Family Devotional Matthew 22:34-40

For families with little ones (preschool age), this could be a 3-5 minute talk! It doesn’t have to be much. For older children, you can opt in for more of these options to extend your study time together. I recommend doing this with (especially little) children over a meal – whichever meal is the least chaotic in your home (for my family right now, that’s lunch), or saving the questions for while you’re on a walk or playing outside together. Have fun!

1. Read the scripture together: Matthew 22:34-40. The important thing is that you’re reading scripture together! If you’re looking for different ways to engage your children while reading, here are some fun ways to read scripture as a family

• Every Reader takes a verse

• Ask each child to pick two words they don’t understand to talk about after you read it. (For longer scriptures and younger children, you may need to split up the reading in order to do this.)

• Draw a picture of what you read

• Act it out as a family (And please send documentation of this to children.sjumc@gmail.com because we could all use a laugh right now!)

• Sing it!

• Use Legos or dolls to tell the story

2. Tell your kids this scripture tells the story of “The Greatest Commandment.” Jesus says that the most important rule is that we love God with all of our heart and our being, and then to love our neighbors as ourselves.

3. Discussion Questions (as always, pick and choose which questions you’d like to discuss!):

• Who is our neighbor? Does Jesus mean our next-door neighbor or people in our neighborhood, or maybe something more?

• Do our neighbors look like us, speak like us, act like us all the time?

• What does it mean to you to love your neighbor like you would love yourself?

• If the most important commandment is to Love God and love others, what does that mean?

• Does it mean the other rules you have in your family, or school, or you read about in the Bible, aren’t important? (To me it means that every other rule should be thought about in terms of “is this loving God or loving our neighbors”?)

• When do you feel loved? When do you feel the strongest love for God? 

• Are these rules easy or hard to follow? How so?

4. Close in Prayer: God, thank you for making your greatest commandment so clear to us! We love you, and we will try to show EVERYBODY Your Love, even if they’re different than us. Maybe ESPECIALLY when they’re different from us! Help us think about LOVE when thinking about other rules and our choices every day. WE LOVE YOU! In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

~ Erynne DeVore, director of Children’s Ministry

God Rules - a poem by Erynne DeVore

I don't know about you

But knowing the rules helps me know how to act and what to do

I think that's a pretty normal, human thing

to want to know everything

Sometimes rules can be confusing

and not make much sense

If we mess up

we're quick to get on the defense

I think God knows how overwhelming it can be

and made it easier on you and me

When asked "What is the most important commandment or rule?"

Jesus takes us to school!

Jesus makes it so simple, He explains it all

It comes down to LOVE for all.

Love God with your whole heart

So your love and God's love, it'll get all mixed up, never to part

The next thing to do

is love your neighbor like you love you

To love someone like you love yourself

means helping shorter friends reach the highest shelf

It means what great things you want for you and your friends

You also want for someone at the line's end

Because our neighbors, you see

aren't just people who look or believe like you or like me

Our neighbors are everyone

Black, brown, white, big, small

2 moms, 2 dads, or no parents at all

No matter where someone lives, goes to church or goes to school

Sharing God's love comes from an overflowing pool

The more you love God

the more Love you have to give

for as long as you live.

So when learning about God and the world

don't get too confused or let your brain get all swirled

Because Jesus made it clear

and spoke right to our ear

Love God and everyone else

Put on your love gear! Love glasses and love hats!

The rest of the rules make more sense 

when you do just that.

Devotional 7.8.20 Rick Meidel

“I'm throwing a funeral, funeral, for the old me; I’m throwing a funeral, funeral, for who I used to be.” - Christian singer/songwriter Leanna Crawford

Long ago, after my first wife remarried, my son went through a trauma that I couldn’t wish on my worst enemy. That trauma, experienced over a number of years, and, ultimately his rescue from the situation, combined to take a serious toll. My intelligent, reach-for-the-stars son lost interest in school. He graduated from high school and I thought college would get him away from trouble and turn things around for the better. It didn’t. With a self-esteem so low it couldn’t be measured, he had turned to alcohol and drugs. He was in its powerful grip. Two rehab attempts were unsuccessful; some friend would always ‘rescue’ him. There was some tough love toward the end and he wound up living in the woods, alone and disconnected from his family. It was breaking my heart.

