Shame is one of the most elusive human experiences. It lingers in the background without us knowing. Shame thrives in darkness and secrecy. It doesn’t seek to understand; it seeks to destroy us in highly personal ways. It traps us in cycles of unwanted thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. It isolates us, convinces us to hide, wear masks, stay quiet, and pretend we’re fine. It keeps us alone—even in our closest relationships.

Have you ever felt the exhaustion and loneliness that comes from all that hiding? I know I have.

Sometimes shame reveals itself through thoughts like:
“I don’t belong here.”
“If they really knew me, they wouldn’t love me.”
“There’s something wrong with me.”
“I’m a mess… damaged goods… a bad mom, wife, sister, friend, or employee.”
“I’m too ___ (loud, anxious, awkward…).”

Hebrews 2 offers us a breathtaking truth. Jesus, who shared in all our human suffering, is not ashamed to call us his sisters. He knows every part of us! Even the messiest, most unwanted, unlovable, and wounded parts. He knows our secret doubts, our struggles, our addictions, and our pain.

Still, he brings us into his family with joy. He says, “She’s mine!” Jesus doesn’t just tolerate us, either. He embraces us. He exposes shame’s lie that says we’re unlovable or unworthy.

If Jesus isn’t ashamed of us, is there any reason to keep hiding?

You don’t need to clean yourself up first—he has made us holy. We are free to take our masks off! We can share our stories with our sisters, shine a light on our messes, and let go of the shame that keeps us isolated. Our stories don’t disqualify us from love. In fact, our stories could be the doorway to deeper connections with others.

Here are a few questions to guide further reflection:

1. What parts of your story or identity have you felt ashamed of?
2. How has shame affected your relationship with God, others, and maybe even yourself?
3. What changes when you imagine Jesus standing beside you, proudly calling you his sister?
4. Is there someone safe you can share part of your story with this week to practice stepping out of shame and into connection?

Family reunion. What comes to your mind when you hear those words? Perhaps you see family members you haven’t seen for years. Maybe you hear the sound of friendly conversation and children playing. Or, maybe you smell freshly-grilled burgers and recall the taste of homemade lemonade. Then again, maybe you try not to see that “crazy aunt” who loves to argue about politics. Or you dread the sound of your own children caught fighting in front of your mother. And just what should you say to your brother who hasn’t belonged to a church for years now? Or to your nephew who is experimenting with an “alternative lifestyle”? How can you show love to your family without causing even more problems?

Jesus had unpleasant “family reunions” in his lifetime. Mark recorded one of those experiences in our reading for this devotion. Jesus was in his hometown of Nazareth. It was the Sabbath. He entered the synagogue and began to teach. Mark doesn’t tell us what Jesus said on that day. But if the message was anything like that of a previous visit to Nazareth’s synagogue (Luke 4:16-21), it would have centered around Jesus as the promised Messiah, the Savior of the world. Jesus would have told the assembly, which most likely would have included his own brothers and sisters, that he was the one they had been waiting for, the Messiah. But how could the boy they watched grow to adulthood, to be a carpenter, be the one to save them? Impossible! They would not believe it. As Jesus heard their words and saw their hearts, he was amazed at their lack of faith.

Luke records that in Jesus’ earlier visit to Nazareth the people even tried to kill him by throwing him off a cliff (Luke 4:28-30)! Jesus’ own brothers (“half-brothers,” really, the sons of Mary and Joseph) called him crazy and interfered with his ministry (Mark 3:21). Jesus knew the pain of not being able to enjoy spiritual fellowship with his family and announced that his true family consists of all who believe in him (Luke 8:21). Even at his death, most of Jesus’ family did not believe his message.

After his resurrection, Jesus appeared to one (we are not told he was the oldest, though he probably was) of his brothers, James. James became a believer, and even became the leader of the Christians in Jerusalem! Apparently his other brothers got the message too, for we find them praying and sharing in the ministry with the disciples after Jesus’ ascension (Acts 1:14). It had taken longer than one lifetime, but the Holy Spirit had used Jesus’ ministry to his family to bring them to faith.

