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Wednesday, October 12 2022
 Read Exodus 35:1-29 “All the Israelite men and women who were eager to contribute something for the work that the LORD had commanded Moses to do brought it as a spontaneous gift to the LORD.” -Exodus 35:29 Moses had just come back from Mt. Sinai, Take 2. You may remember that Take 1 hadn’t gone so well. When Moses arrived back at camp that time, he found the Israelites do-se-doing around the golden calf. This time when he comes down, he gathers them together to announce a building project of God’s choosing. They need something tangible to help them remember God’s presence daily. After all, this is going to be a long journey through the wilderness, and they’ve already shown how quickly they can forget who got them out of Egypt in the first place. So, Moses tells them, if everyone contributes what they can, together they have the resources necessary to construct the project. The words in Exodus that describe the people’s response leap off the page: “All…were eager to contribute.” In the life of every congregation, there are times when God’s people are called to come together to accomplish something significant for the sake of the kingdom. Not every person’s contributions will be the same, just as we read about that extraordinary project in the wilderness. One thing is for sure, though: the best results are produced when all the congregation participates and everyone is eager to contribute. What do you imagine is possible if all the congregation eagerly participates in Pathway to Generosity? Tuesday, October 11 2022
 Read 1 Timothy 6:17-19 “Tell them to do good, to be rich in the good things they do, to be generous, and to share with others.” -1 Timothy 6:18 There’s an old saying that goes, “He who dies with the most toys wins.” Some people seem to live as if they believe this is the case. They blindly fritter away their lives pursuing, accumulating, and hoarding, only to wonder in their sunset years if any good has come of it. More recently, an alternate version of this quote has made the rounds on bumper stickers and t-shirts: “He who dies with the most toys…still dies!” This version sounds more like the parable Jesus once told about the man who kept storing up stockpiles of supplies for himself and his family only to lose his life long before he could need or enjoy them. (Luke 12:13-21) Today’s Scripture also cautions us about putting too much value or hope in our stuff. When it comes to our relationship to our possessions, Mother Teresa puts it this way: “What God gives you is not to be kept under lock and key, but to be shared…Let us ask God, when it comes time to ask God for something, to help us to be generous.” And when we discover the joy of giving, Paul says we will “take hold of what is truly life.” How would you describe your relationship to your possessions? Have you discovered the joy of generosity? Monday, October 10 2022
 Read Luke 21:1-4 “He said, ‘I assure you that this poor widow has put in more than them all.’” -Luke 21:3 There is more to generosity than meets the eye. We have a tendency to judge generosity by the size of the gift. Viewed this way, a gift that has several zeroes at the end is more valuable than one that does not. Certainly, we should be grateful for persons who have the capacity to make such gifts and are willing to do so. Yet, Jesus teaches us a very important lesson today. Generosity has less to do with size and more to do with sacrifice. When someone only gives what is easy or comfortable, or as the passage puts it “out of their spare change,” is that really generosity, even if the amount is large? The two small coins from the widow meant more to Jesus than all the other gifts that day because they were truly a sacrifice. As we all imagine the future and consider how we might be a part of making God’s mission happen, sacrifice is an important concept to remember. If we offer our best rather than our leftovers, God’s blessings will surely overflow. Imagine Jesus, sitting in the temple, watching everyone approach the offering box. As you put yours in, does he say to himself, “spare change” or “sacrifice”? What kind of gift would represent a sacrifice for you in this endeavor? Friday, October 07 2022
 Read 1 Kings 17:8-16 “Elijah said to her, ‘Don’t be afraid! Go and do what you said. Only make a little loaf of bread for me first…’” -1 Kings 17:13a One of the great paralyzers in our lives is fear. It can keep us from pursuing dreams, from building relationships, or even from following God’s call. It is also a primary road block to generosity. In today’s story from Scripture, we learn that a little flour and oil is all the woman from Zarephath has left. She has planned to use it to prepare a final meal for herself and her son. Elijah offers an alternative. Give up what you have, and God will make sure you continue to have enough. Reading the story, we can understand how the woman would be afraid…until we realize that her original plan merely extends her life and that of her son by only one day. God has a much better plan in mind. There is a strong temptation for us to practice a theology of scarcity. We fear that there will not be enough, and so we hoard what we can in an attempt to feel more secure. But what do we really gain by our hoarding? Another day? Another meaningless possession? Time and time again, the Bible reminds us to have a theology of abundance. We can live with hope and confidence that God’s grace is bigger than our fears. We can give freely and even joyfully to the work of bringing the kingdom to earth as it is in heaven, trusting that everything will be okay. Do you approach life as if there is not enough or more than enough? If you had no fear, what would your level of participation in Pathway to Generosity look like? How could this year represent a new opportunity for you to trust in God’s provision? Wednesday, October 05 2022
