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Grace for All

Jim Stovall, Greta Smith, First United Methodist Church, Maryville, TN

"Grace for All" is a daily devotional podcast from the laity of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. Each episode presents scripture and a brief reflection, written and recorded by members of our church. These short episodes are meant to inspire you and support your journey of understanding and faith.

We believe the central message of Jesus is one of grace. Grace for all human beings.

Grace for All is a podcast ministry of First United Methodist Church, Maryville, TN

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S26 · E1089
Today · 6 min
Rejection
Romans 8:38-39 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. I would venture a guess that just about everyone has had a time in their lives when they have felt the sting of rejection. Whether the rejection was actual or just perceived, we all know how hurtful, isolating, and defeating it can be. When we are rejected, we lose confidence in ourselves and we feel less likely to engage with others. It is no surprise, then, that when pressed for a favorite scripture passage, these verses from Romans immediately stick out at the top of the list for many people, myself included. There is profound comfort in Paul’s repudiation of reasons we might contrive that God could stop loving us: a rejection of rejection. I think that this passage feels particularly profound for an important reason though. Many of us grew up in loving homes with parents that told us how proud they were of us, who built us up. But even if we did, we probably knew someone who did not. And even if we had wonderful parents, there probably was a time in our lives when we remember a parent not being as proud of us as we had hoped for, or choosing something else over us. Parents are human, after all. But a parent’s rejection is a different kind of pain. Rejection from those who gave us life strikes deep into one’s soul. It sears its way into our heart’s memory. So, when Paul says that nothing — not anything imaginable — can separate us from the love of God our Father, I think it brings us comfort and assurance that we children are always going to have that love, no matter what comes. Because the truth is that we will screw up — children are human, too, after all. And when we screw up, it will be okay. But there is one more piece to this. During the Last Supper, as found in the Gospel of John, chapter 13, Jesus says to the disciples (and to us) “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this, everyone will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another.” Friends, we are to take that radically inseparable love that Paul describes that we have been and continue to be shown and spread it to others. We, too, are to reject rejection. To be known as followers of Jesus, we must do what is not in our nature as humans and certainly isn’t common in society. It feels vulnerable sharing love with others; it can be downright scary! But the amazing thing is this: the love that God the Father pours out onto us is enough. When we feel vulnerable or afraid, nothing can separate us from God’s love, and through that love, we can have the confidence to love others. Thanks be to God. Let us pray. For your boundless, unending love, dear God, we give you thanks. When we have trouble sharing it with others, help us remember your presence with us, your love for us, and your assurance to us. May the only rejection we ever make be one of rejection itself. We pray this in the name of Christ, Love himself. 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/.
S26 · E1088
Yesterday · 4 min
Deep and Wide
Ephesians 3:18 (NIV) And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ. Maybe as a child you, like I, learned the song Deep and Wide in Sunday School, which teaches about God’s unconditional love and grace. The words are simple and repetitive: “Deep and wide, deep and wide, there’s a fountain flowing deep and wide. Deep and wide, deep and wide, there’s a fountain flowing deep and wide.” The image of the fountain symbolizes the abundance of God’s ever-flowing love and compassion. There is no shortage of popular music expressing the depth and length of human love, especially romantic love. Most of us can easily relate to the experience of loving deeply, of feeling an attachment that reaches into the core of our very being. We use words like ‘in over my head,’ or ‘head over heels,’ or ‘with heart and soul,’ to describe this kind of love. Most of us can also easily relate to the sense of love as unending, and know what it means to think of loving someone for a lifetime or, for eternity. We promise ‘forever love,’ and express our commitment to love that is ‘never-ending.’ When I think about my love for others, it is easy for me to identify many close family and friends I love deeply, and to imagine that I will always love them just as I do now. In other words, I can affirm that my love is both deep and long. But is my love for others wide? Is it high? Do I love like Christ? Does my love reach all people, without exclusion? Does my love lift others up, toward God, without exception? I am challenged today to think about loving deeply, but also about loving widely, to ask God to give me a heart of compassion that flows ‘deep and wide.’ Let us pray: Transformed by grace, may my love for others grow wider, higher, deeper and longer. Show me how to love as Christ loves. 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/.
