Friday, May 9                                    Jim Kulp

“No good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit; for each tree is known by its own fruit. Figs are not gathered from thorns, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush. The good person out of the good treasure of the heart produces good, and the evil person out of the evil treasure produces evil; for it is out of the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks.” Luke 6:43-45

Reflection: God so loved us that he gave us His only Son to save us from our sins. God showed us total love and the glory of giving freely. He placed within us his love and when we give freely and unconditionally in God’s love it produces good. As I reflect on the Ministry of Pastor Gill and the work of the Ghana Ministry I think of the good work and love that has come from their ministries. With the recent well projects, the love of many of us from all over the country came together to manifest their love to reach a continent in need. Luke was right in saying “…for it is out of the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks.” Pastor Gill spoke from her heart and through that love the members and friends of Webster Church were able to experience giving from the abundance of the heart. The ministry of Pastor Gill has blessed us all and as she moves to another chapter in her life let us all remember to speak of the abundance of the heart she has brought us.

Prayer: Dear God, thank you for the time and ministry that Pastor Gill has brought to Webster Church. Please watch over her as she embarks on a new endeavor, as we too embark on new endeavors. But always remind us of your love in our hearts. Amen.

Jim Kulp is a member of Webster Church.

Saturday, May 10                                    Rev. Bill Stuart

“Teach me, O LORD, the way of your statues, and I will observe it to the end. Give me understanding that I may keep your law and observe it with my whole heart. Lead me in the path of your commandments, for I delight in it.” Psalm 119:33-35

Reflection: The psalmist says, “I live as an alien in the land; do not hide your commandments from me.” (Verse 19) so he needed guidance. Almost any trip requires a map. As we travel through life, the Bible should be our road map, pointing out safe routes and obstacles to avoid. It should also point out our final destination. We must recognize that we are pilgrims, travelers on this planet, who need to study God’s map to learn the way. If we ignore the map, we will wander aimlessly through life and never find the real destination. Our society is full of self-help books, rule books and statutes of all kinds, but they can’t compare to the uniqueness of the Bible. God not only provides the rules and guidelines, but is with us personally each and every day to strengthen us so that we can live according to these rules. All we need to do is invite him and respond to his direction.

Prayer: Gracious and loving God, help us to turn to your statutes and observe them with our whole hearts and minds. Amen.

Sunday, May 11                                    Dave Calhoun

“Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters. Make sure your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God. You must warn each other everyday, while it is still “today”, so that none of your will be deceived by sin and hardened against God. For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed, we shall share in all that belongs to Christ.” Hebrews 3:12-14

Reflection: In browsing around, I found a sermon entitled, “Helping Each Other Endure to the End”, by Rev. John Piper of Bethlehem Baptist in Minneapolis. Woven into the sermon was one of the works of Dietrich Bonheoffer, noted German pastor and professor in the late 1930’s and 40’s. Bonhoeffer formed the Confessing Church in opposition to the Nazi German Christian Church Movement. That resulted in Bonhoeffer being forced into exile along with 25 of his seminary students. Out of that experience came a booklet entitled “Life Together”, which gives insight into the Christian life when life itself was being lived on the brink. “Life Together” illustrates very well the lesson in this passage of Hebrews. Piper’s sermon raises the question: “How important is it to live with other Christians?” The short answer is, absolutely essential. For those exiles, everything was threatened, all were on edge. In times of comparative comfort there is an unforeseen threat: smugness. We have responsibility to examine ourselves, and do everything possible to see each other through to the end. We need to know our own heart, and keep ourselves in the company of likeminded individuals.

Prayer: Dear Lord, be ever my strength. May I bear witness to your instruction that we mortals sustain each other in our quest to endure to the end. Amen.

David Calhoun is President of the Webster Church Council.