So, what do you do when your “crazy aunt” corners you? What do you say to your spiritually lost brother? Jesus has called you to speak the truth in love to all people, especially to your family. While the opportunity to share God’s Word with our families is a great blessing, it also may be our biggest challenge. After all, these people raised us, were raised with us, or were raised by us. Who better knows our faults and weaknesses? God knows we will be tempted to think we are not fit to share his message. He knows we will be discouraged when family members reject us and his Word.

But do not be dismayed if you do not see results. God simply says to share the gospel. Through the work of the Holy Spirit, God can bring members of your family to faith so you may enjoy a grand “family reunion” with them and all believers in heaven.

Living overseas provided me with a good understanding of the phrase “lost in translation.” From thinking my daughter had been hit with a stick in kindergarten instead of stung by a bee, to driving to the wrong village for my son’s soccer game because of the difference of a single syllable, being unable to understand someone can be both humorous and frustrating.

Imagine how amazing it must have felt for those weary travelers from the ends of the earth to hear the wonders of God’s grace, Christ crucified and risen, in their own language on that first Pentecost. The followers of Christ, many of whom were unschooled and ordinary men, had been given the gift of the Holy Spirit to speak the language of salvation to those gathered in Jerusalem. On that day, about three thousand people heard the gospel message and came to join the fellowship of believers.

How can we speak this language of salvation to others? While we may not be called upon to learn a new language and travel to a foreign mission field, the field is ripe in our own backyard. Speaking the language of salvation to those in our own mission field can begin with connecting with the lonely, listening to the hurting, or smiling at that new family in church. Praying for opportunities and tuning in to the needs of those we meet on life’s path can create bridges to share Jesus in a language that they can understand.

Speaking the language of salvation may not involve translating sentences or spending time on a language app; rather, it can be taking time to pause and consider the needs of others and how we can fill them with the gospel.

Our world is brimming with misunderstandings even without a language barrier. Yet, by meeting the needs of others in our neighborhoods and sharing that language of salvation, the Holy Spirit brings peace, salvation, and hope to troubled hearts plagued by dissension and strife. When Peter and John were called on to stop preaching the name of Christ by the Sanhedrin, Peter boldly declared, “There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to people by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). May God empower each of us to season our conversations with that name above all names and speak the language of salvation in our own unique mission fields.

We perk up when we hear “for this reason.” For what reason? It’s Paul’s opening line in Ephesians 5:31-33.

The quote takes us all the way back to creation, to Genesis 2:24. “That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh”

The reason for this remarkable “one-flesh” miracle that occurs in the marriage of a man and a woman is found in the passage that precedes, Genesis 2:23:

“This is now bone of my bones
and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called ‘woman,’
for she was taken out of man.”

Because God formed Eve from the very flesh and bone of Adam, marriage does nothing less than bring the two back into one. Paul speaks of this oneness reverently as a “profound mystery” on a level with the union of Christ and his church.

In Ephesians 5:22-30, Paul provides insights into the amazing gift we’re given in the one-flesh union that takes place through marriage. Take a moment to read those verses. Paul is bold to compare the marital union to the relationship of Christ and the church. We can learn much from this comparison.

The comparison is based on the fact that the church is the bride of Christ, a part of his own body of which he is the head. He sacrificed everything for her! Through Christ’s lavish love he presents the church as holy, cleansed, without blemish, and simply radiant.

Although our human love will always pale in comparison with the divine love, nevertheless, when husbands and wives love and honor each other, we catch a glimpse of how great the love of God in Christ for us is. Our love is a reflection of that love. At the same time Christ’s love is the motivating force for our love for each other. And it gives us the wonderful opportunity in our relationship to display Christ’s love to the world, as a powerful witness to our faith.

What a blessing on every side!

