MOIRAJO
  • Weekly Devotionals
  • Weekly Message
  • Sermon Podcasts
  • Links
  • Contact

"Letting Go in the Storm"  January 27, 2016

1/27/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it. "  (Isaiah 55:8-11)


Listen to:   Unspoken   "Call It Grace"
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=775b0AN9C_o
​

About 85 million people endured one of the worst snow storms in the Northeastern part of the United States last week end.  As it winded its way from the Carolinas up the East Coast, Storm Jonas dumped two – three feet of snow all along its path.  Tragically some people lost their lives; others were stranded while a significant number lost power.   Most of us faced cancellations of activities and the strenuous job of shoveling out walkways and cars.  We learned to step gingerly through mammoth slush puddles at curbs.  We frantically seek almost non-existent parking or wait with resignation for delayed buses or trains.

Storm Jonas is a reminder not only of the power of nature but ultimately of the lack of ultimate control we have over our lives.   We like to believe we are in control of everything we do and what happens to us.  Control is quite an American virtue:  having things “under control” and “being in control” are seen as positive attributes.   Some people jokingly, but with a hint of pride, consider themselves “control freaks,” finessing every last detail of their day.

A storm like last week’s teaches us that control is an illusion; at its best limited in scope.  What does Proverbs admonish us but “The human mind plans the way, but the Lord directs the steps” ( Proverbs 16:9).    We planned for weeks for an event, but it had to be cancelled.  At the same time thousands of flights were grounded and peoples’ plans dashed. The storm disrupted the predictable routines of life.  Like with Super-Storm Sandy, unable to go about our separate ways, we actually found ourselves as a family gathered together spending some quality time.  With worship services cancelled we found ourselves improvising at home.  For all the infelicities and challenges the storm brought, there were also unexpected graces: Slowing the pace of life down.  To let go of needing to be in charge.   To go with the flow.    To reconnect with loved ones, with nature and with God in new and renewed ways.

Although we had to postpone our celebration party, among other things, it was not the end of the world.  I discovered it was an affirmation -- in a positive sense --  that I am not in charge or in control!  Even as the snow levels rose I felt my heart thawing and a strange sense of freedom flood my being.  It was good to let go and be at peace, even in the presence of a near blizzard.  

The God of the heavens is in control of working through all things and in all things to bring forth the fruits of love and peace.  Even in snow storms.  Perhaps even in the storms that are raging in our hearts, in our bodies or minds?   In all the blizzards of life, we can choose to be flexible, open to new opportunities to care and react in the world, and ultimately to discover the fonts of strength and grace within.

What blizzards are you facing?  How are they changing or challenging your life?  How do you want or do you see God present?


Prayer:   God of Peace, be present to all who are facing the storms of nature and the internal storms of the human heart.  May the deeds of loving kindness and mercy bloom in whatever conditions we face. Amen.
 

  

0 Comments

"No Matter What - Shine!"   January 22, 2016

1/22/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture







































​“For God, who said, "Let there be light in the darkness," has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ.  2 Corinthians 4:6”


Listen to:   Jason Gray  “Glow In the Dark”  
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jb1TTADzf9Y
 
 
The distraction was just for a second.   It was enough to turn my head away from the road.  It was enough to hear that gut-churning  thud  and realize I had just hit the car in front of me.   Thank God that no one was hurt and damages were minor.  Within a week we had settled with the other motorist and fixed the damage to Forrest’s car.  However the accident was enough to trigger deep-rooted feelings; ranging from anger at myself to paralyzing fears.  I was afraid to drive again on the highway.  You see, years ago, in the midst and aftermath of a serious depression, I could not drive on highways.  It was hard enough to drive in the regular demanding Long Island traffic.  Eventually I overcame this phobia, with prayer, fellowship and a lot of white-knuckling it out.   But just like that, in the aftermath of a minor accident, it poked its ugly head out again.   Would the irrational fear overtake me once more?  I had ministry that took me all over New York City.  What would happen if this lurking fear got the better of me?
 
We all have times when we are hit by life and want to retreat.   It could be the end of a relationship and we say, “Never again!”   It could be some betrayal by someone we trusted and we feel, “I’ll never put myself out like that.”  It could be a health scare or a financial worry that can rev up fear or panic.  Instead of seeing these challenges as the end of the journey, God wants to work through us, through our brokenness and fears, to reveal his light and glory and bring us to the next blessing and a fuller place.
 
