The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. In the golden light of early morning sat these two chairs. They seemed to be inviting someone to come and sit by the lake - so still it reflected the beauty around it. The amazing thing is that each and every morning, whatever the season, Jesus still invites us to come and sit with him. He dwells with us. In this busy season of Christmas, just stop and accept Jesus's invitation to sit with him for he is truly God with us.
Prayer Emmanuel Full of grace and truth we sit in your presence in awe of your love for us. Amen
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For great is your love, reaching to the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies. The beauty of the clouds and their reflection in the lake at sunrise filled me with awe and wonder at our God. As I watched the sun break through the clouds I felt as if I were seeing God’s glory. God’s love for us is so great that it goes beyond any barrier. Sometimes we just need to stop and remember this.
Prayer Great God We exalt you for your love and faithfulness. Help us to reflect your glorious love this day. Amen Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. Last week the full moon was a “super moon”. What that actually means is that the moon was at its perigee, its closest approach to earth. At its perigee, the moon will appear to be about 13% larger and about 30% brighter than normal. Luckily we were camping on the lake and I got to watch it rise. In this image you will see that the moon is the focus and purpose of the image. When you see the image your first reaction will be to the size, brightness, and color of the moon. It is placed in the image according to the compositional rule of thirds. You see the clouds and also the mountain ridges but these are just in the background.
In this image it is easy to see the subject is the full moon, but sometimes in our lives we can loose the main point. We can easily get lost in the routines of everyday life. Even the stories and foundation of our faith can become routine and taken for granted. We get lost in the details of a lesson or study and forget the main point of our faith, God is Love. When we loose our focus then Bible study becomes an intellectual activity. We fail to live the message of the gospel - God Is Love. Prayer Loving God, Help us to love one another and to keep the main point, the main point, for all love comes from you. Bring to our minds in the routines of this day this definition of who you are, “God is Love.’ Amen But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; It was a cold day in November when I took my long lens to the birding park. I didn’t take any images of birds that day but I did take images of thistles. Even though I usually think of thistles as weeds for their prickly buds and thorns, I still took the images mostly to practice using the long lens. Oh, but when I opened the image on my computer I could hardly believe what I saw, beautiful, intricate details, a beauty I had never seen before. It is easy to see the beauty of flowers blooming in a garden but to see that beauty in weeds that day was a special experience.
It is easier to read the parables of Jesus and his words of comfort than it is to read the story of Jesus’s physical pain and hear his anguished cries of abandonment on the cross. Like seeing the prickly thistle magnified on my computer, it is only when we really look at Jesus on the cross that we see the enormity his love. When we let Jesus’s love for us pierce our hearts, as his body was pierced for our sin, we experience the beauty of God’s love. When have you taken time to look at Jesus on the cross and let his love pierce your heart? Prayer Jesus Pierce our hearts with your love and bring beauty out of our lives today. Amen Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Follow God's example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. During the past 3 weeks spent with family and grandchildren, going on a walk was a cherished activity. After a splash in the rain puddles my granddaughter stands still for a moment contemplating her next move. I can almost hear her singing, “be kind and compassionate” from one of her children’s albums as she gets ready to run. My most favorite time to see her run, though, is after her bath and pajamas. She comes running into the den saying, “here comes the loving,” and gives the most wonderful, “squeezy hugs.”
When I told this simple little story to my friend she suggested that maybe that is what we all should be saying to everyone we meet. So as we go through our day as dearly loved children, walk in the way of love and be ready to say, maybe not aloud, “here comes the loving,” Prayer Loving Father Thank you for the love of children. Teach us to be kind and compassionate. Give us the courage to love others that we see this day in tangible ways. Amen I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong— that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith. I knew the odds were not good that we would see one of those spectacular sunrises since the forecast was for clear skies. Yet it was still going to be a special sunrise, for I was going to share it with a friend. I am grateful for my friend who got up so early and met me at the dam on this rather chilly, Easter morning. We watched the sun come up and talked about the women who got up early to do what they thought was going to be hard, grief-filled work. They thought they were saying good-by to the Jesus they had loved and the dreams they thought were lost. They went together for they needed each other. We need each other, too. Reach out to a friend this day. Share your prayers of joy and sadness and meet Jesus together. Encourage each other and go watch a sunrise.