One day, he reached out on a borrowed phone to tell me he was ready to make a serious change. He had heard about a Christian-based resident program in a nearby town. I got him a motel room, told him to get cleaned up and I’d pick him up in the morning. It was Thanksgiving morning when I picked him up. I had little hope. I mean, really, a Christian-based ‘Celebrate Recovery’ program? My son hadn’t been to church in years! This would never work; but I loved him and I had to try yet again. Something clicked as my son moved in to the Disciple House to join seven other men. The program was led by a wannabe pastor who had experiences similar to my son. There was a church service, multiple Bible studies and community service every day. After the initial 30-day lockdown, I could visit one night a week for a potluck and Testify Night. This was another church service, with the public invited, in a makeshift sanctuary, with someone giving their testimony about how God had changed their life. 

The number of congregants was very small … and it was raw. Hands were raised. There was loud off-key singing that was nothing at all like the choir of St. John! Unlike Pastors Emily and Andy, there was no polish on the message. I had nothing in common with these people, but I felt closer to God in that setting than I had ever been in my life. There was change afoot. He was there. I could feel it. At the end of six months, my son graduated. The ceremony began at a small funeral home where there was a service to ‘bury the old man’. Dearly beloved. Back at the Disciple House, a flat tombstone, with my son’s name and his past addictions, was laid on the lawn under a large cross. I know what you must be thinking; it sounds a little hokey. I felt the same before the event. I can tell you that nothing about that day was hokey. As I would learn, there is both power and commitment behind an action to figuratively bury a part of yourself.

I need to digress, every so slightly, for just a moment. I think some people may have missed the intended sarcasm in a paragraph of my last devotional (it sounded good in my head but, admittedly, may have lost something in print). At the time, I had been reminded of Luke 15 and the parable of the lost sheep. You know the one. Try to picture that parable in the context of this nonstop war of words that is happening all around us today. The shepherd leaves the ninety-nine to search for the one lost sheep. The ninety-nine are huddled around, a little bit angry, a lot frustrated and they are all asking themselves the same question: ‘what makes that one so special; don’t we matter too? All lives matter!’ The shepherd knows, of course, that the lives of the ninety-nine most certainly matter; but they aren’t the ones in danger! With that in mind, we don’t need to feel threatened by the energy to eliminate racism. Nothing is being taken away from the ninety-nine as we look for ways to ensure that everyone has opportunity and, importantly, as we look at behaviors that may be preventing such opportunity. There are people, entire races of people, who need to be lifted up. There are prejudices, biases and favoritism that must be eradicated. It really is as simple as that. Despite different interpretations of what I was writing in that last devotional, in the end, there seemed to be general alignment with my broader message: There is more we can do as individuals to eradicate racism and we should not wait for others to act first. With this devotional, I’m still beating that drum. 

Today, my son is eight-years sober. He has had a meteoric rise within a family-owned plastics fabrication business and is now their Chief Operating Officer, responsible for the operation of six plants in multiple cities. I met the CEO and he told me that my son has changed the entire company. He has his own home. He’s married; they talk of having children. He’s becoming what he was always capable of becoming. He’s been a good example to others. He’s been a good example to me. Truly, with God, anything is possible! But that’s not to say that ‘possible’ translates to ‘easy’! Change can be hard work, just as my son has demonstrated. And so will be the process to eradicate racism. Buckle your seatbelts. To that end, I’m going to ask you to join me in following my son’s lead. Whether it’s little things or big things, let’s bury parts of our old selves. I’ll start. I’m throwing a funeral and you’re all invited!

Heavenly Father, you see the parts of ourselves that are not in Your image. Help us to recognize those parts and help us to ’throw a funeral’ and celebrate as we bury those parts for good. Your Son loved all. Help us to follow His example in everything we do. In your Son’s name we pray, Amen.

"The new has come, the old is gone; Praise the Lord, I'm moving on!” - Leanna Crawford

Rick Meidel, his wife Natalie and daughter Sarah have attended St. John UMC since 2018. Rick can be reached at meidy@me.com or 832-418-9200.

