Devotional Messages

DEVOTIONAL MESSAGE

Isaiah 25:4 – For you have been a refuge to the poor, a refuge to the needy in their distress, a shelter from the rainstorm and a shade from the heat. (NRSV)

The National Weekend to End Homelessness begins now. We are just barely dipping our toe into this ambitiously named initiative from the National Faith Coalition to End Homelessness, which we were introduced to by Lynn Parsons, who runs Fresh Start over at La Mesa First Methodist.  But this verse from Isaiah 25, which this Sunday’s Call to Worship from their materials is based on, seems especially appropriate for the meteorological moment we’re in right now.

Every time we have a heat wave or a giant rainstorm (remember those?), I am haunted by thoughts about where our various friends from Welcome Saturday are finding shelter.  Is Emy okay?  Will Martell squeeze in with family?  Who will get a bed in a shelter, and will they be safe there?  This week, as we move straight from an Extreme Heat Warning to a Tropical Storm Watch, I do give thanks for a God who is a shelter from the rainstorm and a shade from the heat.

But I also recognize the significant challenge in the invitation to be part of how God provides that protection for those living rough.  We are part of how God takes care of our neighbors.  The space, the meals, the fellowship and respect that we offer at Welcome Saturday every month are God’s work.  Tomorrow, we will have been making that offering for TEN YEARS.

It is something to celebrate!  And it is also something to re-commit ourselves to.  Welcome Saturday has brought many new people through our doors – not just our guests, but also donors and volunteers from different parts of our community.  Because of Welcome Saturday, La Mesa knows that Vista La Mesa is a church that truly cares for God’s people.  That’s a tradition worth continuing!