Monthly Archives: April 2014

Brethren Volunteer Service

They Told Me

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Ann Ziegler

Ann Ziegler, BVS unit #300

by Ann Ziegler, BVS Unit #300, San Pedro Sula, Honduras

This is the most violent city in the world, they told me.
You must be careful because they might steal from you, they told me.
These kids can be tough and frustrating, they told me.
There is so much poverty and so many gangs,
Most of these kids will end up in the streets again, they told me.
They are broken, they told me.
And I felt despair. But…
We are okay, said their smiles
We are joyful, said their laughter
We are full of life, said their high five’s
We are full of love, said their hugs
We are full of grace, said their kisses
We have hope, said their eyes
And I felt peace.

Since April is National Poetry Month, we are featuring poems by volunteers. If you are a past or present BVS volunteer, share a poem by e-mailing it to bvs@brethren.org or adding it in the comments section! Find out more about Brethren Volunteer Service.

Devotional

Building obstacles to God

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Luke 12:13-21

Prayer for the day:
Help me to place my trust in you, God of Life. Amen

Question for reflection:
In our quest for security, we falsely believe that the things of this world will ease our anxiety and keep us safe. We accumulate more and more things, only to find that what we thought would protect and sustain us now demand our time and energy to keep them safe—from rust and rot and thieves. What in your life do you need to get rid of so that you may live, instead, for God?

~ Kim Ebersole, Director of Family Life and Older Adult Ministries

Congregational Life Ministries of the Church of the Brethren is offering these simple prayers and questions in connection to this year’s Lenten Devotional written by Duane Grady, pastor of Cedar Lake Church of the Brethren (Available from Brethren Press in print and E-Book formats). Join us as we look and listen for the coming of the Word through the reading of scripture, Duane’s reflections, times of prayer, and conversations on this blog.

eBrethren

Break through

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“Thanks to his perseverance, there are no more barriers between us and God’s love.” Photos by Mandy Garcia and Brethren Volunteer Service

by Matt DeBall

A few weeks ago, a spring cardinal moved into a courtyard at the General Offices. I know this because she immediately started flying into a window outside my office. For more than a week she persisted, knocking on the glass over and over again.

Our winged visitor reminded me of others who found themselves stuck on the outside of a calling. Joseph had a dream of being blessed by God, but repeatedly experienced injustice. Moses saw God’s vision for Israel, but received repeated “NOs” from Pharaoh and insults from his own people. Esther had a fervent hope that her people would be saved, but faced ridicule and death.

As Easter approaches, we remember that even Jesus had to break through walls as he faced an oppressive government and corrupt religious leaders. Yet he persisted, giving all of himself to display the power of God’s kingdom. Through his life, death, and resurrection, Jesus broke down the walls of captivity, injustice, and religious arrogance. Filled with heavenly power, Jesus broke through walls of separation and made God’s kingdom accessible to all. Thanks to his perseverance, there are no more barriers between us and God’s love.

It might be a stretch to compare biblical heroes to the stubborn cardinal in the courtyard, but I can’t help but be inspired by the consistency they seem to share. The people around Joseph, Moses, Esther, and Jesus must have thought they were chasing impossible dreams. But their diligence and tireless faith can remind us to stay the course, even when it feels hopeless; to focus on God’s kingdom despite the pain, selfishness, and destruction in our world.

Through our service and speech, we can help to usher in God’s transforming peace, love, and mercy. Sometimes it may feel like we’re hitting our head against the same wall over and over again, but we must not give up. We must keep knocking, because through Christ all things are possible. Through the power of the Spirit, we will find a way. Through the grace of God, we will surely break through.

Matt DeBall is a member of the Donor Communications team for the Church of the Brethren. He can be reached with questions about special offerings, eBrethren, the Stewardship Lending Library, and personal financial resources at mdeball@brethren.org .

(Read this issue of eBrethren)

Devotional

Worthwhile sacrifices

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Matthew 5:21-26

 

Prayer for the day:
Reconciling God, help me be a peacemaker. Amen

Question for reflection:
“Make peace.” “Be reconciled.” “Make right what is wrong.” Making the first move toward peace is not always easy, but it is the way to move beyond the past into the future. As theologian Louis B. Smedes wrote, “To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.” When have you initiated reconciliation? How did you feel as you began? How did you feel afterward?

~ Kim Ebersole, Director of Family Life and Older Adult Ministries

Congregational Life Ministries of the Church of the Brethren is offering these simple prayers and questions in connection to this year’s Lenten Devotional written by Duane Grady, pastor of Cedar Lake Church of the Brethren (Available from Brethren Press in print and E-Book formats). Join us as we look and listen for the coming of the Word through the reading of scripture, Duane’s reflections, times of prayer, and conversations on this blog.

Devotional

Justice before worship

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Amos 5:21-24

Prayer for the day:
Make me thirst for justice, Loving God. Amen

Question for reflection:
Amos and other Old Testament prophets waste no words in letting us know God wants more than our empty words and self-serving actions. “If you really want to live, you must stop doing wrong and start doing right. I, the Lord God All-Powerful, will then be on your side, just as you claim I am.Choose good instead of evil! See that justice is done. Maybe I, the Lord All-Powerful, will be kind to what’s left of your people” (Amos 5:14-15 CEV). God wants us to put God first in our lives. How? The Message says this: “Do you know what I want? I want justice—oceans of it. I want fairness—rivers of it. That’s what I want. That’s all I want” (Amos 5:24). How did you live out God’s justice and fairness today?

