Living Faith Devotional 32
9/24-9/30 Overview
During these next ten weeks, you are invited to join us as we continue and conclude our reading of the Acts of the Apostles and portions of the apostle Paul’s letters. We began this journey through the New Testament book of Acts in April 2023 shortly after Easter. The last chapter of Acts that we read before The Art of Neighboring series was chapter 20. Acts 20 is a portion of the account of Paul’s third missionary journey when he left the city of Ephesus, after spending two years there, to continue towards Jerusalem. On the journey to Jerusalem, Paul spent a few months in the city of Corinth. Some scholars believe that during his time in Corinth, on the way to Jerusalem, Paul wrote his letter to Christians in Rome, the heart of the Roman Empire. This week we will read portions of Romans before returning to the book of Acts the following week.
Although Paul had not yet visited the city of Rome when he wrote the letter, he was concerned about the struggles Gentile and Jewish Christians were having in the city. Their differing opinions about living their faith as the people of the church of Jesus Christ created ongoing tension. Paul wrote to them in hopes of helping the Jews and Gentiles to become united as the church of Rome. It is Paul’s longest letter within the New Testament and his most thorough explanation of the gospel message.
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Living Faith Devotional 31
9/17-9/23 Overview
Welcome to the final week of The Art of Neighboring all-church journey. The daily devotionals throughout this week will guide us to focus on the power of love, forgiveness, our ministry of reconciliation, living at peace with others if possible, loving our enemies, that we are sent with ministry partners as ambassadors of Christ, and the people who are part of our inner circles, then we’ll conclude the week with an emphasis on God’s Sabbath. The authors of the book remind us that “this is a journey that doesn’t end.” For Avon UMC, this is just the beginning of a new chapter of being more intentional about “neighboring.” In the final chapter of the book, authors Jay and Dave go on to explain that “good neighboring matters” and “it works better than any program, and it works better than any government initiative.” When the people of the Church prioritize loving God and loving our neighbors, God’s kingdom is among us and his will is done here as it is in heaven. Lives are transformed through the love of God. We have daily opportunities to share the love of God that we have received by offering it to our neighbors here in the community where God has placed us and among the people in our circles of influence. Yes, we have been entrusted by the ultimate artist, our Creator, to partner with him in this ongoing art of loving, living, and neighboring.
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Living Faith Devotional 30
9/10-9/16 Overview
Through ongoing interactions with neighbors over extended periods of time, we will eventually experience and enter into the messiness of the lives of others as we develop relationships with them. In The Art of Neighboring book, Jay and Dave remind us that often Jesus “didn’t help people in the way they wanted to be helped.” Loving our neighbor includes setting clear boundaries, and sometimes we have to say “no.” During this fifth week of The Art of Neighboring all-church journey we are focusing on our motives and setting boundaries with our neighbors. Thankfully, the authors ensure us that, “if neighboring is done with the right posture, then people who don’t know God will most certainly come to know him.”
*If you do not have a Bible, consider downloading the YouVersion Bible App for free from the Apple App Store or Google Play for your smartphone or tablet. You can also use www.BibleGateway.com to look up and read various translations of Bible verses online for free.
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Living Faith Devotional 29
9/3-9/9 Overview
This week is somewhat of a pause in regards to The Art of Neighboring series. Because of Labor Day, we will focus on “work” and “working for Christ” today through Saturday the 9th. What comes to mind when you think of work? Why does work matter to God? How should our faith influence and guide how we work?
As you read and study the daily Bible verses as part of this devotional, you are invited to seek to understand what they reveal about work and working for Christ.
*If you do not have a Bible, consider downloading the YouVersion Bible App for free from the Apple App Store or Google Play for your smartphone or tablet. You can also use www.BibleGateway.com to look up and read various translations of Bible verses online for free.
