DEVOTION - FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012

DEVOTION - FRIDAY, MARCH 9.2012

”THE PALACE BUILT ON A ROCK”

BY

REV G. MEL DUNN

“THE UMAYYAD PALACE ALONG THE WALLS OF THE TEMPLE MOUNT”

“Built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone.” -  Eph 2:20

On the day we visited the temple mount,  I tried to remember as much as I could to share with my congregation and my family.   I was especially drawn to the beautiful Umayyad Palace along the walls of the temple mount built by the Turks around 650 AD.  It made a beautiful picture.  I admired the symmetry and the arrangement of the plants but I was more fascinated by the stones that were used – some as old as 2500 years and taken from those used in the Second Temple.

Then I remembered the verses from Paul’s letter to the Ephesians

“Now therefore you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God,  and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone.”

What a wonder is a church built on the foundation of the “Apostles and Prophets”, with Jesus Christ as the cornerstone, and faithful Christians as the stones in the building.

It is as beautiful as that Palace along the wall and will stand forever.

“Dear Lord, help us to stand strong as building blocks in your Holy Church.   Amen”

DEVOTION - THURSDAY, MARCH 8, 2012

DEVOTIONAL - THURSDAY, MARCH 8, 2012

"THERE ARE STILL FISH IN THE SEA"

BY

MEL DUNN

"Fishermen Early in the Morning on the Sea of Galilee"

Mat 4:18 And walking by the Sea of Galilee, Jesus saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea. For they were fishermen.
Mat 4:19 And He said to them, Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.
Mat 4:20 And they immediately left their nets and followed him.
Mat 4:21 And going on from there, he saw another two brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. And He called them;
Mat 4:22 and they immediately left the boat and their father and followed Him.
Those Jesus Chose to follow Him and to take up the work of founding the church were not the religious leaders of His day. They were not professional folks – doctors and lawyers.
They were simple fishermen who worked the waters near their hometown of Capernaum. They left their families and labors to wonder around Galilee and listen to a traveling preacher who made outrageous claims.
That morning, as I boarded the little boat that would carry us across the Lake to meet our bus, I looked down from the dock and marveled at the sight of fisherman like those who left their needs to follow Jesus. I marveled at the sight and the fish they were hauling in (another picture). After 2000 years there were still fish and fishermen in Galilee.
For us, 2000 years have passed since Jesus walked these shores, but His message is still the same today. "Follow Me, and I will help you fish for people."
We so lightly sing, with a nice rhythm, "I have decided to follow Jesus. No turning back, no turning back." Yet, I wondered that morning, as I was watching the Galilean fishermen laboring in the morning mist. Do we really mean what we say?
Peter and the others did, and they died founding Christ’s church. What are we willing to do?
There are still fish in the sea and Jesus needs men and women to do the work – to fish for him."Dear Lord, make us faithful to answer your call and sure in living our lives for you. Amen"

DEVOTION - WEDNESDAY MARCH 7, 2012

DEVOTION - WEDNESDAY,

MARCH 7, 2012

“I WALKED TODAY WHERE JESUS WALKED”

BY

G MEL DUNN

"COURT YARD WHRE JESUS WAS TAKEN FOR TRIAL"

“I Walked today Where Jesus Walked”

The night before our final Day in the Holy Land, we had gone from Jerusalem to Caesarea to Megiddo to Nazareth to Cana and finally, and ended up in Tiberius on the Sea of Galilee.

It was from there that we were to cross the Lake to the other shore and finish our Pilgrimage.

I was tired and hungry and,  after going through four individuals at the Hotel dining room to get a diet Pepsi to drink,  I was more than a little frustrated.   I was also grieving the end of the trip which had been so spiritually uplifting.

After my dinner partner left me to finish alone,   three nice folks said, “Come over and finish with us.”

I did and then planned to then go immediately to bed, skipping the lecture that was scheduled for 7:30.   One of the ladies said she would like to attend the lecture but was afraid she would fall asleep.   So, I offered to go along and help her stay awake.