S26 · E1087
Sunday · 5 min
Living as God’s Children
Colossians 3:12-14 Therefore as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues, put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience! What beautiful words! But, I’m sorry to say that unfortunately, these words are rarely heard on the news, on social media, or from politicians. But they are words we desperately need to hear from all those sources. Jesus reminded us of words like these, over and over, in the Gospels. We must strive to use these words; to live these words and their associated emotions much more often and to bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances we may have against one another! As today’s Scriptures reminds us of our status as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, we are to clothe ourselves with compassion, to be dressed in kindness, to accessorize with humility, gentleness, and patience. Dressed this way, we will show the world that we belong to Christ Jesus. Wearing this ensemble, we will be able to think, speak, and act from a viewpoint of LOVE, guided by these virtues and the Holy Spirit. My friends – and I call all of you my friends in Christ – we must let LOVE be the starting point that causes us to deal with others in the ways outlined in these verses. Using LOVE to guide us, we can follow these commands. Living in LOVE and following Jesus as our role model, we can help to heal the world by daily living in these virtues. And the return for this way of living is not only eternal life, but a happy life and a better world. Let’s pray… Dear Lord, help me to center myself in your LOVE each morning and to dress myself in your LOVE by wearing these emotions and living out these traits, as prescribed in Colossians. Help me to be faithful to this calling every day of my life, to LOVE as you LOVE, and to forgive as much as I wish to be forgiven. In Jesus’ name we pray…AMEN This devotion 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/.
S26 · E1086
Saturday · 4 min
Scripture Saturday (November 7, 2026)
Welcome to the Saturday episode of the Grace for All podcast. Thank you for joining us today. Saturday is a special time when we take a few moments to review the scriptures that we have cited in the episodes this week. If you missed any of those episodes, you might want to consider listening to them today. And even if you heard them all, there may be one that you might want to listen to again. We hope that each of these scriptures and podcasts will bring you a full measure of joy, peace, and love. Now, let's listen to the scriptures that have been on our hearts this week. 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/.
S26 · E1085
Friday · 6 min
Ask Boldly
Luke 11:9–10 (NIV) So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. The eleventh chapter of Luke opens with a simple request. Jesus has been praying, and when he finishes, one of his disciples says, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” Jesus answers right away with a short prayer, shorter than the version from Matthew’s Gospel that many of us say on Sunday mornings. It would be easy to stop there. But if we do, we miss what Jesus says next. He has given his disciples words to pray. Now he wants to teach them something about the heart of the one who prays. He tells a story. A man has a friend arrive at midnight, and he has nothing to set before him. So he goes next door, knocks, and asks to borrow three loaves of bread. The neighbor calls back from bed: the door is locked, the children are asleep, don’t bother me. But Jesus says the neighbor will get up and give him what he needs because of the man’s anaideia (an-eye-DAY-ah), a Greek word the NIV translates as “shameless audacity.” We have another word for it, one that came into English through Yiddish from Hebrew: chutzpah (HOOTS-pah). The man has chutzpah. Yet we shouldn’t overlook the friendship. You don’t pound on a stranger’s door at midnight. It’s friendship that brings the man to that door and gives him the nerve to knock. And notice that he isn’t asking for himself. He’s asking on behalf of someone else. Then Jesus turns to parents and children. What father, asked for a fish, would hand his child a snake? Parents want to give good things to their children. They don’t grant every request right away, and they don’t grant every request at all, because a loving parent weighs what the child asks for against what is truly good for the child. “How much more,” Jesus says, “will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” The lesson in all of this, it seems to me, is that we should ask, and ask boldly. Asking is not a sign of weakness or a failure of faith. It is an act of love. When we ask a friend for help, we’re saying that we trust them and that our relationship can bear the weight of our need. We give them a chance to respond generously. The same is true with God. Our bold asking grows out of the relationship our Father wants to have with us. So ask. Ask for the gifts you need and the gifts you want, even the ones you aren’t sure about. Ask for others as well as for yourself. Keep asking. Have a little holy chutzpah. Then trust that the One who hears you knows how to give good gifts, and that the best gift of all, his own Spirit, is offered to everyone who asks. Prayer Gracious Father, thank you for calling us your friends and your children, and for inviting us to come to you with our needs. Give us the courage to ask boldly and the faith to keep asking. When the answer is not what we expected, help us trust your goodness. Above all, fill us with your Holy Spirit. In Jesus’ name, amen. This devotional was written and read by Jim Stovall. 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/.