When I am caught in the throes and tempted to regress, I always turn to the story of Joseph in the Bible (Gen. 37-50).  Joseph was a favored child of Jacob, with the gift of prophetic dreams and interpretation of dreams.   His older brothers despised him and so faked his death and sold him into slavery in Egypt.  So Joseph was a slave to Potiphar, the captain of the guard in Pharaoh’s court.   The Lord blessed Potiphar’s household for the sake of Joseph, and Joseph rose in responsibility.  Yet even here danger lurked. Pharaoh’s wife tried to seduce Joseph, and when she was spurred, she framed Joseph and he was thrown into prison.  Even in the dank prison Joseph shared his gift of dream interpretation for the chief baker and chief cupbearer.   Yet Joseph continued to languish in prison until Pharaoh was plagued by dreams and it was remembered that Joseph, in prison, was a dream interpreter.  Joseph interpreted Pharaoh’s dreams accurately and advised him well, so Joseph was released and rose in power in Pharaoh’s court.   
 
Joseph’s real trial came when his brothers arrived at court seeking food.  Old feelings surfaced for Joseph.  Should he seek revenge?   Did he feel like that lost, disliked boy once more?   Should he make them pay for all the suffering they had caused him?  Joseph struggled with his past and with seeing his brothers.  Ultimately he revealed himself to them, forgiving them, saying “I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt!  And now do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because he was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. Gen. 45:5”    Joseph learned that God works through all the challenges that come our way.  In God’s hands all the setbacks become a platform to spring forward into something new.   When we regress or retreat, or are overwhelmed with challenges, God wants us to know his favor rests on us. He will see us through whatever dilemma we face.  When we put our problems in God’s hands we are like the Psalmist who says (119:32):  “I run in the path of your commands, for you have broadened my understanding.”   Rooted in the love of God, praying with our friends in faith, and turning to the scriptures broadens our mind.  We can move from fear to trust.  Anger to forgiveness.   Dislike to love.    Being overwhelmed to knowing that God is in control.  It takes God's grace and our response for this to happen.
 
If you find yourself in a place of fear or are tempted to regress, know that like with Joseph, God’s favor rests on you. God will be with us and see us through whatever prison we find ourselves in: whether it is a prison of our own making or circumstances or systems outside our control.  Go with God and in that decision we will find peace.
 
 
Prayer:  “God of Light, shine in whatever darkness I am dealing with and let me know you are there with me.  Heal and transform my thinking so I can trust you and the plans you have for my life. Amen.”

0 Comments

"Tribute to Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr."  January 15, 2016

1/16/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture
“In the beginning was the Word..” (John 1:1)
“14 I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world….. 17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you have sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.” John 17:14-18

Listen to:  Mahalia Jackson  "If I Can Help Somebody"  (A favorite of Dr. King's)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGzqKLzZXTE
 
“I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the songs of former slavers and the songs of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood… I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character…I have a dream that one day…little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as brothers and sisters…I have a dream today.”

       This week end, excerpts from the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s speech, “I Have a Dream,”  will be heard on television, read in newspapers and internet posts and in other ways highlight the civil rights leader assassinated 48 years ago.   It was a moving speech, delivered at the Lincoln Memorial in 1963. Some considered it one of King’s milder speeches, not as prophetic as other sermons and speeches he delivered.  Yet the “I Have a Dream” speech has endured in the American psyche as an emblem of possibility and hope. 

       What keeps the “I Have a Dream” speech an American icon is the passion and integrity of Dr. King himself.  It was his faithful discipleship as a Christian that shaped who he was and made him capable of producing such an enduring message.  His word and action were one.   He spoke truth to a nation embroiled in the sin of racism.   Because of this the witness he bore touched and transformed lives.
 
       Such is the power of God’s Word, Jesus, and his word which lives and is active within us.  As a result we are able to speak and live with integrity and power too, like Dr. King.   So our Christian living is not about promoting specific dogmas and “right teachings.”  Our discipleship is an apprenticeship in being, in living the truth, which resides deep in us.  Our words and actions are meant to flow from this core of inner truth, this truth of love, justice and mercy that Jesus speaks to us.  This truth activates our ability to act and speak with love; and to speak truthfully to the injustice, wrongs as well as the dreams and visions and goodness that surround us.
 
       When Jesus died, he didn’t leave behind any writings, any by-laws, any buildings or possessions.   He left behind disciples, who had that living word inside themselves.  That was enough.  It is enough for us to start a revolution of love and justice as well.  
 
       When Dr. King died, the movement he started didn’t die with him.  His words go on challenging us.  Dr. King, in the last year of his life, made the connections between poverty, militarism and war.   No wonder J. Edgar Hoover called King the most dangerous man in America.  Truth, connected to being, word and action is powerful.  King was a fallible but faithful disciple of Jesus.  There is nothing more powerful than that.