Monday, May 12                                    Phyllis Voorheis

“A certain woman named Lydia, a worshipper of God, was listening to us; she was from the city of Thyatira and a dealer in purple cloth. The Lord opened her heart to listen eagerly to what was said by Paul. When she and her household were baptized, she urged us saying, ‘If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come and stay at my home.’ And she prevailed upon us.” Acts 16:14-15

Reflection: We need to realize that God has chosen us—he has chosen to open our harts to his word. Lydia was a believer, but was led to baptism by the words of Paul. Like Lydia, we need to be baptized and then open our lives to other believers. We need to be speakers of the word like Paul, the seed planters for others, so that they may come to worship God and be baptized. It is important that our household, like Lydia’s, also be baptized. We need this to establish a strong front, armed with the word of God, and partnered with God to stand against the devil and his workings in this world. We need to remember it is our hearts that matter most, so we need to stay focused on God’s word!

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I thank you for choosing me and showing me the ways to glorify you here on earth. Thank you for the promise of eternal life. Help me keep my heart strong for you. Amen.

Tuesday, May 13                                     Kirby Fisher

“Shun youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. Have nothing to do with stupid and senseless controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kindly to everyone, an apt teacher, patient, correcting opponents with gentleness. God may grant that they will repent and come to know the truth.” II Timothy 2:22-25

Reflection: These are great verses. There is a lot to think about here. Please, read them more than once! If we all pursued righteousness, faith, love, and peace what a great world it would become. Pursuing those things requires a good and pure heart. A pure heart, for we humans, does not mean a perfect one, because that just isn’t possible for us. Let’s face facts. I believe it means that we strive for goodness most of the time, and try our best to pursue the above mentioned stuff. And what great stuff it is. Think if the US, as a nation, pursued those things, woweee, I believe the rest of the world would actually like us instead of how things are currently. Bring it down to just you, and try your best to pursue those things. People would wonder what’s wrong with you perhaps, as it could be a change in how you interact with other folks. I believe they would be happy with that change, and if they are not, then we would need to be patient, kind, etc. As always, easy to say and hard to do. We can all spread the word by example. Show kindness instead of thinking about how to strike back when we are wronged. Isn’t that what Jesus did? It is a totally new way to think and act. My almost 92 year old mother puts it very well: Love your neighbor. It is such a simple sentence, but if we all really did this we as a human race would be OK, and that the truth. My mom wrote that in a letter to me awhile back when she was letting me know what she got out of her Bible Study classes. She said she forgot lots of details about what the Bible had in it, but the overall theme is, LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR. Such wisdom we all should possess. Amen.

Prayer: God, we have a long way to go to really carry out your will. These verses from the Holy Bible are a great way for us to go about it. Help us reflect on them often, and act accordingly. We ask this knowing we need help from You. We thank You for all our blessings. Amen.

Wednesday, May 14                                    Shirley Porter

“On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. ‘Teacher’ he asked, ‘what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ ‘What is written in the law?’ he replied. ‘How do you read it?’ He answered, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and love your neighbor as yourself.’ ‘You have answered correctly,’ Jesus replied. ‘Do this and you will live.’ “ Luke 10:25-28

Reflection: It just seems to me that I am being continually amazed at the Bible, in all that you can learn by reading the same passage over and over. It does seem that the message becomes different and clearer each time you read it. Jesus knows our needs much more than we. I think that in these passages Jesus is stating that people interpret the law differently and thus have different attitudes about the meaning of the law. If we read more of these scriptures, we read about different attitudes that people had about who their neighbor is. From this parable we learn three principles about loving our neighbor: 1) lack of love is easy to justify, even though it is never right; 2) our neighbor is anyone of any race, creed, or social background who is in need; 3) love means acting to meet the person’s need. Wherever you are, there are always needy people close by. There is never any good reason to refuse to help. Confronting the needs of others brings out various attitudes in us. Jesus used the story of the good but despised Samaritan to make clear what attitude was acceptable to him. If we are honest, we are honest, we will find ourselves needing to learn again who our neighbor is. To Jesus, all of them and all of us were worth dying for!