They didn’t even get her name. She was suffering in a sea of people, and no one even noticed. Luke (chapter 8) carefully researched it and didn’t come up with a name either. Jairus is remembered, but not this woman. The world was ready to pass her by without comment. But not Jesus. Jesus does have important things to see to—like the death of a little girl. But he stops everything for this woman of no name. Because to him, she is important. She is a daughter. God had made her his own by faith, which Jesus points out because no one seemed to get it. And by calling her “Daughter,” Jesus brings out the Father-daughter relationship she possesses. A relationship that makes her strong and bold. So bold as to reach out and touch the garment of her Savior. “If I just touch his clothes…” she thought. In that moment there was no crowd, no paralyzing self-criticisms, no other priorities, just get to Jesus. If I head this direction, I can slip through the crowd, and I should intersect his path. He’ll go right by, and I’ll be able to touch his clothes. I won’t even bother him with a verbal query. Just a touch and I’ll be healed. And it worked. Her plan worked. Jesus tells us that the success was due to her faith. Simply believing that God cared.

Suffering in life is often done alone. It is natural to draw back and lick the sore wounds. They need attention. They demand attention. But they need healing too—God’s healing. If you but reach out for him he is not far. He knows what has happened. And he sympathizes and even empathizes with your pain. He is ready to be your mentor, doctor, coach, trainer, and friend in tears. We got a good look at our Savior’s heart while he hung on that cross. And what we saw was overwhelming to the point of incomprehensible. Oh, the depth of the wisdom and knowledge of God! He did all that for me. And I didn’t even think he noticed. But he does notice. The world may continue on its busy schedule, but our Father is ready to stop the world and remind us, “Hey, Daughter. I have a plan. It is a good plan. And I promise you, it has a great ending.”

I need reminders.

I have plenty of lists and schedules to keep me on task and on time, but the reminder in this passage makes me think about something that falls off my radar—hospitality to strangers. I know it’s essential to invest myself in personal relationships, but when God reminds me to be hospitable to strangers . . . that’s a little tricky. I feel like kindness to strangers is all I really have time for, and this passage makes me scratch my head a little. Hospitable? How do you show hospitality to people you don’t know? Not sure I can see how that works (and I easily forget or put off things that I don’t understand).

Jesus told the perfect parable to help us understand—and remember.

“A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’” Luke 10:30-35

For the moment, just consider how the parable of the Good Samaritan teaches and motivates you to be hospitable. The perfect love of Jesus comes to you with selfless love and the ultimate sacrifice. He picked you up off the side of the road where you were dead in sin. Jesus gave his life as the sacrifice to pay for sin so you could be forgiven and live eternally. He brings you into his family and takes care of you at his expense.

Now, Jesus reminds you to be mindful of others because he wants them to receive the love and forgiveness you receive from him. He reminds you to invest extra time when you can connect with strangers because he gave his life to draw people into relationships with him. Jesus wants you to listen to others and hear what they need because it’s a place you can show love. Graciously do what you can to help them and share Jesus’ forgiveness. It might be hard when you have to stop what you’re doing, share some of the physical blessings God has given you, or be inconvenienced. But when you remember Jesus and his free grace, it doesn’t seem so hard. When you are focused on Jesus—and thankful for his priceless blessings—you naturally reflect his love.

Just don’t forget!

Remember Jesus.

In this passage, Paul was talking to the church in Philippi; he wanted the church to be unified in their devotion to the Lord and not fighting all the time. Yet these concepts are applicable to marriage relationships as well, particularly regarding respect—respect for one’s spouse and respect for the marriage bond.

Christian marriages unite two people in Christ and make them “one in spirit” even if they don’t always feel in sync. Their unified purpose is to bring glory to God in a loving and successful marriage. Christian spouses will be like-minded in serving the Lord with all their actions, but the way they treat one another should be of utmost importance. Respect for one’s spouse shows respect for God and his blessing of marriage.

Even if a husband is not a believer or is a believer with a weak faith, the two can still be of the same mind in their marriage, with the goal of creating a loving and successful relationship. If they are like-minded in putting their partnership ahead of their individual desires, they will respect one another and act in the best interest of the marriage. The purpose of the believing spouse remains the same: to bring God glory and to strive for a compassionate marriage.