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Living Faith Devotional 28
8/27-9/2 Overview
In their book The Art of Neighboring the authors share that, “the first step to taking the Great Commandment literally is to move from stranger to acquaintance in your relationships…Learning a person’s name is the first and easiest step you can take to become a better neighbor.” The Block Map is a helpful tool for remembering the names of those you meet, as well as writing down things you learn about them. It is important to remember that progressing beyond acquaintances into a growing relationship with neighbors is a gradual process of relatively small, consistent, interactions that accumulate over an extended period of time. During this fourth week of The Art of Neighboring all-church journey we are focusing on our relationships with our neighbors.
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Living Faith Devotional 27
8/20-8/26 Overview
According to the authors of The Art of Neighboring: Building Genuine Relationships Right Outside Your Door, “the number-one obstacle to neighboring well is time.” Jay Pathak and Dave Runyon also write that another “obstacle to neighboring in our culture today” is “fear.” Thankfully, we can overcome these barriers through intentionality and the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit. During this third week of The Art of Neighboring all-church series, we are invited to utilize time and overcome fear to love our neighbors as we love ourselves (Galatians 5:14).
*If you do not have a Bible, consider downloading the YouVersion Bible App for free from the Apple App Store or Google Play for your smartphone or tablet. You can also use www.BibleGateway.com to look up and read various translations of Bible verses online for free.
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Living Faith Devotional 26
8/13-8/19 Overview
This is week #2 of The Art of Neighboring all-church worship and small group series. During the months of August and September we are focusing on loving our neighbors (Galatians 5:14). To get the most out of this journey as a congregation, you are invited to:
- ATTEND Sunday morning worship services
- READ portions of the The Art of Neighboring book by Jay Pathak and Dave Runyon each week
- USE this Living Faith Devotional daily
- TAKE practical steps to put love of neighbor into action during the coming weeks
- PARTICIPATE in weekly group sessions or discuss the series with a family member or friend
The Neighboring series will continue through the week of September 17th. We hope you will join us throughout the journey! Worship services this weekend are focused on “where to begin” in regards to loving our neighbors.
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Living Faith Devotional 25
8/6-8/12 Overview
Welcome to the beginning of The Art of Neighboring all-church worship and small group series! During the months of August and September our church will focus on living the second part of the greatest commandment taught by Jesus, which is “love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:39 NIV). To get the most out of this journey as a congregation, you are invited to:
- ATTEND Sunday morning worship services
- READ portions of the The Art of Neighboring book by Jay Pathak and Dave Runyon each week
- USE this Living Faith Devotional daily
- TAKE practical steps to put love of neighbor into action during the coming weeks
- PARTICIPATE in weekly group sessions or discuss the series with a family member or friend
The Neighboring series will continue through the week of September 17th. We hope you will join us throughout the journey! Worship services this weekend are focused on “loving God and loving our neighbors.”
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Living Faith Devotional 24
7/30-8/5 Overview
This week we will briefly return to the book of Acts to read more of the account of Paul’s third missionary journey when he left Ephesus to continue towards Jerusalem. Some scholars believe that during this time of Paul’s third missionary journey he wrote additional letters to the Christians in Corinth. After writing his first letter to the Christians in Corinth, Paul went there for a “painful visit” to confront them in person (2 Corinthians 2:1 NIV). As a follow up to the “painful visit” Paul wrote a letter that “caused the Corinthians sorrow” (2 Corinthians 7:8 NIV). After writing and sending the letter that caused them sorrow, Paul wrote the document in the Bible known as 2 Corinthians in pursuit of reconciliation with them, to encourage the Corinthian believers to collect an offering for the Christians in need in Jerusalem, as well as challenging those within the church who rejected Paul’s authority as an apostle. This week we will read Acts 20 and portions of 2 Corinthians. The following week we will transition to devotionals that are part of The Art of Neighboring all-church series during August and September. Reading through the book of Acts and portions of Paul’s letters will continue after the neighboring series.
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Living Faith Devotional 23
7/23-7/29 Overview
The apostle Paul wrote a letter to the Christians in Corinth to address their problems, including division among the believers. We began reading the letter last week. This week we will finish reading Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians. Next week we will briefly return to the account of Paul’s third missionary journey in the book of Acts before reading portions of another letter.
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