       The gospel calls us out of fragmented living to a place of wholeness and power, which can only be realized in the context of community.  A few months before he was assassinated, Dr. King spoke and shared from one of his favorite hymns by Mahalia Jackson, “If I Can Help Somebody.”   Dr. King said, “Yes, Jesus, I want to be on your right side or your left side, not for any selfish reason…But I just want to be there in love and in justice and in truth and in commitment to others, so that we can make of this old world a new world.”

    Let this word, borne of truth, reside deep in our hearts, move our hearts and bring us closer to Jesus and to each other.  Let us speak the truth living in us to our old world… and continue through loving word and action make of this old world a new world.

Prayer:  God of Truth:  May your living word dwell within us and lead us to all truth.  May our words and deeds bear fruit of your truth in our searching, hurting world and bring it to wholeness. Amen


https://www.archives.gov/press/exhibits/dream-speech.pdf
http://kingencyclopedia.stanford.edu/encyclopedia/documentsentry/doc_the_drum_major_instinct/


Picture
0 Comments

"Be Resolved!"  January 7, 2016

1/16/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture


 "As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem  Luke 9:51"

Listen to: For King and Country "Shoulders"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfiYWaeAcRw

 So how are those New Year’s resolutions going?  To lose weight or get to the gym?  To declutter the closets? To spend more time with the children-grandchildren/parents/friends?  To pay off debt?  To pray more frequently?

The good news is that as we conclude the first week of January,  75 percent of us will have kept our resolutions.  Not surprising, this figure decreases as the year goes on. After six months 46 percent of us will be plugging away at our resolutions. Change is hard, messy, and often requires reinforcement and multiple times of falling and getting back up again in order to succeed.  Good resolutions require effort. The transformation we long for as a result of our efforts - and God's - can seem to take forever.

The Gospel of Luke tells us of one of Jesus' main resolutions -- his destiny, really. To go to Jerusalem.   This trip wasn’t for pleasure or for visiting family.  This trip, Jesus knew, would result in his being rejected, arrested, put to death, and ultimately his rising again (Luke 9:21-22). Jesus’ motives would be misunderstood by his very disciples, who would abandon him, betray him and deny him. Yet Jesus maintained his resolution.  This resolution transformed Jesus into our messiah - our savior - the One crucified and risen on our behalf. 

Who could hold fast to such a resolution?  One leading to suffering and death instead of a better personal life?  I doubt there are many of us that could make and keep the kind of resolution Jesus had.   Yet Jesus’ resolution was to follow his destiny.   Because he was clear with himself what he had come to do and bear witness to, Jesus was able to embrace the hardships as well as moments of success.

Ultimately, have we made it our resolution to follow our destiny – which is about more than losing weight, decluttering the closet or having less debt.  We can get weighed down in the minutia of life if we are not careful.  The New Year asks us to find our destiny.  Seek it out. Follow it.  Make pursuing that path our number one resolution.   Pursuing our destiny leads to transformation.  

What is your destiny?  Where do you see your life heading?   If we don’t like the direction our life is going, we can change lanes. All this requires time for discernment, prayer, searching your heart’s desires and your dreams.  There is no greater investment we can make than to discover our destiny and resolve to pursue it, like Jesus did.  We are given one, precious life. We are created for a purpose. There is nothing more important we can do than living our lives with the same dedication and purpose toward loving service that Jesus modeled for us.

Perhaps our resolution this year should be to discover what our destiny is.    How does God want to use us?  What are God’s plans for our life as the prophet Jeremiah once pronounced in 29:11:  For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

How will our actions, our love, our resources contribute to the healing and transformation of our souls, our families, our communities and ultimately our planet?  Our destiny lies somewhere therein.

Take time this year to figure out where life is taking you.  Then with all resolve, follow your soul’s destiny just like Jesus did.

May that be one resolution we all keep this year:  "be transformed by the renewal of your minds"  (Romans 12:2).

 
Pray: God of our Destiny:  Show each of us what you have created us to do.  Give us the strength and determination of Jesus to follow through to completion. Amen.



Picture
0 Comments

    Author

    Moirajo is a minister, social worker, wife, mother, writer and animal lover. That's just for starters. Join the story, there's so much we can share together! 

    Archives

    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    June 2021
    May 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015

    Categories

    All

    Bible,  Living life on life's terms, spirituality

    RSS Feed

© Moira Ahearne 2017. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.