has he not come here for the purpose of bringing them bound before the chief priests?” Saul became increasingly more powerful and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Messiah.” Acts 9:19b-22

Prior to this verse in Acts, Saul had converted to a Christian and had begun to become the Apostle Paul. We see this through his proclamation that Jesus is the son of God and his willingness to prove that when he was challenged. Paul has had an encounter with Jesus and had just become a Christian.

Although Paul has not yet experienced much of the Christian faith, he is sharing with the people what he knows to be true from his encounter with Jesus and the enlightenment it has brought him. We see through Paul’s willingness to proclaim Jesus as the son of God, that he is willing to learn and continue to grow in his journey of Christianity.

Our life in the faith of Christianity is a journey, we don’t always know the answers to why something happens or even how it happened, but we trust in God that it will turn out to be ok and that we will learn from the experiences we have. Paul’s trust in Jesus and willingness to follow him regardless of his lack of answers exemplifies what we as people of God do everyday.

Acts tells us in this chapter that God can take enemies and transform them into a powerful advocate. Before becoming a Christian himself, Paul persecuted Christians, but then turned out to be a person to spread the Gospel to the world. The conversion of Saul to the Apostle Paul reminds us that nothing is impossible from our God.

Let us pray: Heavenly Father, help us to remember as we grow in our faith, through you, nothing is impossible. Amen.