Winter, and the shortest, darkest days of the year, began about a month ago with the Winter Solstice. We will not see longer or lighter days, however, for another several weeks. This time of year is hard for me. I do not mind the cold, but the long, dark days of January and February zap my energy and dampen my spirit. I search for things that energize me and give me purpose to utilize my days wisely.

However, when Paul writes in Ephesians that they – and we – are light and that we are to live as children of the light, he isn't talking about bright, sunny days, He is writing about the light that comes from making Christ the center of our lives and following Jesus' example of how to live. In other parts of this chapter, as well as in other letters in the New Testament, Paul admonishes the Ephesian followers of Christ to avoid sexual impurity, vulgar talk, greed. And listening to and following those who are untruthful - in other words, to seek the will of the Lord and carry it out, to be imitators of God. We are to live in love, as Christ loved us.

Living this way in the first century in Ephesus was likely no easier than it is for us in 2026. Ephesus was a beautiful, vibrant city, populated with prosperous and powerful men as well as merchants, laborers, and slaves. Among ancient cities, it was considered an equal with Rome and Alexandria. Along with the wealth and Roman influence came many opportunities for what Paul calls "unclean living." A new follower would find many temptations to lead him or her astray. Today we are bombarded by a 24-hour news cycle filled with pundits presenting very different opinions and versions of events. They cannot all be telling the truth. And then we are told that the American dream involves a certain car, house, possessions, and even a certain "appearance" we must present. And worst of all, many people have their own versions of what love is and who is worthy of it. We hear and see hate in their words and actions. None of this is Christ-like. It is in stark contrast to the clear message of Christ: love one another as we love ourselves. Care for the sick, the poor, the immigrant in our land. Our lives should demonstrate the way of love and light.

There are those who say it is not possible to live this way in the 21st century, that modern people must compete, love those who can help them, and build wealth and power for themselves.

I know it is possible to live as a child of the light, but it involves hard choices and strength found only in the Holy Spirit. Here is a prayer for me and for you in 2026.

Heavenly Father, we praise you and thank you for all the good and beautiful things in our lives. We want to live as children of the light, but we are weak. May the Holy Spirit fill us with the courage and strength required to love others as ourselves and to seek and carry out your will in our homes, churches, communities, and the world. Amen

This devotion was written and read by Pat Scruggs

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/.

This passage comes from the end of the story of the woman caught in adultery. In it, the scribes and Pharisees come to the temple where Jesus was teaching, bringing a woman who was caught in the act of a sin that is punishable by stoning. Many of us are familiar with this story, or at least we're familiar with the famous line Jesus says to the crowd just before the verses I read a moment ago: "Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her."

This is a powerful reminder that we are all sinners. It's a powerful reminder to hold our judgment, since we are not above reproach ourselves. It's a powerful reminder that Jesus intercedes for us when we are facing our hardest times.

But the way this passage concludes is the most dramatic of all its lessons. After saying that whoever is without sin could cast the first stone, of course none in the crowd could throw a stone. But there was one person without sin there — Jesus. And his response is "Neither do I condemn you." The very one who could have cast judgment and condemnation instead chooses to show mercy and grace. He tells her to go on her way and do better — he chooses to encourage rather than to punish.

More often than not, we see ourselves as the Pharisees and scribes, reminding ourselves that we are sinners, too (even if we try to mitigate our sinfulness by telling ourselves it isn't as bad as that of others). Or maybe sometimes, we see ourselves as the woman in this parable, standing in the need of mercy and grace. And that's understandable. We all mess up, and I would venture a guess that we all mess up lots. But there is still more to be learned from this lesson. Sometimes, we are Jesus in this story. Sometimes, we are the ones who have the power to extend grace and mercy and compassion. The really humbling thing about God's grace is that we don't deserve it and we certainly didn't earn it. But so often, people in our lives are going to mess up. They're going to do something that really lets us down, disappointing us or even frustrating us. In those moments, we as followers of Jesus are supposed to dig deep to not only forgive them but to find encouragement for them like he gave the woman here.

That's tough for me. I'm sure it's tough for many of you, too. But the irony is that when we struggle with extending grace, we end up back in the position of the woman caught in sin, standing in the need of grace ourselves. So, let's do our best to always be in the position of Jesus here, giving grace generously, even when it isn't earned or even deserved.

Merciful, gracious, and loving God, your compassion for us is truly awe-inspiring. Help us to do better at being your people by offering grace to those in our lives, too. Let us not be stingy with it but lavish, just as you are with us. And may doing so help us to remain grateful for the mercy you show us, too. Amen.

This devotion was written and read by Dwight Dockery.

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/.

Jesus says this is a "new commandment." But love itself is not new. Long before Jesus, scripture had already summed up faithful living this way. Love God with everything you are, and love your neighbor as yourself. That much was already familiar. What is new is the standard. Just as I have loved you. That phrase quietly changes everything. Loving my neighbor as myself still leaves me as the measure. Loving as Jesus loves replaces my instincts with his example.

Jesus spells that out a little later. In John 15:13, he says, "No one has greater love than to give up one's life for one's friends." He is not offering a metaphor. He is describing what he is about to do. Here in the Knoxville area, that kind of love has a name we recognize. Many of us cross the Zaevion Dobson Memorial Bridge over I-275 without thinking much about it, but that bridge bears the name of a 15-year-old who, in a moment of gunfire, chose not to run. He threw himself over three friends to shield them. They lived. He did not.

Zaevion did not pause to weigh outcomes or calculate costs. He acted out of love that put others first, love that absorbed danger so others could be spared. That is not sentimental love. That is costly love.

