Daily Devotional

Like many of you, I am saddened by Dolly Parton’s death. She was a true American treasure. Few people have achieved the level of success that Dolly Parton has attained.

One of the most successful Broadway musicals of modern times is Hamilton. Arriving on Broadway in 2015, this musical took the world by storm. Within just a few short years, Hamilton collected a trophy case full of awards, including the Tony Award for Best Musical, Best Book, Best Original Score, the Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album, and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. It remains a successful musical. It has now been on Broadway for over eleven years.

The movie Shrek came out in the year 2001. It follows an entire fairy-tale community banished to a swamp inhabited by a large, grumpy, green ogre.

Then Jesus told his disciples, “If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man, if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life? Or what shall a man give in return for his life?”

Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.

Death Becomes Her is a dark comedy, first released as a movie in 1992. The movie featured Meryl Streep, Goldie Hawn, Isabella Rossellini, and Bruce Willis. This all-star cast brought to life a story about two women who struggle with aging and fading beauty.

A couple of weeks ago, I had the opportunity to direct the St. Luke’s summer camp production of Madagascar Kids for Poteet Theatre. I’ve been doing this camp for several years now, and it has become one of my favorite parts of the summer. This year we had 64 students spend two weeks learning songs, dances, lines, and everything that goes into putting on a musical. It’s a lot of work, but every year I walk away learning something too.

Each year, St. Luke’s highlights our Food Ministry throughout the Broadway sermon series. Thanks to the generosity of our family of faith, we can fund a significant portion of our Meals on Wheels and Community Market programs through the special offering collected during this series. As someone directly involved in this ministry, I cannot tell you what it means to us that year after year, St. Luke’s says “yes” to feeding those in our community who need it the most.

And as he sat at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Jesus and his disciples. And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.”