S26 · E1084
Thursday · 4 min
Everyone
Matthew 11:28 Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. The Catholic World Youth Sunday convened in early August of 2023 in Lisbon, Portugal. Organizers bragged that it was the most diverse World Youth Day since the Catholic Church began the event in 1985. Eighty-six-year-old Pope Francis attended. In a wheelchair, he was the oldest pope to ever preside over a World Youth Day! Famous for speaking off the cuff, Francis scrapped a script to speak to the crowds. He said, “In the Church, there is room for everyone. Everyone. In the church, no one is left out or left over. There is room for everyone. Just the way we are. Everyone.” Speaking in Spanish, his native tongue, Francis addressed the young people from all over the world. They could hear him by spontaneous translations through their headsets. Pope Francis continued: “Jesus says this clearly. When he sends the apostles to invite people to the banquet which a man had prepared, he tells them: ‘Go out and bring in everyone,’ young and old, healthy and infirm, righteous and sinners. Everyone, everyone, everyone!” In Spanish he said, “Todas, todas, todas.” And then he said, “All together now, everyone, repeat with me in your own language: “Everyone, everyone, everyone.” The Catholic youth roared back "Everyone” in their own language. Francis smiled and said, “Everyone. Everyone. Everyone. That is the Church, the Mother of all. There is room for everyone.” Next Sunday when you go to worship, greet people with “Todas, todas, todas!” When they ask, tell them it means that the church is for everyone. TODAS! EVERYONE! “Y’ALL!” Today’s prayer: Dear Lord, Just as your heart was open to everyone, help us to be like you, accepting everyone. Todas. Amen. This devotion was written by Buddy Shurden and read by Chuck Warnock. 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/.
S26 · E1083
Wednesday · 6 min
Ripples in Our Pond
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable; it keeps no record of wrongs; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Like a pebble thrown into a pond, we go through life making a small temporary splash. Sometimes we hope to make waves and be noticed. Sometimes we wish we could float, but we are destined to sink. Sometimes we look up and see the waves from other people’s splashes washing over us. What seem like tidal waves crashing over us when we are in the moment are really more like ripples in a pond if only we could view them from the horizon. These ripples in a pond are like the emotions in our life. But what does this have to do with love? Love is the water that is the pond. It is not the pebble and it is not the ripple. It is what holds everything. The list of everything includes the full range of human emotions and reactions: envy, pride, rudeness, irritability, longing to be right, being demanding, seeking retribution, joy in others’ misfortune as well as all the positives of joy, excitement and satisfaction. There is an aspect of wisdom in creation that understands that all means everything which humans fail to grasp. Love knows all these things yet absorbs them and sees over the horizon. Love is above the moment. It is above the emotion. It is also under it, behind it, and in it. It is the reaction and the regret and the resolution all at once. It steps into it and beyond it. Like the water in a pond, it wraps the emotion into the whole of possibility. The possibility that there is a way that helps and doesn’t hurt. Like ripples in a pond, it captures the energy and holds it. It spins it into something else. It does not lash out. It does not match emotion for emotion, anger for anger, hurt for hurt. God’s Love is bigger than time, larger than emotion, stronger than hurt. His love is selfless because self is so small. It does not care for it’s own wealth, strength, glory or fame because these concepts are so tiny and weak. The wisdom of love knows just how momentary these things are, and it holds something larger, better, stronger, and more glorious. To be loving does not take confidence. It takes humility. Love does not take strength. It takes faith and hope. We are not the water, and we are not the ripple. Let us remember that. Let us all realize that we are surrounded by love as if we are floating in the water. Let us pray: Father, let us realize that whether we are making the ripples or being rocked by them they are but a moment, and it will pass. Help us to know that, like water, your love surrounds us in every moment. And most importantly of all let us share generously your love with all we encounter like water from the well of the living spirit that will never run dry, Amen. This devotional was written by Jill Pope and recorded 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/.
