DAILY DEVOTIONS

Saturday, October 3    

Pastor Mary Martha sharing a word of FAITH with you today. 

We thank God for the gift of faith and for the gift of our church home.  This past week we had the opportunity for Cooking With Coalition On Lead Emergency to serve in fellowship hall.  Numerous Hephatha members and leaders and many from other places come together in the continued work against lead poisoning and for the support of families in danger of being lead poisoned/families suffering with lead poisoning.  In FAITH we seek that great day when lead poisoning will be no more.  We work and we pray for that great day.   Amen.

Sunday, Oct. 4           

Today we enter the new week with hope.  Today we open our eyes to a new day in hope.  Today we worship God in hope.  Today we live in hope.  One day we will die in hope.  And we will rise in hope.  I hope to see you in worship today at 9:00 in person.     If you cannot attend church today in person, please sign on to ZOOM by going to hephatha100.com.     Thank you, God, for the gift of hope. 

Monday, October 5^th    

Pastor Mary Martha sharing in prayer with you today. 

Lord, God, for the times that we rejected you, cast you out from our lives, refused your presence, turned from you, we ask for forgiveness.   For the times we welcomed you, served you, loved you, shared you, we give you thanks.  Help us to work in this world to share the generous goodness you have given to us in Christ Jesus, who is the foundation for our lives.  Amen. 

Tuesday, October 6 

Pastor Mary Martha serving God with you today. 

In the silence, ask the Holy Spirit to open our hearts to Jesus.

In the silence, ask the Holy Spirit to open our hearts to Jesus.

In the silence, ask the Holy Spirit to open our hearts to Jesus.       Amen.

Wednesday, October 7^th

Pastor Mary Martha encouraging you in your faith today.

We read a very challenging parable from Matthew 21 in worship on Sunday.  In this teaching story from Jesus, we hear about violence shown to the owner of the vineyards slaves as they come to collect the grapes that belong to the owner.  The story is meant to invite us to consider the violent manner in which Jesus was crucified when he came to the world, the vineyard of God.  The death of Jesus revealed the hatred and violence of the generation that lived 2,000 years ago.  It reveals the violence of our generation, too.  May we show regard for God by respected God’s Son, the prince of peace.  Amen. 

Thursday, October 8    

Pastor Mary Martha blessing you in God’s peace to today.   

Jesus was rejected many times in his life prior to the final rejection of death on the cross.   Matthew 21:33-46 invites us into the rejection of Jesus as a pathway for us to receive Jesus.   We do not live in a vineyard, yet we live in this world which is God’s vineyard.  We have work to do for peace, for care for the poor, for mercy, for forgiveness, for feeding people, for justice, for compassion….   When we enter the work of God in this world (God’s vineyard), we stand against the many instances of violence in this same world.   May we serve God well today. 

Friday, October 9

Pastor Mary Martha sharing some prayerful words for peace with you today.

Enough of the idolatry of self and money! Enough of the display of power! Enough of war! True strength is shown in serving life.  “The benefits of peace will be felt everywhere, by individuals, by families, by nations, by the whole human race. “Nothing is lost by peace; everything may be lost by war.”

--These words are from popes and can be used for our prayers today as we remember God’s world and our need for peace for all humanity.