MARCH 28

DAILY DEVOTIONS

"When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. “Where have you laid him?” he asked. “Come and see, Lord,” they replied. Jesus wept."  - John 11:33-35 (NIV)

All of us will eventually stand at the graveside of someone we love. Details vary, but the reality is universal. Grieving families gather at gravesides as friends and family struggle for words. When death is unexpected, the "whys" can hover like thick fog. John tells us in today's scripture of a funeral in Bethany for a good friend of Jesus named Lazarus who had died. His brief sickness was stronger than medicine. Jesus had been notified of the illness, but had not arrived in time. Drawn by grief, many people had come from the surrounding towns to offer last respects to Lazarus of Bethany and his family. When Jesus appeared at Lazarus's funeral in Bethany, Martha and Mary were weeping for their brother. Grief-stricken, they struggled to understand why Jesus had delayed in coming.

Yet John stresses we have a Lord who loves and cares. When Jesus saw the weeping and wailing, he did not lecture, find excuses, or express disapproval. Rather he joined in the grief and wept openly. He empathized with their grief before he finally healed Lazarus and raised him from the dead. By this action, Jesus showed us he always cares enough to weep with us in our grief and sorrow. This is unlike the stoic pagan Gods with no emotions that were popular then. Here we see many of Jesus' emotions including sorrow, grief, compassion, and even frustration. Jesus showed deep feelings yet remained fully God and fully human. Therefore we should never be afraid to share our feelings with him. We can rest assured our Lord understands all our complex emotions since he experienced them. Be honest, and don't try to hide anything from your Savior. The Lord of all Love is still with you always!

Prayer:

Father God,

Thank you for accepting me as I am. I offer you my feelings, sorrows, fears, and tears.

Amen.

Meditation For The Day:

God's tears heal.

 

Brief Devotions For Busy Lives: Daily Fall Renewal Paperback

– May 23, 2017 by Rev. Dr. Mary Johnson (Author) Available from Amazon

 

Used with permission of the family of the late Rev. Dr. Mary B. Johnson.

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Rev. Dr. Mary Johnson, D.Min., (1942-2018)

Mary was Ordained in 1975.
She served both as a Parish Pastor and in multiple Specialized Ministry Settings.

She worked on the Clinical Staff of New England Memorial Hospital and Middleton Pastoral
Counseling Center in Massachusetts and was a Director of Green Pastures Counseling Centers in N.H.

She was a state Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor,
Nationally Board-Certified Counselor (N.C.C.), and Nationally Certified Pastoral Counselor (AAPC)
and held certification as a Clinical Member of the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education (A.C.P.E.).

She received a Doctor of Ministry Degree in Psychology and Clinical Studies
from Andover Newton in Newton, MA.

Dr. Johnson also founded Good News Specialized Ministries, Inc.
This unique ministry provided education and Clinical Christian Counseling to thousands of people over the decades and trained numerous Clinical Counselors and Counseling Ministers while offering weekly non-denominational worship services to the community for more than 20 years.

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I had the honor and privilege of working with Pastor Arnie Johnson
when I served as the pastor for the Richmond Community United Methodist Church in Richmond, NH from 2019 - 2022.
I personally have been deeply touched by Mary's writings. Her family has graciously allowed me to share them with you. - Pastor Sharon Sargent

"I always considered my ministry at Richmond as a shared ministry. Mary had the expertise that helped me function as well as I did. I received critiques on the way home after the services. I finally realized that I may have “arrived” when one day she was pleased with my performance with no critique! That took several years! So, I would love it if you would use the picture of the two of us and mention Rev. Dr. Mary Johnson as my spouse and partner in ministry, and she continued to be until the day she died, four days before the end of my appointment at Richmond." -  Pastor Arnie Johnson

Rev. Dr. Mary Johnson is the author of eight other published books including:

"Activating The Power Of Pastoral Care: A Team Approach";

"Brief Devotions For Busy Lives: Daily Spring/Summer/Fall/Winter Renewal"(Vol.1-4);

"Flying Free: Transforming Grief and Loss into Renewal";

Following The Angel Trail: In The Steps Of Jesus";

"Love In Action: The Healing Heritage Of The Counseling Ministry Of The Church";

"Visions Of Hope: Voices Of Americana";

"Healing Streams: Journeys Of Healing".

She has also been published in the AAPC professional Journal "Journeys" and in the Keene Sentinel.