S26 · E1082
November 3 · 4 min
Six Minutes
Matthew 22:37-39 (NRSV) “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” On May 1, 1969, a Senate subcommittee met to decide whether public television would get $20 million or half of that. The Nixon administration wanted the smaller number. The chairman, Senator John Pastore, came into the room skeptical. The man there to speak for public television was a children’s host not yet widely known. Fred Rogers had a written statement. He set it aside and talked instead. For about six minutes, in the same quiet voice he used on television, he talked about children, about what they do with fear and anger, and about what it might mean for them to have one program that took those feelings seriously. Then he recited a song from his program, “What Do You Do with the Mad That You Feel?” I wasn’t a viewer. I was too old for the show when it came out, and I knew almost nothing about it until my daughter came along. She watched it in the mid-nineties, when she was little, and I learned what it was by watching her watch it. When Rogers finished, Senator Pastore told him it looked like he had just earned the $20 million. Nobody would call what he said loud. I’d call it bold. A Senate hearing room expects statistics and stern faces. Fred Rogers walked in and gave it a conversation. Jesus faced his own hearing. It was Tuesday of Holy Week, in the temple, and a lawyer asked him which commandment in the law was the greatest. Matthew says he asked it to test him. Jesus could have picked one. He quoted the Shema, the words everyone in earshot knew by heart, then added a second no one had asked for and said it was like the first. Heart, soul, mind. Put them together, and you have everything a person is, with nothing held back for later. Jesus commands us to love our neighbors, those people we come across every day, as we love ourselves. Heart, soul, and mind. For Fred Rogers, the neighbor was a child on a living room floor, someone no senator would ever meet. My daughter was one of them. He was ordained in 1963 and charged to minister to children and families through television. He said his program's message came down to loving yourself and loving others. Jesus says the whole law and the prophets hang on these two commandments. Fred Rogers hung a $20 million decision on six minutes of conversation about them. Prayer Father, you loved us with everything you have. Teach us to love you with all that we have, and to be good neighbors to whoever is near us today. Amen. This devotional was written and read by Cliff McCartney 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/.
S26 · E1081
November 2 · 4 min
Love Drives Out Fear
1 John 4:18–19 (CEB) There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear, because fear expects punishment. The person who is afraid has not been made perfect in love. We love because God first loved us. When we're children, we often obey our parents because we're afraid of what will happen if we don't. We follow the rules to avoid punishment. That's probably where learning to do the right thing begins, before we're able to understand the underlying principles. But as we mature, something changes. Ideally, we begin to do what's right because we love and respect others, because we value our relationships, and because we understand that our choices matter. I think something similar happens in our relationship with God. The Bible frequently tells us to fear God. And yet, John tells us that perfect love drives out fear. How do we reconcile those ideas? Notice that John specifically connects feaar with punishment. He's describing a relationship in which we're constantly worried about getting something wrong and suffering the consequences. I grew up in a church tradition that emphasized salvation by grace, but also spent a great deal of time explaining the rules we needed to follow. Sometimes, to my young mind, it seemed we had to get everything just right before we could receive that freely offered grace. I've come to understand grace differently. God doesn't wait for us to get everything right before loving us. God loves us first, as John tells us. As we experience that love, we grow in our ability to love God and one another. St. Augustine once said, "Love, and do what you will." He wasn't suggesting that anything goes. His point was that when genuine love guides our hearts, it also guides our choices. We don't follow God's ways to earn God's love. We follow them because God's love transforms us. As that love grows toward maturity, fear of punishment no longer needs to govern our relationship with God. Love does. Prayer Loving Father, thank you for loving us before we even knew how to love you. Help us grow beyond fear into a mature faith that reflects your love in all we do. May our choices spring from gratitude rather than anxiety, and may your love flow through us to others. In Jesus' name, 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/.