Thursday, May 15                                    Rev. Bill Stuart

“I give thanks to you, O LORD, my God, with my whole heart, and I will glorify your name forever. For great is your steadfast love toward me; you have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol.” Psalm 86:12-13

Reflection: It is right to pray for a sign of God’s goodness. We must not overlook the signs of love that God has already given: the support of family and friends, the fellowship of other Christians and the light of each new day. We can also be confident that God knows our situation no matter how desperate it can become and we know just how much he cares. God does not promise to give us everything that we think is good, but he will not withhold what is permanently good. God will give us the means to walk along his paths, but we must do the walking. When we obey him with our whole heart, God will not hold anything back that will help us to serve him.

Prayer: Lord God, with music and worship we shall glorify your name forever. Amen.

Friday, May 16                                    John Gannon

“Truly I tell you, if you say to this mountain, ‘Betaken up and thrown into the sea,’ and if you do not doubt in your heart, but believe that what you say will come to pass, it will be done for you. So I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” Mark 11:23-24

Reflection: This passage is from the account of the withered fig tree (Mark 11:20-25). Earlier (Mark 11:12-14), Jesus had cursed the fig tree for bearing no fruit when he was hungry. Later, passing by that same fig tree, Peter remembered that Jesus had previously cursed the tree that now was withered to the ground. The overt message here is to have unfailing faith in Jesus Christ deep in our hearts and minds. Of all the parts of the human body, the heart and mind seem to be spiritually connected with the soul. “And God’s peace, which is far beyond human understanding, will keep your hearts and minds safe in union with Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:7). Yet, the key phrase for me in this passage is “…if you don’t have doubt in your heart…” Just like “doubting Thomas” who had trouble believing that Jesus arose from the dead (John 20:24-29), we all go through periods of doubt in our lives. It is in these times that we need to be reminded to “lean on Jesus.” As scripture says, “Whoever believes in me, streams of life-giving water will pour from his heart.” (John 7:38).

Prayer: “With all my heart, I will thank the Lord.” (Psalm 111.1). Amen.

John Gannon is a member of the Webster Chancel Choir and the Board of Trustees.

Saturday, May 17                                    Nell Rooke

“I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power.” Ephesians 2:17-19

Reflection: What is the knowledge we need to know to enlighten our hearts in knowing God? What is the glorious inheritance left us by Jesus? What is the power of God for those of us who believe? As Christians we are called to continue to study our faith and to grow in it. Christianity is not just sitting in a pew on Sunday morning; that is only a beginning. What we learn in church needs to be put to work every day. We are called to show our love of God with love for our fellow human beings, not only our brothers and sisters in Christ, but to everyone. How we treat the folks we know, our friends, those we meet only briefly, and those in our family and work place, reflect God’s goodness through us. We grow in different ways but the goal is the same. Practice makes perfect. Try it, it works!!

Prayer: Dear God, thank you for reminding us that we need to grow in wisdom and love for you, for our fellow human beings, and for all your creation. Help us to rejoice in our hearts every day. We pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Sunday, May 18                                    Mary Chamberlain

“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” And he said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it. ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ “ Matthew 22:36-29

Reflection: The Sadducees had been questioning Jesus and Jesus silenced them. Now the Pharisees wanted their pound of flesh. They came together and one of them, a lawyer, asked what is the great commandment in the law. Jesus did not mince words, but gave the Shema, which was to become the Jewish Confession of Faith, the “Hear, O Israel”. It means that God is one, above all, and we must love him with our entire being – heart, soul, and mind. Then he added that a second was like it. “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” When I first came to Webster about five years ago, Pastor Gill was going on sabbatical and the church had an assignment, a challenge, if you will, to study this commandment and answer the question, “Who is my neighbor?” Some of the answers were very enlightening. Since my early religious studies, I had come to believe that all of God’s children are my neighbors. Everyone who is born has been created by God and thus is my neighbor. I was very heartened and confirmed to learn that many at Webster believe similarly. I felt as if I had come home. How we deal with our family, friends, community, and the world depends on these verses. We have a mandate to love as God has loved us.

