Daily Worship Devotional

DAILY READING Exodus 19:3-4 REFLECTION Created to Soar By Judy Webb “You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles wings and brought you to myself.” (Exodus 19:4) It has been 3 months since the trip from slavery and the walk through the Red Sea and into freedom; and already they are forgetting God’s work on their behalf. They are already complaining, making questionable choices, as though they have no hope. Many are fascinated by the Big Bear

DAILY READING Exodus 14:14-15, 26-30 REFLECTION "Good Guys" and "Bad Guys" By Katie Borden It feels like a classic cinematic tale, doesn’t it? It’s the “good guys” versus the “bad guys”, and somehow, against all odds, when it looks like all the odds are stacked against them, the “good guys” pull through. Of course, the story of the Exodus of God’s people from Egypt isn’t a tale magnifying the work of the Israelites–the odds really were stacked against them, and there was no

DAILY READING Exodus 1:8-11 REFLECTION Culture Clash By Pam Mann One Sunday morning in our Kids’ Church small group, we were reading in Exodus 1 about how the Israelites lived in Egypt over 400 years and the new king was not at all friendly toward the Israelites. One incredulous third grader said, “What? After 400 years, they wouldn’t be Israelites anymore. They’d be Egyptians!” Huh. I don’t think I’d ever had that thought about this passage. Living in the U.S., it makes se

DAILY READING Genesis 37:9-11 REFLECTION Transforming Evil into Good By Dave Mann I believe that there is no more effective way to destroy society than to cause deep dissension within families. Today’s text includes just a few verses from early in the famous story of Joseph in Genesis. Jacob was the unwise father who showed favoritism toward Joseph, the firstborn of his favorite wife, Rachel. Joseph was unwise to share openly his dreams with his brothers and father. The

DAILY READING Revelation 12:1-12 REFLECTION God Wins the War By Elaine Pierce Ephesians 6:10-12 - Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. In today's passage we see a vivi

DAILY READING Revelation 11:15-19 REFLECTION THE 7TH TRUMPET TRANSFORMATION By Vincent Jerrome After seemingly unending tribulation and destruction, the kingdom of the world finally becomes as it was always meant to be: The kingdom of the Lord. The Seventh Trumpet loudly proclaims for all; the destruction of this world is to be reborn into a new and perfect creation. All the destroyers themselves will no longer reign. Christ alone reigns after the glorious sound of the fina

DAILY READING Revelation 7:13-17 REFLECTION Cleansed and Clothed By Terry Gustafson As John is writing the words of this vision his hearers are in the midst of much persecution. This vision is not some theoretical exercise for his hearers. Many “had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained.” (6:9) Today’s verses are part of the vision that John has between the opening of the sixth seal (6:12) and the opening of the seventh seal (8:1).

DAILY READING Revelation 7:9-12 REFLECTION What A Day! By Judy Webb “After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and people and languages, standing before the throne and before the lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands …” (Revelation 7:9) (ESV) Who can stand? This question was asked at the conclusion of chapter 6. Verse 11 of Chapter 7 points to the angels, standing around the thr

DAILY READING Jeremiah 10: 1-16 REFLECTION What are Your Idols? By Carmel Elmer If you make your way through the Old Testament, it will become clear that the Israelites had a recurring, long-standing problem with idolatry. When Moses went up Mt. Sinai to receive the 10 commandments, the Hebrew people began to grow restless and it's as if they suddenly forgot that to this point, God had rescued them from 400 years of slavery, fed them, protected them, parted the Red Sea so t

DAILY READING Psalm 130 REFLECTION Are We There Yet? By Pam Mann "Are we there yet?" I asked this question a lot as a child on family car trips. Those long car trips seemed to take forever. My parents would say that we’re going to drive X number of hours on this trip. I would try to calculate how many “I Love Lucy” shows it would take to equal that amount of time. Of course, now, kids can actually watch shows as their family SUV zips down the interstate highway. I’m not gre

