THE WORD OF THE LORD IS FOR YOU

God of grace and glory, pour out peace, abundant peace on the needs of this dear reader; in Christ Jesus I pray, amen.

Here is the text for today: Mark 9: 1 And he said to them, "Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see that the kingdom of God has come with power." 2 Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, 3 and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them. 4 And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus. 5 Then Peter said to Jesus, "Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." 6 He did not know what to say, for they were terrified. 7 Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud there came a voice, "This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!"

This Sunday we will be talking about The Sermon on the Mount, and while not giving the entire sermon away (and some of you are saying, "Thank you, Lord!"), here is another mountain passage. We talk of "mountain top" experiences, and this is one of those. Jesus takes His inner circle with him, Peter, James and John, and reveals to them a side of His power and glory they had not yet seen. As they were in prayer with Jesus the disciples saw Heaven shining through Jesus, thus the "dazzling white" reference; and while they were in this experience they saw two historical figures alive: Elijah and Moses, giants of the faith. If you look at the last book of the Old Testament you also find these closing prophetic words about these two: "2 But for you who revere my name the sun of righteousness shall rise, with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall. 3 And you shall tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet, on the day when I act, says the Lord of hosts. 4 Remember the teaching of my servant Moses, the statutes and ordinances that I commanded him at Horeb for all Israel. 5 Lo, I will send you the prophet Elijah before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes. 6 He will turn the hearts of parents to their children and the hearts of children to their parents, so that I will not come and strike the land with a curse.

God is awesome. The first half of the Bible ends with prophetic words about how the "day of the Lord" will come and the centrality of Elijah and Moses is mentioned and here in Mark, those words come true. What has the Lord spoken to your heart about your life and your purpose in it? Look and listen closely and God will reveal it to you.

PRAYER: Lord, as I look and listen for You, speak clearly to my heart and let me know what it is that I should do this day. I ask it in Christ Jesus' precious name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

HOW'S YOUR "HARD DRIVE?"

God of neverending creation, create joy and peace in the life of this dear reader; in Christ Jesus I pray, amen.

Here's our text for today: Psalm 51: 10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me. 11 Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take your holy spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain in me a willing spirit. 13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you.

I had not said anything about one of the most distressing things computer users can ever face, and it's the blue screen of death. It's when you go to start your computer and you find that it is dead. If you get a blue screen with an assortment of messages, you know that it still powers up but inside there is nothing. You dread hearing someone say, "You need a hard drive." That means that everything you have stored on your computer, photos, messages, emails, memos, everything! is gone. Such was my case a couple of weeks ago. I have a Dell laptop. For some of you I've said enough. For others, I'm sorry if I've made you think things you shouldn't be thinking or saying mentally while doing a devotional. I apologize. I have had this particular Dell for almost six years. It has had four hard drives. This year, thank God, I subscribed to an online backup service that automatically backed up all my information, and I have almost restored all of my data. The trouble is finding the original software for some of that data, but that's another story and part of what I'm asking you to pray for me today.

The incident made me think of this beautiful and powerful passage in the Psalms. It is the core of a song and it is the core of a prayer we should pray often if not daily: God, continue to be at work in my life and start with my heart. It was written as a form of renewal by the King when the Prophet Nathan came to rebuke his behavior and sin. It can serve as the same in our lives. It serves as our way of saying to the Lord, I"m not where I need to be, I power up each morning but spiritually or emotionally, I'm not where I know I need to be, and the only way I'm going to get there is with Your help.

Renewal and restoration are Christian ideals. We serve a living God who is all about making us new. If your heart is not what it should be, filled with God's love towards God, towards yourself in the right way, and towards others (and we're talking everyone), then this is the time to say that prayer found in the psalm.

PRAYER: Loving God, may the words of Your word be my prayer today: Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me. Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take your holy spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain in me a willing spirit. Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you. Give me the wisdom to know when I can teach and when I should learn. Help me to feel secure in your love. I ask this all in Christ Jesus' precious name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

THE ANSWER WAS RIGHT HERE ALL ALONG!

Loving God of all answers, bless the soul of this dear reader in all that may be troubling to her or him this day; in Christ Jesus' name I pray, amen.

Our text comes from Judges 6: 12 The angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, "The Lord is with you, you mighty warrior." 13 Gideon answered him, "But sir, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all his wonderful deeds that our ancestors recounted to us, saying, "Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?' But now the Lord has cast us off, and given us into the hand of Midian." 14 Then the Lord turned to him and said, "Go in this might of yours and deliver Israel from the hand of Midian; I hereby commission you." 15 He responded, "But sir, how can I deliver Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family." 16 The Lord said to him, "But I will be with you, and you shall strike down the Midianites, every one of them." 17 Then he said to him, "If now I have found favor with you, then show me a sign that it is you who speak with me. ..36 Then Gideon said to God, "In order to see whether you will deliver Israel by my hand, as you have said, 37 I am going to lay a fleece of wool on the threshing floor; if there is dew on the fleece alone, and it is dry on all the ground, then I shall know that you will deliver Israel by my hand, as you have said." 38 And it was so. When he rose early next morning and squeezed the fleece, he wrung enough dew from the fleece to fill a bowl with water. 39 Then Gideon said to God, "Do not let your anger burn against me, let me speak one more time; let me, please, make trial with the fleece just once more; let it be dry only on the fleece, and on all the ground let there be dew." 40 And God did so that night. It was dry on the fleece only, and on all the ground there was dew.

