What Makes for a Good Day?

Today the temperature was very pleasant, the sun was shining, and I believe it was a nice day outside. Of course, if you’re like me, you didn’t get a chance to get outside. But that didn’t change the day. Now, dangerous weather can certainly make for a bad day. Tornadoes, floods, hurricanes, and such can destroy so much, and even take life, all of which can make the phrase a bad day an understatement. Yet, when l watch the news and see people standing in the ruins of their houses and hear them say they are blessed because they are alive, I have to ask myself if I know what really makes for a good day. In the middle of such events, we see everyday people become uncommon heroes. Sometimes, without a thought, but in quick action, they become a part of God’s love and work, and we get a glimpse of God’s love in the determination of others to save and care for life. I’ve been told by people much wiser than me that if they wake up in the morning, it’s a good day.

In a world of sunshine and storm, peace and violence, health and illness, life and death, what makes for a good day? In a world where we can thrive and feel crushed by events, I must ask, what makes for a good day?

In reading the gospel of John 1:35-51, I listened in on the ancient story of Jesus calling his first disciples. I read about a couple of guys who looked and found the hope that would change their lives. In my mind, I could hear Jesus ask them what they were looking for, then tell them to come and see, and they did. I read of a man who may have been having what we would call an identity crisis, wondering who he was in this life. Jesus gives him a new name and a powerful identity. In Jesus, he found who he really was, someone in whom a Messiah could build a ministry. There’s a lot more than sunshine that makes for a good day. Join us Sunday at either 8:45 a.m. or 11:00 a.m. or on Facebook Live at 11:00 a.m., and let’s explore what the power and presence of God have to do with a good day. Come and see!

May the Grace and Peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you!

Pastor Rick

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A Covenant Prayer in the Wesleyan Tradition

(page 607 in the United Methodist Hymnal)

I am no longer my own, but thine.
Put me to what thou wilt, rank me with whom thou wilt.
Put me to doing, put me to suffering.
Let me be employed by thee or laid aside for thee,
exalted for thee or brought low for thee.
Let me be full, let me be empty.
Let me have all things, let me have nothing.
I freely and heartily yield all things
to thy pleasure and disposal.
And now, O glorious and blessed God,
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
thou art mine, and I am thine. So be it.
And the covenant which I have made on earth,
let it be ratified in heaven. AMEN.