Grace for All

Genesis 21:1-7Now the Lord was gracious to Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did for Sarah what he had promised. Sarah became pregnant and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the very time God had promised him. Abraham gave the name Isaac to the son Sarah bore him. When his son Isaac was eight days old, Abraham circumcised him, as God commanded him. Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him.Sarah said, “God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me.” And she added, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.”When we read the story of Sarah laughing at God's promise in Genesis 18, it's easy to be a little hard on her. After all, she laughed when God said she would have a son.But before we judge Sarah too quickly, it might be worth remembering a few details.Almost certainly, Sarah didn’t know the message came from God. Also, Sarah wasn't twenty-five. She was ninety years old! She and Abraham had spent decades hoping, praying, waiting, and wondering. They had endured years of disappointment and heartache. By the time God repeated the promise, Sarah wasn't being cynical. She was being realistic."Come on," she might have said. "I'm no spring chicken!"But look at the progression in Sarah.In Genesis 18, Sarah laughed because the promise seemed impossible.In Genesis 21, she laughed again because the promise had come true.That's why I love what she says after Isaac is born: "God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me."The story begins with laughter of disbelief and ends with laughter of joy. Not laughing at anyone, but laughing together.There's another beautiful detail hidden in the story from English-speaking ears. The name Isaac comes from the Hebrew word for laughter! In a sense, every time Sarah called her son's name, she was reminded of what God had done."God has brought me laughter." It’s almost, “God has brought me Isaac.” And there he was. Living proof.Sometimes God works quickly. Sometimes God's promises unfold over years or even decades. Most of us know what it's like to pray, wait, and wonder if anything will ever change.I don't know what promise you're waiting on today. I don't know what burden you've carried for a long time. But I do know this: God is still at work in ways we cannot always see. He always fulfills his promises, just not in ways we expect. And sometimes, after all the tears and waiting and wondering, grace gets the last laugh.Let's pray.Father, thank you for your patience with us when hope grows thin and faith grows weary. Remind us that you are still at work even when we cannot see the outcome. Give us the courage to trust you, the patience to wait on you, and the joy to recognize your blessings when they come. Through Christ our Lord, Amen.This devotion was written and read by Donn King.Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life. If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: [email protected]. First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.

Isaiah 40:31 (NET) But those who wait for the Lord’s help find renewed strength; they rise up as if they had eagle’s wings, they run without growing weary, they walk without getting tired. Watching the skies for eagles is a beloved part of my growing up along the rocky beaches of the Pacific Northwest. Sometimes their nests could be sighted high up in the wind-bent trees along the coast or in a forest of evergreens in the mountains. Now, as an adult, I still scan for them as often as possible in the Smoky Mountains, along with other beautiful birds of prey. “Look!”, someone in the family would quickly shout, pointing upwards, “An eagle!”. All eyes would then follow the pointing finger, exclaiming excitedly, “I see it!”. A hush would follow until the eagle, riding the rising wind currents, could no longer be seen. Its magnificence, though, remained, along with the honor and delight of the moment. To the Indigenous tribes, eagles are sacred. They are seen as the strongest and bravest of all birds, being admired for their courage and connection to the sky. With the ability to fly higher than any other bird, eagles are often seen as being closest to the Creator, carrying prayers on their wings and having a divine perspective. For us, as people of faith, eagles can provide an example of soaring above any stressful circumstance we have in our lives, trusting God to help lift our spirits. When the prophet Isaiah shared these words of hope with the Israelites held captive in Babylon, their spirits were low, and they were exhausted. They had endured decades of hardship. Even the strongest of humans gets tired but can rise above difficulties by looking to God for help and by remembering that God’s power remains steadfast. The Israelites needed comfort and encouragement to continue to persevere in the daily hardship of being in exile. When any of us feels overwhelmed or discouraged, and life becomes an intense sprint, there is the reminder that relying on God’s strength can refresh and recharge us. This strength can keep us moving forward without losing heart and becoming weary. At times, though, we can benefit from seeking to find a higher perspective and by renewing our trust in God’s timing. Waiting for God’s help in tough times requires prayer and surrender, just as an eagle opens its wings and allows the wind currents to carry it. Whenever we lift our eyes to the sky, God’s presence and comfort surround us, and we are carried through. Prayer: Loving God, help us rest in your strength. During our steady day-to-day walk of faith, help us gain perspective from a higher place of wisdom. Renew our trust in your timing and refresh us in every sacred moment. AmenThis devotion was written and read by Jenny Green.Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life. If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: [email protected]. First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.

You are listening to Grace for All, a daily devotional podcast produced by the people of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. This is Scripture Saturday, a time when we pause and reflect on the scriptures we have read throughout the week. If you missed any of our devotionals on these passages, you can find them on our website at 1stChurch.org or wherever you get your podcasts. Now, we invite you to listen and receive Grace. Welcome and thank you for joining us.Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life. If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: [email protected]. First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.

Matthew 5:16 (NRSV)In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.My brother and I used to spend whole summer days at my great-aunt Gladys' place in upper East Tennessee, gone from just after breakfast until the cowbell rang. She'd ring it from the porch when supper was ready, and the sound would carry up the holler however far we'd wandered.Gladys wasn't just an aunt who happened to have a huge house and what seemed like a million acres. My grandmother — my father's mother — died when he was a teenager, and her sister Gladys was the one who stepped into the gap, for him and eventually for all of us. Nobody required that of her. She just did it, summer after summer.We'd start back, cutting through brush and tree line, not always sure which direction the house actually was. But then we'd see the light.It wasn't some bare bulb over the screen door. There was a spotlight up there that could've guided a plane in. I was sure you could see it from the moon. Aunt Gladys wasn't standing under it, waving us home. She was probably back in the kitchen. The light was just on, doing its job at full power, and it did the same thing every single evening, whether we were five minutes out or forty. We'd catch that glow through the trees and know two things at once: which way to walk, and that someone was expecting us.Jesus says we're the light of the world, and then tells us what to do about it. It’s not complicated. Let it shine. Not a little. Not carefully. Aunt Gladys never once worried that her porch light was too much. We rarely worry that our own light is too bright. We worry it's not enough, or that someone might actually notice it. Like Aunt Gladys, Jesus doesn't share that worry.After telling us to shine our light, he tells us what the light is for. Not so people see us. So they see good works — and through them, glorify the Father. The light isn't the point. It's the pointer.The men who founded the United States understood something like that, whether they fully lived up to it or not. They didn't claim to have invented the idea that everyone is created equal. They wrote that it was self-evident, endowed by our Creator — a truth they were reaching for, not one they owned. They put their names to it, some of them at real cost, and then left the rest of us holding an aspiration we still haven't finished living into.That's the thing about an aspiration grounded in God instead of in ourselves: it doesn't get to stay comfortable. It keeps calling us further than we've gone. We've had two hundred fifty years of getting parts of it right and parts of it wrong, and the creed is still out there, still unfinished, still asking to be lived rather than just framed and hung on a wall.It was never America's light to take credit for, any more than it was ever Gladys' light to take credit for, or mine, or yours. Jesus didn't say, "Let your light shine so they'll see you." He said, "Let it shine so they see the good works and glorify the Father." The light points past us. It always has. The country doesn't finish that work. People do — one porch, one welcome, one stranger treated like he was made the same as you, all the way down.So leave the light on. Full power. Whoever's out in the dark tonight, let them see it from a long way off — and let them see, past the light itself, who really left it on.Father, thank you for the light you've placed in us, brighter than we give it credit for. Help us leave it on for everyone still finding their way home. Amen.This devotional was written and read by Cliff McCartney.Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life. If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: [email protected]. First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.

Matthew 22:37-39 (CEB)He replied, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your being, and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: You must love your neighbor as you love yourself.For years, I taught public speaking, and one question came up again and again: Which matters more, content or delivery?My answer was always the same. That's the wrong question.Effective speaking requires good content, thoughtful organization, and engaging delivery. You can study those three elements separately, but you can't separate them in a real speech. They work together as one.I sometimes compare it to the human body. We study the circulatory system and the respiratory system as though they are separate, but inside the lungs they become so closely intertwined that it's difficult to say where one ends and the other begins. They aren't competing systems. They are cooperating parts of one living body.I thought of that as I read today's Scripture.A legal expert asked Jesus, "Which is the greatest commandment?" Jesus refused to get backed into identifying a single commandment, something rabbis had already debated for a long time. He answered with two commandments: love God and love your neighbor.Neither commandment was new. God's people had known them for centuries. Jewish teachers had reflected on each of them long before Jesus. What was new was that Jesus refused to separate them.Even more striking is what he said next: "All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." (Emphasis is mine.)Jesus didn't simply rank them first and second among 613. He revealed that every other command finds its meaning here. Love for God and love for neighbor are not two competing priorities. They are two inseparable expressions of the same faithful life, and every other command depends on them.Sometimes we ask questions that are too small. We want to know which command matters most. Jesus invites us to see something deeper. It’s not about crossing T’s and dotting I’s or checking off items in a “to do” list. If we truly love God, we will love the people God loves. And if we genuinely love our neighbor, we are living out our love for God.Jesus answered a deeper question than the one he was asked. Instead of choosing between two commandments, he showed us that they have always belonged together.Let’s pray now.Gracious God, teach us to love you with our whole hearts and to love our neighbors with that same wholehearted devotion. When we are tempted to separate what you have joined together, help us remember that every act of genuine love reflects your heart. Shape our lives to reflect your love more faithfully each day. In Jesus' name, Amen.This devotion was written and read by Donn King.Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: [email protected] United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.

Revelation 21:18-21The wall (of heaven) was made of jasper and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass. The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, the fifth sardonyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of pure gold, like transparent glass.In his last year or so, my dad said, “I don’t understand the whole pearly gates and streets of gold of heaven.” I think there were two main reasons for this.First, Daddy was a simple man with simple pleasures. He once tried in vain to convince a college friend of mine that he was a rich man when clearly he led a very simple life.Second, one of his main goals in reaching heaven was not to be dazzled by gems and gold but to be reunited with his loving wife who preceded him in death by 12 years. He missed her badly.We all have different visions of heaven, whether it's being reunited with loved ones or some other personal vision. Are there dogs in heaven? Is there baseball in heaven? We know there will be eternal songs of praise for the Father and for his Son. Personally, I hope there are trout streams in heaven.But one of the greatest aspects of heaven is also found in Revelation chapter 21, verse 4. “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, or crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” This was the dream Daddy had of heaven, of being free from the pains of his life, most of all the pain of losing his wife. And isn’t this promise truly heavenly? We have all experienced pain in our lives, whether it is loss of a loved one, physical pain of sickness or injury, the loss of relationships or jobs or security. And all of these have brought tears to our eyes. To know that there will be no more mourning, or crying, or pain anymore is of so much greater worth than anything else we could imagine about the treasures of our eternal home.One of my very favorite songs is by Julie Miller, entitled All My Tears. The first verse and chorus go like this:When I go, don't cry for meIn my Father's arms I'll beThe wounds this world left on my soulWill all be healed and I'll be wholeSun and moon will be replacedWith the light of Jesus' faceAnd I will not be ashamedFor my savior knows my nameIt don't matterWhere you bury meI'll be home, and I'll be freeIt don't matter where I layAll my tears be washed awayPrayer:Dear Father, thank you for the promise that in our heavenly home, all tears will be wiped away. Pain will be no more and joy will be eternal. You have promised us no more special treasure than this. Thank you, thank you. Amen.This devotional was written and read by Charlie Barton.Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: [email protected] United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.

