When we recite the Apostles' Creed, we usually say the lines “born of the Virgin Mary“ and “suffered under Pontius pilot“ with nothing in between. In doing that we skip over the time that Jesus spent on earth and his ministry to those who are fortunate enough to hear him in person.

During his time on earth, Jesus declared the establishment of the Kingdom of God. He repeated this phrase again and again, and he often began parables with "The Kingdom of God is like . . ."

What Jesus was saying was that there was a new way of thinking about God and a new hope for all of humankind. The Kingdom of God was at hand, and Jesus was inviting us to be a part of it.

His words to the scribe in this story are important. The scribe shows a depth of understanding of what Jesus was saying that was unusual for his day. It was obvious from the scribe's words that he had discovered something new and unique about Jesus. Jesus compliments him by saying that he is "not far" from the kingdom.

The question for us, then, is how far are we from the central message of Jesus's ministry?

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.

If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: podcasts@1stchurch.org.

First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.

Mentioned in this episode:

Thank you for joining us for Grace for All. This month, we are repeating some of our most loved episodes. We hope they will inspire and encourage you on your faith journey. Welcome.

Join Greta Smith and Jim Stovall as they discuss how Grace for All: The Devotional Podcast came to be.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.

If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: podcasts@1stchurch.org.

First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.

Mentioned in this episode:

Thank you for joining us for Grace for All. This month, we are repeating some of our most loved episodes. We hope they will inspire and encourage you on your faith journey. Welcome.

In the month of November and this season of Thanksgiving, there is another holiday we ought to remember and be thankful for: Veteran’s Day. The brave men and women who have so fearlessly and selflessly served our country, not knowing if they may return.

It takes an immense act of courage and generosity to be willing to leave the lives they knew behind to serve their countries and defend their futures, however these men and women stepped up to the call, which could be seen as both a call from their leaders and from God as a testament of their characters. In turn, these men and women have been enriched with God’s divine protection to see this test through and be able to come out on the other side. While their lives have surely not been the same, nonetheless, they have been enriched, as their courage in the face of adversity continues to be honored in different ways, even today. Their generosity and willingness to protect others has sown seeds for future generations and instilled in countless families a newfound thankfulness to God for the many veterans who answered this call, exhibited grace under pressure, and came out on the other side.

God, help us to step up to the call of enriching others’ lives through generosity and instilling a new thanksgiving in you in others. Thank you for our veterans and for your fierce protection over them. May we never forget their courage, generosity and sacrifices. Amen.

This devotion was written and recorded by Grace Jonas.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.

If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: podcasts@1stchurch.org.

First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.