Prayer Lord Jesus You taught us how to love. May your love mark our lives. Thank you for friends who encourage us to walk with you. Amen At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus. He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?” Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.” Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”). Our first road trip after we retired was to Glacier National Park in Montana. It was an exciting trip with many unexpected changes in plans. I remember this one day on our way back home we had to change our plans yet again due to a predicted snow storm. As we stopped along the roadside to check our maps again on this dark and stormy day, I took this picture. I still remember feeling a tinge of fear that we were lost on this lonely two lane road in a place we had never been with only storm clouds ahead.
Have you ever felt this fear of being lost? Mary was lost when she looked at Jesus that morning. She had lost everything that she believed in, her Jesus, the man who had found her once before, had died. Lost. She was weeping now at His feet not knowing at first who He was. Then He said her name, "Mary." She saw him. She was found, again. Have you been found? This Easter season I have found these words by Michael Card in his song about Mary’s encounter with Jesus in the garden playing over and over again in my head. I leave them with you now for they tell this story in a beautiful and haunting way. I pray that you will let Jesus find you, for he will always search for you. All That Was Lost by Michael Card Why are you crying? Who are you looking for? This is a graveyard Were you expecting more? You feel abandoned Like every hope has died The death of all your dreams This is the price of life He will claim His lost possession Repossess you pay the cost He will purchase you for freedom He will find all that was lost There stands the Stranger There on the flowering slope The Servant waits for you In a garden of new hope He will claim His lost possession Repossess you pay the cost He will purchase you for freedom He will find all that was lost Do you perceive now? And have your eyes been cleared? Have they been opened? Have they been washed by tears? So run and tell all Those who have longed to hear The wait is over The Risen Savior's here Prayer Lord Jesus, Thank you for finding me, for calling my name. The wait is over. Now I must tell others Amen For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Somewhere along the way red roses have come to symbolize love; maybe because they are beautiful, expensive, or come with thorns. They remind me of God’s love that is lavished on us, a love that will never let us go, a love that died for us. I give you this rose and these words from the hymn written by a blind Scottish minister, George Matheson (1842-1906) and a link to these words put to music by Elaine Hagenberg.
O Love, that will not let me go, I rest my weary soul in Thee; I give Thee back the life I owe, That in Thine ocean depths its flow May richer, fuller be. O Light, that followest all my way, I yield my flickering torch to Thee; My heart restores its borrowed ray, That in Thy sunshine’s blaze its day May brighter, fairer be. O Joy, that seeks me through pain, I cannot close my heart to Thee; I trace the rainbow through the rain, And feel the promise is not vain That morn shall tearless be. O Cross, that liftest up my head, I dare not ask to fly from Thee; I lay in dust life’s glory dead, And from the ground there blossoms red Life that shall endless be. Prayer Loving God For a love that will not let us go, a love that is given freely and not earned, we bow with grateful hearts. Help us to share this amazing love today. Amen For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. There are times when the clouds and sun paint beautiful pictures in the sky. I am amazed at the beauty of the heavens and these great paintings that only God can make. As amazing as the heavens are, our great God loves us with a love that is higher and greater than we can imagine. It is a love that forgives us when we turn from him. It is a love that removes the burden of our sin and guilt. It is a love that fills our highest heavens with beauty.
Prayer O Great King, We ask forgiveness of our transgressions and stand amazed at you love that is so steadfast and true. Amen No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day. On a recent trip to the Shenandoah National Park we were on a ranger guided tour of the Big Meadow. While the ranger was telling us about all the plants in the meadow I looked over on the hill and there was this tree. It was beautiful against the blue sky and white, fluffy clouds. We continued the tour but I just couldn’t quit looking at the tree. It was drawing me to it. As soon as the ranger led tour was over I headed up the hill to the tree. I just stood there grateful to get to see this piece of God’s beauty.
