In this newsletter, I am including a recent Upper Room Devotion. You might recognize the contributing writer for December 11th found below. (See original link) More importantly, if you scroll down and click on the blog post which extends the devotion (More… link), you will recognize many of your own congregations.
Along with my husband Larry and our Dog on Deployment Olivia, we wish you all a very Merry Christmas.
Thank you for the privilege of serving Christ beside all of you, here in the Sound.
Kim
Today’s Reading: Joshua 2:8-15, 21
Thought for the Day: Who is God inviting me to welcome into my community?
Prayer focus: Someone who is not like me
God does not have favorites. – Romans 2:11 (CEB)
“She’s not like us,” the woman said as we cleaned the church kitchen. Smiling, I turned to her and said, “And isn’t that great?” Unmoved, she walked away without replying.
When we truly open the doors of our churches and our hearts, we need to be ready for people who are “not like us.” If we greet them with acceptance, not just tolerance, we open ourselves to a variety of experiences. New people, different people, can lead to diversity in music, in dress, and maybe even in the menu for church luncheons.
As my sister in Christ expressed her discomfort with someone who wasn’t like her, I wonder if that was how the women of Israel discussed Rahab when she joined them. Did they consider her unworthy of divine purpose because her life was so very different than theirs? Did they feel more worthy than she to be used for God’s plan?
The timeless beauty communicated in Rahab’s story is that the outsider is loved and welcomed into the loving heart of God. As the people of God, Christians are called to carry out this hospitality on earth.
Today, let’s look at each person we pass with open and loving eyes. Let’s step beyond tolerance into acceptance and learn to love others for their place in God’s plan.
TODAY’S PRAYER: Dear God, give us open hearts, minds, and eyes to see how beautiful our differences can be. Help us to trust your creativity. Amen.
If you would like to view past editions of A Message from Kim, follow this link: https://sounddistrictnc.org/category/from-district-lay-leader/
If you would like to connect with Kim please do so through her email, k.smith@nccumc.org