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Good Shepherd Lutheran Church Today's Frontline Devotion Tuesday, March 23, 2004 Finding Your Voice |
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Frontline Devotion for
Tuesday, March 23, 2004, by Penny Risen
Bible text:
Matthew 28:19 and
John 14-17
BEEP! 4 bags Water System Salt/No-Iron Formula (Softener tub is on empty.)
BEEP! 2 Furnace Filters (Even my dog is sneezy from the dust bunnies.)
BEEP! 4 6-inch pots English Ivy (Must replace dead plants on top of hutch.)
The scanner at the checkout priced items I’d picked to put my house in order. As
I swiped my MasterCard across the code-reader to pay, the clerk at the hardware
mega-store pointed to the green thing stuck to my wristwatch.
“What’s with the green dot?” he asked.
The words nearly caught in my throat again, but I’d grown used to offering my
explanation after several tries this morning.
“It reminds me to pray for my friend Debbie, who’s in the hospital,” I replied,
confidently and a little more boldly this time.
“Hey, that’s cool,” answered the young clerk with the beard. He smiled as I
signed off on the bill. “Have a good one,” he called, and I pushed my cart away.
Stuck at “6” on my watch, this tiny green dot was making it an interesting day.
So far, I’d answered questions about it from the furnace repairman (who guilted
me into purchasing the filters); the drycleaner, and the produce guy at the
grocery. Later, it would also prompt my same reply about prayer to a neighbor
walking her dog, as well as to the FedEx woman delivering some books we ordered.
Although I hadn’t intended it this way, I’d witnessed as a Christian to each of
these people with varied reactions. I’d sacrificed my being anonymous and had
offered to them something about my faith in a few seconds’ conversation. I’ll
admit, it took a bit of courage for me to find my disciple’s voice with these
strangers.
The green dot came to be stuck on my watch as a simple, personal reminder for
prayer, because the speaker at a recent worship seminar handed them out. Some
folks put the green dot on their watch; others placed it on their car’s rearview
mirror, so that when their gaze landed on it they were reminded to pray for
someone. By using small props, the seminar leader’s church seeks ways of
reinforcing a Biblical message or spiritual discipline. For example: If you are
handed a nail at Good Friday worship, you then take home a solid, real-life
reminder of Jesus Christ’s suffering and sacrifice. And perhaps, you’ll find it
later in a pocket and tell someone why it’s there.
My green dot became an unexpected, but welcomed chance for dialogue with people.
In Matthew 28 when Jesus said, “Go make disciples,” maybe He did mean it could
happen daily --- even in the checkout line.
Finding your voice as a witness for your faith takes practice. I suppose it’s
like perfecting a golf swing or practicing a song: You hope that soon both the
ball and the melody will soar. When the “green dot question” first came up, I
stumbled shyly and unsure for an explanation. But soon the truthful, hopeful
words came rolling out of my mouth like arpeggios. “I’m praying for someone.”
What if I hadn’t been greeted with pleasant responses? Would I have cringed and
peeled off the green dot, so I wouldn’t have to witness? Sacrifice and witness
as a believer won’t come easy, Jesus told his disciples in a wrenching and
wide-ranging appeal at the Last Supper (John 14-17). His chosen ones already had
made many sacrifices to follow Him. But, He warned, their futures would be
filled with more doubt, hatred, abuse, false accusations and even death for
witnessing about their Savior and His kingdom.
Today’s fellowship of believers, thankfully, is a big reason you and I can and
do find the strength to find our voices as Christians witnessing to others ---
whether or not we have a green dot to remind us. Our sacrifice is worth it.
On Sunday, my church’s worship leader closed with a simple yet eloquent thought
in song, to help us find our voices:
“Take us from this place,
Empowered by your Grace.
May the lives we lead
Bring so many to believe
In You.”
(Take Us From This Place, Peter W. Schmidt, 2004)
Prayer for the Day: Dear Lord, I don’t proclaim Your love and Your sacrifice as
freely and as often as I should. It is too easy to guard my privacy and not
sacrifice my time for Your mission. Help me to find my voice and to witness in
words, in love and in actions toward others. Amen.
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All are welcome to join and share in our Devotional Ministry on the "Frontlines" of the world. Frontline Devotions are sent via email daily. Sign up by clicking on the box to the left. Pastor Dave welcomes feedback. Contact him at pastordave@goodshepherdonline.org. |
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