Today’s message was written by my friend, Rev. Roger Kunkel, founder of Dial Hope.

There is a strange sentence in one of the Psalms: “I will keep a muzzle on my mouth” (Psalm 39:1). These are the words of a man sorely tempted to spread gloom and despair and discouragement. Yet he held himself in check, knowing there was enough pessimism around, that he should rally the courage of those who felt down and out. That’s good advice. The world is longing for words of assurance and encouragement. When will we ever learn? People don’t want to be put down; they are crying out to be lifted up. The choice is ours; we can encourage, or we can discourage. 

Isn’t it sad that many people think they are divinely ordained to point out all the bad things, show us all the problems, underscore all the negative? Isn’t it tragic that some choose to be gloom spreaders rather than uplifters? It is so much more fun to lift people up than to tear them down. Each one of us has the power to make others feel better or worse. And, making others feel better, generally makes us feel better. 

One of the great personalities of the early church was Barnabas, which means “son of encouragement.” He was an encourager. He put flesh on the verse, “Therefore encourage one another and build up each other” (1Thessalonians 5:11). Simply put, we need to be people who listen, who care, who affirm, who help and support one another. The choice is ours. We can encourage or discourage. 

Let us pray: God of love, forgive us for marching to the beat of drummers other than you. May we resolve today to get our lives back with your plan and purposes. Transform our gloom, despair, discouragement, and negative/mean spirit into positive encouragement and affirmation. Remind us to gossip the Gospel of good news and joy and hope because of Jesus Christ. Now may God surprise you with grace in at least three or four places where you never thought to look for it. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Yesterday I spoke about the connection many have found between being generous and deeper happiness. Indeed there are so many ways we can learn to be generous… with our time, our energy, our creativity, our hospitality, and our money. 

But in light of all that is happening in the world around us, today, I want to focus a little more on another type of generosity –  and that is being generous with our listening and understanding.  

In our country right now, there is a real dearth of willingness to even try and understand where others are coming from. And I have to ask, what if, what if those of us who are trying to follow Jesus were to simply start by working on being generous with our listening – with our understanding… especially with those who look different from us or who may see the world differently? What if we were to work on being a student first and a critic second?

I know that even on a small scale, in my family, when politics come up, tempers so easily flare, and things are said that hurt. In wanting to be right (or, in knowing we’re right) we damage our relationships. And not only that, we add anger to the world; we add fuel to the flames. And we do nothing to help our own sense of equanimity and peace.  

Now, that’s not to say we shouldn’t have deep convictions. We should. It just seems we have lost the ability to have real conversations, real dialog around certain topics. Things disintegrate so easily.

Of course, there will be times when we disagree and even argue our point with others. But, if we try and dominate every conversation, or beat people up with our point, or we shut them out, then we only isolate ourselves.  Even worse, if we begin to demonize or hate people who see the world from a different perspective, that hate, that disgust begins to corrode the soul. It hurts our families. It hurts our communities. It hurts our country, and it hurts our world.

On the other side of this, may you and I, who are so blessed, who have received mercy and grace upon grace, may we find ways to cultivate a spirit of generosity with our listening ears and our understanding hearts.

Let us pray: Loving God, help us to find ways in this divided world, to be ambassadors of your love, mercy and peace. We ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Today’s message was written by my friend Rev. Roger Kunkel, founder of Dial Hope.

Helen Keller once said, “Everything has its wonders, even darkness and silence.” We are unduly nervous around darkness and silence. We shine flashlights into the dark rather than grow accustomed to it. We fill any silence of over 30 seconds with noise. One of the signs of maturity is increased comfort in living amid the dark and silent periods of existence. 

When Tomas Carlyle and Ralph Waldo Emerson met for the first time and realized the depth of their kinship, they sat together without saying a word. They simply enjoyed being with each other. There was no need to chatter.

The Psalmist said, “Be still and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46). Isaiah said, “They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings like eagles. They shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and not faint.” (Isaiah 40). 

Let us pray: Creator God, we marvel at your small wonders and your overarching grandeur. We crouch down to examine a centipede or a gecko and we stand on a mountaintop to try to take in the Milky Way. We listen to the time cry of a newborn kitten and we cringe in the face of the roar of a thunderstorm. This day we give you thanks and we ask your blessing, that you will “raise us up on eagle’s wings,’ bear us on the breath of angels, make us to shine like the sun and hold us in palm of your hand. Through the grace of Jesus Christ. Amen.

There is a theologian named Ronald Rolheiser, whom I’ve really enjoyed reading.  He writes about how in the gospels, many people find healing in Jesus’ touch.

In Mark, chapter 4, we read that when Jesus takes Jairus’ daughter by the hand, she stands up and begins to walk. In that same story, we read about a woman who simply touched Jesus’ cloak. And even though she never spoke a word to him, she too was healed.

It is interesting. We see this all throughout the Gospels, how so often Jesus physically touches those he heals, even the Lepers, even the unclean…

Rolheiser takes this a step further. He claims that not only was there healing in Jesus’ touch, but that because we as the church are the Body of Christ, here and now, there can be healing in our touch as well.

Now, I am always a little bit cautious about healing stories like this because I have known too many people over the years who have prayed fervently for healing, out of great desperation, and great faith and they turned to Jesus, and that healing still didn’t happen… at least not as they had hoped… Even the Apostle Paul didn’t receive the healing he wanted… He said I prayed to the Lord three times that this torn in my flesh might be removed. And Jesus answered, “My grace is sufficient for you…”

I don’t know why that is…why some seem to be healed and others aren’t.

But even still, I do believe that there is healing power in prayer. Even though healing may not always happen when we want or exactly how we would like, I do trust that there is healing power in Jesus’ touch. And I do believe that there can be healing power in the touch of the Body of Christ here and now as well.

Let us pray: Loving God, as your people, we don’t always get it right. But we thank you for the way in which you do indeed work through us. We thank you for moments when you have used our words, our actions, and our hands to bring healing to others. And we thank you for the times when you have worked through others to bring healing to us. I pray today for those who need you near; in Jesus’ name. Amen. 

Let me say how grateful we are to those who make gifts that enable this ministry to touch so many.  Your generous support is a real God-send.

In his book, Holy Sweat, Tim Hansel tells a story about a time he and his son Zac were out in the country climbing around on some cliffs. All of sudden, he said he heard a voice above him say, “Hey Dad! Catch me!” He turned around just in time to see his son joyfully jumping off a rock straight at him.  Hansel said, “I became an instant circus act, catching him.” They both fell to the ground and after catching his breath he asked, “Zac! Can you give me one good reason why you did that?” His son said calmly, “Sure… because you’re my dad.”  

Zac could embrace the moment without fear or worry because he knew he could trust his father. 

How often are we paralyzed by worry or fear? How often do we get stuck dwelling on the past or worrying about the future? How often do we miss the beauty and joy of the present moment because we fail to trust?

Paul wrote from jail, “Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God which passes all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds…”

Let us pray: God you are faithful. You are good. We’ve seen your hand at work time and again in our lives. But we admit that sometimes we can’t let go. Sometimes we get so overwhelmed with the problems at hand, that we miss the bigger picture. You are our Rock, and we turn to you now. I pray today for those who are carrying burdens that feel beyond their ability to bear; for others who are under tremendous stress, and for those who are in truly dangerous situations. Lord, we pray for your deliverance, your mercy, and your grace. Be near to those who need you – even now. We ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.