In both cases, respect for one another is key to achieving the shared purpose. A woman who shows admiration for her husband, even when he makes mistakes, is bringing joy to the Lord of blessings and unity to the marriage. “Selfish ambition and vain conceit” would tell us to make demands of our husbands and to belittle them so we ourselves look better. To combat this sinful tendency, it is important to stop and think before we speak and act. Is what I am about to do or say in his best interest or in the best interest of our marriage? Is making fun of my husband in public, going behind his back to make important decisions, or criticizing his actions going to bring glory to God? Am I being humble, recognizing my own sins and weaknesses, before pointing out his? Am I building him up or tearing him down?

Marriage is difficult. It is only through the encouragement of being united with Christ that we can show love, compassion, and respect, considering our spouses above ourselves. With the gift of a marriage partnership, God gives us the responsibility of a shared purpose and the privilege of a shared joy.

God’s command to praise him for his blessings can be fulfilled in countless ways. But as you gather for a Thanksgiving meal this week, you may find yourself praying these familiar words,

Come, Lord Jesus, be our guest
and let these gifts to us be blessed.

As a little girl, I remember the taunting aroma of the food while we said the common table prayer. My Grandma made wonderful Greek food at Thanksgiving. Spinach pie. Orange bread. Salad with feta cheese that made my tongue tingle. I remember praying rather casually, thinking mostly about how good the food would be.

Now I’m the Grandma, and I’ve grown up a little.

It delights me to fill my table with amazing dishes, but when we join in the common table prayer, I’m not distracted by the food. I’m thankful for the gift of food but I’m mostly praying for the people in the seats. They are the priceless gifts that I want to be blessed by God. As my family gathers, I’m overcome with the joy of knowing that Jesus is our guest. His grace, planted in our hearts through baptism, continues to be nurtured by the Word of God.

Oh, give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good.
His mercy endures forever.

God’s mercy has endured, giving salvation to families for generations. As your loved ones gather this Thanksgiving, Jesus will be with you. May you be blessed with love for one another and love for Jesus.

But if there are troubled or wandering souls at your table, you can still give thanks—because God is good, and his mercy endures forever. He longs to save the lost and is working to draw people to himself, even as they sit at your table. Jesus is the gracious guest who comes to extend his love forever—and he shows his love to others through you.

Table prayers are a clear reminder of God’s presence, provision, and gift of mercy. May those who join you for the holidays hear the beautiful testimony and humble plea for God’s enduring mercy.

Jesus says, “You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Roughly paraphrased, that means “in your home, community, beyond your community and into all the world.” This is missional living. The idea is simply a Christ-centered mindset that sees our daily lives as a mission field where we can share God’s grace and love with others.

The concept of living as a missionary can be hard to grasp, but the pressure isn’t on us to make it work. We know the Holy Spirit is working to draw people to God. So, when you look at someone, you can ask yourself, “Is God working to reach this person with his love and grace? Does this person need forgiveness and hope?” The answer will be yes. It will always be yes. Jesus said, “I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest” (John 4:35). We live with our eyes open, trusting that God has planted fields and created us as workers to watch and care for the fruit as it ripens.

Imagine your life as a gigantic apple orchard with paths that lead you to work, the gym, grocery stores, coffee shops, and home again. There is a path to your school, a local park, and places where you enjoy recreation. Walk that path with more purpose than reaching your destination. Open your eyes and look around you! You are surrounded by fruited trees that may be weak or dying. Ask, “Where can I love, encourage, or nurture faith? Can I befriend someone God is trying to reach?” The concept of missional living sees that daily life is full of opportunities because God is tilling, planting, and nurturing faith all around us. He is doing the work, and he will open your eyes to see it. Grace moves your heart to respond and join in his work.

What does that sound like?
“Hi, I think I’ve seen you when I’ve been at school events with my kids. Do you have kids here?” Have a casual conversation. Listen. Be a friend. Think, “Jesus wants this parent to know about his grace and love. I wonder how I could share that with him?”