We are funny people. We say we believe, then we doubt. We say we will, then we won't. We say we have strength, then we act weak. We say we will serve and we don't. We say we will give and we listen to fear. Why is it that when we're involved in spiritual work we seek more and more confirmation and proof? I'm guilty of that and I know that I'm not alone. We seek confirmation sometimes that what we're doing is either worth it or that we're the ones who are supposed to do it. Today's story is straight from the Bible, a judge by the name of Gideon. You might have heard of him, an organization dedicated to handing out Bibles and placing them in needed places gets its name from him. But he was asked by God to do a mighty thing and as you re-read the first verses of this passage again you see where God tells him through His angel that God is with him. He doesn't say, "Thank you!" or "I knew that!" He begins to whine about all that has happened to him. And the rest of the chapter is Gideon's search for proof and confirmation that he was doing what God wanted him to be doing. The final verses are the ones where we get the saying some Christians have when they're making decisions they'll say, "I'm laying a fleece out before the Lord." What they're really saying is, "I want proof! I want confirmation!" or even "I want YOU to make the decision for me!"

Look around. Listen closely. Listen quietly. Think deeply. Read deeply in the Bible. The answer you seek is right here; and you know what? It may have been right here all along!

PRAYER: Dear God as I seek so many answers and solutions to the challenges of my life, speak cleary to my heart, mind, and spirit that I may hear what it is that I am seeking. I thank You for not giving up on me, and forgiveness for those times when it seems I've given up on You. I pray this in Jesus' name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

PS Prayer Request for Lucas and Samuel, two young men from Virginia who are hurting from physical injuries and need God's healing. Pray that God would heal and restore them. Blessings!

OUR BRAND NEW CANVAS

Blessed God, renew and refresh the life of this dear reader; in Christ Jesus' name I pray, amen.

Our text comes from Matthew 3: 1 In those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming, 2 "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near." 3 This is the one of whom the prophet Isaiah spoke when he said, "The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: "Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.' " 4 Now John wore clothing of camel's hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. 5 Then the people of Jerusalem and all Judea were going out to him, and all the region along the Jordan, 6 and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.

Where were you when you heard your life needed to change? Was it in church or were you down by the river? Was it a preacher who told you or was it some kook on the corner yelling it at you? Did what he or she said make sense to you or did it just trouble you enough to cause you to reflect on your life? I ask these questions because of the effectiveness of John the Baptist in his day with the people of Judea. His message was simple and straightforward. It cut to their heart and they presented themselves for baptism. They knew the truth when they heard it and so they wanted to be rid of their sin. Whether they heard the second part of this message or not, we'll know one day, but enough heard that this baptism was not all there was; someone else was coming with some other message and purpose. And it's like that even now in our churches; we present ourselves or our children for baptism, but that's not all there is. There's plenty more. And do we take advantage of it and do our part?

The folks who heard John's message heard something that made them go towards him and towards the Jordan River. As they were baptized they confessed their sin and received their forgiveness. As a starting point, this was great! They presented their lives, regardless of their age, to start anew. If was like receiving a brand new completely blank canvas. One can only try so hard to protect it from dirt and smears and spills and stains, and I suppose we can try to cover it over with a first coat of some sort of paint, but it defeats the purpose of being the holder of a masterpiece, an expression of life. Until one allows a brush to be applied to it, the blank canvas stands as unfinished and unfulfilled. May it not be so for the canvas of our lives. Ask for a new canvas and then apply the brush strokes of faith, hope, and love to it!

PRAYER: Here I am, Lord, with my old, tattered canvas, I want to trade it in. As I ask you forgive the smears, stains, pains, smudges, tears on this old one caused by my sins, give me a brand new one! Let me turn it over to faith, hope, and love, so that a masterpiece appear. I ask this in Christ Jesus' precious and powerful name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

HAPPY EARTH DAY!

God of awesome grace and mercy, bless richly the life and needs of this dear reader; in Christ Jesus' name I pray, amen.

Today is Earth Day. While its origins may mean different things to different folks, we as Christians turn to the Bible for these verses: Psalm 24: The earth is the LORD's and the fulness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein; 2 for he has founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the rivers. 3 Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD? And who shall stand in his holy place? 4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false, and does not swear deceitfully. 5 He will receive blessing from the LORD, and vindication from the God of his salvation. 6 Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob.

and from Matthew 5:5: Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

Often are the times we take the earth for granted. We do get reminded of how lovely the earth is when we see a sunset or sunrise, an array of beautiful wild flowers during this time of year, or hear the singing of a bird. The Psalmist declared, The earth belongs to God and all that goes with it. Jesus later on said of the meek, that they would inherit the earth. (For a more detailed explanation of that verse, you might want to come to our church on May 2nd!). Let us be thankful for its beauty, for its message of God's awesomeness and for our responsibility to care for it. To enjoy it more, re-read the Psalm and underline the last part of verse 3 all the way to the verse 6. With clean hands, meaning we've not used them to hurt or harm anyone, and a pure heart, meaning our motives and thoughts have been honest and straight, we will stand in a holy place, blessed by God.

PRAYER: Thank you, loving God, for the earth and all its beauty. Let me sing with it as it praises You for Who You are; let me also live a life with clean hands and a pure heart. I ask this in Christ Jesus' precious and powerful name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

AWESOME PRAYER!

Blessed Lord, bring blessing upon blessing to the life and needs of this dear reader; in Christ Jesus I pray, amen.

Our text for today is Luke 11: 1 One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples." 2 He said to them, "When you pray, say: " 'Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. 3 Give us each day our daily bread. 4 Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation. ' "

Nothing teaches someone better than for someone to do it first. We know there are different kinds of learners; some can read and understand what they are to do, others have to see it demonstrated or modeled and then they learn. In today's passage, Jesus had been praying for some time, but it was on this day that "one of this disciples" wanted to know how to pray. I hadn't noticed it was just one who asked to learn. Out of the twelve only one asked about this that he had seen Jesus doing. But give the man credit for asking for all to learn to pray. Now, I don't believe only one wanted to learn to pray, it was only one who finally asked. The result was the famous Jesus Prayer or the Our Father or the Lord's Prayer, here in Luke's version. It begins as an act of worship, an act of reverence and submission, then shifts to acknowledging from Whom all things come as well as a petition. Then it turns inward to confession of sins and an asking of pardon for our sins. The prayer also instructs our need to forgive and a closing petition for strong guidance away from temptation.

Simple but powerful. A model of all prayers. A way to connect with God and with others.

PRAYER: Loving God, help me to connect with You this day. As Jesus prayed, so pray I: Be glorified by my worship and by my devotion to you this day. Provide for me the spiritual and physical things I need. Make me right with You and right with myself and right with others. Protect me and guide me in the right way. I pray this in Jesus' name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

THY WORD IS A LAMP TO MY FEET AND A LIGHT TO MY PATH

Loving God, bless and protect this dear reader in all that they may need today; in Christ Jesus' name I pray, amen.

Here is our text for today: Psalm 119:105 Thy word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

As we seek to become better disciples and as we seek to disciple others, the logical starting point is to know God's Word better. We start with prayer, asking God to reveal His love and purpose to us as we read, then we open our Bibles either to a plan we have chosen or that has been assigned to us, and we make learning more about God's word the purpose of that study. The more we know the Teacher, the better disciple we can be. The above text is well known as it became a hymn and song and a chorus that we sometimes sing. But it goes beyond that one verse. Have you seen the verses before and after that one?

Let's frame that verse in its context: 98 Thy commandment makes me wiser than my enemies, for it is ever with me. 99 I have more understanding than all my teachers, for thy testimonies are my meditation. 100 I understand more than the aged, for I keep thy precepts. 101 I hold back my feet from every evil way, in order to keep thy word. 102 I do not turn aside from thy ordinances, for thou hast taught me. 103 How sweet are thy words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! 104 Through thy precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way. 105 Thy word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. 106 I have sworn an oath and confirmed it, to observe thy righteous ordinances. 107 I am sorely afflicted; give me life, O LORD, according to thy word! 108 Accept my offerings of praise, O LORD, and teach me thy ordinances. 109 I hold my life in my hand continually, but I do not forget thy law. 110 The wicked have laid a snare for me, but I do not stray from thy precepts. 111 Thy testimonies are my heritage for ever; yea, they are the joy of my heart.

God's word serves us as we seek to serve God. There is wisdom for us in it; there is understanding if we seek it, and there is a way to live that gives witness to others about the greatness of God. God's instruction warns us about how to live and how not to live. And if we develop a taste, a daily taste for God's word, it becomes a sweet taste, "sweeter than honey" (v. 103) to us. Yes, we continue to face what life throws at us, but we do it with the certainty that we are not now or ever alone and with the faith that because of God's word, we are joyful and hopeful.

PRAYER: Loving God, help me to be Your disciple today. As I seek to make disciples, may the testimony of my actions and words reflect that I am Yours and I am guided by Your word. I pray this in Christ Jesus' precious word, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

W QUESTIONS

Loving God of grace and peace, pour out Your love and grace on the needs of this dear reader; in Christ Jesus I pray, amen.

Our text for today is from Matthew 4:19: And he said to them, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men."

Where are you? What are you doing? Who told you? What are you waiting for? What can God and you do together? What are you willing to let God do in your life? Those are a lot of W questions that we find in the Bible. If you study God and how God calls folks to service and ministry, you'll discover that as these people answered, they also discovered who they were, and more importantly, Whose they were.

All of us have been called to ministry; not all to the professional ministry, but to the service of humanity in the name of God. It's a positive call and one that many do not take seriously enough. God urges, nudges, and sometimes yanks us to do His will. The question remains, will you do what God is asking and calling you to do? I shared with the congregation a great story that one of the speakers at the conference last week shared about a purple umbrella. It was certainly received well for many of us had been soaked that week for lack of one! But the story is about a woman who goes on a business trip to Zurich and while there has to ride a bus to her business meeting away from her hotel. As the bus makes another stop a man gets on who is soaked to the skin because he does not have a raincoat nor an umbrella. The woman heard God telling her, "Give that man your umbrella!" She begins her litany of reasons why she should not, including, "It's a purple umbrella and a man wouldn't want a purple umbrella! It doesn't even go with his outfit!" God continues, "Give him the umbrella." "I paid for it and you want me to just give him my umbrella?" Classic. God said, "I'm not kidding, give him my umbrellas." She goes and tries twice, the man politely refuses, finally she said, "God told me to give you my umbrella." The man accepts it with the thought, "How can I argue with God?"

That night at the hotel, her associate tells her about a wet man coming into their meeting with a purple umbrella and how he announced to the group that God had given it to him. Thankfully, the woman told her friend, there was a Christian man there who saw the opportunity and led this man to Christ. Hmm. God's funny that way. God will take our YES to do great eternal things.

What are you waiting for?

PRAYER: God of surprises and life, use me to share those with someone today. I pray in Christ Jesus' precious and powerful name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

REMEMBER YOUR BAPTISM AND BE GLAD!

Loving God of truth and beauty, open the eyes of this dear reader as You share that which enriches their lives; in Christ Jesus I pray, amen.

Here's our text for this morning: Matthew 28:19:baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you.

Baptism before discipleship? At the conference I am attending the emphasis has been on the declining North American church and what we can do to make more disciples. As we look at Jesus' Great Commission for today we see that we are to baptize in God's Name, then to teach them to obey all that the Lord had commanded us. Baptism is that which brings us into the Body of Christ. As we celebrate our baptism, others celebrate with us and it is a moment of great joy. It is a symbolic washing of that which can and does separate us from God. Then the discipleship begins. We learn from each other, from God's word, from Sunday school lessons, from sermons, from hymns and songs; from whatever God makes available to us to learn more about His love and how we can best serve Him.

I heard some good news at this conference: While most people when asked, "What's the fastest growing religion in the world" will answer Islam, the truth is that we are! In India alone there are some 100,000 converts per month! And when this was shared at a global conference, a Chinese representative said, "Well, whatever is going on in India you can at least double for what is going on in China, but we just can't broadcast it." And most of us say, well, we need to show them how we do it. Uh huh; we're seeing the results here, arent' we?

Remember your baptism and be glad. Yes, that's from our UM worship, but it's also a great idea. Be thankful for what God did on that day of your baptism. You may not remember it, but God does. Be glad that someone cared enough to present you before God to be baptized. Do something for God and not worry about getting re-baptized. Then seek to be the best disciple you can.

PRAYER: I thank You, O God, for my baptism and I am glad. I pray that I might be a better disciple today. May my life be a sermon that touches lives today. I ask this in Christ Jesus' precious and powerful name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

HOW THEN?

God of the Resurrection, bring to life the life of this dear reader, blessing them in their needs and challenges; in Christ Jesus' Name I pray, amen.

Our text today is part of our text from yesterday: Matthew 28: Go therefore and make disciples of all nations.

Yesterday we talked about our job description and what usually is missing in the job description is the how. Some would like for the job description to say how exactly. We talked about the "go" in our Great Commission and the question today is in the "make" part. Most believers think this is to go and make more church members. And while that is admirable and needed, the reality is a church member is not necessarily a believer or disciple. What did Jesus want us to do? To make more members so that when our nominations committees meet we have enough warm bodies to form our committees? Did Jesus say, Go and make committees? Did Jesus also say, go and make decisions?

One of the clues we have about being disciples we have from Jesus Himself: John 13:35: By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. Hmm. That's a tall order for some people and for many churches. You see we're in love mainly with ourselves, our traditions, our pews, our friends, our routines, our ... do I really need to go on? The question we need to ask ourselves is, Do I love everyone that I come in contact with at my church? Here's one way to answer that: Have you been asked to be a greeter? And honestly, you don' t have to be asked, you should already be one!

Think about it: You are where you are because God loved you. God sent His only Son to the world because of you and the love God has for you. The love you show others is the love you are showing God.

PRAYER: God of all love, forgive me for being so in love with myself, my routines, my habits and my territory. Help me love one another and to be a disciple-maker. I can do this only with the love You place in my heart, the words you place on my lips, and the action I show others today. I pray this prayer of faith in Jesus' name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

OUR JOB DESCRIPTION

Gracious God of steadfastness, bless the life and needs of this dear reader in all that they face today; in Christ Jesus I pray, amen.

Our text for today comes from Matthew 28: 16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

Two of the Gospels have the Great Commission, but Matthew's is more direct. This ending to Matthew's Gospel is honest about how the disciples didn't know quite what to make of this risen Lord. They knew to worship, but even in and after the worship, Matthew says, "some doubted." Could that have meant it was that feeling of "I still can't believe He's alive?" sort of feeling most of us would have had had we seen him or if we get a surprise blessing and we don't believe we got it? Or, could it be that some didn't quite have the faith to believe that the power of God could raise up a dead man, including the One whom they had thought to be the Messiah?

Yet, even in the doubt comes Jesus with something for them and us to do! The job description of this task begins with the authority that Jesus has received from God about this task. And with that same authority, we are told to "Go." That is already more than some of us are doing. We seem to sometimes major in "Stop." Go is a command found in the Bible in several places in several Calls that God makes to people and it's usually preceeded by the words, "Get up." Go is a command to action and activity. It implies a constant movement forward and upward; not complacency and contentment with the status quo. Go! Our little grandson, Liam, understood the word "go" at a very early age and it was one that he liked. Add "bye-bye" to it and you've got a friend for life! Jesus expects us to go. Go where? To all nations, with this task: Make disciples. Not just beleivers, but disciples; those who receive, accept and then model their lives on the teachings of Jesus Christ. Our churches are filled with church-attenders but few disciples. We have a lot of supervisors, but few workers. Disciples are those who not only receive a Bible, they open it, study it and live it. The result of devotion to Christ will lead to changed lives and a commitment to make more disciples. They not only learn about Christ, they want to share it with others, all the while living their lives committed to Christ Jesus.

What about that awesome closing? Jesus says, "I am with you always, even to the end of the age." What a closing, what a promise!

PRAYER: Jesus, stay close to me and in me. Help me to make disciples. Help me to be a good teacher. Help me to be obedient. I ask this in Your precious and powerful name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

PS. Later this morning, Betty Rigsbee undergoes a heart procedure at Harlingen Medical Center, please keep her in prayer.

YOUR RESURRECTION STORY?

Loving God of all people, pour out Your love and peace on the needs of this dear reader; in Christ Jesus I pray, amen.

Our text for today is from John 16:1-8: 1 When the sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. 2 And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. 3 They had been saying to one another, "Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?" 4 When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back. 5 As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man, dressed in a white robe, sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. 6 But he said to them, "Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Look, there is the place they laid him. 7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you." 8 So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

Yesterday in Sunday school, we covered the endings of the three synoptic gospels: Matthew, Mark, and Luke. The Gospel of Mark, believed to have been written first, ends with those eight verses. It has long troubled scholars and believers that verse 8 is the ending of the first gospel, for it ends with such words as "fled...for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid." If you have your Bible handy (and what kind of devotional do you do without it handy??), look at verses 9 through 20 and you get what some scholars believe is mostly ancient believers' attempt to make sense of that abrupt ending. But look again, this ending does have a resurrection. It has an angel of the Lord present with the resurrection message to the women, and it is one they were to carry back to Peter and the disciples. Yet, that fear thing...

How are you writing the Resurrection Story in your own life? That's the most important question than how Mark ended his story. What are people receiving from you about Jesus not dying eternally on the cross? Is the evidence of a resurrected life, your resurrected life visible? Can people tell that you died to your sin and you have become a new person? Or have you let fear have its way in your life?

PRAYER: Loving God, help me to live a resurrection life. Help me to show that I too, have been raised from the death of sin to a new way of living. May my resurrection story serve to help others die to sin and to be born anew to a better and higher way to live. I ask this in Christ Jesus' precious name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord.

Eradio Valverde

WALKING WITH JESUS WITH EYES WIDE OPEN

God of the universe, massive is Your love for all humanity; bless and protect this dear reader today and all days; in Christ Jesus' name I pray, amen.

Our text comes from Luke 24:27-35: 27 Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures. 28 As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on. 29 But they urged him strongly, saying, "Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over." So he went in to stay with them. 30 When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight. 32 They said to each other, "Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?" 33 That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven and their companions gathered together. 34 They were saying, "The Lord has risen indeed, and he has appeared to Simon!" 35 Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread.

When was the last time you had heartburn? And I'm not talking about after finishing a platter of enchiladas or chiles rellenos, where they were a good idea at the time and tasted great, but later on you're fishing for Tums or Rolaids. When was the last time your heart burned as you read, understood and were blessed by a passage from Scripture? The key may be found in this passage. When Jesus is invited to walk and talk with you through your daily walk through Scripture, He will be the one who will share the teaching and talking. This story is the famous "Walk to Emmaus" that has become the name of a dynamic spiritual retreat of the UMC. The name was chosen precisely because when we walk with Jesus, our eyes are opened. They walked that long distance with the Lord and knew something was different about Him, but it wasn't until they saw Jesus break the bread and give it to them that they realized who Jesus was.

