Image from lifemeetstheology.com
Hear the Devotional read here: https://bit.ly/2UUOXLt
3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 4 I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus, 5 for in every way you have been enriched in him, in speech and knowledge of every kind— 6 just as the testimony of Christ has been strengthened among you— 7 so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ. 8 He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you may be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful; by him you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. (1 Corinthians 1:3-9 NRSV)
Happy Tuesday, ConCafe family! And a special blessing for you, dear Reader. I pray this finds you well and preparing your heart and soul for the giving of thanks this coming Thursday. I just saw a clip from CBS' On the Road with Steve Hartman. During this pandemic, he has been on the road some, but when home shows his three small children some very educational clips about the human condition. The clip I saw was about a man named Gabriel, who wouldn't give his last name. I suspect that Gabriel may be homeless. Steve, when introducing him said, "Gabriel, just like the angel!" Steve asked him how he was going to spend this Thanksgiving. He said, "I'm just going to sit on a park bench and think back to all the wonderful Thanksgivings I've had in my life. One out of 63 are not bad odds, I've been very blessed!" One of Steve's sons, had tears in his eyes. What an amazing attitude to have about this coming Thursday when most will think about what we do not have versus what we have had in the past. What lessons could you teach someone with your attitude on the actual day of Thanksgiving?
When I was a senior in high school I learned that I was to be a delegate to the first national meeting of the Hispanic Caucus of the United Methodist Church in El Paso, Texas. I also learned that I was to fly from Houston to El Paso. Please keep in mind I was not yet that far removed from my home in Kingsville, and I had never seen a commercial jet, let alone boarded one to fly anywhere. The news of this part of my being a delegate made me fearful of the method I was to take from Houston to El Paso. It deepened my prayer life (think about it!) and I prayed that the Lord be with me on that trip to El Paso. And on the day of the flight I discovered that I would be seated next to an adult friend I had from the other Hispanic UMC in Houston, Mr. Dan Garza. Dan was a friendly man, and active lay person of El Mesias UMC, and I was a senior in high school. I had known Dan for many years; he and his wife had been active with the young adult ministry of our conference back in the day and now here I was sitting next to him. I made no secret of my fear of flying for the very first time in my life. Dan smiled and said, "There's nothing to it; it'll feel just like an elevator ride!" Hmm. I searched my memory for the number of times I had actually ridden in an elevator and came up with, none. Okay. Elevator ride. Maybe one or two in visits to a hospital I had actually ridden up two floors in an elevator. The flight was smooth and before tool long we were landing. I was super excited! El Paso!? Dan smiled and said, "No, this is San Antonio." Huh? And the delight in landing in SA was that several of my high school friends from MYF were boarding our plane! That helped the longer leg of our flight be a much better, even smoother ride.
Well, again, an advent story of sorts; news of my having to experience something I had never done before, in order to attend something I had never attended before, and the role of my faith in helping me cope and conquer those fears. God provided a way and more importantly, God was with me. Paul had been with the people of Corinth some years earlier and he knew the people well, for it was they who heard and responded to the invitation to become believers and followers of the Lord Jesus Christ. He had prayed for them constantly, and in this letter was responding to some concerns that he knew they were having, among many, questions and quarrels among themselves about many issues, including resurrection. The main theme of this letter is that their faithfulness and the presence of Jesus among them has already blessed them and would continue to do so until the very end. Don't you love reading, "God is faithful..." What God has shared, He will continue to share; and what God has promised to do, He will do!
PRAYER: Loving God, as we prepare our hearts, minds, and souls for this coming national day of giving thanks, make me grateful in ways that will glorify You. May my words match my match my moods, and may my hands in service reflect the love I have in my heart for You and Yours. Lord, You better than me, know the many Thanksgivings where we took for granted so many things; but this year may we bless you indeed with our gratitude for all You have shared. I invite You to continue to walk with me, picking me up when I falter and fall, and holding me steady when my knees buckle; wiping my tears when that becomes the best response I can share with You. This I pray, not by my merits, but by those of He who is the same today, as He was yesterday, and will be this way forever; Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior, amen!
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Share some of your strength with someone in need today!
Receive my blessings of joy and love,
Pastor Eradio Valverde