~ Kim Ebersole, Director of Family Life and Older Adult Ministries

Congregational Life Ministries of the Church of the Brethren is offering these simple prayers and questions in connection to this year’s Lenten Devotional written by Duane Grady, pastor of Cedar Lake Church of the Brethren (Available from Brethren Press in print and E-Book formats). Join us as we look and listen for the coming of the Word through the reading of scripture, Duane’s reflections, times of prayer, and conversations on this blog.

Devotional

Do you love me?

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John 21

Prayer for the day:
Give me faith, Inviting God, to follow you. Amen

Question for reflection:
If you were in the boat with the disciples, after a long night of fishing without catching a single fish, and Jesus told you to cast your net on the other side of the boat, would you do it? If Jesus asked you, “Do you love me?” how would you respond? If Jesus called to you, “Follow me,” would you stop what you were doing and go? What is the difference between obedience and faith?

~ Kim Ebersole, Director of Family Life and Older Adult Ministries

Congregational Life Ministries of the Church of the Brethren is offering these simple prayers and questions in connection to this year’s Lenten Devotional written by Duane Grady, pastor of Cedar Lake Church of the Brethren (Available from Brethren Press in print and E-Book formats). Join us as we look and listen for the coming of the Word through the reading of scripture, Duane’s reflections, times of prayer, and conversations on this blog.

Devotional

These hands are holy hands

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Mark 2:23-3:6

Prayer for the day:
Give me strength, Holy God, to do what is right. Amen

Question for reflection:
As we read in these two stories, the Pharisees were intent on catching Jesus in the act of doing something they considered wrong. They remind me of an old-fashioned private eye lurking in the shadows or a hungry cat waiting to pounce on an unsuspecting mouse. But Jesus was fully aware of what the Pharisees were trying to do and continued to show the world a “new thing”—putting the law of love above the love of laws. Have there been times when you have been pressured to conform to the ways of the world and forsake what you know to be morally or ethically right? Where did you get the strength to follow the ways of Jesus instead?

~ Kim Ebersole, Director of Family Life and Older Adult Ministries

Congregational Life Ministries of the Church of the Brethren is offering these simple prayers and questions in connection to this year’s Lenten Devotional written by Duane Grady, pastor of Cedar Lake Church of the Brethren (Available from Brethren Press in print and E-Book formats). Join us as we look and listen for the coming of the Word through the reading of scripture, Duane’s reflections, times of prayer, and conversations on this blog.

 

 

Devotional

Holy worship

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Luke 4:5-8

Prayer for the day:
Almighty God,
People are unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered. Help me to love them anyway.
If I do good, people may accuse me of selfish motives. May I do good anyway.
If I am successful, I may win false friends and true enemies. May I succeed anyway.
The good I do today may be forgotten tomorrow. May I do good anyway.
Honesty and transparency make me vulnerable. May I be honest and transparent anyway.
What I spend years building may be destroyed overnight. May I build anyway.
People who really want help may attack me if I help them. May I help them anyway.
If I give the world the best I have, I may get hurt. May I give the world my best anyway.
God willing – I seek to do your will.
Amen.

-inspired by a quote from Mother Teresa

Question for reflection:
If we think of worship as anything that glorifies God, where can you worship God in our every day, ordinary life?

~ Katie Cummings, National Youth Conference Coordinator

Congregational Life Ministries of the Church of the Brethren is offering these simple prayers and questions in connection to this year’s Lenten Devotional written by Duane Grady, pastor of Cedar Lake Church of the Brethren (Available from Brethren Press in print and E-Book formats). Join us as we look and listen for the coming of the Word through the reading of scripture, Duane’s reflections, times of prayer, and conversations on this blog.

Devotional

Bread that gives life

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John 6:52-59

Prayer for the day:
Listening God,
Help me to rise to the challenge of following you. May my commitment to you grow like leavened bread rising on a warm day.

Question for reflection:
What are areas in your own community that could use leavening?

~ Katie Cummings, National Youth Conference Coordinator

Congregational Life Ministries of the Church of the Brethren is offering these simple prayers and questions in connection to this year’s Lenten Devotional written by Duane Grady, pastor of Cedar Lake Church of the Brethren (Available from Brethren Press in print and E-Book formats). Join us as we look and listen for the coming of the Word through the reading of scripture, Duane’s reflections, times of prayer, and conversations on this blog.

 

 

Brethren Volunteer Service

Hope

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By Allison Snyder

Allison Snyder

Allison Snyder, BVS unit #304

Hope should reach down into a person
and sing the desires of their heart.
It should inspire poets and painters
to strive for artwork where their pens tread.
Hope should inspire nations
to abandon nationalism and self-interest
for a better world for all.
Hope is not crazy or idealist
it is the yearning in our hearts
that tells us that magic and wonder are possible
that we are possible.
When we hope
we let others know that we exist
and believe so much even when it seems futile.
We hope, the daydreamers and wishers
that we might find a slice of Eden
hidden within our days.

Since April is National Poetry Month, we are featuring poems by volunteers. If you are a past or present BVS volunteer, share a poem by e-mailing it to bvs@brethren.org or adding it in the comments section!