Good morning,
The Lord has blessed us with summer like days this past week. The Autumn colors are in full splendor. It is absolutely stunning. I drove around the country- side this past Monday and took some pictures of Autumn Scenes. I am posting them on my Face Book page. You can visit my Face Book page and see the colors of Autumn in Broome and Chenango Counties. This morning devotion is also being posted in Facebook.
We will meet for our Wednesday Gathering this Evening at 6 PM. We will start Bible Study on the Book of Hosea.
There is a story I read on the Internet some time back about a little girl whose friend, in the course of a day of play, lost her favorite doll which she had brought over to play with. She was heartbroken, and sat on the steps and began to cry. When the first little girl’s mother came outside to check on the girls, she found them both sitting on the step sobbing. When she asked what was wrong, she was told through the tears that the little friend, Suzie had lost her favorite doll. The mother looked puzzled for a bit, then asked her daughter, “did you lose your doll too?” “No”, the daughter sobbed. “Then what’s wrong with you?” “Nothing” she sobbed. “I’m just helping Suzie cry.” That is empathy: when our heart breaks for another.
There is a song in our hymnal which we sing, “There is a balm in Gilead, to make the wounded whole. There is a balm in Gilead to heal the sin-sick soul.” What beautiful, comforting words. But the prophet Jeriamiah cried out, “no”. (Jeremiah 8) For him there seemed to be no balm for comfort. He is wept inconsolably, not for his own problems, but for those of his people. He cried, “my joy is gone, grief is upon me, my heart is sick…for the hurt of my poor people I am hurt. I mourn and dismay has taken hold of me…my eyes are a fountain of tears, so that I might mourn day and night.” He was not weeping for himself; he was weeping for his people. God had given him a great sense of empathy for his people. Even as he delivered news of judgment, Jeremiah’s heart was breaking.
The prophet Jeremiah lived in a time of great tumult and transition. The nation of Judah was undergoing a period of political and social decline. Leaders were weak and ineffective, and all around him the prophet saw people who were not living up to the covenant with Yahweh. The Lord called Jeremiah to preach repentance to these sinful people, but their resistance led towards their eventual destruction. Chapter 8 describes an upcoming invasion from an enemy in the north. Soon the people would undergo intense suffering and tragedy. The amazing thing about the prophet Jeremiah is that he did not revel in being right. He had told them time and time again of the need to repent and the coming consequences of their sin if they did not. And time and time again, they refused to listen. Now they were about to bear the consequences of this continual sin and refusal to repent.
Often, human nature revels in seeing the wicked punished. We like to see the bad guy get theirs…as in westerns. Jeremiah, however, did not stand aside and preach condemnation to the masses, or even point a finger saying, “see, if you had listened to me you wouldn’t’ be in this mess.” At the close of Chapter 8 we find him weeping inconsolably for the brokenness of his people, a man in pain for those who died in the wars, for those who alive and begging to be rescued by the very God they turned their backs on, and even pain for the heart of God, breaking over the pain of God’s people from the mess got themselves into. This weeping of Jeremiah over his people is reminiscent of Jesus’ weeping over Jerusalem.
How often do we find ourselves mourning for the sinfulness or brokenness of our world? Each day we hear reports of children killing children, children who are abused, of violence and addictions and sexual perversions, corruption in our governments, and terrorists attacks throughout our world and threats at home. It is enough to make one sick at heart. God’s heart breaks even more than ours at all this - at the loss of life, loss of morals, loss of hope, loss of fullness of life with which we are surrounded today. That is why he calls us to empathy- not a kind of empathy that simply feels sorry for folks (sympathy), but an empathy that leads us to deeds of mercy and justice - i.e. to action in His name. That is true empathy.
True empathy is a vital part of our call to ministry. We are moved to ministry when we allow our hearts to break with the things that break the heart of God. Only when we allow ourselves to truly see the needs of the world around us, and feel the pain of their lostness can we be moved by God into action. We, like Jeremiah are called to be “weeping prophets” as we develop a sense of true empathy for the brokenness of the world around us. Sometimes it is tempting, when we see pain, suffering, brokenness, and consequences of sin around us, to pass by on the other side. Perhaps we don’t want to be bothered or get involved, but in order for real ministry to happen we have to get involved. We have to risk caring, investing ourselves, and be truly saddened by the violence and hatred in our world to the point of action. We are called to ache over those who don’t have their basic needs met, those who are struggling with addictions, those who have taken the wrong path, people who are lonely, lost, afraid, suffering, in need of grace, comfort and strength and to walk with them through the valley, offering the hope and healing balm found in Christ.
A disciple is one whose heart is broken over the things that break the heart of God. God’s love is a healing balm and so, as disciples, our task is to show people to the truth that we all can find healing, wholeness, renewal, forgiveness, and strength in Christ, who waits with arms outstretched. May we, like Jeremiah, have out hearts broken with the things that break the heart of God. Only then our lives will point people to the Christ - to this balm of Gilead that makes the wounded whole. There are opportunities to make a difference one life at a time all around us.
We have an open door during our prayer conference that begins this Friday to come before the Lord of mercy and grace on behalf of others to pray for healing and deliverance. The Lord places before us an open door to be involved in caring ministries to respond to the needs of people with love and compassion.
In Christ,
Brown
http://youtu.be/rZQ-jjhlyFM
PRAYER CONFERENCE:
Union Center United Methodist Church:
128 Maple Drive, Endicott, New York 13760
PRAYER CONFERENCE:
Friday October 14 through Sunday October 16, 2011
Need hope?
Need a reason to continue?
Need joy?
Need peace?
Need an answer?
Need rest?
" COME TO JESUS AND LIVE "
Need NEED LIFE?No matter what you need…
JESUS says “Call to Me & I will Answer!”
~ Jeremiah 33:3
Join us for a weekend of Hope, Joy, Peace & Life!!
Friday Oct. 14 – 6:00 pm: Opening session at Union Center UMC with Kelly Johnson from Two By Two Ministries
Saturday Oct. 15:
9 am – Noon at Union Center UMC: Open Prayer Time: A refreshing time of personal prayer and community prayer for any storm you’ve weathered. Prayer teams available to pray with those who desire it.
5:30pm – Community Dinner at Endicott First Methodist
6:30pm – Worship service with Kelly Johnson at Endicott First Methodist.
Sunday Oct. 16 – 8:30 & 11:00 am at Union Center UMC– Join us for morning worship with guest speaker Kelly Johnson.
***Please note our two locations for these events***
Union Center United Methodist Church is located at 128 Maple Dr. Endicott
Endicott First Methodist is located at 53 McKinley Ave. Endicott
For information please call 607-748-6329-748-1358 or 427-4359
If you are unable to come but have a need you’d like to have us pray for, please email it to umcgospel@aol.com or you can mail it to the Union Center UMC address listed above attn: Prayer Team
We praise the Lord for the following who will be leaders in the Prayer conference:
Kelly Johnson from Memphis, TN.
Sunita and Andy from Washington, DC
Rob and Jenn from Washington, DC
Melanie from Baltimore
Laureen from Binghamton
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment