Returning
Stop. Take a deep breath—3 seconds in, 6 seconds out. Good. Now do it again. Keep breathing deeply. Gracious God we ask you to help us examine our hearts and lives throughout this devotion time. Amen.
Listen. Genesis 32:9-12 9 And Jacob said, “O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, O Lord who said to me, ‘Return to your country and to your kindred, and I will do you good,’ 10 I am not worthy of the least of all the steadfast love and all the faithfulness that you have shown to your servant, for with only my staff I crossed this Jordan; and now I have become two companies. 11 Deliver me, please, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau, for I am afraid of him; he may come and kill us all, the mothers with the children. 12 Yet you have said, ‘I will surely do you good, and make your offspring as the sand of the sea, which cannot be counted because of their number.’”
Reflect. Jacob notes that when he fled (likely because he fled quickly because his brother Esau wanted to kill him) he fled with only a staff. Since he fled, Jacob has worked for his father-in-law Laban, married two of Laban’s daughters Leah and Rachel, and has accumulated livestock and servants. He had only a staff and now returns to his homeland with an abundance. He returns with a lot of uncertainty but it’s time to be the person God has asked him to be.
At Easter Lutheran Church, many of us are returning, too. We closed down our campuses on a moments’ notice in March 2020 not knowing when we would re-gather. We left without even a shepherd’s staff but something better—the grace of God. Many have started to return for in-person worship and ministry programming. The grace of God remains and we are returning with an abundance:
An abundance of joy at seeing friends and making new acquaintances
An abundance of Spirit-filled music
An abundance of faith as we hear God’s Word and share in the Lord’s Supper
An abundance of connection after months of isolation
An abundance of uncertainty and loss (it’s good to name even the negative things)
An abundance of hope in what God is up to in our midst
In a year when so much has been taken or lost due to the pandemic, we remember and celebrate all God has provided. It is in this same Spirit of gratitude and celebration that we thank God with all that we are and all that we have.
Pray. Gracious God, thank you for showing up in powerful ways throughout this challenging year. Thank you for the many ways we are returning to in-person worship and ministry at Easter and the many ways we have been re-gathering with family and friends. While the future remains uncertain, we are certain of this: that you are with us and go ahead of us to prepare the way. Amen.
Carry On. In response to all God has provided, we have an amazing opportunity to commit our finances to God’s work through Easter Lutheran Church. Sunday, November 14th is Commitment Sunday where we return our Statement of Intent for financial giving in 2022. For those who have experienced an abundance this year I encourage you to prayerfully consider increasing your household’s donation amount. In addition, if you have been negatively affected by this pandemic, please let me know as your church cares about you and is here to support you.