Pastor Tim’s Devotion for June 12, 2020:
The Chain Reaction of Lily, Leon and Jeremiah
Lily
Lily Havesh goes by “Havesh5” on YouTube. She is one of the most popular Domino Artists.
She states:
The best part for me is seeing something that I work so hard on, worth all the way through after, sometimes even spending weeks planning and building it. I finally get to see the payoff when I knock and when I see that last domino fall, that’s like the best part. Like that’s what I live for.
Check out her Amazing Triple Spiral with 15,000 dominoes on YouTube. https://youtu.be/lo6x4eulY9g
Leon
Leon Brown (born November 16, 1949 in Sacramento, California) was an outfielder in Major League Baseball.
He once said:
For every positive change you make in your life, something else also changes for the better – it creates a chain reaction.
Jeremiah
Jeremiah was the son of Hilkiah, a Jewish priest from the Benjamite village of Anathoth. The difficulties he encountered, as described in the books of Jeremiah and Lamentations, have prompted scholars to refer to him as “the weeping prophet.” He was one of the major prophets of the Old Testament.
Wikipedia includes the following information:
Jeremiah was called to prophetic ministry 626 BCE by God to give prophecy of Jerusalem’s destruction that would occur by invaders from the north. This was because Israel had been unfaithful to the laws of the covenant and had forsaken God by worshiping Baal…This nation had deviated so far from God that they had broken the covenant, causing God to withdraw his blessings. Jeremiah was guided by God to proclaim that the nation of Judah would be faced with famine, plundered and taken captive by foreigners who would exile them to a foreign land.
In the midst of all this he proclaims in 29:11:
For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.
One way to show an example of a chain reaction is to set up a dozen dominoes, one standing next to the other, and the tip the first so that it creates a chain reaction and knocks down the others, one by one.
God created a wonderful chain reaction for us when God sent us Jesus — the reaction begins with Jesus and through Christ we are made right with God
Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
Romans 5:1
As we are loved by God and no longer need to fear death, we can lead lives BOLDLY in love. God’s love for us can start a lifelong chain reaction of grace, forgiveness, hope and hospitality. Our actions carry forward the Good News in all we do. We are a part of this chain reaction whenever we show love to someone. Whenever we care for another. When we speak out, advocate, stand beside and listen to those who are marginalized, shunned, forsaken or abused we are part of the Easter Chain Reaction.
Now more than ever, as we go forth with our lives we live the Gospel News, we are to reflect the light of new possibility, to share and be love to all, to feed the hungry and heal the sick, to be makers of peace and doers of justice, and to fill the world with hope!
Pastor Tim
“No act of kindness is too small. The gift of kindness may start as a small ripple that over time can turn into a tidal wave affecting the lives of many.”
Kevin Heath
