Devotion for the Week

Devotion based on the scripture from September 14, 2025.

God Gathers Us

The sense of heartache that sets in when a treasured keepsake goes missing can be profound. How many times have we panicked when searching for a special item that is not where we think we left it? We may spend hours, days, months searching for what was lost, even when the trail goes cold.

We ourselves tend to get lost from time to time. We forget where we belong. We lose track of our belovedness. We grumble and complain, and the joy that once sustained us slips away. This sort of separation is hard on our hearts. It is hard on our spirits. And it is hard on our relationships. But these are exactly the places where Jesus meets us and regathers us into God’s love. No matter where we find ourselves wandering, Jesus is there already, turning over every last piece of furniture in the cosmic house to find us when we’ve gotten lost, to free us when we’ve gotten lodged in difficult places. And when we are found, the heavens celebrate with us, breaking bread and pouring wine and giving thanks for the chance to be together again. What a remarkable thing!

Indeed, God has drawn near to us already. In bread and wine, in water and word, we know the faithfulness of a God who won’t rest until we all are cared for and all of life’s relationships are made right. We are, each and all, recipients of the generous love of the Christ who eats with us, who seeks us out when we are lost, and who gathers us back again and again to celebrate abundant life, togetherness, and the joy of restorative community.

Thanks be to God, who goes with us along the way and never ceases to gather us back into such divine folds of love.