Dear Lord,
O God, Your inspiration has given us the wonderful words of life we read in scripture. We thank You for those faithful people of old who sought You and expressed their journey in songs, prayers, hymns and stories. May these stories become our story as we seek to live our faith. Forgive us when we make the Bible an icon to be worshipped. Rather , Loving God, may it be a living document and may its words be a means for Your Word to be known by us. In Jesus name we pray, AMEN.
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I am writing from our hotel room in Indianapolis. Carolyn is off to the Administrative Committee. Yesterday’s travels were taxing, to say the least. We left home at 5:00 a.m., drove to Tulsa and flew from there to DFW. We boarded our plane for Indianapolis as storms were coming through the area. They delayed all flights east. We sat on the tarmac for two hours before we finally took off. Then it was the worst flight I had experienced, but we made it safe and sound. I plan to spend the day relaxing in the room, working on the Lenten morning prayers and reading. Tomorrow the General Board meeting begins.
Please pray for the Russell family. Todd recently lost a relative.
Youth Sunday is this Sunday. Please support our youth with your presence. The service is always different and creative. I know you will particularly appreciate the liturgical dance.
The scripture reading for today is Matthew 13:1-17:
That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables, saying: “Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Let anyone with ears listen!” Then the disciples came and asked him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” He answered, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For to those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. The reason I speak to them in parables is that ‘seeing they do not perceive, and hearing they do not listen, nor do they understand.’ With them indeed is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah that says: ‘You will indeed listen, but never understand, and you will indeed look, but never perceive. For this people’s heart has grown dull, and their ears are hard of hearing, and they have shut their eyes; so that they might not look with their eyes, and listen with their ears, and understand with their heart and turn— and I would heal them.’ But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. Truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.
Grace and peace,
John McLemore
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