Invite Jesus to walk with you today as you take a stroll through Scripture. When you sit down to eat your next meal, invite Jesus to break the bread for you so that your eyes may truly be open to His goodness and grace.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, I invite you to walk with me today through my stroll through Scripture and through life. Hold me tight, open my eyes, my ears, my heart and my spirit, to receive You and Your teachings. And as I sit to eat my daily bread, break it for me. Let me enjoy the goodness of Your goodness and grace; in Christ Jesus' precious and powerful name I pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

PERSISTENT LOVE LEADS TO LEADERSHIP

Gracious God of all power and love, pour out Your rich blessings upon the needs and challenges in the life of this dear reader, today and all days; in Christ Jesus I pray, amen.

Our text for today comes from John 21: 15 When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Feed my lambs." 16 A second time he said to him, "Simon son of John, do you love me?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Tend my sheep." 17 He said to him the third time, "Simon son of John, do you love me?" Peter felt hurt because he said to him the third time, "Do you love me?" And he said to him, "Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Feed my sheep."

The Risen Christ asks of us some difficult questions at times. And not at times we expect. You may have your morning routine and most of us include breakfast as most moms and doctors and spouses may say, "It's the most important meal of the day!" And in many regards it is. I love my breakfast time with Nellie; either she or I will cook it, and we get to spend some quiet time with her, then our day begins with all that is expected of us. It is during that time that I hear or say, "I love you" to each other. And it may be during that time that we will ask of each other something out of the ordinary, usually along the lines of "Don't forget Lucy doesn't have dog food, could you stop by on your way home and get some for her?"

Simon Peter never expected the questions that Jesus asked him. Standing there among the disciples and quite possible out of earshot of the others and then maybe not, the question was specific: "Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?" Easy to answer, "Yes, Lord; You know that I do." Then the question is followed by a command: "Feed my lambs." The Good Shepherd asking a fisherman to feed His lambs. Peter knew what Jesus was talking about; Jesus' ministry had been all about feeding, sometimes physically, in those hard to explain feeding of thousands; and sometimes in the sharing of Good News about God's love and God's kingdom. Yes, Peter must have thought, I can do that. He gets asked a second time about his love for Jesuss and again gives a positive response, then the command changes: Tend my sheep. Gosh, now it's getting a bit more personal. It's one thing to feed these unruly lambs, now you want me to tend them? To tend implies an involvement and commitment; one must lay down his or her life for those sheep that he or she tends. To tend means to lead them, and you know the Psalm, from green pastures to still water, to there from here and from there to here. It means getting the sheep to know your voice and to see you lead by example, sometimes to the point of leaving 99 here to get that one who wandered off over there. Jesus, are you asking that of me?

The third time makes Peter think that perhaps Jesus isn't trusting his answers or him personally. The Bible says Peter was hurt. But again, he says, Yes, Lord, you who know everything, you know I do! The command again: Feed my sheep. Peter later realized that to love God means to serve God and to love God means to love others even to the point of having to give of yourself in ways you never dreamed you might. To shepherd someone means to lead in loving ways, sometimes even through danger or unpopularity, but always knowing that we're called to serve and please God, not the sheep. He or she who would love and serve God must assume a leadership role; saying "Over here we can find food" or "Be careful, watch out! This is dangerous or tricky! Stay with the group!" It won't be easy, but we won't do it alone.

Think about it: The Risen Christ is with you. The Risen Christ loves you and is walking with you and even leading by His example. Where are you going?

PRAYER: Lord, you know that I love You. I ask that You help me love others as I seek to lead them in the right way. I can't do it alone and I can do it only with Your help and blessing. In Christ Jesus' precious and powerful name I pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

JESUS WAS HERE AND YOU WERE OUT TO LUNCH?

Blessed God, bring life and the fullness thereof, to this dear reader today and all days; in Christ Jesus I pray, amen.

Here is today's text: John 20: 24 But Thomas (who was called the Twin ), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe." 26 A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you." 27 Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe." 28 Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!" 29 Jesus said to him, "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe." 30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. 31 But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.

Jim Moore, now a retired UM pastor from Houston, wrote a book called, "Jesus Was Here and I Was Out To Lunch," and it's about this passage, along with a collection of other of his sermons. But the message is in the title, how many times have we been "out to lunch" and miss the Lord and the blessings of the Lord? As the title suggests, many have been the times I have been out to lunch and I have missed the call or worse, the visit of some dear person I wanted to see. Other times I have been so busy that I neglected to see the presence of the Lord right next to me. Such was Thomas' case. Out to lunch, and Jesus shows up with His message of peace. And it was one week later that he had the opportunity, he would say, "Finally!" to see the Lord. Look at the passage again, Jesus again somehow appears in the Upper Room and he shares the same message (Do you think He means it?): "Peace be with you." And turning to Thomas, Jesus addresses the very doubts and wants of his doubt, "Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe." I bet Thomas felt bad; I would have! Yet, it's happened to me before; I've had some doubt or uneasiness about something and before I knew it, there was the evidence, as if Jesus were saying, "What were you saying about this not being possible or too difficult?" Thomas does what we need to do all the time, declare Jesus as our Lord and our God.