 Read Acts 20:21-24 “But nothing, not even my life, is more important than my completing my mission. This is nothing other than the ministry I received from the Lord Jesus: to testify about the good news of God’s grace.” -Acts 20:24 It’s difficult to imagine the growth of the early Christian church apart from the ministry of the apostle Paul. He is the one who was captivated by a mission of taking the message of Christ out into the world. Certainly, he could not have imagined the impact he would continue to have on the church 2000 years later. His willingness to risk everything for the sake of fulfilling his mission was crucial to his success. In some ways, the world today is more like the world Paul encountered than any time in recent history, particularly when it comes to faith. Millions of people claim no affiliation to religion and millions more have only a casual connection to faith. There is a huge opportunity in the year 2023 and beyond for the church to “testify about the good news of God’s grace” to a world filled with people who don’t know it. What the church and the world need are risk-takers. Persons who are convinced that this good news is so important that they would be willing to risk whatever it takes to share it. There are more than many who call St. Paul’s UMC home. If every one of us becomes a risk-taker, the impact it will continue to have on this community for generations to come is beyond any of our imaginations. Is there someone right now to whom you might share about the good news of God’s grace? What are you willing to risk for the sake of sharing the good news? Tuesday, October 04 2022
Read Mark 10:35-45 “…for the Human One didn’t come to be served but rather to serve and to give his life to liberate many people.” -Mark 10:45 Apparently even those who have spent a lot of time with Jesus sometimes forget what it means to follow him. Maybe there is still hope for the rest of us, after all! James and John were two of the twelve. A couple of Jesus’ closest companions. One day, though, they began to worry about their future. They had just heard Jesus say something about dying and their immediate response was to be concerned not about him but about themselves. Jesus seizes the opportunity for a teachable moment. True greatness, he tells them, is not found in power or position. Instead, it is found through serving. Part of our discipleship pathway is serving one another. The gospel truth is that when we serve others, as much as we may be a blessing to them, we also find ourselves truly blessed. Serving connects us with the heart of Christ. What is one way you can generously serve others? What dream do you have for how our church can generously serve others? Monday, October 03 2022
 Read Ephesians 4:12-16 “God’s goal is for us to become mature adults—to be fully grown, measured by the standard of the fullness of Christ.” -Ephesians 4:13b It’s always good to have a goal in mind. Goals give us something for which to aim. They improve performance as we strive to reach them. Goals help us stay focused on what matters most. We often set goals for ourselves in our careers, in our families, in our finances, in music, and in sports. If we set goals in all these areas of life, doesn’t it make sense that we would set goals for ourselves in our faith? Actually, according to the letter to the Ephesians, God has already set the most important one: for us to become mature adults. And maturity in this case takes on a very specific image…it looks like Jesus. At the heart of St. Paul’s UMC vision is a call to participate in our Discipleship Pathway. The process of becoming more like Jesus is what growing as a disciple is all about. Just like that original band of twelve, disciples today are those who desire to walk in the footsteps of Jesus. As a congregation, when we invest resources in helping people grow, we participate in pressing on toward God’s goal for each of us to become a mature disciple. How are you growing as a disciple these days? What new opportunities can you envision for growing disciples? Friday, September 30 2022
 Read Romans 15:1-7 “So welcome each other, in the same way that Christ also welcomed you, for God’s glory.” -Romans 15:7 There are some people who just have the gift of hospitality. They have a way of making others feel comfortable and at ease. They know no strangers and, from the first time they meet you, treat you as if you were a long-lost friend. It feels so good to receive the gift of a warm welcome. Paul reminds us that when we participate in a ministry of welcome, people experience the love of Christ and God is glorified. Research shows that when people visit a church for the first time, most decide in the first ten minutes they are on campus whether or not they will return. That means that likely before the band plays, the choir sings, or the preacher plays, they have already made up their mind about coming back. The way they are welcomed matters. It’s no wonder, then, that “graciously welcoming people” is an important piece of the St. Paul’s UMC vision. Facilities are a part of a church’s welcome. Just like someone can tell whether you are ready and excited to have them in your home, so they can also tell if you are ready and excited to have them in your church. What a blessing it is for us to have facilities that offer a warm welcome to persons of all ages. Give thanks today for the great care that was taken in designing and building a place for ministries that says to people when they walk in the front doors, “Welcome Home!” What do you remember about how you felt the first time you came to St. Paul’s UMC? How might participating in Pathways to Generosity be an expression of thanks for the facilities we have? Wednesday, September 28 2022
 Read Matthew 5:14-16 “…let your light shine before people, so they can see the good things you do, and praise your Father who is in heaven.” -Matthew 5:16 This week, our focus is on the ministries of St. Paul’s UMC. From the beginning, We are a church seeking to reach out beyond walls and doors to share the love of Christ with others. Most significantly, the laborers of St. Paul’s UMC offer themselves according to the principle found in Matthew 5. It is not for personal recognition or gain. These laborers are not seeking to grab the spotlight themselves. Rather, the goal is that our ministries will point others toward Christ. When the good things we do as a community of faith accomplish this purpose and bring glory to God, our light shines a little brighter. What ministries do you see that are shining a light for all to see? How are you participating? Tuesday, September 27 2022
 Read James 5:13-18 “The prayer of the righteous person is powerful in what it can achieve.” -James 5:16b Every Monday, our Sanctuary is opened for prayer at noon, all are invited to gather to lift up the concerns and the celebrations of our church family, community, and world. Our pastors also prayer during the week for our church. Those who gather to prayer are living out the charge given in the letter of James to pray for those who are suffering, those who are happy, and those who are sick. The journey of prayer doesn’t always end up exactly where we anticipated. One thing is for sure, though: the fact that they prayed mattered…for them and for the ones being prayed for. Prayer is a powerful thing. Where in your own life have you seen evidence of the power of prayer? What do you imagine is possible if every member of the St. Paul’s UMC family prays diligently? |