Prayer: My Lord and my God, thank you for your presence in my life. Thank you for “taking over” when I am unable to continue. Thank you for giving me the strength of heart to love as you first loved us. Amen.

Mary Chamberlain is a member of the Board of Deacons and the Chime Choir at Webster Church.

Monday, May 19                                    Rich McKenzie

“For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, ‘Let the light shine out of darkness, made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.” II Corinthians 4:5-6

Reflection: I can imagine that it was quite easy for Paul, an itinerant preacher, to become discouraged at times during much of his ministry. The church wasn’t established yet and there were those who pandered to what folks generally wanted to hear. Paul’s preaching style was “tell it like it is”, serving Christ first, and not people’s egos. This takes courage, but it must have been easy to become disheartened when people wouldn’t listen. Paul didn’t give in to discouragement however. What kept him going were two things; the boldness of his ministry and God’s mercy! He understood that his ministry was not something he was responsible for cooking up, but rather as a gracious gift from God. As a result, Paul did not lose heart and since we have this ministry…we should not lose heart. How great a calling God has given us in Jesus!

Prayer: Dear God, help me to know Christ in my heart so that I can know you. Amen.

Rich McKenzie is a member of the Board of Deacons at Webster Church.

Tuesday, May 20                                    Rev. Bill Stuart

“As for what fell among the thorns, these are the ones who hear; but as they go on their way, they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature. But as for that in the good soil, these are the ones who, when they hear the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patient endurance.” Luke 8:14-15

Reflection: Jesus had just finished a parable of the Four Soils and then explained what the soils stood for. The farmer was hand-seeding the large field and his goal was to get as much seed as possible to take root in good soil, but there is inevitable waste when some seed falls or is blown into less productive areas. That some of the seed produced no crop was not the fault of the faithful farmer or of the seed. The yield depended on the condition of the soil where the seed fell. It is our responsibility to spread the seed, that is God’s message, but we should never give up when some of our efforts do not reach ears that are open to Jesus’ message. Good soil people, in contrast to the path people, the rock people and the thorn people, will follow Jesus no matter what the cost. We need to ask ourselves, what kind of soil are we?

Prayer: Gracious God, help us to hear with understanding and help us to see and perceive. Amen.

Wednesday, May 21                                     Klara Dannar

“For we do not proclaim ourselves; we proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and ourselves as your slaves for Jesus’ sake. For it is the God who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness’ who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” II Corinthians 4:5-6

Reflection: I should read the Bible more. I know that. Sometimes when I get these devotional assignments I think Rev. Stuart sees right into my soul. How does he manage to give me just the verses I really need to read…and ponder…and that I learn from? When darkness surrounds me I sometimes feel consumed by it. This scripture affirms that I can always depend on the light of God to see me through the darkest times. It is up to me though, to open that door…to believe that the warmth and comfort God promises is within my reach. It is possible for a glowing heart to glow with God’s love, defeating the darkness. It is possible for a glowing heart to help others open doors to the richness of God’s grace, shedding light on the darkness.

Prayer: Creator God, keep me mindful of the brightness of your light, which is always there to show me the way. Please help me open my heart and mind to your greatness. In your name I pray. Amen.

Klara Dannar is a member of the Board of Deacons and the Parish Nurse at Webster Church.