DAILY READING Psalm 76 REFLECTION Saved from Wrath By Dave Mann Most people are not encouraged by the topic of the wrath of God. However, that matter is frequently addressed in the Bible. In Psalm 76:7, the psalmist prays to the Lord, “It is you alone who are to be feared. Who can stand before you when you are angry?” Another well-known verse about the wrath of God is made famous by George Fredrick Handel in The Messiah. Malachi 3:2 – “But who may abide the day of h

DAILY READING Revelation 6:1-8, 15-17 REFLECTION Who Can Stand? By Elaine Pierce For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand? (v. 17) This is a startling way to end a chapter- with a bold, unsettling question. Who can stand? I am challenged to dig deep and ask myself if I can face the trials that John so vividly describes: death, war, destruction, famine, earthquakes, to name a few. These are not things I look forward to, but as we look at the world today,

DAILY READING Daniel 7: 1-10 REFLECTION When the Beasts Are Loud, The Throne is Louder By Michael Guastella It’s not uncommon for me to run through a mini checklist as I lay my head down to sleep: Did I let the dog out? Did I lock the front door? Did I close the garage? Or maybe I unwillingly start to cycle through a list of the things I had left undone from work that day or what I will face tomorrow. Some or all of this happens most nights for me, as I am sure it does for m

DAILY READING Ezekiel 43:1-9 REFLECTION Good News in Bad Times By Gene Pierce After almost forty chapters of judgment and condemnation of the Israelites’ adultery and idol worship, God gives Ezekiel a vision of the new temple where God Himself will live. This was rare good news for faithful Jews. For more than 100 years, God’s Chosen People seemed to be “on their own.” The northern and southern kingdoms had fallen to foreign invaders and thousands of Jews were killed, enslave

DAILY READING Ezekiel 2:1-10 REFLECTION Truth is Still Truth By Judy Webb As we begin reading from Ezekiel we learn that he is among those carried off by the Babylonians to remain in captivity for years. As we pick up the story, Ezekiel had just witnessed a vision. God called him to speak boldly. “ And whether they listen or fail to listen —for they are a rebellious people—they will know that a prophet has been among them. “ ( v.5) Whether those listening take the words to

DAILY READING Ezekiel 1:4-28 REFLECTION The Glory of the LORD By Beth Voltmann This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. When I saw it, I fell face-down, and I heard the voice of one speaking. (Ezekiel 1:28b) The vision given to the prophet Ezekiel while he was with God’s exiled people in Babylon far exceeds any work from the imaginations of George Lucas or James Cameron as displayed in their fantastical movies! It is important for us to study th

DAILY READING Revelation 5:11-14 REFLECTION Worthy is the Lamb! By Pam Mann As a child, I was taught that every Sunday worship service is practice for what every creature will do at the end of time. Our life is richer now, Mrs. K, the children’s choir director would explain, because we can taste-test the wonder of heavenly praise when we worship God in church. As an adult, I lived some years in west Africa. One Sunday morning, as I was leaving the church building with the d

DAILY READING Revelation 4:1-11 REFLECTION Lasting Value By Dave Mann There are a lot of different interpretations of Revelation. One crucial point to remember is how chapter 4 begins with the vision of heaven. What is the first thing that John sees? As the door to heaven opens before John’s eyes, he sees the throne of God. The Lord God Almighty is seated on the throne. Surrounding the throne are the four living creatures and 24 elders. The four living creatures are w

DAILY READING Revelation 5:1-10 REFLECTION All Shall be Well By Elaine Pierce The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them. Isaiah 11:6 The wolf and the lamb will feed together; and the lion will eat straw like the ox. Isaiah 65:25 "Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. (Revelation 5:5)....Then I saw a Lamb, looking a

DAILY READING Revelation 3:14-21 REFLECTION Lukewarm Crops & Laodiceans By Todd Marti Even the richest soil produces a disappointing crop if the gardener doesn’t let the sun warm it. The UALC Community Garden learned that the hard way in 2015. The previous year we focused on improving our soil. It was nice and dark, loaded with worms, when we planted our summer crops. It looked like we were on track for a good harvest. Then we made our mistake: we put a thick mulch of wo