Laundry Day

Hi, and welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread. Today's reading was written by Patricia Rabin, and it's titled Laundry Day. Driving through a low-income area near his church, Colorado pastor Chad Graham started praying for his neighbors. When he noticed a small laundromat, he stopped to take a look inside and found it filled with customers. One asked Graham for a spare coin to operate the clothes dryer. That small request inspired a weekly Laundry Day sponsored by Graham's Church.

Members donate coins and soap to the laundromat, pray with customers, and support the owner of the laundry facility. Their neighborhood outreach, which dares to include a laundromat, reflects Jesus' great commission to his disciples in Matthew chapter 28. As he said, I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Go then to all peoples everywhere and make them my disciples.

Baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. His Holy Spirit's powerful presence enables everywhere outreach, including even a laundromat. Indeed, we don't go alone. As Jesus promised, I will be with you always to the end of the age. Pastor Chad experienced that truth after praying at the laundromat for a customer named Jeff, who was battling cancer. As Chad reported, when we opened our eyes, every customer in the room was praying with us, hands stretched out toward Jeff. It was one of the most sacred moments I have experienced as a pastor.

The lesson? Let's go everywhere to proclaim Christ. Today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading is from Matthew chapter 28, verses 16 through 20. Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go.

When they saw him, they worshiped him, but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.

And surely I am with you always to the very end of the age. Let's pray. Father God, we are so grateful for our salvation from sin, the control it had over our lives. Lord, the joy we have causes us to pray, to be a light that shines in the darkness, that points others to you. Help us, Lord, to be bold, to tell others of the faith we found in you, that they can know you as well. It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. His encouragement was provided by Our Daily Bread Ministries.