S26 · E1080
November 1 · 5 min
Loved Boldly and Called to Boldly Love
Here is a story about loving boldly. We find it in Mark 10:17–22 As Jesus began his journey, a man ran up, knelt before him, and asked, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus replied, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments: Do not murder, commit adultery, steal, give false testimony, or defraud; honor your father and mother.” “Teacher,” the man said, “I have kept all these since I was young.” Jesus looked at him with love and said, “You lack one thing. Go, sell what you have, give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” The man’s face fell, and he went away sad because he had great wealth. When I hear this story, I imagine the tenderness and patience in Jesus’ eyes as he looks at the man before him. I’m grateful Mark includes this detail: before he responds, Jesus first looks at the man with love. But Jesus’ love is not only tender and patient; it is also bold. From that bold love, Jesus speaks the truth. He does not affirm the man’s claim that he has kept the commandments with, “Great job! Keep it up!”—perhaps the response the man hoped for. Instead, Jesus names what he lacks and reveals what is keeping him from fully entering the kingdom of God. You may have heard it said that Jesus loves you just as you are, but also loves you too much to leave you that way. Isn’t that just like Jesus—to meet us with love, then show us what we must release in order to grow closer to him? Often, the things that keep us from the kingdom are the things we are unwilling—or not yet ready—to surrender so we can follow Jesus freely and fully. What do I cling to? Whether by my action, or my inaction, what do I value more than following Jesus? It is so striking that in this passage, Jesus loves boldly by calling the man to a deeper faith, and that call is itself a summons to love more boldly. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor,” he tells the wealthy man. In other words: “Love as I do. Love when it costs you. Love boldly.” It is easy to love when there is no sacrifice. Bold love counts the cost and loves anyway. This is what it means to love like Christ. Let us pray: Lord Jesus, we desire eternal life. We want your kingdom on earth, but we do not know how to let go of earthly things. You call us into deeper relationship. You invite us to follow you, but we go away sad. Help us instead to open our hearts to receive your love, that we may be filled with it and moved by it to love more boldly. Amen. Today’s 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/.
S26 · E1079
October 31 · 4 min
Scripture Saturday (October 31, 2026)
You are 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/.
S26 · E1078
October 30 · 5 min
Known By Our Fruit
Matthew 7:16-18 (NIV) By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. We spend a great deal of energy on what we call ourselves. Titles, labels, professions of faith, the names we choose for our identity — we hand these out freely, to ourselves and to others, as though a label settles the matter. Jesus doesn't seem particularly interested in labels. He's interested in fruit. Not what grows on the sign out front, but what actually grows on the tree. And fruit, unlike a label, can't be faked for long. A thornbush doesn't produce grapes no matter what it's called. Whatever is planted deep in a person eventually shows up in what they produce — and what they produce is what we can trust. This is not a passage for pointing fingers, tempting as that is. It's easy to apply this test to other people, especially people whose labels we're suspicious of. But Jesus offers this teaching to his own disciples, which means it was meant to turn inward first. What fruit am I bearing? Not what do I call myself, not what do I believe I stand for, but what actually grows out of the way I treat the people in front of me. This is where the harvest and the fruit meet. If the harvest is plentiful and the workers are few, the question isn't only "am I willing to work?" It's "what grows from the work I do?" Kindness, patience, gentleness, self-control — Paul calls these the fruit of the Spirit, and notice: fruit, singular, not fruits. It isn't a checklist we pick from. It's the single, consistent yield of a life rooted in something good. The harvest Jesus described is full of people waiting to be shown who we really are — not by our words, but by our fruit. Prayer Lord, examine the tree that we are. Where the fruit is bitter or absent, root it out; where it is good, let it multiply, so that what we produce always points back to you. Amen. This devotional was written and read by Jim Stovall. 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/.
S26 · E1077
October 29 · 5 min
Why the Shepherds? (encore)
Luke 2:8-11 (NIV) And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. Why the shepherds? It is a question that biblical scholars have pondered for ages. The shepherds, keeping watch over their flocks nearby, were God’s chosen first to receive the good news of the birth of Christ. Why? Some have suggested that this was a symbolic act, that the shepherds who tended these sheep near Jerusalem were in the position of selecting the perfect lambs to be offered as an atonement sacrifice at the Temple. They argue it is only fitting that these shepherds be the first to recognize God’s perfect lamb, the Christ, whose sacrifice would redeem humanity. Others point to the humble position of the shepherds and how it mirrors Jesus’ humble earthly beginning. Jesus was born to a poor teen mother forced to give birth in a stable, then wrapped in rags and laid in a manger. These writers suggest it is clear from the beginning that Jesus came to establish a new world order—the first shall be last, and the last shall be first. In choosing the shepherds, God emphasizes that the gospel message is foremost for those who have been forgotten and marginalized by society. There may be truth in both interpretations, but I think there is another likely and very simple answer to the question, “Why the shepherds?” I think God chose the shepherds because they would go to see Jesus. Visiting angels aside, would those who were safe and comfortable in their own homes have been as likely to abandon such security in search of a poor newborn lying in a barn in the middle of the night? I think God chose the shepherds because they were ready and willing to receive the gospel. Those who are most in need of good news are usually the ones most likely to hear it and respond. Those most hungry for hope tend to be the ones with the openness and willingness to receive and share it. How is your heart this season? Are you hungry for hope? Are you longing for good news? Then keep watch. Be alert for God’s invitation to come and see the Christ child. I believe with all my heart that God has a message of great joy for you and all people. Let us pray: Gracious God, your world is still in need of peace. Your people are still in need of hope. Lead our hearts faithfully toward the Christ child this season and always, that we may receive the good news with joy and share it generously, far and wide. In His name we pray, amen. Today’s 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/.