People are thirsting for caring relationships. People need hope and love. People ache to be free of the guilt and shame they hide. We have been in the same place—separated from God by sin and in desperate need of a Savior. Now, with grace-filled hearts, we are moved to point others to his boundless mercy. The Spirit is working to save the lost and wants you to look at the fields and live in a way that seeks to love God’s harvest. His field. His work. Your opportunity to join him.

I had just found out another school mom was going through some very tough stuff. And, for her, this resulted in

• a hurting heart,
• a mind that couldn’t be quieted, and
• pain that kept her from showing up like a “good” mom would.

For me, I found myself asking questions.

• Why didn’t I talk to her sooner?
• Why didn’t I open up about my own situation?
• Why hadn’t I asked if she wanted to meet for coffee?

And now our family was days away from moving. Not just a few minutes, but seven hours and four states away.

Why hadn’t I reached out to her? Maybe I was scared—scared to connect with the other moms and teachers at school. Maybe I was afraid to be vulnerable because I might be laughed at or alienated. Maybe I would open up to someone who couldn’t possibly understand what I was dealing with. So sometimes we hide. We stay home from cross country meets or basketball games. We don’t go to the moms’ Bible study and shy away from school volunteer opportunities all because we are uneasy.

How can we overcome this unease and the fears to reach out?

Our Father calls us to “clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience” (Colossians 3:12). As we mimic his grace (no matter how apprehensive we may be) we will seek out those who need a hug or need someone to listen. We are a smiling face that invites someone to grab a cup of coffee—or, if I’m being honest, a glass of wine! This can be the start of an amazing friendship. You can comfort a mom who needs to be reminded of Jesus’ love. Or start a relationship with a teacher who might not even know Jesus yet. But people can feel his love as he shines through you.

And, even if—even if it doesn’t go the way you hoped, what does our Father tell us? “As God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved…” (Colossians 3:12). We are chosen! We should have been rejected but instead, our God specifically selected you and me to be his daughters. We are chosen to walk in the beauty and perfection of heaven someday. We are holy and dearly loved by a God who is our Father. Our Dad. He will wrap you in his arms and remind you of his many promises.

Step out of your comfort zone and reach out to the school mom struggling with her kiddo or your child’s teacher who looks a bit frazzled this week. Even a smile or a kind word can change their life and yours.

Hundreds of miles. Seven hours. Four states. But all were spanned by God’s grace. We are still connected, concerned for one another and able to celebrate God’s good news.

Another severe thunderstorm was raging over the Connecticut parsonage, and the pastor’s daughter was scared. Mom tried to reassure her with the story of Jesus calming the storm, but little Ann was not feeling it. Ann looked across the yard toward the church office where her father was working. “You stay here with Jesus,” Ann said, “I’m going to get Daddy.”

Several years later, now in the Midwest, the father laid his hand on the permed head of this same, eldest daughter. He surprised her with the same passage he himself had received at confirmation, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1). Perhaps he was thinking of that Connecticut lightning storm and reminding her, “Ann, no matter what physical or metaphysical storms may trouble you, God will be with you.”

That’s my dad.

About ten years later, our family was camped on Maine’s coast. My dad was facing a change in his ministry—from charge of one congregation to a synod. Perched on the cliffs overlooking the Atlantic, the sound of crashing waves in our ears, he led us in a devotion about a rock-solid, unchanging, loving God who upholds and saves us. “God is our refuge and strength…”

Memories of my dad aren’t all devotions and sermons. I remember helping him relive his prep and college football careers as my sister and I retrieved high kicks over the backyard maple. We screamed in mock terror at his lion imitations. With strong arms, he pulled my siblings and me to and from the skating pond in a red plastic sled. He shared his love of ice cream, popcorn, and beloved childhood stories from Caledonia. He brought surprise gifts for the family, which often surprised our mother, too. His love of classical music endures (I was instructed to only play “good” music on my birthday clock radio). And he has a famous kangaroo joke.