I am rejoicing that I didn’t fall asleep without that most memorable experience on the trip.   The lecturer was going over the ministry of Jesus in Galilee and his depth of knowledge was exceptional.   However,   much of what he said was a review from Seminary and it was only his gracious manner of presentation that held my interest and kept my heavy eyes open.

He spoke for about an hour and then without any sort of accompaniment he became to sing in the most beautiful and moving way -

I walked today where Jesus walked,

In days of long ago.

I wandered down each path He knew,

With reverent step and slow.

Those little lanes, they have not changed,

A sweet peace fills the air.

I walked today where Jesus walked,

And felt Him close to me.

My pathway led through Bethlehem,

A memory's ever sweet.

The little hills of Galilee,

That knew His childish feet.

The Mount of Olives, hallowed scenes,

That Jesus knew before

I saw the mighty Jordan row,

As in the days of yore.

I knelt today where Jesus knelt,Where all alone he prayed.

The Garden of Gethsemane,

My heart felt unafraid.

I picked my heavy burden up,

And with Him at my side,

I climbed the Hill of Calvary,

I climbed the Hill of Calvary,

I climbed the Hill of Calvary,

Where on the Cross He Died!

I walked today where Jesus walked,

And felt Him close to me.

I felt tears well up in my eyes and as I looked around, I could see I was not alone.   I think, we understood for the first time that night that we had been doing just that and that we could return to our churches, families, and friends and knowing that we had walked where Jesus walked - and continue to walk everyday with Him.

DEVOTION - TUESDAY, MARCH 6, 2012

DEVOTION - TUESDAY, MARCH 6, 2010

“WALKING THROUGH THE VALLEY”

BY

REV G MEL DUNN

“WALKING THROUGH THE VALLEY”

 

Psa 23:4  Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

I stood looking at the Dead Sea.    I tried to comprehend that this seemingly beautiful blue sea  was, indeed,  the lowest place on the face of the earth.    And, that in spite of all the beauty of the reflecting sky, It was a “dead sea”.

It had been an interesting day.   First, we had a long drive up to Mount Nebo and we took time gazing over the Holy Land from the place where Moses stood to take that last promised look before God carried him away.

Then, we traveled down a winding road into the Valley of the Jordan River and spent an  hour passing through the border between Jordan and Israel.   There,  we witnessed the distrust and fences that people put up that signify all the anger of hatred in the world today - from the mountaintop to the deepest valley.

And, as I took this picture, I was struck by the beauty that is found even in the valley.  However,   I was fascinated by the sidewalk that ended so abruptly and which then led off into a path that seemed to disappear on the shores of the salty water.

As I offer this picture for you consideration,  I think of our Lenten Journey.    The sidewalk may end and all that we can see ahead may be the lowest point on the face of the earth, but we can assured that no matter what this season or this year holds -

“The Lord is with us; His rod and  staff will comfort us and see us through.”

Rev. Mel Dunn

Bridgeport

DEVOTION - MONDAY, MARCH 5, 2012

“SITTING AT THE FEET OF JESUS”

Devotion

MONDAY, MARCH 5, 2012

Pastor Mel sitting in the shadows on the steps where Jesus taught along the Western Wall of the Temple Mount - Oh the comfort to be near where Jesus stood so long ago.

Luke 19:45 -48

“ And entering into the temple, He began to cast out those selling and buying in it,  saying to them, It is written, "My house is a house of prayer," but you have made it a den of thieves.  And He taught in the temple daily. But the chief priests and the scribes and the chief of the people sought to destroy Him.  And they could not find what they might do, for all the people were hanging on Him, listening.”  (mkjv)

“They were hanging on Him, listening.”

I sat for as long as I could in the shadows - recalling His teaching trying to imagine Jesus standing on those steps.  Others wandered around, but I just wanted to sit and meditate within myself.   I wanted to understand His teaching - teachings of love for one another, concern for the poor, and His mission to “Sinners not the Righteous.”