Jesus is like this. He draws us to him; to his beauty; to his great love for us. The more we look at him the more we want to walk with him. The more we walk with him the more we experience his love and the more we are drawn to him, to the wide open spaces of his love. Prayer Lord Jesus Draw us closer to you each day. As we walk closer to you make our lives reflect your love and draw others to you. Amen Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters. Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it. Last night was new moon so we decided to make our way to Clingmans Dome so I could try my hand again at photographing the milky way. We got there a little before sunset and there were a lot of people there. While I was waiting with my camera set up a young man from Louisiana named Nick started a conversation by asking questions about the area. He was a very friendly and outgoing young man. He asked if I could send him my pictures so I gave him a card with my website and email. I told him about the chance of seeing the milky way in about an hour and he decided to stay. I watched him walk through the crowd stopping to talk to people. He told several people about the chance of seeing the milky way. He and a couple from Australia decided to stay with us to see the night sky. So we all sat together at the place I staked out for a couple of hours talking and laughing and just being amazed at the beauty of the stars. I learned a lot from that young man. When he spoke to people he asked their name and told them his and then he remembered their names. This was such a simple gesture but one that made a difference. This is the way to show the love of Christ, just simply taking the time to start a conversation and remembering someone’s name. Notice I didn’t say it was easy, just simple. It means we will have to let go of our fear, be a little vulnerable, and listen as much as we talk. And just maybe we may entertain an angel or more importantly share the love of Christ with someone who needs to know his love.
And for Nick with gratitude: I pray you have a safe trip and if you go to my portfolio page (Here) you will find my pictures from last evening. Let me know the ones you want and I will send you copies. Prayer Loving Father Open our eyes to the people around us today who may just need a smile, a kind word and someone to remember their name. Amen But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love, I had never seen a blue heron on the lake at Fall Creek Falls until this early morning. It stood at the edge of the water watching for danger and for food. I was able to get an image from far away with a long lens but when I tried to move closer it saw me and flew to the other side of the lake. I thought about his watchful eyes. He was so still but he knew when I moved just the slightest distance. Knowing that we walk under the watchful eyes of God’s love we can replace fear with trust and despair with hope. When we face danger we face it knowing that we will forever live in Christ.
Prayer Lord of Watchful Eyes Teach us to look to you and to trust your watchful eyes when we face difficult times. Help us to move forward knowing that your unfailing love will give us courage. Amen Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, who formed you from the womb: I am not exactly sure why the tree in the field across from the Lawson place in the cove is so special to me. I still stop to take a picture of this tree every time I go to the cove. To give you an idea of its size, I can easily walk under its branches without bending over. The last time I visited the cove, this tree had something else to teach me. This day this large, strong tree was dwarfed by the clouds that heralded the coming storm. I stood there amazed at the vastness of God who made all things and my own smallness in relation to the tree. And then I hear his promise that this God who made all things will hold my right hand. Overwhelmed.
Prayer Lord God, Maker of All Things Thank you for taking hold of our hands and leading us through the vast and beautiful world you have created. May we humbly reach out and accept your love. Amen I love the Lord, because he has heard my voice and my pleas for mercy. My wildflower knowledge has grown over the past few years so I knew this was like the hepatica that I have learned to recognize but it was different. It had red anthers instead of the usual yellow ones. Hepatica is such a small flower that if you weren’t looking for it you may not even see it. It is a humble flower, not one of the famous wildflowers of the Smokys that many flock to see this time of year. This small flower has much to teach us. Its petals are pure white, like the perfect, sinless life of Jesus; the red anthers like his blood shed for us. Small and humble like the servant that Jesus was and we are called to be.
The words, “I love you,” are simple and humble like this hepatica. They are intimate and precious words. Jesus said these words with his actions on this Good Friday, his blood shed for us. Today we say these words back to Jesus, “I love you Lord because you have heard my voice and my pleas for mercy.” Prayer Merciful God, I love you because you first love me, red blood spilled over a white, sinless life - a life that perfectly fulfilled the will of God. I will call on you as long as I live. Amen Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. And he said to them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.” So they took it. When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.” This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him. So small this tiny piece of moss on the side of a tree covered in snow, only about an inch in length. On the day I took the image it was cloudy and cold and so quiet. Few people were in the mountains that day. Each melting drop of snow looks like a many faceted diamond. So beautiful was this tiny piece of moss yet it would be noticed by hardly anyone. Here it is in all its quiet and extravagant beauty.