Jesus does not command us merely to be kind, agreeable, or well-intentioned. He commands us to love in a way shaped by the cross. Love that risks itself love that interrupts our self-protection love that shows up when it would be easier to step back most of us will never face a moment like Zaevion's but every day presents smaller chances to live by the same pattern to listen when we would rather disengage to stand with someone who may cost us comfort or approval to choose compassion over convenience. This is how the world recognizes disciples of Jesus.

Not by what we claim, but by how we love. As he loved us.

Jesus, you loved us without counting the cost. Shape our love to look more like yours. Give us courage to love when it is hard, and faithfulness to love when it is costly. And we ask this in the name of Jesus, our example. Amen.

This devotional was written and read by Donn King.

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/.

Jesus commands his followers to love as he loves. He does not suggest that it would be a good idea, or that it's something nice to do. He does not mince words at all. "This is my commandment," he says. And then, he makes it clear that by loving one another, he does not mean only that we should be fond of one another, or have good intentions toward each other. The kind of love Jesus is talking about is sacrificial. It puts the other first. Loving like Jesus means being willing to give up everything for the needs of another person, even to the point of death.

Throughout history, there have been those who are willing to love with the boldness, and the selflessness, of Jesus. Some have given up their lives to stand with the vulnerable, to speak out for the oppressed, just as Jesus did. There have also been many who claim to follow Jesus, but whose actions betray their true motives of selfishness and personal gain.

Corrie ten Boom was a Dutch watchmaker whose family sheltered hundreds of Jews during the Holocaust. Corrie and her family were deeply convicted by their Christian faith to provide refuge and safe passage for their Jewish neighbors through the Dutch underground, but they were ultimately betrayed and arrested for their courage and sacrifice. Corrie survived the concentration camps. Many members of her family did not.

At a pivotal and dangerous time in history, the ten Booms understood Jesus' commandment to love as he loved, and they were willing to risk their lives in order to live it. How is Jesus calling us to love one another as he loves today?

Lord Jesus, you have given us a powerful and challenging mandate, to love one another as you have loved us. Inhabit our hearts. Embolden our actions. And strengthen us to follow you, amen.

This devotional was written and read by Greta Smith

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/.

Once when Jesus was attending an exclusive dinner party for an elite group of people, an outsider, a woman of ill repute, one of those to be avoided, crashed the party, perhaps slipping in the back door. When the other guests saw her, they shunned her and perhaps whispered about her to each other. How dare she enter here!

She moved behind the seated Jesus and began weeping in contrition, big tears of regret, sadness, and sorrow for her sins poured down her face, falling onto His feet. She wiped the better tears from His feet with her hair and, falling to her knees, she kissed his very feet, then poured her jar of extravagantly expensive oil onto his feet. Her act of worship complete, she lay exhausted at his feet, silently weeping and kissing his feet.

Simon, the host and the other invited guests were indignant. Simon said to himself, “If this Jesus were a prophet, he would know who this sinful woman is and shun her as we do!”

Now Jesus knew Simon’s thoughts.

Perhaps we have been guilty of comparing ourselves to others, condemning them for the sins we think are so much worse than our own. We may have reassured ourselves with the thought, “Oh, I’m not so bad, compared to him.” Yet we have no right to judge! Instead of comparing and judging, we should keep praying Luke 23:34 – “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do?” And we should remember that Jesus said, “Judge not, that you be not judged.”

Dear God, please forgive me. I am a sinner, in need of your LOVE and forgiveness. Forgive me for judging my neighbor and for comparing myself to them. Help me to pray for my neighbors and to love them as you do. Teach me to LOVE as you LOVE and to forgive as much as I hope to be forgiven. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

This devotional was written and read by Bernice Howard.

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/.

Thank you for listening to Grace for All, a daily devotional podcast produced by the people of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee.

This is Scripture Saturday, a time when we pause and reflect on the scriptures we have read throughout the week. If you missed any of our devotionals on these passages, you can find them on our website at 1stChurch.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

Now, we invite you to listen and receive Grace. Welcome and thank you for joining us.

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/.

The longer I live the more beautiful and frightening I find John 3. In my opinion, it contains some of the most comforting and the most challenging statements in all of Christianity. When we listen to the teachings that Jesus shares with us, the bar is so high, and yet there is literally no bar. We must give up all, and yet no works are required.

We must abandon our worldly desires, our kinship and birthright, and yet we are saved by grace and born again in the Spirit with living waters. Nicodemus is rebuked for being a teacher of Israel but not understanding, and yet these verses clearly say it is beyond human capacity to understand the Spirit. We hear it, but we neither know its origin nor its destination.

Nicodemus came in the night to find understanding, walking out of the darkness and into the light. But at the very same time, he does not walk in knowing the Spirit. He asks how can that be? I think we all encounter Christ more clearly when we are in darkness. We see more clearly when we seek the light of Jesus not our own illumination. Our path is more clear when led by the light of the Spirit than when we turn on our own light and seek to understand each day.

To find the answer we must ask the question. To follow Jesus, we must assume we are lost. To be guided by the Spirit, we must listen quietly not speak. To live in grace, we must have faith not knowledge. To see the light, we must sit in darkness. To stand tall, we must kneel. To be rich, we must be a servant. To experience the love of God, we must give all to others.

But then, what do I know?

Heavenly Father, we pray that we may we be like Nicodemus and seek you. May our hearts be led by the Spirit. Allow us to be led by your light, not our own artificial light. Each day may we listen to the wind blow and answer Your call, Amen.

This devotional was written by Jill Pope and read by Susan Daves.

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/.