Amos 5:24 (ESV)But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream."Amos was a shepherd called by God to deliver a stinging message to the northern kingdom of Israel. On the outside, the nation was thriving. Religion was booming. The people packed the temples, offered expensive sacrifices, and sang beautiful songs of praise. Yet, beneath this glossy veneer of piety lay a rotten core. The wealthy were exploiting the poor, judges were taking bribes, and the marginalized were being crushed in the streets. God’s people had separated their worship of Him from their treatment of others.Through Amos, God delivered a shocking revelation: God did not want more ritual; He wanted reality. He wanted their faith to move from the temple walls into the marketplace. He wanted justice to roll down like a mighty waterfall and righteousness to flow like a stream that never runs dry.Centuries later, this ancient prophetic cry became the bedrock of modern transformation. Standing on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial during the 1963 March on Washington, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. thundered these exact words to a nation fractured by racial oppression. He declared that civil rights activists would never be satisfied "until justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream."Dr. King understood that Amos's words were not a relic of history, but a living demand. By weaving this Hebrew scripture into his most inspirational speech, Dr. King did not just demand political reform; he demanded a spiritual awakening. He reminded the world that a society cannot claim to be good, just, or godly while systematically crushing the dignity of its people.It is incredibly easy to fall into the same trap as ancient Israel. We can check all the spiritual boxes—attending church, reading our devotionals, and singing the songs—while remaining completely indifferent to the pain, loneliness, and unfairness around us. True worship cannot be contained within a church building. It must spill over into how we treat our coworkers, how we speak to our spouses, how we manage our finances, and how we advocate for those who have no voice.When we allow God’s justice and righteousness to flow through us, we become conduits of His healing. We stop asking, "How is that person different from me?" and start asking, "How can I bring God's fairness and love into this situation?" Then we begin to bring healing to the hurting areas of our communities with kindness, honesty, and active compassion.Let us prayHeavenly Father, forgive me for the times I have offered you lip service while keeping my heart detached from the needs of others. Give me a hunger and thirst for righteousness. Let Your Holy Spirit dig deep channels into my soul, so that Your justice and love can roll through my life like a mighty, unstoppable stream. Amen.This devotion was written by Gary Hensley and read by Jim Stovall.Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life. If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: [email protected]. First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.

Proverbs 3:5-6Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.I hike a lot. I have gone on short hikes, and I have gone on long hikes. Some hikes are easy and some incredibly challenging. Some days the weather has been beautiful. Other days the weather has been life-threatening. I have been charged by boar, deer, and bear. I come around a curve in the trail to be greeted by a field of wildflowers in bloom. I have hiked trails so steep that it was like climbing a ladder with the rungs two feet apart.But here are lessons for life that I have learned from hiking:I will not know what is around the next curve, ever, whether it be beauty or danger.Rattlesnakes that give warning are safer than ones that lie silent on the trail.The weather can change in an instant, and there is nothing I can do about it.One foot in front of the other is the only way to get out of the woods.Carry only what you need- without knowing what you might need.Step aside to let others pass.Trust.When hiking, the path is rarely straight. It is filled with curves and climbs, roots and ruts, and yet, I have always made it home.Here is something that today’s verse from Proverbs teaches us about trust. It does not ask us to make the path straight for the Lord. It says that if we acknowledge Him, he will make straight our path. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”During our lives, are we making the path straight for the Lord or is the Lord making the path straight for us? - YesThe Way that Jesus has shared with us does not level and pave the path for us. It does not give us power, wealth, or control. Jesus did not preach that life would become easy. It requires much of us. What Does the Lord Require of us? Trust in Him. He will provide.When we are lost, tired, and hungry, we must keep walking the path shared with us. When we are healthy, strong, and righteous, we make straight the way for our Lord. So every day that we fill the ruts and remove the stumbling blocks, we are straightening the path for the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the prisoner, the naked, and the sick. And whether you notice it or not, His grace will make straight the path for you.PrayerLord, when I am blind, please let me see your grace. When I stumble, please help me to stand. When I am scared, please bring me comfort. When I lose faith, please give me strength to trust in you. And when I am weak and try to rely on my own insight, please bring me the wisdom to trust and rely on you instead. Amen.This devotion was written by Jill Pope and read by Susan Daves.Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: [email protected] United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.

Colossians 3:12-15 – 12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.It can be hard to stay centered in and focused on love, when the chatter all around us seems to be just the opposite. The world is noisy and loud, filled with sounds of turmoil, negativity, and hate. Wars and rumors of wars abound. But we must stop right there!We must refocus. Colossians 3:2 tells us to “set our minds on things above…” I believe that means not only on God above, but on thoughts that are “above” the negativity and turmoil we generally hear. To “set our minds on things above,” we will need space to stand apart from the fray. Quiet space to pray and listen to God. That quiet time and space with God will allow Him to teach us how to LOVE as He does. To LOVE even the ones we don’t like very much and time to put on those virtues of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience, mentioned in today’s Bible verse.We may be overwhelmed by the noise of constant news, opinions, and experts, but we must be examples of a different way of operating in such a busy, noisy world. We must learn to follow the way our scripture directs us, instead of jumping into the ugly, negative fray of hate speech, anger, and violence. We must turn away from the world and turn toward God. God is LOVE.Jesus modeled the Way for us. He turned the other cheek. He forgave those torturing him. He prayed, “Father, forgive them. They know not what they do.” But we must know what we do. It is going to take time – quiet time – focus – refocus on LOVE – change – change of heart, so as not to give anger for anger, hate for hate. Time to give LOVE to the people we don’t like. God will help us to clothe ourselves with the accessories we need – Compassion, Kindness, Humility, Gentleness, Forgiveness, and Patience.But we will need prayer, self-control, and personal willpower – fueled by God’s LOVE.And most of all, we will need a constant attitude of LOVE – fueled by God’s LOVE.“Father forgive them, they know not what they do”, this must be our constant prayer, as we walk through our day. Help us develop a habit of this prayer! Help us to make it our constant mantra in our overloaded world! Father forgive them… I’m sure we will feel much better walking around wrapped in LOVE, instead of fear, anger and hate. LOVE feels GOOD! Let’s walk in LOVE today, help us Lord, and in all our tomorrows! Help us LORD! In Jesus’ name we pray. AMEN!This devotional was written and read by Bernice Howard.Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life. If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: [email protected]. First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.

Thank you for joining us for today's Grace for All podcast. On Saturdays, we pause for a few moments to look back on our week and to review the scriptures that we have used in our podcast. We encourage you, after listening to this episode, to go back and listen to the episodes you missed, or to review the ones that were particularly meaningful for you. We trust that the thoughts that we have shared with you this week have provided a full portion of the joy, peace, and love of Jesus Christ. Now, listen to this week's scriptures. Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life. If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: [email protected]. First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.

Colossians 3:12-14Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.I have a closet full of clothes, but when I get dressed, I tend to reach for the same things over and over. You might say they’re my favorites, and that’s probably true. It’s also true that I have made a habit of choosing those items. I know they fit. They’re comfortable, I haven’t had any problems with them in the past, and I don’t have to give much thought to wearing them. I like them because I can put them on in the morning and then rarely think about what I’m wearing for the rest of the day.In the scripture reading for today, we receive both promise and instruction. The promise is that we are a people chosen by God, a holy people. The instruction is that as a chosen people striving to live into that holiness, we are to ‘put on’ compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. We are to clothe ourselves in these virtues, to bear with each other, and to forgive as God has forgiven us. And above all, we are to clothe ourselves in love, which binds all these together in perfect unity.If I make it a daily practice, a discipline, to put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience before I begin my day, and cover them with an overcoat of love, soon it becomes a habit. Interacting with others in these ‘clothes’—especially those I need to ‘bear with’ and offer grace and forgiveness to—becomes familiar and natural.Make a habit of ‘putting on’ Christ in the morning, and it will transform the way you relate to people throughout the day. And when you can bear with someone else in love, offer compassion and forgiveness rather than defensiveness and retribution, it might just transform the way they relate to others throughout the day. It’s like offering someone the coat off your back.Sadly, I can testify that clothing yourself in selfishness, fear, frustration, bitterness and resentment instead also transforms the way you relate to people throughout the day. Dressing in these vices can easily become a habit as well. And interacting with others in this state of mind exerts its own influence. Have you ever run into someone who sours your mood? Dressing in the ‘clothing’ of fear and anger is like taking the coat off someone else’s back.So, as we prepare to go out into the world today, let’s consider what to wear.Let us pray:God of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience, as I go about this day, dress me in love—dress me in Christ. Help me to bear with those who try my patience and to offer forgiveness to those who grieve me. In so doing, may I freely share the love of Christ which you have so generously given to me. Amen.Today’s devotional was written and read by Greta Smith.Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: [email protected] United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.

Romans 12:9-10Let love be genuine; hate what is evil; hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. A few years ago, while I was still serving churches, my district superintendent had an idea. Instead of the one annual meeting to train incoming chairs of local church committees, why not have several smaller events around the district? He believed that reducing travel time would encourage more people to show up. It was a good idea but a lot more work for the people planning it. I was invited to be on the planning committee. The reason being, my church was hosting one of the training events, a surprise to me. We, as a committee, worked long hours and in the end pulled off his vision. Imagine my surprise when he was recognized for this creative model of training the leaders of the local church at our annual conference. He accepted an award from the bishop and smiled and said, “I hope to expand it to even more places next year!” No mention was made of the committee that made it all happen.I have to admit to being a little upset. But our God has a sense of humor. That day I had read this passage from Romans as part of my devotions. The last part, “love others with mutual affection,” in the translation I was reading said: “Take delight in honoring others.” Those words had made an impression on me. I had prayed, “God help me today to delight when others are honored.” I remembered that prayer and, after taking a deep breath, released my anger. We had done something that made a difference. It really didn’t matter if I got any credit.Have you ever had a time like I experienced? We all have. It’s hard to do the work and see another recognized. But the Apostle Paul says genuine love is about uplifting others, not about getting your own pat on the back. It is about doing things because you are embracing the good that is happening instead of doing it because you want others to see your good deeds.If we all try to build others up, God’s kingdom is glorified. My district superintendent must have reflected afterward on that award ceremony and what he said and did not say because I got a nice thank-you note from him.Will you pray with me?Loving God, forgive us when our love and service have not been done with humility and joy. Help us to strive to love as Jesus did, with an open heart, making sure we do all we can to build others up. For when we do, we realize that you are flooding our lives with love and peace. AMEN.This devotion was written and read by Bill Green.Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: [email protected] United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.

Proverbs 3:5-6Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.I freely admit that I prefer reading the New Testament over the Old Testament. I know it is important to understand the history of the Old Testament, as it prepares the way for us to experience the birth, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. However, it doesn’t speak to me as the New Testament does. . .except for Psalms and Proverbs. To me the words of these two books are beautiful in their praise and expressions of the human condition, and they give us words to live by. Proverbs is considered a “wisdom” book, providing guidance for living a good life. However, Proverbs do not provide promises. “If you do this, then this will happen.” No, rather, if you do this, you have a better chance of experiencing fulfillment and happiness. There is no guarantee that our paths will be straight if we trust in the Lord, but relying on our own knowledge and understanding is definitely a more hazardous path.Is there a time when all you could do is trust in the Lord? Some circumstance that you could not see around or past? A time of confusion, sadness and darkness? Unless you have led an exceptionally unusual life, then we can all answer yes to those questions. For me, a recent time in my life that I felt this way was my husband’s diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. I wanted to believe that he would beat the odds and survive longer than a few months, but in my heart of hearts I knew that our time together was going to be short. When he passed away four months later, I could not conceive of a path forward without him. I could not see a future with any joy in it, although we had talked extensively about my going forward with plans we had made together. I trusted the Lord to guide me because I had to. Now a little over a year later, I can look back and see that, although the path was quite crooked and still filled with uncertainty, the Lord did guide me. It wasn’t a straight path, but it led me to where I am today, trusting the Lord to continue to guide me and able to honor my husband’s memory by living a meaningful, happy life. To me, these verses in Proverbs lead directly to Jesus’ promise as he ascended into heaven: “. . .and remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”Let us pray.Thank you God for your guidance and wisdom in the Book of Proverbs, your assurance that relying on you is always the best choice. Even more, thank you for the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of your son Jesus Christ, whose last promise assures us that we will never be alone, no matter our circumstances. He will always be with us. Amen.This devotion was written and read by Pat Scruggs.Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life. If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: [email protected]. First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.

Zechariah 7:9-10Thus says the Lord of hosts: Render true judgment, show kindness and mercy to one another, do not oppress, the widow, the orphan, the alien, or the poor; and do not devise evil in you hearts against one another.The prophet Zechariah is mentioned in passing in Ezra 5:1. Both he and the prophet Haggai were part of the generation that returned to the land of their ancestors after the King Cyrus of Persia released the exiles. They went to Jerusalem to settle and rebuild the city and the Temple of the Lord.A small number of the people who traveled were part of the exiled generation. The majority, though, were the descendants of people who experienced the destruction of the city, the kingdoms of Israel and Judah, and the Temple. We may marvel at the courage involved in going to a place they have never seen and starting life anew. The nagging question on everyone’s mind had to be what will we do when we get there? They would rebuild, live, be the people of God again were among those answers. But what do we rebuild first? Do we build our own houses, the Temple, or the city walls? How should we live when we are settled? Haggai will argue that the people need to complete the Temple. Zechariah will say, “We need to do what God is doing.” What does God want?Our text says God wants this new generation to do community life better than the previous one did. These verses in Zechariah 7 repeat the teaching of the prophets of those earlier generations. We should live honestly and never mistreat another person. While we may desire to leave the lesson there, Zechariah names the people whom he saw as the most vulnerable. He wants his readers to ask, “How are we treating orphans, widows, aliens, and the poor?” He suggests the key is to ask how are we treating another person? Are we devising evil against someone else? Are we excusing our attitudes by the unholy imagination that someone is planning to do us harm? Is our golden rule, do unto others before they do unto you?The people of Zechariah’s day probably responded by saying their situation was more desperate than the times of their ancestors. They may have claimed that they would never act like their ancestors did. People living in our time would say, “This is not who we are.”The fact is Zechariah knows his neighbors. He knows himself. And he knows everyone experiences the temptation to be dishonest in their actions and their relationships with others. This is who we are. Zechariah and the other people who returned know they did not release themselves. It was the grace of God working through the Persian emperor. The prophet seeks to remind his neighbors of that fact.When we ask what the Lord requires, we acknowledge we are saved by grace and not works. This is the truth we rely on when we fail to do what is right. That truth also means we know better and should work to be examples as citizens of Heaven. People should acknowledge their need for grace. We should also know God gives grace to other people. We cannot mistreat someone without God knowing it.This devotion was written by Don Jones and read by Jim Stovall.Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: [email protected] United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.

Amos 5:23-24 (NIV)Away with the noise of your songs!I will not listen to the music of your harps.But let justice roll on like a river,righteousness like a never-failing stream!The prophet Amos probably lived about 8 centuries before the birth of Christ. In this passage, Amos is speaking to the people of Israel and Judah, and he is prophesying about the anger of God toward his chosen people, people who have turned away from following God’s commands and from seeking justice for all. God is not satisfied by worship rituals and songs; God demands “changed behavior—seeking God’s will, treating others with Justice, and following God’s commands.” (Illustrated Dictionary of the Bible, p. 44)Amos describes justice as a mighty river that rolls through history, delivering righteousness at the darkest times. Over the course of history, justice seems to be an impossible dream, yet it prevails again and again. In recent centuries, we have seen this justice in the days of the American Civil War, when the Underground Railroad carried blacks from slavery into freedom; we have seen this justice prevail in World War 2 as the German army was soundly defeated and Hitler’s leaders were tried in International Courts. We have seen justice prevail in the non-violent Civil Rights marches of the 1960s.It would be easy today to lose heart and say that the mighty stream of justice has turned into a trickle. But we live in a tiny patch of time, and God lives in eternity. God continues to send prophets to warn us and to inspire us with hope. All around us there are those who bring justice into the world.One example is the story of Master Sergeant Roddie Edmunds, a Blount County native who fought in WWII. His son, Chris Edmunds, is the pastor of Piney Grove Baptist Church, and he discovered his father’s story of bravery after Roddie Edmunds’ death. After doing much research, Chris wrote a book titled No Surrender. Near the end of WWII in 1944, Roddie Edmunds and his regiment were captured in the Battle of the Bulge. Their Nazi captors lined all the prisoners up and ordered Roddie, the senior non-commissioned officer of the American prisoners, to point out the Jews in his command. Roddie knew the Nazis planned to kill the Jewish soldiers, and he replied, “We are all Jews here.” He refused to single out anyone under his command and saved more than 200 lives. Justice rolled down like a river in a very dark time.Another example is Martin Luther King, Jr. In 1963, he stood at the Washington Mall surrounded by over 200,000 Americans. In his speech, now known as “I Have a Dream,” King stated, “In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred….Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force.” King believed in non-violent protest and meeting violence with love. In the middle of the speech, he builds to a crescendo with the words, “No, no we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.” Though King was assassinated in 1968, his prophetic speech helped bring about the Civil Rights Act of 1964.Whether we recognize it or not, God’s justice is at work in our world and even through our own lives. It is not always evident in the moment, but it will prevail as long as we seek God’s will.Let us pray: Thank you, God, for reminding us that we are your tools for justice. Help us to see the injustices around us, and to respond to them. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.This devotion was written by Laura Derr and read by Judy Wilson?Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: [email protected] United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.

Matthew 5:3Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.When I was a teenager, my oldest brother was already married. I was the “last” child at home and I must admit I was drawn to my two brothers and what they thought and how they lived. My oldest brother was delighted one Christmas to receive a tee-shirt that said, “Whoever dies with the most toys wins.” I thought, at that time, it was so funny. As I reflect o nit now, I realize it was merely a symptom of the time – accumulation of material possessions in many forms. I will say that my brother didn’t have a lot of “stuff”, but he was very interested in building his assets and ego. Let’s be clear here, that was a long time ago and we have all grown and changed.With that said, this reading reminded me of those days. There was not much time spent on self-reflection, especially on our flaws. We lacked the maturity to understand this verse. For us, the thought that “blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” seemed absurd and simply not to be believed. How could this be? Quite a paradox!However, maturity guides us to clarity. We discover that spiritual poverty is not about possessions or financial situations. Spiritual poverty is a deep humble awareness of our need, our desperate need for God. Some would even say “spiritual bankruptcy”. We must depend, not on ourselves, but solely on God. We must be humble and ask for His help. It might feel hard to say, but we are accepting that we will need God for everything. Without God, we are spiritually empty. Perhaps the hardest part of being humble is letting go of worldly things – status, wealth, ego. We must make room to receive the gifts God has for us – grace, love, fulfillment, true blessings.So today, I ask you, “Where is your heart? What fills your heart? In Matthew 6:21 we are challenged by these words, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Where or what is your treasure? What makes you feel blessed and rich? If things are a part of that equation for you, do these things make your proud and/or arrogant? Do they make you feel complete? Do you still feel vulnerable? Or, when you truly look at the “stuff” in your life, are you trying to conceal or hide behind your flaws?Hopefully, you have grown to know spiritual poverty and reach out to God for a path that is quite different and leads us to the kingdom of heaven. Letting go of worldly attachments and recognizing our utter dependence on God requires profound humility and “letting go”.Oh, and that tee-shirt I told you about earlier, there was a follow-up tee-shirt revealing the futility of gathering more and more; “He who dies with the most toys still dies.” It’s a sobering thought for sure.I’m taking a long, hard look at my life and heart today. I believe that God requires me to be humble, to recognize the emptiness and the extreme need for Him. My heart’s desire is to be filled by God’s grace and to know that we all need God, not “stuff”. Suddenly, the kingdom of heaven belonging to the “poor in spirit” no longer seems absurd.Let us pray…Lord, our God… grant us the grace, love and open hearts to understand the path you require us to travel. Help us to recognize that our hearts and treasure must align. Reveal our many over-looked blessings and remind us our true blessings are far more important than “stuff”. Remind us God what you require of us and of our lives. We ask these things in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.This devotion was written and read by Lisa Blackwood.Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life. If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: [email protected]. First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.

You are listening to Grace for All, a daily devotional podcast produced by the people of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. This is Scripture Saturday, a time when we pause and reflect on the scriptures we have read throughout the week. If you missed any of our devotionals on these passages, you can find them on our website at 1stChurch.org or wherever you get your podcasts. Now, we invite you to listen and receive Grace. Welcome and thank you for joining us.Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life. If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: [email protected]. First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.

“So now, O Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you?”Deuteronomy 10:12 (NRSV)Her name was Sam. At least, that's what she told people here, because her real name — Xiomara — made people uncomfortable. They'd try it once, mangle it, and look relieved when she smiled and said, "Sam is fine."She arrived in 2004, with two suitcases, a worn-out dictionary, and the same dream every person who ever came here — including my ancestors and yours — carried with them: a better life.What she hadn't expected was the grocery store. Not the size, but the variety. An older woman noticed her staring at forty-seven kinds of breakfast cereal with an expression somewhere between confusion and panic. The woman picked up a box of Cheerios, held it out, and said, "These are good," and walked away.Sam ate Cheerios every morning for a month. After that, she discovered Raisin Bran. And Captain Crunch.She learned English fast, out of necessity, and before long had a job at a hospital. There was still the apartment manager who told her she didn't 'sound right' for the building. Still, the coworker who spoke slowly and loudly at her, like more volume could fix the language gap. But there was also still the woman from the cereal aisle.A few months later, Sam ran into the “cereal aisle” woman again. The woman remembered her. She asked how she was getting on, and actually listened to the answer. Before they parted, she said, "We have a church. Nothing fancy, just like the Cheerios. But the people are good. You're welcome if you want to come."She came. A Sunday school teacher named Harold learned her name on the first try. Over time, people cared for her and visited her, “just because.” Like a neighbor. Like a person. She was home.Moses, near the end of his life, stood before the people he led through the wilderness and asked them a question: What does the Lord your God require of you? He doesn't leave it hanging. Fear God. Walk in his ways. Love him. Serve him with everything you have. And — almost as a natural consequence — love the stranger. Because you were strangers once. You know what that cost.America turns 250 this summer. That's worth celebrating. Two hundred and fifty years ago, a group of men put their names to a document that said, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights." They didn’t make that up. They reached for something they believed was already true, written into the nature of things by God himself. Some of them would lose everything for signing it — their homes, their fortunes, their lives. It is right to honor that. It is right to celebrate it. But that creed is now ours to carry. Every person. Including the ones who show up with two suitcases and a worn-out dictionary and dreams of a better life.Being a true American, in the purest sense, has always meant taking that creed seriously — living it. Jesus didn't leave much ambiguity about what that looks like either. Love God. Love your neighbor as yourself. Sam is a neighbor. Xiomara is a neighbor. The cereal lady understood that. The apartment manager hadn't gotten there yet.Moses's question still hangs in the air. It was never aimed at strangers. It's aimed at the people who already claim the name.What does the Lord require of you?Father, remind us what it felt like to need someone to hand us a box of cereal. Give us the grace to go back down that aisle and invite someone in. Amen.This devotional was written and read by Cliff McCartneyGrace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: [email protected] United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.

But let justice roll on as a river, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.Amos 5:24This is a powerful demand from God for unstoppable fairness and care for the vulnerable, warning that empty religious rituals are meaningless without moral integrity. By definition, Justice is a fundamental and ethical principle based on equity, fairness and the rule of law. It ensures that individuals receive what they are due, whether it is appropriate rewards for good deeds or fair consequences for bad ones.The prophet Amos delivered this message to the Northern Kingdom of Israel during a time of great economic prosperity, but also deep moral decay. The wealthy and powerful were exploiting the poor, taking bribes in court, and using false scales in business. Despite this widespread oppression, the people were still faithfully attending religious festivals and offering sacrifices. The prophet Amos is condemning the religious hypocrisy and demands that the society establish true justice and righteousness , rather than just offering the obligatory sacrifice.God’s law for His people was always about loving God and loving others. In the time of Amos, it seems that His people had totally missed the point. The prophet Hosea reveals the heart of God in this matter: “I desire mercy, not sacrifice” (Hosea 6:6). God provided the sacrificial system for His people because He knew that they would sin, and He wanted to provide a way for their sin to be cleansed. In Amos’s day, the people used God’s sacrificial system like pagan religious systems. They didn’t follow God’s moral law, and they assumed perfunctory obedience to the letter of the law would suffice. They were stuck in a legalistic religion. But Amos emphasizes that God would rather have true justice rather than outward conformity to his laws.Martin Luther King Jr. famously invoked the phrase "let justice roll down" during the Civil Rights Movement to demand immediate equality and an end to systemic racism. The exact line, "...we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream," was a focal point of his 1963 "I Have a Dream" speech. It was a rallying call that true racial equality was a necessity.This verse is as relevant today as they were in Amos’s time. The call to justice and righteousness is a timeless one, calling us to examine our own lives and the society we live in to ensure that we align with God’s standards of justice and mercy.Let us pray: Heavenly Father, Be in our hearts so that we may be truly just and righteous people, not merely mouthing the words. Open our eyes to the injustice of the world and guide us to right the wrongs and continue to do Your will. AmenThis devotional was written by Virginia Hardwick Kerr and read by Sally Stovall.Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: [email protected] United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.

With what should I approach the Lord and bow down before God on high? Should I come before him with entirely burned offerings, with year-old calves? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with many torrents of oil? Should I give my oldest child for my crime; the fruit of my body for the sin of my spirit? He has told you, human one, what is good and what the Lord requires from you: to do justice, embrace faithful love, and walk humbly with your God.Micah 6:6-8 (CEB)I don't know if this is true of most people, but I know it is true of me: I have often wanted a checklist.Sure, I make my own checklists, but that's not what I'm talking about. I mean the kind someone hands you. How to do your taxes. Step one. Step two. Step three. How to choose a career. How to be a good husband. How to write a novel.The problem is the assumption that if you gather all the right pieces and assemble them correctly, you will automatically end up with something whole. Do all the little steps, or even all the big steps, and everything will turn out right.That's not how life works.Don’t get me wrong, checklists are useful. I use them all the time. But they are just a tool. Assembling all the ingredients of a cake does not guarantee you'll end up with a good cake, even if you stir everything together, even if you follow all the directions. Something separates an excellent baker from a merely adequate one, things like judgment, experience, and feel.Through the prophet Micah, God pointed out the shortcoming of Israel's checklist mentality. They had a list of good things to do—even impressive things—but they were missing what those things were supposed to accomplish. Maybe they wanted to earn their way to God. At the very least, they could look back over the previous week or month and check off their accomplishments.I suspect that's why most of us like checklists. We want to know when we've done enough.But God offered something different. Not a lower standard, but a higher one.How can you tell when you have completed justice? How do you know when you have fully embraced faithful love? Do you ever finish walking humbly with your God?Maybe that's the point. If we can check something off a list, we tend to think we're done with it. But our relationship with God is never a one-and-done experience. It is an ongoing journey, a continuing walk. The goal is not to arrive somewhere. The goal is to walk with God.Micah's listeners probably thought they had accomplished great things, and from a human perspective, perhaps they did. But God has always seemed less concerned with accomplishments than with relationships.That is a good reminder for me. I need to stop asking whether I've done enough. I never will. "Enough" is not the point.The relationship is.Let’s pray.Gracious God, thank you for inviting us into a relationship rather than a performance. Teach us to do justice, embrace faithful love, and walk humbly with you each day. When we become preoccupied with doing enough, remind us that your desire is to walk beside us. We pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen.This devotional was written and read by Donn King.Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: [email protected] United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.

Psalm 30:11-12You have turned my mourning into dancing; you have taken off my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, so that my soul may praise you and not be silent. O Lord, my God, I will give thanks to you forever.She was diagnosed with colon cancer and a huge obstructive mass removed from her colon. Further testing revealed spread to the lymph nodes. Lymph nodes are the transport system in our bodies that work with our immune system to fight off infection and disease. But hers now carried the seeds of cancer that could spread to other vital organs. Chemotherapy to kill the “seeds of cancer” was prescribed and the administration of chemo began a few weeks ago.You’d think she would be sad, depressed, or scared. But NO! She remains calm, optimistic, and trusting God! She has told everyone that she has no fear, no worry, no anxiety. And I can vouch for that! She is my sister! She has put her life completely in God’s hands. She rests under his wings. She walks through the valley of the shadow of death and fears no evil. She trusts in God, whatever may come.She does not mourn her situation, but dances in God’s arms! She could be wearing sackcloth, but she is clothed in joy, wrapped in God’s LOVE and her soul is praising God. She feels wrapped in God’s LOVE and is praising Him at all times. If you are one of her friends, you have likely been blessed to see this exuberant faith for yourself.I thank God for the beautiful example my little sister sets for me, for us all! She exemplifies Proverbs 3:5-6, which says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”Let’s join my precious Rebecca and do just that!PrayerDear God, help us to center ourselves in you and to trust you with all our hearts, no matter the circumstances we find ourselves facing. Help us to submit our worries to you, to lay them at your feet. Help us to trust that you love us unfailingly and that even through hardship and troubles, you are with us. Help us to lay our burdens at your feet and to hide ourselves in You. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen!This devotional was written and read by Bernice Howard.Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life. If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: [email protected]. First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.

Psalm 103:1-2Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and do not forget all his benefits.Bless is an action verb. It is not passive and should not be. For those who do not remember the grammar lesson inherent in that statement, being passive subverts who is the actor and who is the object. In other words, it is a mistake to hide who is taking action and who is receiving that action.As humans we are quick to say, “may the LORD bless me and keep me.” But have I blessed the LORD? Have I praised and asked that the LORD be blessed? Personally, I’ve never really thought about how much I have asked to be blessed but never really blessed the LORD with my whole heart. My initial reaction to the concept is that I am not worthy to bless the LORD. I have found myself wondering why God would want my blessing. I feel unworthy. I think that my blessing is worth very little. How could I possibly bless the LORD?Instead of showering the LORD with praise, I have looked at things in life and wondered why they have not been blessed. I think things could be better. I think they are too broken. I think a lot of things. But have I ever really returned the blessings to God? Have I actively with my whole heart sung praise to the LORD for all of the benefit and wonder that is bestowed on me every moment of everyday on this Earth? Of course I haven’t, and yet I go about my day asking God to bless this and do that. I pray that this or that happens this or that way. I pray that God take care of me. I pray that God shine his light on me.I have always focused on what God blesses. Or more accurately, I have always focused on what my human understanding thinks is blessed or should be.And then through His love I understand. All acts of true love are reciprocal. If I am not blessing the LORD then I am not really understanding the blessings bestowed on me. I am still such a child in my understanding. I am so passive, constantly asking the LORD to act in my favor. I am so blind. LORD, let me see!So now I stop and bless Our Father for all he is in every moment. I bless the LORD for being more, knowing more, and forgiving more. And now I read some of the key verses of Psalm 103 with clearer vision:Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits—The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.He does not treat us as our sins deserve- or repay us according to our iniquities.He remembers that we are dust.The life of mortals is like grass, -they flourish like a flower of the field;The wind blows over it and it is gone, - and its place remembers it no more.Praise the Lord, my soul.Let this be our pray today and every day.When I choose to act, may it a blessing to God, of God, for God.When I choose to sing, may I choose words that praise the LORD and everyone around me.When I sit in silence, may I listen to the blessings the LORD whispers in my heart?May every action, every utterance, and every moment of reflection be filled with praise for Our LORD, Amen.This devotional was written by Jill Pope and read by Susan Daves. Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: [email protected] United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.

1 Peter 4:10 (NIV)Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms.When we hear the word "gift," most of us think of talent — the ability to play an instrument, to paint a picture, to speak before a crowd. These are real gifts, and we should not dismiss them. But Peter has something broader in mind, and if we read him too narrowly, we may miss something important about ourselves.The Greek word the writer of this epistle uses is charismata — gifts of grace. And grace, as Peter describes it here, comes in many forms. The word he uses for "various" is poikilēs, which means many-colored, like a richly woven fabric. The gifts through which grace flows are just as varied. Some of them don't show up on a résumé. The gift of sitting quietly with someone who is grieving. The gift of asking exactly the right question at exactly the right moment. The gift of noticing what everyone else has walked past. These are real gifts, and they carry real Kingdom weight.The problem is that we often can't see them in ourselves. What comes naturally to us, we tend to dismiss. We assume that if something is easy for us, it must be easy for everyone. And so a capacity that God has quietly placed in us — shaped by everything we have lived and learned and suffered — gets waved off as nothing special. Sometimes we call this modesty. But there is a kind of false modesty that is really just a failure of honest inventory.The epistle writers calls us faithful stewards of these gifts. In the ancient world, a steward was not a passive caretaker. A steward was a manager, someone entrusted with resources and expected to put them to work. Jesus makes exactly this point in the parable of the talents. The servant who buried his talent in the ground wasn't being humble. He was being faithless. Fear and false modesty produce the same result — the gift goes unused, ungrown, and the people it was meant for never receive it.Faithful stewardship means first recognizing what we have been given — honestly, without inflation but also without denial. It means developing those gifts, which takes effort and intention. And it means spending them freely, in service to others, trusting that God's grace does not run out when we give it away. In fact, the opposite seems to be true. The more freely the gift is shared, the more abundantly it grows.What gift has God placed in you that you have been reluctant to name? What capacity have you dismissed as unremarkable that someone around you has quietly needed? These are not small questions. How we answer them is part of what it means to be a faithful steward of God's many-colored grace.PrayerOur Father, open our eyes to the gifts you have placed within us. Give us the honesty to name them, the discipline to develop them, and the generosity to share them freely with those around us. May we be faithful stewards of your grace in all its many forms. Amen.This devotion was written and read by Jim Stovall.Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: [email protected] United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.

You are listening to Grace for All, a daily devotional podcast produced by the people of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. This is Scripture Saturday, a time when we pause and reflect on the scriptures we have read throughout the week. If you missed any of our devotionals on these passages, you can find them on our website at 1stChurch.org or wherever you get your podcasts. Now, we invite you to listen and receive Grace. Welcome and thank you for joining us.Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life. If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: [email protected]. First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.

Philippians 4:6Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.I was fortunate to spend the last nine years of my career in education as a Literacy Specialist in the district office of Williamson County Schools in Franklin, TN. We also lived in Franklin, not far from an entrance onto I-65. I was often asked to attend meetings, trainings, and conferences in either Nashville or Murfreesboro, both a 30-40 drive via I-65 under normal circumstances. Unfortunately, the circumstances were rarely normal. The problem was not getting onto the Interstate – the problem was making progress once on the Interstate. Many mornings, although I left well before 7:00 a.m. to make an 8:00 a.m. meeting, I found myself at a complete stop while emergency vehicles raced by, going either north or south, and I, along with hundreds of other busy commuters and travelers, sat stewing in my vehicle, worrying about being late for this or that very important (at least in my mind) appointment.One day I was apologizing to the person leading the meeting (when I finally got there, about 20 minutes late) and explaining the circumstances. She could see I was frustrated and still aggravated about my tardy arrival. Instead of commiserating with me and sharing her traffic horror stories, she surprised me by saying, “What I do when I’m held up in traffic like that is pray for those involved in the accident and the first responders caring for them.” Pray? I was frustrated, worried about missing the meeting, and anxious for traffic to start moving! I was not in the mood to pray!However, the more I thought about it, I realized that my anger, anxiety, and frustration were doing nothing to help the situation. I realized that however my day had been altered, it was nothing compared to the serious injuries, or worse, of the victims, and that the first responders were endangering themselves trying to help those who had been in the accident. I felt ashamed of myself for making a horrible situation for others all about me and my misplaced values. Yes, my work was important, but nothing is more important than a human being’s life.From that day forward, I have practiced what she taught me. When I find myself caught in a traffic delay, I pray for those involved in the accident, for God’s comfort and reassurance for them and their loved ones, and for the first responders, that they will be able to use their knowledge and training to help those victims and remain safe themselves. I thank God that there are those willing to help in tragic and difficult circumstances. Yes, I may still be late for my intended destination, but I am calm instead of anxious and focused on others instead of myself. And I thank God for my safe arrival, too.As this verse teaches us, in every situation, present your requests to God.Our prayer today:Heavenly Father,Thank you for the reminder that our human feelings and failings can best be managed by talking with you about them. Help us stay focused on others rather than ourselves and let us do whatever we can to serve those individuals who are in distress. Thank you for the angels among us who risk their own lives every day to save the lives of others. Amen.This devotional was written by Pat Scruggs and read by Sally Stovall. Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life. If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: [email protected]. First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.

Isaiah 55: 8-9“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. In my household, it is no secret that I envy my husband. Specifically, I envy his easygoing nature, his ability to accept things that are outside of his control. Over the years I have tried to learn from him, and I like to think that he has helped me stretch and grow in this area. But it hasn’t been easy. Because I am stubborn. I like to know things. I crave certainty. By nature, I tend to be high strung and tightly wound, and I do not easily accept the unexpected. Instead, my tendency is to analyze it to death to try to figure out how it could have been prevented.This passage from Isaiah is my husband’s favorite scripture because it serves as a profound reminder of the vastness of God's wisdom and the depth of God’s plans. In this life, we are often bewildered by the unexpected. We struggle repeatedly to make sense of adversity, pain and suffering. However, this passage eloquently reassures us, in the face of all that the world suffers, God knows something we don’t. God sees things we can’t. God’s perspective is inconceivably distinct from ours. God’s ways and thoughts are beyond our comprehension. And though we cannot comprehend God’s ways and thoughts, we can trust in God’s goodness.Acceptance of things we do not understand and cannot control is not a sign of defeat, but a testament to our faith in God's divine purpose. When bad things happen, we are called to trust that God’s ways, mysterious and unfathomable, are higher and greater than ours, and that ultimately, God’s love will prevail. Would you join me in prayer?God of mercy and comfort, when we are dismayed and discouraged by the suffering of the world or by our own heartache, help us remember that your ways and thoughts are higher than the heavens. Teach us that it is not our place to understand, but to trust in your endless grace and abundant love. In your holy name we pray, amen.This devotional was written and read by Greta Smith. Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life. If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: [email protected]. First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.

Philippians 4:11-13 (NRSVUE)Not that I am referring to being in need, for I have learned to be content with whatever I have. I know what it is to have little, and I know what it is to have plenty. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being well-fed and of going hungry, of having plenty and of being in need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.When I was a child in Sunday School, I received a mechanical pencil as a prize for memorizing a lot of verses of Scripture. I treasured that pencil and carried it for years. In my mind’s eye, I can still see the print on its barrel, quoting Philippians 4:13 in the King James Version: “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” The Common English Bible translation sounds a little darker: “I can endure all these things through the power of the one who gives me strength.”But I love the implications of the broader passage—not just enduring difficulty, but “content with whatever I have.” Forty years or so after Paul wrote to the Philippians, the Stoic philosopher Epictetus observed that it is not what happens to us but what we think about what happens to us that determines our experience. Paul learned contentment by keeping his attention on Jesus.I confess that I don’t always choose to think about things in a way that brings contentment, but Paul shows me the way, and when I remember his words to the Philippians in good times or challenging times, I find contentment too.Would you pray with me?Father, thank you for the strength and the joy that comes through Jesus. When we face celebrations and when we face challenges, may we remember to give thanks for that gift and experience the same contentment in all our circumstances. In Jesus’ name, Amen.This devotional was written and read by Donn King. Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life. If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: [email protected]. First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.

Psalm 146:2I will praise the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God all my life long. About twenty years ago, I was surprised when I received a call from my pastor, as Jim very rarely called me. “It’s mama,” he said. My heart sank. Suddenly, his sweet mother, who had always been so full of life, was gone. Jim was pastor of the little United Methodist church in Tarboro, NC, but a few decades earlier, his father was pastor of the same church, so their ties to that community ran deep. Consequently, this service would be a big one, and he wanted to let me know about it as soon as possible. “I really hate to ask,” he said, “but is there any way there could be a choir? She loved it so much.” Of course there would be.Spirit-led, I was instantly in mind of a sermon he had preached only a short time earlier, in which he described songs we sing when no one is listening as private devotions. An example he gave was of his mom vacuuming the house while humming “Jesus, Savior, Pilot Me.” I knew that hymn had to be sung at her service, so I wrote an arrangement for the choir, ending with the congregation being invited to join in, humming the melody a cappella. When I turned around from the choir to invite the congregation to join, I inadvertently locked eyes with Jim. I was an emotional wreck, but I also knew that we had appropriately honored his mom. Her song, even though she was no longer able to sing it, carried on.Fast forward to a couple of years ago, Mother’s Day. My wife and I were hosting a dinner for family, including my mom and her mother. My sweet Nana was riddled with dementia at this point, and she didn’t always remember my name. In fact, despite having been there before, when she got to my house, she complimented my sister on it, thinking it was hers. At some point, she wandered into the front of the house, where our piano sat. Sheepishly, she came back to the kitchen and said, “That’s a really pretty piano. Do you think I could play it?” I replied, “I hope you will!” For around half an hour, she played songs stored in the depths of her brain for us like she had looked at the sheet music just yesterday. When she ran out of pieces she remembered, I said, “I’m looking for some hymns for you to play.” “OH! You want hymns?” she replied, and then played on several minutes longer.We store music so deeply in our brains that it becomes part of us. Music therapy is central to dementia care for this reason. Even for those who are lucky enough to escape the grip of that terrible disease, the songs of their lives echo even after they have forgotten other things. Case in point - I remember the quadratic equation is “x=(-b±√b2-4ac)/2a,” but I have long forgotten what the quadratic equation does. (Apologies to my algebra teacher Mrs. Blackburn.) Anyway, my point is that because music has this power, we must consider what songs we are filling our lives with. When we are humming a tune while no one else is around, what are the tunes that resonate in our souls? When we near the end of our lives, will the songs that continue to echo be songs that glorify God?Let’s pray.God, you give us the miracle of storing music deep in the recesses of our minds. Let us fill those recesses with songs that praise you so that always, in everything, we give you thanks. Amen.This devotion was written and read by Dwight Dockery. Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life. If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: [email protected]. First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.

Matthew 6:34, NIVTherefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. I tend to worry a lot. I tend to worry about things that haven’t even happened. I worry about how I am going to play in my next baseball game, for example, or about what people will think of me, even people I haven’t met yet! We don’t need to worry about that stuff, because tomorrow is not promised. All we can count on is today. That makes me think of another verse, Galatians 6:9: Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Basically, this means that we have to be patient and not worry about what is happening in the future. Instead, we must rely on God, and keep doing the right thing in the present. If the thing we want doesn’t happen, it’s either not the right thing or not the right time. The Lord will create a path for each of us, and sometimes failing is part of the plan that will make you who you are supposed to be. Sometimes things don’t work out the way you wanted them to. When that happens, it’s hard to understand, and easy to worry. Two years ago, I didn’t make my middle school baseball team, and then I got cut from the team I was on. Even though that was really hard at the time, now I can look back and see how it helped me become the player I am today—a better player. It taught me to keep working and not give up. It taught me to have faith in God, who helped me through. And faith is better than worry any day. Prayer:Dear Lord, please help me to not worry about tomorrow, and instead live in the present, and trust in You. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. This devotional was written and read by Ryan Smith.Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life. If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: [email protected]. First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.

Psalm 98:4 (NRSV)“Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises.”My mother couldn’t sing a lick.That never stopped her. She sang in church every Sunday — loud, joyful, enthusiastically off-key. And she sang the same way around the house whenever the spirit moved her. She couldn’t have carried a tune in a bucket, as she would have been the first to tell you. She just didn’t think that was any reason not to sing.My wife Carla has a demure, slightly southern speaking voice — soft, measured, the kind that makes you lean in a little. What I didn’t know when I married her was what happened to that voice when she opened her mouth to sing. She has the voice of an angel. Maybe three angels.The first time I went to church with her, she was gracious enough to forego the choir and sit in the pew with me. When we stood for the first hymn, I found the page in my bulletin — and then this voice came out of the woman standing next to me. I nearly dropped my hymnal.Two people I love. Two entirely different sets of gifts. Both making a joyful noise to the Lord.Something happens to a voice on the way to God. It arrives in tune.The psalm doesn’t say make a beautiful noise. It doesn’t say make a skilled noise, or a trained noise, or a noise that stays within the lines of the musical staff. It says make a joyful noise. The qualifier is about what’s in your heart, not what’s coming out of your throat.My mother understood this in her bones. She wasn’t performing. She wasn’t auditioning. She was just responding to a God she loved, in the only voice she had. That was entirely sufficient.Carla understands it too. Her voice is a genuine gift, and she uses it beautifully. But what moves God isn’t the three angels. It’s the same thing that moved him when my mother sang — the joyful, unself-conscious offering of whatever you have.“All the earth,” the psalmist says. Not all the trained singers of the earth. Not the naturally gifted. All the earth. Which means the only real question is whether there’s any joy behind the noise.If there is, you’re already doing it right.PrayerFather, you don’t need our voices to be beautiful — just willing. Help us sing today as if what matters is the joy, not the pitch. Amen.This devotional was written and read by Cliff McCartney.Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: [email protected] United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.

Welcome to the Saturday episode of the Grace for All podcast. Thank you for joining us today. Saturday is a special time when we take a few moments to review the scriptures that we have cited in the episodes this week.If you missed any of those episodes, you might want to consider listening to them today. And even if you heard them all, there may be one that you might want to listen to again. We hope that each of these scriptures and podcasts will bring you a full measure of joy, peace, and love.Now, let's listen to the scriptures that have been on our hearts this week.Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: [email protected] United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.

Romans 8:38-39 (CEB)I'm convinced that nothing can separate us from God's love in Christ Jesus our Lord: not death or life, not angels or rulers, not present things or future things, not powers or height or depth, or any other thing that is created.Romans 8:38-39 is one of the most beloved passages in Scripture, but I think we lose some of its power when we read it by itself.Just one chapter earlier, Paul wrestles with a painfully familiar frustration. He knows what is right. He wants to do what is right. Yet he keeps falling short. Finally, at the end of Romans 7 he cries out, "I'm a miserable human being. Who will deliver me from this dead corpse?"That is not the triumphant voice we hear at the end of Romans 8. It is the voice of someone who has reached the end of his own resources.Maybe that's why Romans 8 feels so powerful. Paul doesn't write from a place of self-confidence. He doesn't claim he finally figured everything out. He isn't saying, "My faith is strong enough to hold onto God." Instead, he has become convinced that God is strong enough to hold onto him.As Romans 8 unfolds, Paul works through every fear he can imagine: suffering, hardship, persecution, danger, even death itself. Then he reaches his conclusion: nothing that happens can undo what God has already done.That is why Paul can say that neither death nor life, neither things present nor things to come, nor anything else in all creation can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.He doesn't mean we will never struggle. Paul certainly did. The good news is that God's love is more persistent than our failures, our fears, and even our worst days.PrayerFather, thank You that Your love does not depend on our ability to hold everything together. On some days, we are pretty sure we couldn't hold a paper clip together. Thank You for holding onto us even when we feel weak, uncertain, or overwhelmed. Remind us today that nothing can separate us from Your love in Christ Jesus. Amen.This devotional was written and read by Donn King.Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: [email protected] United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.

Luke 24:28–32 (NIV)As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus continued on as if he were going farther. But they urged him strongly, "Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over." So he went in to stay with them. When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. They asked each other, "Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?"We know this story. We read it at Easter, and we focus — rightly — on the extraordinary moment at the table when the two disciples finally recognize the risen Christ. But I want to stop before we get to the table, and look carefully at what happens at the edge of the village, because something remarkable occurs there too.Think about what these two people were carrying as they came within sight of home. They had spent the previous days in shock and grief, watching everything they had believed about Jesus of Nazareth come crashing down with his death on the cross. That morning there had been confusing reports from the women about an empty tomb, reports they clearly were not sure what to make of. They had been walking all day. They were exhausted, uncertain, perhaps a little skeptical about everything they were hearing. The stranger who had joined them on the road was remarkably well-spoken and knew the scriptures deeply, but he did not appear to be in any distress. He was not begging. He was not obviously in need. As they reached the village, he showed every sign of continuing on his way.The easy thing — the understandable thing — would have been to wish him well at the crossroads and go inside and close the door. But they did not do that. The Greek word Luke uses for what they did next is parebiasanto — to constrain, to press, to urge so strongly that the other person can hardly refuse. They didn't offer a polite, open-ended invitation. They insisted. Stay with us. It is nearly evening. The day is almost over. Come in.That same Greek word appears only one other time in the New Testament. In Acts 16, after Paul and his companions have shared the gospel with a gathering of women by the river at Philippi, a woman named Lydia — a merchant, a person of some means — responds with immediate faith and is baptized along with her household. And then, Luke tells us, she urged Paul and his companions to come and stay at her house. She would not take no for an answer. Two episodes, separated by years and miles, bound together by the same pressing, insistent, open-handed hospitality.Cleopas and his companion had no idea who they were inviting in. They thought they were extending a kindness to a fellow traveler who had somehow missed the news about Jesus of Nazareth. And that is precisely the point. Their hospitality was not offered because they recognized Christ. It was offered because something — those burning hearts they had not yet learned to identify — moved them past politeness and past the exhaustion of a long and difficult day, and made them open the door to a stranger.Their kindness was rewarded far beyond anything they could have imagined. The stranger they welcomed in broke bread with them, and in that breaking their eyes were opened. The risen Christ had been walking with them all afternoon, and they had not known it. They knew it now. We are all, on any given day, closer to that kind of encounter than we realize. The question is whether, when we come within sight of home, tired and uncertain and ready to close the door, we will hear that still, small prompting and say to the stranger beside us — stay with us. Come in.PrayerOur Father, give us the grace to practice the hospitality that Cleopas and his companion showed on the road to Emmaus — not the hospitality of convenience, but the kind that insists, that opens the door even when the day is almost over. May we welcome the stranger as they did, and may our eyes be opened as theirs were. Amen.This devotion was written by Jim Stovall. Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: [email protected] United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.

Amos 5:24 (NIV)"But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!"I love fly fishing. And, related to that, I love water and especially mountain streams. One of my favorite streams in the Smokies has been Road Prong, a relatively small stream that runs from near the road to Kuowhi down to the Chimney Tops trailhead. I fished this stream many times and with each visit recognized many specific pools and landmarks along its path. One such landmark was a natural dam consisting of large logs stacked one on top of the other and wedged between rocks on each bank, forming a natural waterfall. It had been around long enough to even acquire a name, Peg Leg Falls. The stream was maybe six feet across at this point. Again, a relatively small stream.On one occasion following a major rain event, when I reached the point of Peg Leg Falls, I saw that it was no more. The force of the water rushing down the mountain in this otherwise small stream had dislodged the huge logs and washed them out of sight. I have seen other such rain events move large rocks and even change the course of a river.I believe it is such an event that Amos is referring to in the scripture for today. The New English Translation reads "Justice must flow like torrents of water, righteous actions like a stream that never dries up." Amos, like other Old Testament prophets says that God has grown tired of his people's rote religious practices and, instead, wants to see justice roll down like a river. He wants to see righteous actions more than just ritual sacrifices and festivals.When we see injustice in our time, there are so many obstacles to achieving real justice that we don't see a way to achieve any significant change. Each of us is just a drop of water that cannot change the course of the river in which we find ourselves. So how can we bring about such pivotal change? In John 14:11-12, Jesus says "Believe when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves. Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing and they will do even greater things than these." How is this even possible? Well, consider that when Jesus died and was resurrected, it is believed that he had about 120 followers. Empowered by the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, a single sermon by Peter resulted in about 3,000 people being added to their number. It was a virtual torrent of faith in an unbelieving time.Empowered by the Holy Spirit and echoing the voice of God in this world, we together can become a torrent of justice where injustice has become lodged in our path. We can become torrents of kindness and compassion in a world of sadness and defeat. We can become torrents of healing to the brokenness around us. We can become torrents of mercy where hardness has prevailed. We can become torrents of love where hate abounds. What we cannot change on our own, empowered by the Holy Spirit, we can surely accomplish as we work and move together as the body of Christ in this world like a rolling river of grace. Let it be so.PrayerHoly Father, empower us, direct us, use us as the body of Christ in this world to break down the barriers of injustice, of hate, of brokenness, of despair. Use us to change the course of rivers and bring about your Kingdom in this world. Amen.This devotional was written and read by Charlie Barton.Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: [email protected] United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.

Acts 16:23-25They threw them (Paul and Silas) into prison and ordered the jailer to keep them securely. Following these instructions, he put them in the innermost cell and fastened their feet in the stocks. About midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.Paul and Silas had just entered a new field of ministry in Macedonia. They were in the town of Philippi where they made their first convert in Europe, a woman named Lydia. They spent some time there and a slave girl, who had a spirit of divination and made great amounts of money for her owners through fortune telling starts following Paul and Silas around saying, "These men are slaves of the Most High God." She did this for many days until Paul had enough. He said to the spirit, "Come out of her." It did and the girl's owners realizing that she would no longer make them money brought Paul and Silas before the judges. As our scripture shares the judges, after giving them a severe beating, threw them into prison. The jailer, just to be safe, put them in the maximum security section.Think about Paul and Silas. They were trying to do what God wanted. They had entered into Macedonia, at God's command. They shared the gospel and made converts. They even healed a girl, though we are not sure she wanted to be healed. Now they had been beaten, were in prison and did not know what the next day might bring. Possibly they would be executed. And what did they do. They worshiped God and sang songs of praise to God. I don't know about you, but if I had been in their place I don't know that this would have been my response. More likely it would have found me having a supreme pity party and blaming God for the fix I was in.This story reminds me of one from our Methodist history. John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, was on the way to America as a missionary in Georgia. His brother Charles was with him. Also on board was a large group of German Moravians. A terrible storm broke out. The English on board were crying and trembling. In the midst of the storm, John hears the Moravians quietly singing hymns to God. Afterward, John asked, "Were you not afraid that you would die?" The Moravian pastor said, "Thankfully, no, we were not afraid. For we know whether we live or die, we are with God." This assurance so challenged John's understanding of faith that some years later, he would see it as one of the pivotal pieces in his life that led him to his own heart-warming experience, which we now see as the beginning of Methodism.Both of these stories make me ask, "How do I respond when life is difficult, challenging, and downright unfair?" The easy response is to become angry, bitter, and perhaps depressed. These stories share a different path. We can, in difficult times, trust in God's presence. We have the knowledge and assurance that God is with us. We may not know the future, but we know that God holds that future. That knowledge should help us to trust in the dark times, and perhaps even sing songs of praise.For Paul and Silas, an earthquake broke their chains. The jailer, in finding they didn't escape, was converted with his household. They were released the next day and went on their missionary journey. For John Wesley, that storm caused him to continue working on deepening his trust and assurance in God's grace. For us, storms are times of testing. Others are watching. Will they see fear and anger, or hear us singing about the goodness of God, even in times such as this?PrayerLoving God, it is comforting to remember that when life is challenging, you are with us. Help us to have such faith in you that we can trust and not fear. Help us to find the assurance we need so that no matter what, we can lift our voices in praise for your love and care. In Jesus name we pray. AMENThis devotional was written and read by Bill Green.Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: [email protected] United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.

Psalm 104:33 (NIV)I will sing to the Lord all my life. I will sing praises to my God as long as I live.I have always enjoyed singing. Many times my singing is not to be heard by anyone but God. I learned a little bit about singing in grade school and what some of the symbols meant. I have learned to sing by repetition and by singing by someone who was right on key.Singing in Eastern All State Chorus in Virginia while in high school was a wonderful experience. I still sing those songs but only for God. They give me great joy. A few years ago, I actually sang one of those songs as a solo at a Maundy Thursday service.I believe singing is a vital part of worship. I know that there are those who feel close to God when they are hiking in the mountains or fishing on a Sunday. That may be true for them, but I prefer to sing in church, gathered with believers and those seeking God.I recall songs we sang in Vacation Bible School like, Deep and Wide, This Little Light of Mine, and Joy, Joy, Joy. I suppose I could be classified as a traditionalist as far music and hymns go. Some of these hymns were written hundreds of years ago.I finally got the courage to join a church choir after being told by someone close that I could not carry a tune. I thought I would break into tears when I sang in my first cantata. Before that I ran the church sound system for a few years. I felt a part of a cantata when helping the choir practice for the Easter or Christmas performance.I enjoy many contemporary songs of worship. Some I learned on my Emmaus Walk. I understand the lyrics of contemporary songs are more meaningful to younger and some older people than those of traditional hymns. Some churches with one service have blended music with some traditional and some contemporary music. Regardless of your preference, sing with joy and for joy. My personal goal is:I'm going to sing in the heavenly choir, Where I'll always be on key; And folks will gather around, Because they want to sing with me.I will sing to the God I love, To the one who loves me too; I will sing the best I can, But I plan to sing from my pew.PrayerDear God, help us to enjoy music and singing. Help us to be more accepting of all singing to you as a meaningful form of worship. Amen.This devotional was written and read by Emmit Rawls.Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: [email protected] United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.

Psalm 100:1-2Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth. Worship the LORD with gladness; come into his presence with singing. As I sit and write this, I am looking out of the windows as the sun rises in the sky. Birds come and go from tree to lawn to tree. Baby bunnies hop across the yard. Although the trees are still, the clouds are moving quickly across the sky. The dew glistens on the grass as the sunlight reaches past the shadow of a tree. I listen as well. I hear birds. There is an occasional jet as it passes overhead. The traffic has not yet started. It is still a quiet moment outside and in my heart. Soon I will rise and begin the rest of my day. There will be noise and work and worry. There will be decisions and distractions. There will be people I meet who are filled with joy and filled with grief. I have sat here long enough that a cloud has covered the sun, and the glimmer on the dew is gone. It makes me wonder not what I will see but what others will see when they look at me. Will they see a glimmer and shine like a bright sun on the morning dew, or will they see a shadow dark and wait for it to pass?It makes me wonder what noise I will make during the day. Do I hear the sounds I make, or am I deaf to my own cadence and cry? Do I sing God’s praises as I interact? Do my footsteps plod along or tap a dance of joy?Is my presence in a given moment something that allows for God’s praise? Do I bring the joy of creation in my heart? If I am in the LORD’s presence every moment, let me sing so that others may hear the joy. May my steps ring true. When I meet others throughout each day, may my noise bring harmony, not discord. May the light of my actions and words be a song to the LORD that others see and hear.And when I walk in silence with those who wonder where light has gone, may the sound of my steps guide them through darkness because the light of our LORD is being praised. May we hear the songs of praise in the birds and the breeze.Please join me in prayer. LORD, may the noise we make be a joyful celebration of you and all you have given us. Even when we lose sight of the light, may we hear. When noise and distraction steal our focus, may we sing in our hearts with praise and thanksgiving that you are there with us always, Amen.This devotional was written by Jill Pope and read by Susan Daves.Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life. If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: [email protected]. First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.

You are listening to Grace for All, a daily devotional podcast produced by the people of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee.This is Scripture Saturday, a time when we pause and reflect on the scriptures we have read throughout the week. If you missed any of our devotionals on these passages, you can find them on our website at 1stChurch.org or wherever you get your podcasts.Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: [email protected] United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.

Colossians 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God.The word of Christ is made up of the teachings of Jesus and the good news concerning his life, death, and resurrection. It is to be our guide for living as Jesus taught, our guide for living a life that reflects Jesus to those around us. To know if I am following this instruction, I have to begin by asking myself, “What dwells in me richly?” In other words, what “lives” in me? What does the world see when it sees me? We live in or dwell in our homes. We’ve got all our stuff there, all our possessions, and the family and things we love. We likely keep our dwelling place free of garbage and trash, especially when we expect people to come in and see our dwelling place. We may scurry around cleaning and straightening up when we expect someone to come by and see our home. We take out the garbage and dust and sweep the floors, making our dwelling place clean and orderly. Perhaps we should ask, “Do I need to do some scurrying around and cleaning and straightening up for Jesus to dwell in me? Is the dwelling place of my life fit for Jesus? Do my thoughts, words, and deeds show the world that I am a dwelling place for Jesus? Have I centered my thinking on loving God and loving my neighbors? Or am I full of anger, bitterness, worry, turmoil, hurts, and fears? Have I swept out the garbage and dusted the corners of my mind to make plenty of room for Christ to dwell in me richly today? Or do I need a good Spring cleaning?” Perhaps we should all take some time every morning to put our internal dwelling place in order, allowing Christ to have the first and best place to dwell. We should bow in prayer, sweeping out the debris of bad thoughts that accumulated in the corners of our minds yesterday. Then we should read some scripture, listen to some Psalms, or hymns to center our thoughts and invite Christ to come right in and dwell in us today. And we should not forget that word “admonish” in today’s scripture. We are to admonish or remind each other of our goal as Christians, as the Church, to let the word of Christ dwell in us, today and every day. Let’s pray together… Dear Lord, help us, your children, to focus on the goal of allowing you to dwell richly in us, today and every day. Help us to let go of the woes of the world, to sweep away the angry thoughts and hateful feelings that have accumulated in the corners of our minds. Guide us today and dwell in us richly, centering us in your LOVE, so others will see the Word of Christ in us. And in Jesus’ name we pray, Amen. This devotional was written and read by Bernice Howard.Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life. If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: [email protected]. First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.

Psalm 95: 1-2 (RSV)O come, let us sing to the LORD; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!One of my favorite hymns is “For the Beauty of the Earth”. It is found in most modern hymnals of all denominations. In the United Methodist Hymnal, it is page 92. Often, worship planners look at this hymn and suggest that the six verses are just too long for the congregation to sing. But, before we come to that conclusion, let's look at the text to see exactly what we would decide to leave out.The words were written by Folliott S. Pierpoint, an English poet and hymn writer educated at Queen's College. He was 29 when he wrote these poetic words, which give us a wonderful vision of the many things for which we should be grateful.Verse one reminds us to be thankful for the beauty of the earth, for the glory of the skies, and for the love that surrounds us from our birth. God created this planet we call home and yes, loves us from our very birth!Verse two reminds us to look at all creation... for the beauty of each hour of the day and the night, for hill and vale, tree and flower, for the beauty of the sun, moon, and stars... nature all around us.Verse three tells us to stop and look and listen... for the joy of ear and eye - for the heart and mind’s delight - for the mystic harmony linking sense to sound and sight.Verse four emphasizes the joy of human love for brother, sister, parent, and child... for friends on earth and friends above - for ALL gentle thoughts and mild.Verse five is a prayer for the universal church... lifting holy hands above... offering up on every shore her pure sacrifice of love.And finally, verse six speaks to the most important gift for which we are grateful. For thyself, best gift Divine, to the world so freely given, for that great, great love of thine, peace on earth, and joy in heaven.Each of the verses is followed by the refrain: “Lord of all, to thee we raise this our hymn of grateful praise!”Yes, six verses is long for the average hymn, but what would you omit? The reminders in every verse are the important things for which we should be offering our praise and thanksgiving every single day.Each day our prayer should be exactly that... raising to the Lord our hymns of gratitude and songs of praise.Prayer:Lord, as we see the beauty and feel the love that surrounds us, may we be always mindful of and grateful for the many blessings you have given us. We pray for eyes, ears, and hearts that are open to receiving your love and blessings for us, and may we be always aware to share that love and those blessings with others. Amen.This devotion was written and read by Susan Daves.Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: [email protected] United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.

Ephesians 1:7-8 (The Message Version)Because of the sacrifice of the Messiah, his blood poured out on the altar of the Cross, we’re a free people—free of penalties and punishments chalked up by all our misdeeds. And not just barely free, either. Abundantly free!Each day delivered to my inbox is a quote. I enjoy reading them because of the wide range of people they draw from. I never know if the quote will be from some ancient like Aristotle, a contemporary but from a different faith tradition like the Dali Lama, or someone from pop culture. They are almost all thought provoking in some way. Recently the quote was from Oprah Winfrey. It was “No one is the worst thing then have ever done.”This quote got me thinking about how we too often let the negatives of life define us. We let past negative events, actions and words color our perspectives on life for a day, for awhile and sometimes even a lifetime. It is hard to not let those negatives moments define us. I have heard people say, “I’ll never forgive them for...” or they say, “I don’t think I will ever get over....” They are letting the worst things that have happened define them or those around them. Oprah is right no one is the worst thing they have ever done or even the worst thing that has happened to them. Our faith talks about forgiveness and renewal.Paul, in his letter to the Ephesians offers such a perspective. Paul wanted his listeners, and that includes us today, to remember that through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus we are free people. “We are free of penalties and punishments chalked up by all our misdeeds. And not just barely free, either. Abundantly free!” The worst thing we have ever done, is forgiven. It doesn’t define us anymore. It also doesn’t define others. We have to give God the opportunity to work in their lives forgiving and transforming them as well. But it is hard to accept God’s forgiveness for our past and put it behind us. It is hard to forgive others and pray that God transforms them.This forgiveness does come with a challenge. In accepting the free gift of forgiveness we are called to live as new people. Repentance means to change and go in a new direction. It means doing things in a new way as one freed from the past. It means living as one who strives to live as one abundantly free in Christ, which means to follow his words and teachings as much as we can.So thank you Oprah for reminding me that I am not defined by my past misdeeds. You are not defined by your past deeds. God has forgiven me. God forgives you. I need to let my past go and live the new life God gives me. I will strive to also remember that God is at work in you creating something new as well.Let us pray:Loving God, thank you for your gift of forgiveness. It is with gratitude we offer our misdeeds to you knowing that you forgive us and the penalties are erased. Remind us as well to see others as we see ourselves, flawed but growing and changing each day through your love and forgiveness. AMEN.This devotional was written and read by Bill Green.Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life. If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: [email protected]. First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.

Psalm 47:6-8 (New Living Translation)Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises! For God is the King over all the earth. Praise him with a psalm. God reigns above the nations, sitting on his holy throne. I am a music appreciator, especially when people are singing to praise God. Recently I heard the choir at our church sing beautiful anthems accompanied by piano and organ. I heard our worship team sing praise songs some of which were converted from old favorite hymns now accompanied by guitar and drums. The children’s choir sang a beautiful song and “sang” it in American Sign Language at the same time. And I listened to a man sing a song of praise he wrote while in prison. As he poured out his heart in song, you could feel his experience of God’s grace as he praised God.This expression of praising God through song can be found throughout scripture, another great reminder is found in the New Testament in one of Paul’s letters to the church at Ephesus.Ephesians 5:18b-20 (New Living Translation)…be filled with the Holy Spirit, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts. And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. What does it mean to be filled with the Holy Spirit, singing psalms and hymns to the Lord? I wish you were there to hear the Voices of Ephesian choir that sang at our church. Now we have a large sanctuary with a high ceiling, but this choir was filled with the Holy Spirit, and they sang with such power that it completely filled our sanctuary and each one of us who experienced it. Why do we sing praises to God? When you feel the depth of God’s love for you; when you know the God who created the heaven and earth also created you because God loves you and wants a relationship with you. Then you will want to be filled with the Holy Spirit and sing out to the Lord with all the power and passion you have. Will you pray with me….Father God, through the stillness of our prayers we cry out to you. Through the power of our song, we praise you. Fill us with your Holy Spirit so we can praise you and sing to you with all that we have to offer. Amen.This devotion was written and read by Owen Ragland. Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life. If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: [email protected]. First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.

Psalm 100 (KJV)Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands.Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing.Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him and bless his name.For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.How can you make a joyful noise when your heart is breaking?In the fall of 2001, my mother came to visit us in Iowa. On April 4 of that year, my dad had tragically collapsed and died in her arms. She was inconsolable. This visit was the first time she had left home since his death. I cast around for something she would enjoy doing. She was a devout Christian and I remembered she had once asked if I knew where ‘The Little Brown Church in the Vale” was located in Iowa. It was the beloved song that prompted her:“Oh, come to the church in the wildwoodOh, come to the church in the valeNo spot is so near to my childhoodAs the little brown church in the vale.”The Little Brown Church in the Vale is located in Nashua, IA, about two hours from our home at the time in Cedar Rapids. It has a fascinating history, as it came about by a coincidence--- or a miracle. In 1856, a young music teacher named William Pitts happened to travel through the community. He walked down Cedar Street and noticed a beautiful wooded empty lot. The thought came to him that it would be the perfect setting for a church. Inspired, he wrote a poem titled “Church in the Wildwood.” Later, he set it to music. Pitts moved on, married and settled in Wisconsin. In the years following, the community actually built a church on the site with donated products and labor. When they were ready to paint the church, the least expensive paint available was brown. And so, it became a “little brown church in a vale.” In 1864 William Pitt moved back to the area to teach in a local academy and discovered the church on the site. He rushed home to his desk drawer and pulled out his song. Pitts had written a song for a church that didn’t exist until nearly a decade later. In the early years of the 1900s, the song was popularized by a traveling singing group and put the little brown church on the map. With the help of the song, which became famous, the little brown church has achieved the status of a perfect setting for a wedding. In the years since its beginning, over 76,000 weddings have taken place there.That Fall day, when we arrived, the church site was sunny and peaceful. The church was open, and we went inside and sat in silence. My mom was very quiet, but tears rolled down her face. We walked back outside and ate a picnic lunch on the grounds. And then we sang the song together, “Oh come to the church in the wildwood, Oh come to the church in the vale. No spot is so dear to my childhood as the little brown church in the vale.” We made a joyful noise, and my mom was serene all the way back home. I will always be grateful to the little brown church in the vale.Pray with me: Dear God, your presence can bring us joy in the most sorrowful times. You remind us that you are our parent and, whenever we enter into the gates of your courtyard, no matter the circumstances in our lives, we are thankful and blessed. Amen.This devotion was written by Laura Derr and read by Judy Wilson.Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: [email protected] United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.

Ephesians 5:18b-20 (NRSV) be filled with the Spirit, as you sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to one another, singing and making melody to the Lord in your hearts, giving thanks to God the Father at all times and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus ChristIn the broader passage from which this is excerpted, Paul is writing to the church in Ephesus about morality and behavior that reflects someone who is following Christ, discussing such heavy issues as sexual morality, greed, purity of the words we speak, and avoiding drunkenness. A person might think that singing together seems kind of frivolous or at least out of place by comparison. On the contrary, singing is an important way we connect with God. Saint Augustine is often attributed with the expression, “To sing is to pray twice.” When we sing rather than just saying the words of our prayers, we often connect more deeply with them. Music has great power to stir our emotions, activating parts of our brains and, I believe, our souls that aren’t as activated when speaking those words alone.Science confirms this — singing is good for us. It lowers cortisol and blood pressure, and it releases endorphins and oxytocin, reducing stress levels. It’s good for our cognitive health both by focusing our brains through engaging in the activity itself and by quieting the “noise” of our minds. By engaging the lungs, it improves breathing, and by stimulating the vagus nerve, it might even improve digestion! Some studies even suggest that singers have a higher level of the antibody Immunoglobulin A, meaning that it could be good for our immune system. Others suggest it might help with pain management. Notice, too, that Paul doesn’t say “sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs by yourself.” He specifically encourages us to sing together. When we sing with others, we intensify further that expression of Augustine’s — we not only pray twice, we share in an emotionally intensified prayer with others. This connects us in ways that are crucial to the communal aspect of our lives of faith. And when we sing together, research bears out that pure magic happens. Our heartbeats actually start to sync to others’ with whom we are singing, and our sense of community increases by strengthening our social bonds. Studies have shown singing in groups to be helpful for those with mental illness, creating a sense of inclusion. It has been proven to increase self-confidence and to help us process and cope with emotions, too.Of course, Paul didn’t have all this data when he wrote his letter. But the placement among these other behaviors seems conspicuous. It turns out that choosing good or “pure” words has physical effects on our bodies. Not engaging in sexual immorality or lots of drunkenness similarly does. Greed destroys our mental health. So, given all of this, it makes perfect sense that Paul placed singing together — an activity that can improve our lives individually and collectively — as an alternative to more harmful ones he’s cautioning against. So friends, let’s sing. For now, let us pray.Thank you God, for the songs we sing, the opportunity to sing them, and the people with whom we share them. May our songs praise you always. Amen.This devotion was written and read by Dwight Dockery.Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life. If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: [email protected]. First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.

Welcome to the Saturday episode of the Grace for All podcast. Thank you for joining us today. Saturday is a special time when we take a few moments to review the scriptures that we have cited in the episodes this week. If you missed any of those episodes, you might want to consider listening to them today. And even if you heard them all, there may be one that you might want to listen to again. We hope that each of these scriptures and podcasts will bring you a full measure of joy, peace, and love. Now, let's listen to the scriptures that have been on our hearts this week. Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life. If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: [email protected]. First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.

Psalm 98:7-8 (The Message)"Let the sea and its fish give a round of applause, with everything living on earth joining in. Let ocean breakers call out, 'Encore!' as they join the rivers in a standing ovation for God."I play the guitar. Actually, it is more accurate to say I play at the guitar. I know enough chords to be dangerous, I can fake my way through a few fingerpicking patterns, and I've made peace with the fact that my F chord is more of an aspiration than an achievement. And bar chords? Forget about it.I love music. Playing guitar gives me somewhere to put my mind that isn't anywhere else. It's a challenge I actually enjoy. And that’s enough. Any proficiency I pick up along the way is gravy on the biscuit.One Saturday morning, I took my guitar out to the screened porch. I'd been practicing chord changes for weeks, and I thought a few minutes of that might be good.I was concentrating on my fingers when I noticed it had started to rain. Not a storm, just a soft, steady rain moving through the trees in the yard. I kept playing. And then I noticed something.My backyard is mostly trees. As the rain fell, it made a particular sound as it hit the layers of branches and leaves. As the rain intensified, the sound got louder.It sounded like applause.I stopped playing, and I listened. Then I laughed out loud. The trees were applauding.Now I know the difference between rain and applause. No confusion there.But I stood up anyway. I thought that it might be the only time I'd ever get applause for playing the guitar.I played a C-F-G chord progression. It's the set of chords that underlies half the songs ever written, the musical equivalent of a handshake. And I took a bow."Thank you," I said. "Thank you very much."The trees kept applauding.The psalmist noticed the same thing: oceans giving a round of applause and rivers joining in a standing ovation. This has apparently been going on a lot longer than I realized.And maybe that's how grace works. You're not trying to have a holy moment. You're just sitting on a porch with a cup of coffee and a guitar. The rain comes, and something you weren't looking for finds you anyway.I don't know what the trees thought of my chord progression, especially my F chord. But I know they were paying attention long before I was.PrayerLord, thank you for rain. Thank you for Saturday mornings and screened porches and the particular mercy of having somewhere to put my mind that isn't anywhere else. And thank you for the trees — who apparently have been paying attention all along. Amen.This devotional was written and read by Cliff McCartney.Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: [email protected] United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.

Hebrews 13:13–16 (NIV)Therefore let us go to him outside the camp, bearing the disgrace he bore. For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come. Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise — the fruit of lips that openly profess his name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.We have all heard it said that "talk is cheap." And so it is. Words flow easily from our lips, often without much thought about where they are going or what they will do when they get there. We talk constantly — to each other, at each other, sometimes simply into the air — and much of what we say costs us nothing at all.The writer of Hebrews has something different in mind. In this passage, he invites us to think of our speech as something far more significant than idle chatter. He calls it a sacrifice — specifically, a sacrifice of praise. For ancient readers steeped in the Jewish tradition, the word sacrifice carried enormous weight. Sacrifice was costly. It required something of you. And here, the writer says, is your sacrifice: the fruit of your lips.But notice the word that changes everything: continually. The writer does not say to offer this sacrifice on Sundays, or during our prayers, or in moments of particular devotion. He says continually — through all things, at all times. This is not an occasional offering. It is meant to be the ongoing texture of how we use our voices every single day.That is a quiet but radical challenge. If our speech is meant to be a continual sacrifice of praise, then the question we must honestly ask ourselves is sometimes an uncomfortable one: Is what we are saying worthy of being an offering to God? Or are we simply filling the air with words that serve no one but ourselves?The writer is careful about what makes speech a true sacrifice. He says it must be offered through Jesus and must openly profess his name. Talk that is channeled through Christ — that points toward him, that lifts others in his name — is the offering. Talk that does not do that, however plentiful, is simply noise.And then verse 16 completes the thought in a way we might not expect. Do not forget to do good and to share with others, the writer says, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. The sacrifice of praise does not stay in the mouth. When our words are truly offered through Christ, they become action. They move us toward doing good, toward sharing what we have. Word and deed turn out to be the same sacrifice, simply expressed two different ways.So perhaps we need to rethink that old saying. Talk is not cheap — or at least, it does not have to be. Offered through Christ, acknowledged in his name, expressed continually in how we speak to and about one another, our words can become something of genuine worth. They can become, in the truest sense, an offering to God.PrayerOur Father, help us to take seriously the gift of speech you have given us. May the fruit of our lips be a worthy offering to you — offered continually, channeled through Christ, and made real in the way we treat one another. Amen.This devotion was written and read by Jim Stovall.Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: [email protected] United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.

Psalm 100:1-2Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come into His presence with singing.As I have been thinking about this scripture over the last couple of weeks, I am reminded that my "star word" for 2026 is JOY. This word is to be a guiding, prayerful focus for the entire year. I was even gifted a bracelet that is engraved "Choose Joy". I really don't believe that was a coincidence. The word "joy" seems to be popping up in my daily life at an unusual pace. Being aware does help me see God's presence in my daily life and helps provide focus.I remember, as a child, this was one of the first scriptures I was asked to memorize. We memorized a different scripture each day in Vacation Bible School that summer in the early 60s. I loved Vacation Bible School. My teachers were fun and loved us well. As young children, I can assure you we made a joyful noise, at the very least a loud, happy noise. We were delighted to be at church, to be in a loving environment with our friends. We learned Bible Stories, made crafts, played outside and we sang! I loved to sing. I'm sure our teachers were glad when the day was over, but I'm also sure they went home filled with joy. I imagine, much like us children, they went home singing or humming those fun Bible School songs. Those songs were our way of worshipping and being in the presence of God. Maybe we didn't really understand, but those songs really had an impact on us. With only a gentle nudge, I can still sing many of those songs we learned. I passed them along to my own children, grandchildren and now I'm singing them with my great grandson.The joy those songs bring are filled with lots of emotions, feelings and a deep abiding gladness. When you sing those words of faith alone or in a group, you just can't erase the hope, the relationship, the gratitude you experience with God. We are to approach God with joy and gratitude, not obligation. He is waiting for us, waiting to hear love, delight, and joy. Our joy grows naturally and comes from God.Sing with me…."Hallelu, Hallelu, Hallelu, Hallelujah…. Praise ye the Lord! Hallelu, Hallelu, Hallelu, Hallelujah… Praise ye the Lord! Praise ye the Lord, Hallelujah! Praise ye the Lord! Hallelujah! Praise ye the Lord, Hallelujah! Praise ye the Lord! God is present. You are loved.And if this song doesn't bring you hope. There is another even more precious song for us.Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so. Little ones to Him belong; they are weak, but he is strong. Yes, Jesus loves me! Yes, Jesus loves me! Yes, Jesus loves me! The Bible tells me so.May you feel His deep abiding love today and every day. We are anchored in His love. Be filled with joy!PrayerGracious and Loving God. We are so thankful for your love, for your plan that includes our joy and happiness. May you hear our loud praises. And may others witness our cheerful hearts as we spread joy in this weary world. In the name of your Son, Jesus Christ, we joyfully pray. Amen.This devotional was written by Lisa Blackwood.........Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: [email protected] United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.

Psalm 100:1-2Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come into His presence with singing.As I have been thinking about this scripture over the last couple of weeks, I am reminded that my "star word" for 2026 is JOY. This word is to be a guiding, prayerful focus for the entire year. I was even gifted a bracelet that is engraved "Choose Joy". I really don't believe that was a coincidence. The word "joy" seems to be popping up in my daily life at an unusual pace. Being aware does help me see God's presence in my daily life and helps provide focus.I remember, as a child, this was one of the first scriptures I was asked to memorize. We memorized a different scripture each day in Vacation Bible School that summer in the early 60s. I loved Vacation Bible School. My teachers were fun and loved us well. As young children, I can assure you we made a joyful noise, at the very least a loud, happy noise. We were delighted to be at church, to be in a loving environment with our friends. We learned Bible Stories, made crafts, played outside and we sang! I loved to sing. I'm sure our teachers were glad when the day was over, but I'm also sure they went home filled with joy. I imagine, much like us children, they went home singing or humming those fun Bible School songs. Those songs were our way of worshipping and being in the presence of God. Maybe we didn't really understand, but those songs really had an impact on us. With only a gentle nudge, I can still sing many of those songs we learned. I passed them along to my own children, grandchildren and now I'm singing them with my great grandson.The joy those songs bring are filled with lots of emotions, feelings and a deep abiding gladness. When you sing those words of faith alone or in a group, you just can't erase the hope, the relationship, the gratitude you experience with God. We are to approach God with joy and gratitude, not obligation. He is waiting for us, waiting to hear love, delight, and joy. Our joy grows naturally and comes from God.Sing with me…."Hallelu, Hallelu, Hallelu, Hallelujah…. Praise ye the Lord! Hallelu, Hallelu, Hallelu, Hallelujah… Praise ye the Lord! Praise ye the Lord, Hallelujah! Praise ye the Lord! Hallelujah! Praise ye the Lord, Hallelujah! Praise ye the Lord! God is present. You are loved.And if this song doesn't bring you hope. There is another even more precious song for us.Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so. Little ones to Him belong; they are weak, but he is strong. Yes, Jesus loves me! Yes, Jesus loves me! Yes, Jesus loves me! The Bible tells me so.May you feel His deep abiding love today and every day. We are anchored in His love. Be filled with joy!PrayerGracious and Loving God. We are so thankful for your love, for your plan that includes our joy and happiness. May you hear our loud praises. And may others witness our cheerful hearts as we spread joy in this weary world. In the name of your Son, Jesus Christ, we joyfully pray. Amen.This devotional was written by Lisa Blackwood.........Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: [email protected] United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.

Psalm 98:1 & 4O sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things. Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises.We have a screen room where we like to eat our meals when the weather allows. We have a number of trees surrounding our backyard and because of that we are blessed to listen to the songs of birds. We have an app that identifies what birds are singing. So, a ritual with our meal is for me to take out my phone as I say, "I wonder who is joining us?" We have our regulars, like the Carolina Wren and the Song Sparrow. Occasionally we have a special guest, like the red shoulder hawk. Listening to them makes this verse come alive, In those moments it feels as if all creation is making a joyful noise.Listening to those birds also makes me think of the song "All Things Bright and Beautiful." In the first verse it talks about each little bird that sings and later how God made their tiny wings. The hymn ends with these words "God gave us eyes to see them, and lips that we might tell how great is God almighty, who has made all things well."Those words, and the beauty of creation, are reminders to us that God is all around us. That is a comforting and joyful word. But as the last verse of the hymn reminds us, this awareness is not just to hold in our hearts, but something we should share with others.Birds sing all the time. It's what they do. We are called to sing as well. That doesn't mean we have to walk around singing at the top of our lungs, but you could. It is a call to find ways to share often how great is God, to add our voice to the joyful noise of creation. I have a friend who often says "God is Good. All the time!" Her words became even more compelling when she went through a very difficult time. Even though she was dealing with loss and health concerns she would still say, "God is good! All the time!" It felt as if she said it with even more conviction during these times. We all noticed her words, it was her song of praise.So sing to the lord a new song. Break forth into joyous songs of praise. Let the world know God is here! And just like the birds, we have to sing about it. After all, it is what we are supposed to do!PrayerLoving God, help us to pause today to listen, really listen to your creation. In the songs of the birds, the sound of the wind in the trees and more may we be reminded you are here. Help us by our words and actions to join in this song letting all know you are with us and love us. And may our song, perhaps help another to find the comfort and reassurance and maybe even faith that they need. AMEN.This devotional was written and read by Bill Green.Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: [email protected] United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.