S26 · E1076
October 28 · 4 min
Grace Isn’t Cheap. It’s Free.
Isaiah 55:1-3 "Hear, everyone who thirsts; come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread and your earnings for that which does not satisfy? Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. Incline your ear, and come to me; listen, so that you may live." Have you taken a hard look at your grocery receipt lately? Around our house, we’re partial to Duke’s mayonnaise. My grandmother swore by it, and it’s just plain good. The price for a regular jar used to be $4.64. Now it’s $4.98. It feels like every single staple on our list has a five-dollar bill attached to it now. You carry them to your car wondering how a couple of bags of basic groceries managed to cost what a nice dinner out used to. Now, imagine walking into your grocery tomorrow, loading your cart with everything you need—the best food on the shelves—and being told at the register, “Put your wallet away. There’s no charge today. It’s on the house.” Of course, in our world that’s ridiculous, but it’s remarkably close to the invitation God gave his people through Isaiah: “Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.” When Isaiah spoke those words, Israel was exiled in Babylon. They had spent decades working hard, scraping by, and settling into a routine that kept them alive but left them spiritually empty. They were pouring their wages into things that couldn't satisfy the real hunger underneath. But God wasn't running a supermarket promotion. His message was far more direct: stop running yourself ragged trying to buy peace, security, and worth from sources that constantly raise the price and never deliver. What matters most—real life, genuine peace, and lasting grace—isn't something you can buy, earn, or barter for. God simply offers it. The catch is that we have to lay down our own exhausted efforts, step up to the table, and receive it. The next time you’re standing in the checkout aisle wincing at the total, let it serve as a quiet reminder. The world will always charge you top dollar for things that leave you hungry by tomorrow. But the grace that truly sustains us is already paid for, and the table is open to everyone. Would you pray with me? “Father, remind us you provide that which really sustains us – your merciful grace, lasting peace and boundless love. And although it is free to us, it cost you dearly. We thank you for that gift. In the name of your Son, Jesus, who made it possible. Amen.” This devotional was written and read by Chuck Warnock. 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/.
S26 · E1075
October 27 · 6 min
Think on These Things
Philippians 4:8–9 (NIV) Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. The world gives us a great deal to think about. Every day it hands us news to worry over, problems to solve, and demands that crowd in on us from every side. Much of it isn't good. Much of it we could dwell on for hours, turning it over and over until it fills our minds and steals our peace. Paul knew something about that. He wrote these words from prison, uncertain of his future. Yet he gives the church at Philippi, and us, a very different list to think about: whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and admirable. The word Paul uses for "think about" is logizesthe (loh-gee-ZES-theh). It's an accounting term. It means to reckon, to take inventory, to count something up. That brings to mind the old hymn by Johnson Oatman Jr.: "Count your blessings, name them one by one; count your blessings, see what God has done." Have you ever actually tried to do that? It's a daunting task. In fact, it's an impossible one. Our blessings are too many to count, and they're overwhelming in both their number and their effect on our lives. But I don't think the hymn writer expected us to finish the count, and I don't think Paul did either. The point is where we aim our minds. When we turn our thoughts toward what God has done and toward the things that are true, noble, and lovely, something happens. We're carried beyond what the world wants from us. We move past its demands, its distractions, and all the clever devices it uses to keep our minds occupied. So try it today. Start counting. Think about the blessings in your life, the things that are lovely and true and also abundant. Then put yourself in the world that God has created, not the artificial one the world keeps trying to press on you. Wander around in that garden for a while. Notice what you see there. Paul promises that if we do this, "the God of peace will be with you." When that peace comes over you, take a moment to thank God for it. Our Father, when the world fills our minds with worry and distraction, turn our thoughts toward you. Help us to count our blessings, to dwell on what is true and lovely, and to rest in the peace that only you can give. Amen. This devotional was written and read by Jim Stovall. 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/.