Family Devotional 7.6.20 Matthew 11: 16-19, 25-30

Ox yoke

For families with little ones (preschool age), this could be a 3-5 minute talk! It doesn’t have to be much. For older children, you can opt in for more of these options to extend your study time together. I recommend doing this with (especially little) children over a meal – whichever meal is the least chaotic in your home (for my family right now, that’s lunch), or saving the questions for while you’re on a walk or playing outside together. Have fun!

1. Read the scripture together: Matthew 11: 16-19, 25-30 The important thing is that you’re reading scripture together! If you’re looking for different ways to engage your children while reading, here are some fun ways to read scripture as a family

• Every Reader takes a verse

• Ask each child to pick two words they don’t understand to talk about after you read it. (For longer scriptures and younger children, you may need to split up the reading in order to do this.)

• Draw a picture of what you read

• Act it out as a family (And please send documentation of this to children.sjumc@gmail.com because we could all use a laugh right now!)

• Sing it!

• Use Legos or dolls to tell the story

2. Tell your kids this scripture was written by Matthew, who was likely writing to the Jewish people of his day, and we can learn something from what he has written to them.

3. Discussion Questions (as always, pick and choose which questions you’d like to discuss!):

• In the first section, Matthew says that wisdom is proved to be right by her works. What do you think that means? Do you think it means you have to work to have wisdom? (Hint: I don’t! I think it means that we will see if someone is being wise and truthful by what happens in their lives. And we can see what happened in Jesus’ life was truth, and miracles, and love!)

• In the second part, Matthew remembers Jesus saying that God has taught things to babies! What do you think about that? Sometimes I think babies know and understand God more than I do! I think maybe Jesus is saying that (through Jesus) God made Godself available to EVERYONE!

• When Jesus says “put on my yoke, and lean on me …” did you think of egg yolks? I always do. A “yoke” back then was a tool used on animals to help them carry heavy loads. What we are told here is that when we are worried, God will help carry that worry with us.

• When is a time you have been worried or scared, and someone helped you?

4. Close in Prayer: God, thank you for making Yourself available to all of us!! When Jesus teaches us about you, we learn that you love EVERYONE and want ALL of us to know you! When I am scared or worried, I will try to remember that you want to help me with that. Thank you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

~ Erynne DeVore, director of Children’s Ministry

Family Devotional 6.29.20 Genesis 1:1-2:2a

For families with little ones (preschool age), this could be a 3-5 minute talk! It doesn’t have to be much. For older children, you can opt in for more of these options to extend your study time together. I recommend doing this with (especially little) children over a meal – whichever meal is the least chaotic in your home (for my family right now, that’s lunch), or saving the questions for while you’re on a walk or playing outside together. Have fun!

1. Read the scripture together: Genesis 1:1-2:2a. The important thing is that you’re reading scripture together! If you’re looking for different ways to engage your children while reading, here are some fun ways to read scripture as a family

• Every Reader takes a verse

• Ask each child to pick two words they don’t understand to talk about after you read it. (For longer scriptures and younger children, you may need to split up the reading in order to do this.)

• Draw a picture of what you read

• Act it out as a family (And please send documentation of this to children.sjumc@gmail.com because we could all use a laugh right now!)

• Sing it!

• Use Legos or dolls to tell the story

2. Tell your kids this is the very start of the Creation story, and the very first verses in the Bible! You can tell them what you’d like about Creation. What I tell my children is that we learn a little from the Bible and from scientists today, and we don’t know everything, but we learn more by talking with each other and reading.. But the people who wrote the Bible (Moses, in the case of Genesis) and put the Bible together must have thought this story had something important for us to learn from!

3. Discussion Questions (as always, pick and choose which questions you’d like to discuss!):

• How do you feel when you think about always being here, even before us and the trees?

• What is your favorite way to enjoy creation? You can talk about some of your favorite outdoor or Alaskan memories together as a family!

• We were made in the image of God! If God is our creator, that means we must be a little creative too, right?! What are your favorite ways to be creative?

4. Close in Prayer: God, before I was born, you were there. Before my grandparents or great grandparents or ancestors were around, you were there! Since you are Love and you made us to be like you, we must be made with Love, too. Thank you for that! And thank you for the beautiful Alaskan state that we get to live in! Amen.

~ Erynne DeVore, director of Children’s Ministry