Women of the ELCA Daily Grace

From Our Abundance

Wed, 16 May 2012 06:00:00 GMT

"Have you ever been lost? It may have been for a few seconds in the night when you were searching for the light switch. It might have been a shortcut that led you down a road in the wrong direction.

On life’s path, we are often confused, lost. Sometimes we may travel a long way before we stop to check directions. When we look at the directions Jesus gave his disciples, we wonder. We call this sermon the Beatitudes. We read them over and over. But in our lost-ness, we wonder, “How can this be?”

We sit at tables with more than enough. We shop at stores with overflowing bins. We are lost in abundance and yet Jesus says, “Blessed are you who are hungry.”

To receive the blessing, we must move from the place of abundance to the place of need. We know about poverty, about people who are hungry. It seems as if there is no blessing for us in our abundance, but there it is. If we give from our place of abundance, we move to the place of hunger. And there we are! The place of the blessing.

How will you give from your abundance? "

This message was adapted from “From Our Abundance” written by Marj Leegard that appeared in the January/February 2008 issue of Lutheran Woman Today magazine.

Old Marriage

Tue, 15 May 2012 06:00:00 GMT

"Growing up, I wanted to be a missionary. I was certain I possessed a truth that was needed by people in far-off countries. Now grown up, I have come to believe that the place most in need of God’s love is my own heart.

I wrote my husband a poem last summer. In it, I spoke of my comfort of being with him for all these years. I wished that we could continue this way forever. This is a true statement, but not the whole truth. That same summer I chastised him vehemently. I told him that in all the years of our marriage he had never pushed his chair back under the table after a meal! We laughed about it later, but I wonder, where did that come from? Are we the only ones for whom rage sometimes seethes beneath a placid surface?

A charcoal drawing hanging in our dining room belonged to my husband’s parents. An old couple sits in front of a cottage, framed by climbing roses. They appear smiling and content. Is that the whole story?

Mother Teresa once said the way a person can best serve God is to “Go home and love your family.” Let it be so. "

This message was adapted from “Old Marriage” written by Mary Mortimore Dossin that first appeared in the May 2010 issue of Lutheran Woman Today magazine.

Sensation of Smell

Mon, 14 May 2012 06:00:00 GMT

"Smell. The most enigmatic of our five senses—the one that reveals our animal nature and the one that scientists understand the least—is also one that’s key to our health.

How does it work? Small molecules called “chemical odorants” waft through your nose, hitting a postage-stamp-sized area at the top of your nasal cavity. There they encounter your 5 million olfactory receptor cells, sending smell information to two parts of your brain: the part that processes feelings and memory and the part where smells are interpreted.
br> Scientists have made some fascinating discoveries:

People act more fairly and generously when sniffing scents they perceive to be “clean.”*

Sprinkling scent-enhancing granules on your meals can make them taste better and satiate you sooner.**

Dogs have such finely tuned noses that they can smell cancer before medical tests detect it.***

Of all the senses, smell is the one most affected by aging. “The good news is that your smell is a skill you can avoid losing if you use it—and challenge it—regularly,” says behavioral neuroscientist Charles Wysocki, Ph.D. “You can help protect it if you enjoy wine tastings, fine cheese, tending flower gardens, and cooking with aromatic spices.” "

"Today we remember Matthias, Apostle. This message was adapted from “Sensation of Smell” written by Molly M. Ginty that first appeared in the November 2010 issue of Lutheran Woman Today magazine. *Information from a University of Toronto study. **Claim made by the makers of Sensa, a diet product. ***Information from the researchers at the Pine Street Foundation. "

Making Peace

Sun, 13 May 2012 06:00:00 GMT

" An old rancher, knowing the end was near, summoned the family to his bedside: “Do you all want to keep fighting or shall we try to get along?” The words the family later inscribed on his headstone reminded them of his wish for them: “Rest in peace.”

Peace is God’s deepest desire for us, and the Creator wove it into the fabric of creation. Throughout Scripture there are hints of the fullness of God’s intended shalom, a vivid peace that is not just a lack of war, but a deep participation in God’s justice. Shalom is peace that makes for justice, peace that reaches toward the right relationships God intended in creation.

Gracious God, you know our troubled hearts and warlike souls, yet you call us your own dear children and you embrace us in love. As we receive your embrace, let us receive a peace that empowers us to work for justice in your world. Amen. "

Today we observe the Sixth Sunday of Easter. This message was adapted from the “Making Peace and Being Peace” Bible study written by Martha E. Stortz that first appeared in the April 2008 issue of Lutheran Woman Today magazine

Journey to Wellness—5 of 5

Sat, 12 May 2012 06:00:00 GMT

"We live in a world of information, yet we are not familiar with our bodies and what it means to be healthy. Our bodies are miraculous gifts from God that should be treasured and protected. Our culture worships external bodily perfection, and we all struggle in some way with that expectation of perfection: If only I were taller, smaller, prettier, younger, older, stronger. We rarely take the time to appreciate and to care for the entire, exquisite body that we have been given.

Relationships and communication are central to women’s lives, but we are sometimes either embarrassed to talk about health or feel that it is not important. Now is the time to reclaim responsibility for our healthy bodies. We use our bodies (and brains) to work, learn, have fun, love, communicate, and express ourselves. Self-care is an investment in our future and is good stewardship of the gift of humanity that we have been given.

Practice self-care, in partnership with family and friends, by doing the following:

1. Listen to your body.

2. Be knowledgeable about your health.

3. Live a healthy lifestyle.

4. Plan for health improvement.

Let us raise up our health together to honor and serve God!"

This message was adapted from the “Our Journey to Wellness” resource written in part by Tammy Devine and is available from the Women of the ELCA website.

Act Boldly for Mission—7 of 7

Wed, 1 Feb 2012 06:00:00 GMT

"Yesterday we asked if you would have heeded Jesus’ invitation to join him. (Luke 5:1-11) Simon Peter and the Zebedee brothers may not have been able to see it then but, looking backward, we can see that God’s plan to bring in the kingdom through Jesus also meant working through those who follow Jesus. Jesus tapped James and John and Martha and Mary and other ordinary people on the shoulder and said, “Hey, come follow me.” And that meant, “Come be a part of this adventure.""

The kingdom of God has come near! And it is coming near . . . in and through you. As followers of Jesus, we are invited to receive this kingdom. We don’t have to “bring in” or “build” the kingdom. God has been—and is—already doing that. But we do have a job to do. Through us, God wants to get this message about the kingdom out to everybody. God’s gift of love and blessing and reconciliation and salvation has come to us. And, through us, God wants to give this gift to the whole world.

Creator God, help me to do my part to spread your word and share the gift of salvation with all your children. "

This message was adapted from “Act Boldly for Mission” by Kelly Fryer that appeared in the June 2007 issue of Lutheran Woman Today magazine.