S26 · E1074
October 26 · 6 min
Harvesting Peace
James 3:18 (NRSV) And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. When I was in college, I performed the role of one of the fathers in the musical “The Fantasticks.” That show is all about a young couple who falls in love against what they understand to be their parents’ wishes. The fathers are both farmers, and they sing a duet about the advantages of gardening over parenting — “plant a radish, get a radish, not a Brussels sprout; that’s why I love vegetables, you know what they’re about!” While that song is humorous, it actually is saying something similar to the scripture lesson here. If you want to reap radishes, plant radishes. And if you want to reap righteousness and peace, you have to sow peace. Well, that seems obvious enough — you reap what you sow. But in our world, it’s anything but obvious. So often, wars — even unprovoked wars — are waged with the pretext of seeking peace. So often in our politics, the approach to getting one’s way is not to convince others of the argument’s merits, but to impugn the “other side” as amoral, unworthy, or inept, rendering whatever argument they might have moot before they have a chance to articulate it. In personal relationships, I’m sure we’ve all seen someone attack another simply due to a misunderstanding or misinterpretation of the situation. But James says here that in these cases, we’re not planting the seeds of what we say we are seeking as Christians. No, by implication, we are planting the seeds that will cause us to reap more war, more mistrust and dysfunction in politics, and more strife in relationships. We are called as followers of the Prince of Peace to seek and cultivate more peace in this world. And that means we necessarily have to reject many of the common attitudes and behaviors in our society. It may mean that we have to find a different approach and go against our instinctive defense mechanisms at times. This makes me think of the famous quote of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” And a similar sentiment by Archbishop Desmond Tutu: “Don’t raise your voice, improve your argument.” Leading into this verse, in fact, James says this: “Who is wise and understanding among you? Show by your good life that your works are done with gentleness born of wisdom. …the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy.” This really could be a rebuke of our current society. And it isn’t easy to go against society and our own instinct. So thank God for the Holy Spirit, for grace, and for a community of people who support me along this path. When I struggle, I can see the goodness and love of others in our church, and I am encouraged to do and to be better. Let us pray. Just and Merciful God, we want peace; we really do. Sometimes, we get too caught up in our own aims and goals to remember that the way to achieve it is by sowing seeds of peace itself. In those times, we are grateful for the friends you send us who encourage us toward righteousness through their own example of humility and grace. Help us to look for those people and to be those people for others. In Christ’s name we pray. 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/.
S26 · E1073
October 25 · 4 min
The Greatest Gift (encore)
Romans 5: 3-5 We even take pride in our problems, because we know that trouble produces endurance, 4 endurance produces character, and character produces hope. 5 This hope doesn’t put us to shame, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. Common English Translation One of my favorite Christmas stories is O’Henry’s The Gift of the Magi. First published in 1905, this is the story of a young married couple, Jim and Della, on the eve of Christmas. They are barely eking out a life together because of Jim’s meager income. But Della is determined to give Jim a special Christmas gift that shows her love for him. She finds a platinum watch fob that will go perfectly with Jim’s treasured pocket watch. But she has no money to buy it. What Della does have is luxuriant long hair, which was much prized in that day for ladies’ hair accessories. So she goes to the hair shop and sells her hair and buys the watch fob. When Jim comes home and sees her short hair he is stunned. But Della pulls out her precious gift to show him, expecting he will understand. He instead shows her the gift he purchased for her, a set of beautiful hair combs. The couple has sacrificed the very things the gifts are meant to embellish. Della and Jim endured economic hardship as a young couple. They endured their meager income all year long until Christmas. But their love for each other brings out a character of sacrifice. Ironically, they each sacrifice the item the other values most. On one level, this is a story of cosmic irony. But O’Henry titles the story, The Gift of the Magi. In the ending sentences he says, “Of all who give and receive gifts, such as they are wisest. Everywhere they are wisest. They are the magi.” Like the original Magi, Jim and Della bring their most prized gifts. Like the Magi, they act out of sacrificial love. Like the Magi, they gain much more than they give. This spirit of sacrificial love is the love that God exhibits with the birth of Jesus Christ into our human world. And it is this love that gives us hope as we live out our lives. These are the glorious gifts of Christmas. Let us pray: Dear Lord, thank you, God, for the sacrifice and love you have shown humanity with the gift of Jesus Christ. You gave us the one whom you loved the most. We pray that your sacrificial love will open all human hearts at Christmas to sacrifice for each other. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. This episode was written by Laura Derr and read by Sally Stovall. 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/.
