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Weekly Devotional

February 9, 2009

God’s Peace be with you all.

Mark 1:35-39  ³⁵ In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed.  ³⁶ And Simon and his companions hunted for him.  ³⁷ When they found him, they said to him, "Everyone is searching for you."  ³⁸ He answered, "Let us go on to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do." ³⁹ And he went throughout Galilee, proclaiming the message in their synagogues and casting out demons.

            This week’s devotional focuses on a single part of yesterday’s Gospel lesson.  Jesus has healed Simon’s mother-in-law, and then goes out early in the morning to pray.  Now pay attention to what verse 36 above says.  It says “Simon and his companions hunted for him.”  I think that kind of sums up the Christian life doesn’t it?  We are always searching for Jesus in our lives, no matter what the situation.  And like Simon, we too find God in our lives (see verse 37).

            I believe that everyone is searching for God, and that we can proclaim the same thing that Simon says: “Everyone is searching for you.”  As Christians, we sometimes need to be reminded that everyone is searching for God, but not exactly in the same places we do.  We can find God easily in a church building, at a women’s group meeting or a Lutheran Men meeting….but people that are unchurched don’t know to look in these places.  Perhaps then we can help them hunt for God in some of the same places where we hunt.

            The final thing I want to mention about this Gospel is that Jesus answers Simon with a plural…he says “Let US go on to the neighboring towns…”  He doesn’t say “Let me go.”  Our journey in this life is one in which God goes with us, not by himself and not by ourselves.  The search for God in our lives is a community search, and is one that we can use everywhere.  This means that even when we are not at church, we are able to search for God, and to help others find God wherever we may be.

In our prayers this week: 

Alma, Ann, St. John’s, Norm, Joseph

Pastor Judson