Threading through all of these memories is my dad’s love for the Lord and his people, a joy in ministry, especially clear when company surrounded the table and stories like “The Wrong Mrs. Weber” entertained and inspired. He was devoted to our family, but also to the larger family of God, pausing for dinner and devotions, but then back to his sermon or a meeting. My parents traveled all over the world to see and do God’s work, and in his later years, when some might settle down, his ministry took my mom and him farther afield—to retirement calls in Texas and twice to Hong Kong. He encouraged me to follow this course to ministry and family with Psalm 46 strength. My own children saw him as the “faraway Grandpa,” but also as a faithful servant, and my first graders still come to class with surprising stories like, “Your dad gave birth to my mom.” (Translation: My mom was baptized by your father.)

These recollections also include those very present times of trouble, frustration, or anger. My dad would be the first to admit that he is a sinner; so am I. Many days, our matching temperaments got the best of us. Forgiveness was asked for, given and received; a necessary and treasured gift. My father was not perfect, but he made God the Father’s grace through Jesus perfectly clear.

Long ago on Father’s Day, I carefully and colorfully stitched these words on a piece of white cotton: “To some people, you are a rev. or a pastor, but to me, you are the best person in the world, you are my dad.” These words are still true today. I thank God for a loving father who exemplified our heavenly Father and faithfully pointed to the only refuge, strength, and salvation. Happy Father’s Day!

The very first thing God instituted, even before the church, was family. Family is part of God’s design for how we learn about him. Through family we learn how to get along with others and how to reconcile when we do not. We learn what it means to love unconditionally and to practice forgiveness and grace.
What a messy blessing!

You could have been born at any time in history, on any continent, in any civilization. Out of all the families in the history of time, God put you in the family he put you in.
What a messy blessing!

We come into the world completely dependent on another human being. We are unable to feed ourselves, dress ourselves, or protect ourselves. Family does that for us. And, if we live long enough, we will probably leave this life unable to do many of those same things for ourselves. What a privilege to be able to care for our elderly parents who once cared for us in this way.
What a messy blessing!

What a blessing and a challenge to meet them wherever they are mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually and to walk with them during the final season of their earthly journey. Our aging parents face tremendous challenges as their bodies and minds begin to fail. Frustration, anger, loneliness, and physical pain can all be crippling. We can assure them they are not alone. We can remind them that God loves them and provides for them. Many times, God is using us, their family members, as the means for providing for them.
What a messy blessing!

It is difficult work that requires intentional grace. Mistakes will be made; feelings will be hurt. It requires patience, love, and forgiveness—all those lessons that they taught us as they cared for us when we were younger. There are times when they are not grateful for our sacrifice, there are times when they want more of our time and attention than we are able to give, and there may be other times when they want less of our attention and involvement in their affairs. And there are gut-wrenching times when there simply are no good answers to the problems they are facing. Suffering through diminishing health and abilities is… suffering. The root meaning of the word compassion means “to suffer with.” One of the greatest gifts we can give to someone who is suffering is simply to be with them. Although we cannot fix what they are going through, we can assure them they do not have to be alone as they go through it, we can suffer with them.
What a messy blessing!

Jesus modeled this for us on the cross. As he looked down on his mother who had taught him about his heavenly Father, he was concerned about her and did not want her to suffer alone. He had compassion on her as he asked his best friend John to care for her now, “When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, ‘Woman, behold, your son!’ Then he said to the disciple, ‘Behold, your mother!’ And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home” (John 19: 26-27).

I was blessed to have my aging mother live with me in my home for sixteen years after my father passed away. Together we suffered through her breast cancer, heart issues, diabetes, over a dozen surgeries on her legs, and finally a drug resistant infection that God used to take her home to heaven. There was no way to keep track of the number of doctor visits, ER visits, surgeries, hospital stays, rehabilitation centers, pain, frustration, and tears. There is also no way to count or measure the depth that our love and respect for each other grew as we suffered together. She was an excellent mother who taught me about Jesus, unconditional love, grace, forgiveness, and having a zest for life. In the end, I was able to remind her of those same lessons.
What a messy blessing!

To be used by God to care for an aging parent is both an extremely challenging and significantly meaningful opportunity. It is God who gives us the strength and compassion as we are motivated by the love he shows to us. “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:34-34).

What a messy blessing!