S26 · E1072
October 24 · 5 min
Scripture Saturday (October 24, 2026)
Welcome to the Saturday episode of the Grace for All podcast. Thank you for joining us today. Saturday is a special time when we take a few moments to review the scriptures that we have cited in the episodes this week. If you missed any of those episodes, you might want to consider listening to them today. And even if you heard them all, there may be one that you might want to listen to again. We hope that each of these scriptures and podcasts will bring you a full measure of joy, peace, and love. Now, let's listen to the scriptures that have been on our hearts this week. 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/.
S26 · E1071
October 23 · 4 min
Workers for the Harvest
Matthew 9:35-38 (NIV) Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field." Jesus looks out at the crowds and sees something most of us would miss. We might see a busy street, a marketplace, a crowd. Jesus sees a harvest — ready, waiting, and desperately short of hands. It's worth noticing what moves him to say this. It isn't strategy. It's compassion. He sees people who are harassed and helpless, and his response isn't to organize a program. It's to point his disciples toward prayer, and then, presumably, toward action. Ask the Lord of the harvest to send workers — and then be surprised, perhaps, at who gets sent. We tend to think of the harvest as something distant, something that happens in mission fields or church committees or somewhere other than our own ordinary Tuesday. But the harvest Jesus describes is the same crowd he's looking at — ordinary people, harassed and helpless, right in front of him. The harvest field is wherever we happen to be standing. And here's the quiet challenge in this passage: the shortage isn't a shortage of need. It's a shortage of workers. The opportunities to do good, to be of service, to show kindness — those aren't scarce. What's scarce is people willing to show up for them. Every day hands us another field ready for harvest, and every day we get to decide whether we're one of the workers Jesus prayed for, or one more person standing in the crowd waiting to be gathered in. Grace doesn't wait for us to feel equipped. It sends us out anyway, into fields we didn't plant, to gather a harvest we didn't grow. Prayer Our Father, the fields around us are full, and our hands are often empty. Make us willing workers — not because we are qualified, but because you have called. Amen. This devotional was written by Jim Stovall. 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/.
S26 · E1070
October 22 · 6 min
The Harvest
2 Corinthians 9:6-15 (NIV) Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. As it is written: "They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor; their righteousness endures forever." Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord's people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, others will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift! When I was young, our church celebrated Harvest Home Sunday every fall. It usually came after most of the crops had been harvested and the farms had money coming in. Harvest Home Sunday was when many in our farming community made their pledge to the church. They said how much of their income they planned to give to support the church in the coming year. My mother was the church's financial secretary, so she knew how much each person gave each week. I can still hear her saying, "Some folks don't understand that we have to pay the preacher and the utilities every single month." Today there are few farmers in that church. Most people have jobs that give them a regular paycheck. That makes it easier to support the church by giving out of our weekly or monthly income. In biblical times, farmers were told to leave some of the crop along the edges of their fields so the poor could come and gather food for their families. Today, most of us wouldn't know what to do with the crop left on those outside rows. But groups like the Society of Saint Andrew glean fields to provide food for people in need. And some churches have planted gardens to do the same thing. Times have changed. Technology lets fewer farmers feed a great many people. So the harvest doesn't just provide income for the people who plant and gather it. It also feeds the rest of us who don't farm. Most of us will never harvest a crop. But most of us do have the income or the means to support our ministers and church staff, who teach us how to win others to Christ. Will you pray with me? Dear Lord, thank you for the harvest, which gives farmers their income and gives all of us our food. May the harvest make it possible for all of us to support the church and its missions, both near and far, so that others will want to become your followers. Amen. This podcast was written and read by Emmit Rawls. 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/.

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