Thursday, May 22                                    Mary Chamberlain

“Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give alms; provide yourselves with purses that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” Luke 12:32-34

Reflection: Where is our treasure? What is our treasure? Is our treasure something we have accomplished or gained through working? Is it something of great monetary value which we have purchased? Is it our family? The money we earn? The job we have? According to this verse, it is the Kingdom of God and in order to receive it, we must sell our possessions, give alms; provide ourselves with purses that do not grow old. What an image this provides. My purses become worn, tattered and torn from use. They are not good for much any more. God’s purse, the one we use to bring his kingdom to earth, keeps renewing like renewable energy. There is an old adage, “the more you give, the more you get!” In my life this has been very true. My treasure is in God and in trying to help bring the Kingdom of God to earth. As I plan my tithing and giving for missions, it is important to think of God first and put my heart into it. Then everything else will fall into place.

Prayer: Thank you, God, for the opportunity to serve you and work in your Kingdom here on earth. Bless our offerings and accept them in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Friday, May 23                                    Rev. Bill Stuart

“Blessed be the LORD, for he has heard the sound of my pleadings. The LORD is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts; so I am helped and my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him. The LORD is the strength of his people; he is the saving refuge of his anointed. O save your people, and bless your heritage; be their shepherd, and carry them forever.” Psalm 28:6-9

Reflection: It is easy to pretend friendship. Wicked persons often put on a show of kindness in order to gain their own ends. David, in his royal position, may have met many people who acted in this manner. He also knew that God would punish them eventually. He wanted their punishment to come swiftly. He knew that true believers could exult in the fact that God was on their side and was their strength and their shield. We can trust God to give us both the peace and courage to weather the storms of life. Prayer is our best help when trials come our way because it keeps us in communication with God. God is our only real source of safety, our saving refuge. Our hearts sing out in praise to the One who created the world and all that is in it. The same power that raised Christ from the dead is available to help us with our daily problems. When you may be feeling weak and limited, do not despair. Remember that God can give you strength to make it through each day.

Prayer: Lord God, thank you for hearing our pleadings. We trust you with our hearts and minds to see us through from week to week. Amen.

Saturday, May 24                                    Klara Dannar

“…because if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved. The scripture says, ‘No one who believes in him will be put to shame.’ “ Romans 10:9-11

Reflection: I always find myself drawn to people who I believe speak from their heart—ones who reveal an understanding of the world through their own deep spiritual connection to God. That doesn’t mean I am always pleased to hear what they say to me—sometimes that honesty and authenticity challenges me to grow or stretch a bit more than I want at that moment. But that type of message tends to be just what I need to hear. And digging deeper, reaching further and taking more chances—as much as I resist—it usually results in me having a richer spiritual experience. We are at a crossroads in the life of Webster Church as we say good–bye to Rev. Gill. For me, my heart is breaking a bit, saying farewell to someone who has walked this spiritual path with me for the past eight years. I am comforted though by her constant message to me that “This is not my church, this is God’s church”. I know it always has been and always will be. One of the most valuable things I have learned from her is the essence of this scripture: the requirement to not just believe in my heart OR just confess verbally, but to merge the two and live a life where words, deeds and actions come from my quiet and personal reflective time with God.

Prayer: Creator God, “may the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable to you, my savior and my redeemer.” Amen. (Thank you to Rev. LaVerne Gill for making this prayer so meaningful to me.)

Sunday, May 25                                     Phyllis Voorheis

“God is my shield, who saves the upright in heart. God is a righteous judge, and a God who has indignation every day.” Psalm 7:10-11

Reflection: Most of us are aware that God is our strength, but he is also our protector! He sees what is in our hearts—he sees into everyone’s heart. He sees the devil working in this world. As this scripture says, he has indignation every day (from what he sees). I just don’t think I can imagine the reprehensible things some people hold in their hearts. But I know there are some things in my past that I still hold in my heart that are not to my benefit or God’s. I need to remember God wants me to be upright in my walk in the world so that we glorify him. He will save those who are upright in their hearts, and I for one desire his protection from things of this world!

Prayer: Lord, thank you for showing me how to remain upright. Help me to rid myself of thoughts of the past that offend you, thoughts that keep me from being focused on you. Thank you for your protection. Thank you for your Son Christ Jesus, the salvation and the hope of eternal life. Amen.

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