A nice lady with the group asked me If I would like to have her take my picture.  I agreed it would be nice, but if I was only a shadow sitting on the steps where Jesus taught.  I have such a precious memory of that moment.

LORD, LET ME ALWAYS SIT QUIETLY IN THE SHADOWS AT THE FEET OF JESUS AND BE QUIET AND KNOW THAT HE IS GOD. AMEN

Pastor G Mel Dunn  - January 2010

DEVOTION - SATURDAY, MARCH 3, 2012

DEVOTION – SATURDAY, MARCH 3, 2012

“WHEN DARKNESS CAME”

BY

REV G. MEL DUNN

BRIDGEPORT AND CENTRE SQUARE UNITED METHODIST CHURCHES

“Pastors Trying to Figure Out What to do Now”

Luk 23:44  And it was about the sixth hour, and there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour.

Luk 23:45  And the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was torn in the middle.

Luk 23:46  And crying with a loud voice, Jesus said, Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit. And when He had said this, He breathed out the spirit.

It was our last day in  Jerusalem.  On Sunday we would travel on to Galilee.   Our plans were formulated to make this day one we would always remember.

It dawned as all others had – bright and sunny,  a day for the camera fans among us.  We saw the old city of David.  We visited the pool of Bethesda.  We walked the Via Dolorosa.  We waited in line to see all the icons and lights and candles of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.  We lunched in the Arab market and fought the crowds on the way back to our bus.

Now we were ready for the highlight of our day.  We were going to the Garden Tomb,  and we had reserved a private time for communion in the Garden overlooking the tomb at the Jewish ninth hour.

Everything was ready.  I had in hand my Olive Wood covered Bible from Bethlehem and I was prepared to read the resurrection story from Luke.  Our Episcopal bus captain had prepared and printed a long litany from the Book  of Common Prayer.

Two pastors with us were prepared to handle the elements,  and the Choir director from Texas was ready to lead us in appropriate songs.

And then the hour approached and suddenly we realized that the sky had clouded and a breeze was blowing through the Garden.   Then it became dark and a light misty rain began to fall.

We were suddenly aware that that the service was not going to go as planned.  We had to huddle and make quick plans to shorten our time in the gloom and rain.

We were at an hour and in a place where our Lord suffered more than anyone had ever suffered before or since,  and the time and the darkness matched the hour.

Oh, how much He suffered there for us – to reconcile all mankind to God.   It was not a place or a time for celebration.   That day was a day for rededication.      That day took on new meaning for me.   As a teenager,  I had taken Galatians 2:20 as a life verse and it hangs engraved on a plaque in my office.  But,  I don’t think I ever before really thought about what it meant to be “Crucified with Christ.”  There next to the tomb and in the shadow of the hill called “Skull”,  I was made to reconsider all that happened that day over two thousand  years ago.

“Dear Lord,  help us this Lenten season to remember how Jesus suffered for us and how great His love is.   Help

DEVOTION - FRIDAY, MARCH 2, 2012

DEVOTION – FRIDAY, MARCH 2, 2012

“RUNNING THE RACE AND CLIMBING THE HILL”

By Mel Dunn

Bridgeport and Centre Square UMCs

1Co 9:24  Do you not know that those running in a race all run, but one receives the prize? So run, that you may obtain.

It was our last day – after one last stop we would  head to the Jordan and then would cross over on our way to our last night in Ammon and then a flight home.

We were in the ruins of a Roman city and some us were a bit tired – including our guide.   But, there stood a last challenge……  a hill with, it appeared, a few hundred steps on stairs that led to the top.   Our guide said that he wouldn’t be making that climb.  However,  if anyone wanted to go up,  they had twenty minutes.    Here are those who ran the race and won.

We all have our race to run and we have to run it even when we are tired and worn.   As we progress through our Lenten Journey,  God will help us succeed.

Our trust must be in the one who climbed the hardest hill of all and will help us climb ours.

1Co 10:12  So let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.

1Co 10:13  No temptation has taken you but what is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted above what you are

able, but with the temptation also will make a way to escape, so that you may be able to bear it.