A young black man once asked his minister why their people had to suffer so much poverty, hardship, and oppression. “Why doesn’t God do something?” he lamented. “He has,” responded his wise pastor. “He has created you.” It just so happened that that young man was Desmond Tutu, who would later become the archbishop of South Africa – and the answer to his own question.

The story reminds me of the story of Moses. God tells Moses, “I have heard the cry of the Israelites in their oppression. I’m coming down to rescue them… Now, go. I’m sending you!”

It never ceases to amaze me how God works in us and through us. In spite of all our limitations, God does beautiful things through the work of human hands.

Today, as you go about your daily activities, try to pay attention to opportunities God may be laying before you to serve others. Is there someone nearby crying out for love or a listening ear? Is there an opportunity to provide food or money or a word of hope to someone in need? Can you use your power or privilege to make a difference? I don’t know how it might look for you, but I do know that when we open the door for God to use our lives, we will find great meaning and joy ourselves.

God says to you today, “I’ve seen the need of my people. Go now. I’m sending you.”

Let us pray: God of Hope, we praise you for your unconditional love, mercy, and grace. You give and you give and you give. We want to be the kind of people who give with you. We want to be the kind of people who make a positive difference in the lives of others. We ask you to heal us where we need healing and challenge us where we need to be challenged. Open our eyes to the need around us, and show us how we might reflect your love. Amen

You may remember that in the novel Robinson Crusoe, one of the first things Crusoe did when he found himself on a deserted island was to write a list. On one side of the list, he wrote down all his problems. On the other side, he wrote down all of his blessings.

On one side he wrote: I do not have any clothes. On the other side, he wrote: But it’s warm and I don’t really need any. On one side he noted: All of the provisions were lost. On the other side, he added: But there’s plenty of fresh fruit and water on the island. And on down the list he went. In this way, he discovered that for every negative aspect of his situation, there was still something for which to be grateful.

There are times when we feel as though we are on an island of despair. Through his novel, Daniel Defoe offers us some good advice. However, we don’t have to wait for the tough times to recall our blessings. Maybe today is a good day to sit down and make a list, take an inventory, and a list of blessings for which we can give thanks.

Let us pray: Gracious God, this is the day that you have made, and so we rejoice and are glad in it. Today, give us eyes to see and hearts to delight in all our many blessings – freely given from your hand. Amen.

There is something about Easter that evokes childhood memories: egg hunts, family gatherings, my grandfather’s church filled with flowers. I remember one particular sunrise service on Saint Augustine Beach. Even in those years when I didn’t go to church, I would often go on Easter Sunday.

There is something not only about the day itself, but the season, that evokes blessing and newness and hope and possibility – darkness breaking forth into light. There is something that Christians all over the world would pause, to gather, and to sing, and to pray… and even in the face of this fractured world, to hold out for hope.

There is a theologian named Martin Copenhaver who says that sometimes we think about Easter as the dramatic conclusion to Jesus’s life, while actually, it is just the beginning! It’s like high school commencement – not the end but just the beginning.

He writes, “The early church began with realities and deep mysteries large enough and deep enough to reveal something of God.”

That first Easter sparked, and now fuels, a movement that continues to this day. Think about it! Think about how in the wake of this one event, all the hospitals that have been built, the schools and orphanages and homeless shelters that have been constructed and funded and run, the homes that have been blessed, the souls that have been healed and hearts that have been changed… all by the power of the One who was raised…

No wonder Christians continue to come together and sing and pray and to hold on to hope… for the world… for ourselves…

My prayer for you, as we move through this holy season, is that you would ever be open to the healing, redeeming light of Easter. And may that light empower you to follow the Risen Christ.

Let us pray: Holy God, we ask that you would fill us again with the light of Easter. May the power of the Risen Christ bring healing and hope into our lives anew this day. It is in his name we pray. Amen.

There’s a story about a little girl in worship who’s talking really loud and her big brother leans over and says, “SHHHHHH!!” “Why?,” the little girl asked, “Why do I have to be quiet?” Her brother responds, “Because people are sleeping!”

I hope your worship services aren’t that dull! But even more importantly, I hope that you show up ready to give your best to the Lord. Sometimes we forget that our tradition teaches us that one of the main purposes in life is to enjoy God.

The Apostle Paul wrote, “Rejoice in the Lord, always! Again, I say, rejoice!”

May you enjoy God in your worship, in your singing, in your children, in each other, in your prayers, and in your service to the world.

Let us pray: Fill us, O God, with the fullness of your joy. Give us the grace we need to let go of worry, anxiety, any wrongs done to us, or past mistakes. Help us to forgive, to set free, and to move on. May your blessings rain down on us and then flow through us. Fill us, O God, with the fullness of your joy; through Jesus Christ. Amen.

In the book of Hosea, God says, ”When Israel was a child, I loved him; and out of Egypt I called my son. It was I who taught Ephraim to walk. I took them up in my arms…I led them with cords of human kindness, with bands of love. I was to them like those who lift infants to their cheeks. I bent down to feed them…”

What we learn in Hosea, and in many other parts of the Bible is that God is like a loving parent. There is a depth of love that knows no bounds.

I think about how a parent if their child is threatened even in a small way, their fiercest fighting instincts come out. Or, when a child is hurt or goes astray, there is no other heartache like it.

Lee Ann Dunlap says, “While the airwaves are loaded with “cheatin’ heart” songs, we hear very few broken-hearted parent songs, quite likely because such anguish most often runs too deep for lyrics.”

Hosea tells us that like any other parent, God loves his children. He has watched over his own as they were growing up. God has carried them, fed them, rescued them, and healed them. And, Hosea reminds us that God is grieved to the heart when his children stray.

Friend of Dial Hope, my prayer for you today is that you would know the depths of God’s love for you at the very center of your being. Like a mother who cannot forget her nursing child (Isaiah), like a father who runs to welcome the prodigal home (Luke), God’s love for you knows no bounds.

Let us pray: God of love, today we claim the promise of the scriptures that we are your children. We thank you for your love, mercy, and peace. As we have received, empower us to give. We ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.