Think about it: Doubting is not a sin. Seeing the answer to your doubt and not believing, is.

PRAYER: Jesus, You are my Lord and God, and in You I put all my hope and trust. I ask you forgive me for those times that I have thought I knew more or thought You were not able to bless me. I repent of that and ask that You continue to amaze me in ways that I can't explain. Let me amaze You in what I will do for You today. In Your name I pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

PEACE, PRESENCE, AND POWER: EASTER MESSAGES

God of the ages, bless the needs in the life of this dear reader; in Christ Jesus I pray, amen.

Here is our text for today: John 20:19 When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you." 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 21 Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you." 22 When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained."

The power of the Resurrection did not end with one appearance. In fact, the Bible records many appearances to many. This one was special in that while locked up in what we now call the Upper Room, Jesus makes an appearance behind locked doors. How He did this, we don't know; the disciples didn't know, they just knew that there was Jesus. And He shares a biblical message found in so many passages, a message of peace: Peace be with you, He says twice. It's a message of hope and encouragement, Jesus' way of saying, "Carry on!" And the second time He says it, besides peace, He says, "GO! As the Father sent me, so I am sending you." And before they can ask, "What? Why? Where," He says, "Receive the Holy Spirit," which is the empowering and authority they needed, and the charge to take a message of forgiveness and peace to the world.

How has this week of Easter been for you? We're still in the season of Easter. We're still Easter people. And we're still empowered by God's Holy Spirit to go and share a message of peace and forgiveness to all. Live a life that does the talking and if you need words, then use them!

PRAYER: Loving God of the Resurrection, thank You for your peace and presence with me today. May Your Holy Spirit guide me to faithfulness in showing and living the message with which You entrusted me. I ask this in Jesus Christ's precious and powerful name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

JESUS IN THE WORK PLACE

God of Resurrection life, bring life and the fullness thereof to this dear reader today and all days; in Christ Jesus I pray, amen.

Happy Easter! He is Risen! He is Risen Indeed!

Here is our text for Monday, the day after Easter: John 21:3 Simon Peter said to them, "I am going fishing." They said to him, "We will go with you." They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. 4 Just after daybreak, Jesus stood on the beach; but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. 5 Jesus said to them, "Children, you have no fish, have you?" They answered him, "No." 6 He said to them, "Cast the net to the right side of the boat, and you will find some." So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in because there were so many fish. 7 That disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord!" When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on some clothes, for he was naked, and jumped into the sea. 8 But the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, only about a hundred yards off. 9 When they had gone ashore, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish on it, and bread. 10 Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish that you have just caught." 11 So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, a hundred fifty-three of them; and though there were so many, the net was not torn. 12 Jesus said to them, "Come and have breakfast." Now none of the disciples dared to ask him, "Who are you?" because they knew it was the Lord. 13 Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. 14 This was now the third time that Jesus appeared to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.

Today is a tired Monday. Many will return very reluctantly to work. Tired from travel, time with family, activities at church, a long weekend. Hey, I'm not making up excuses for you! I live them! But I wanted to share this passage for Monday at work for most of you is a good time to show marketplace initiative (Thanks to Asbury Seminary that has a great program by this name; how do Christians "show" Jesus at work?). The disciples return to work. Or at least they accompany Peter to his work. That night they caught nothing; a long night at work with nothing to show for it. Jesus comes and asks if they have been productive. The answer was evident, no. Jesus then gives them the answer they sought, and it was a simple one, but still required faith and obedience, and they were very successful. And it was when they realized that this advice had come from above, they knew it was Jesus!

How do you show Jesus in your workplace? How is the Risen Lord evident in your life? Will you speak today of the great worship experience you had yesterday? Will you share of the hope that is ours because He lives? Today is probably the most opportune time to show Jesus alive than perhaps any other time of the year. Many will have gone to church yesterday and most pastors won't see them until Christmas. One friend's dad used to say at the end of his Easter services, "Before I forget, Happy 4th of July, Happy Labor Day! Happy Halloween, Happy Thanksgiving; see you at Christmas!" ( He was also the one who coined the name "C.E.O." for Christmas and Easter Only worship attenders.)

Use today as a day to give hope, faith and love to those around you. Share the power of Resurrection at work in your life. Be a blessing to someone!

PRAYER: GOD of life, bring my work to life. Let me turn to You in all things and let me be open to Your leading. A word from you may make the difference between just working and producing. Let me also share a word of hope, faith and love to those around me. Show me how. I ask this in Jesus' name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

GOOD FRIDAY: IT STARTED WITH A KISS

O God who never sleeps, bless the life and needs of this dear reader today and all days; in Christ Jesus' name I pray, amen.