John, in his gospel, refers to the miracles of Jesus as signs, for signs point to something, describe something. The first sign that John describes is the turning of water into wine at a wedding in Cana. It tells us much about Jesus. It was a quiet miracle, not done on the temple grounds in Jerusalem but at a wedding in Cana, done quietly in the service of others. I find Jesus more often when I sit in quietness And it was so extravagant, it wasn’t just a bottle of wine, but 180 gallons. According to one commentary, based on the price of $30 a bottle of wine this would be worth some $27,000. Jesus’s love for us is as extravagant as the value of this wine as we see when he drinks the cup the Father set before in the Garden of Getheseme and made his way to the cross. He loves each one of us with an extravagant love even though in light of the vase universe we are as small as the snow covered moss. Prayer Jesus Come to us today in quietness, for there are no words for such extravagant love. Show us your glory and help us to believe in you as your disciples did that day. Open our eyes to your beauty. Amen So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. At this time of year many of us either go home or think about going home. We all long for home. Home is a place of peace and rest. Issac Watts in his hymn, My Shepherd Will Supply My Need, describes home with these words; “Here would I find a settled rest, while others go and come; no more a stranger, nor a guest, but like a child at home.” Not everyone has an earthly home where this kind of peace is found, but all can find a home where perfect love abides. We find our true home when we open the door of our heart and ask God to come in. Then we abide in God’s love and God’s love abides in use.
Prayer Loving Father Show us the way to the open door of your home where we abide, "no more a stranger or a guest, but like a child at home." Amen It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. True friendship is indeed a rare gift. It isn’t easy and sometimes it causes bleeding hearts. Jesus certainly bled for us. In Paul's letter to the Philippians you can almost feel the great love he had for his friends in Philippi. He knew that they were there even in the hardest days of imprisonment. And he also knew that the the reason this friendship was so strong was because it was anchored in God 's grace. Who do you hold in your heart today? Take time to tell them how grateful you are for their friendship. Maybe even send them a flower, a bleeding heart.
Prayer Loving Lord, Thank you for the gift of friendship that is anchored in your grace. Thank you for friends that remind us of your love, even in hard times, and help us rekindle hope. Amen Good and upright is the Lord; therefore he instructs sinners in the way. I decided to take the stairs to the upper part of the garden. There was a path that would get me there without the steps but these steps looked strong and secure. Each stone had been laid in carefully and there was a rail to make the climb easier. In addition the steps were beautifully set into the landscape. Wherever we walk, as long as we walk in the way Lord instructs, we will walk in paths that are marked by the steadfast love and faithfulness of the Lord.
Prayer Good Lord Make my heart humble, teachable. Instruct me in your way so I can walk in paths of steadfast love. Amen Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him! One thing that all waterfalls have in common is that they are gradually changing the surface of the earth. The constant wearing of the water on rock gradually deepens and widens the river, sometimes making great canyons. Like waterfalls deepen and widen the river, love deepens and widens our hearts. We begin life knowing only about love through being fed and protected by our parents. As we grow and learn to love others, love deepens and widens our hearts, sometimes gradually sometimes instantly. My children and now grandchildren have deepened my heart and opened it wide. And as deep as my love is for my children and grandchildren, how much more is my Father’s love for me and them. Truly he has given me good things. This Sunday I experienced one of these good things when I watched my fourth grandchild be baptized and heard my daughter and her husband promise, with the members of their church, to lead her to know Jesus.
Prayer Loving Father, For all good gifts we thank you, especially for the gift of watching our children follow you. Deepen and widen our hearts as we seek to share your love with others. Amen For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. As I looked out over these mountains in Glacier National Park, the vastness and beauty of this place overwhelmed me. Before me stood rows and rows of mountains filled with thousands upon thousands of trees, all kinds and sizes of wildlife, beautiful wildflowers, and mountain streams and waterfalls. While the vastness and beauty of these mountains are amazing the immense love of Christ is even more wondrous, a love that surpasses out ability to understand.
Prayer Creator God, Though we may never fully understand the immensity of your love for us, give us the strength and courage to walk in your love each day. Fill us with the fullness of your presence. Amen |
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Soli Deo Gloria,
1 Corinthians 10:31
© 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 Karen Milligan
1 Corinthians 10:31
© 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 Karen Milligan