While we drove home from church last night, the activities of today were just beginning. While we slept last night, Jesus didn't. The disciples had no trouble sleeping; in fact, they slept while Jesus prayed and they were asleep while Jesus had asked them to join Him in prayer. While some snored soundly in their beds, a trial went on. And all of this started with a kiss.

I mention kiss because that's how Judas betrayed Jesus. He led the arresting party to the garden and kissed Jesus. His kiss was not as important as the kiss of God upon His Son and upon all that the Son did and endured last night and today. God kissed us through the bread and wine. God kissed our sins away through what will be celebrated tonight.

Jesus led the disciples in the singing of a hymn. Then the drama started. Peter stated he would not stand for anything happening to Jesus and even that he would follow Jesus to the death. (Luke 22:33). Jesus calmly replied that Peter would betray Him three times before the cock crowed once. Jesus led the men to the Mount of Olives, a quiet place where Jesus knew He could pray. His instructions to the disciples: "Pray that you may not enter into temptation." He then began His prayer time. "Father, if Thou art willing, remove this cupe from Me; yet not My will, but Thine be done." Luke records the presence of an angel to strengthen Jesus. As He continued praying, His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground. When His prayer time ended, He found the disciples asleep.

Then the kiss that I mentioned above, Judas' kiss of betrayal upon Jesus. Then Peter cut off the right ear of a slave belonging to the high priest. Jesus stopped him and healed the ear of the slave. Then the trial began. Peter denied Jesus. Jesus was condemned. Jesus would die.

While we slept, most of us in our comfortable beds, Jesus did not. The peace we enjoyed while sleeping, Jesus did not; the weight of our sins heavy on His heart.

PRAYER: I confess that I slept well, dear God and for that I am thankful. I slept well because on that night Your Son did not. I know that my sins were heavy on His heart and because of the love in that heart, Jesus died for me. May I never take that for granted and may my faith make this truly a Good Friday. I pray in Jesus' Name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord.

Eradio Valverde

THURSDAY OF HOLY WEEK: EVERYTHING WILL BE JUST AS JESUS TOLD US!

Amazing God of holiness and peace, pour out a rich blessing upon the needs and challenges of this dear reader; in Christ Jesus' name I pray, amen.

Here is our text for today, Thursday of Holy Week: Luke 22: 7 Then came the day of Unleavened Bread, on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. 8 So Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, "Go and prepare the Passover meal for us that we may eat it." 9 They asked him, "Where do you want us to make preparations for it?" 10 "Listen," he said to them, "when you have entered the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you; follow him into the house he enters 11 and say to the owner of the house, "The teacher asks you, "Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?" ' 12 He will show you a large room upstairs, already furnished. Make preparations for us there." 13 So they went and found everything as he had told them; and they prepared the Passover meal.

Everything falls into place. Everything will work out. I say that often to nervous brides-to-be, and grieving family members. It is amazing how in all circumstances where we pray and ask God to be present that things do work out. On this Thursday of Holy Week, the disciples knew that they had to be somewhere to celebrate the very important holy day of their faith, the Passover and they knew they needed a place. They had to sacrifice a lamb for Passover and then celebrate together the meal. This passage makes it seem as if they hadn't yet planned a thing. Do you suppose Jesus' messages about not worrying and especially upon their seeing that in all situations Jesus had come through, had had an effect on them? Here again, their trust in Jesus came through: Jesus said, Just as you enter the city you will see a man carrying a jar of water, who will meet you. Follow that man inot the house he enters and just tell him that 'the teacher asks of him, "Where is your guest room that He can use to eat the Passover with His disciples."' The room will be already prepared. It was just as Jesus had told them.

In our lives, if we invite Jesus in and trust Him at His word, we will find that everything will be just as He told us. On this day where the night is special to Christians everywhere, we will find that the words spoken tonight in our worship services will re-tell the story of power and might in our lives. We will find everything will be just as Jesus told us. The breaking of the bread will remind us of what happened on that Friday that followed. The shaing of the cup will remind us that blood was spilled to forgive us our sins. We will find that everything will be just as Jesus told us.

What's the catch? You should be in worship tonight! Surprise your pastor and make an appearance!

PRAYER: Loving God, I thank You for Jesus and for how Jesus works in my life when I let Him. Sometimes I think I know how things will turn out because of my hard work and all that I try to do to make sure all the details are worked out, and I even think I get extra points for worrying so much. Help me discover (again) that everything will be just as Your son told us. I ask this in Christ Jesus' precious and powerful name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

PS: Most churches will have a special service tonight; if yours does not, find one that does. Our church here in Harlingen is joining with our sister church, Wesley UMC, to celebrate Maundy Thursday together there at Wesley at 7 p.m. I hope to see you here!

Blessings!