On the Way to Calgary
Devotions and prayers for the 2026 Leadership Gathering
Bishop João Filimone Sambo
Mozambique, South Africa, Eswatini and Madagascar Episcopal Area; Southern Africa Region
Sunday, September 27, 2026 · Fourth of seven devotions
Seven bishops from across the connection are offering a devotion and a prayer on each of the seven Sundays leading to the Council of Bishops Leadership Gathering in Calgary, Alberta, October 20 to 24, 2026. You are invited to read, to pray, and to share these with your congregation.
Scripture
“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, and his mercies never come to an end, they are new every morning, great is thy faithfulness.”
Lamentations 3:22-23
Reflection
An intro song could be sung here, such as “Great is thy faithfulness.”
We often hear, in our human and religious establishments, people speaking about love, unity, teamwork, team building and social cohesion for achieving common goals. Any social group is usually guided by certain ethos that bind them to attain objectives set forth. Due to their relevance, all are the domain or the umbrella of love and mutual care and respect. These realities are expected to be seen both in the north as well as in the south hemisphere.
God's unending love and mercies!
The scripture reading of today, was taken from the book of Lamentations 3. About the book's authorship, scholars are of the view that Lamentation is traditionally attributed to Jeremiah, the prophet from the village of Anathoth near Jerusalem.
Right from the beginning of the chapter we read, Jeremiah describes in full what he has gone through. He has seen affliction, darkness, his flesh and skin waste away, his bones broken. He has been chained, his prayers were shout out, his ways were blocked by hewn stones. As if that was not enough, he saw his paths crooked, he was torn into pieces, his vitals were shot by arrows of his quiver, he was filled with bitterness and sated with wormwood. Due to all that Jeremiah went through, he reached to a disparate point of saying “Gone is my glory, and all that I had hoped for from the Lord.”
Jeremiah had lost hope, to some point. But fortunately, he called to his mind that there was somebody he should call upon, where hope and God's unending love and mercies were waiting for him.
The Bible I read says, “the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, and his mercies never come to an end, they are new every morning, great is thy faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:22-23).
Friends, Jeremiah's experience could be like our own, in our local churches, districts, annual conferences. It could be like our own, in our episcopal areas, regional and the general conference. Could be like our own in our general agencies, commissions and committees. But guess what!? Jeremiah's experience in Lamentations brings us a great lesson of endurance, resilience and hope.
All we need to do is to call, in our minds, on the name of God who is our hope.
Our 2026 Leadership Gathering in Calgary, Canada, is an important opportunity for United Methodists, to think, reflect, strategize and look up to the future with hope. Knowing that though we may go through some challenges or difficulties within our beloved UMC, God's unending love and mercies never cease and never come to an end.
Friends,
God's unending love and mercies never cease and never will come to an end, if we cast our hope in Him,
God's unending love and mercies never cease and never will come to an end, if we wait for him,
God's unending love and mercies never cease and never will come to an end, even if he causes grief in us, for he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love,
God's unending love and mercies never cease and never will come to an end, because they are new every morning;
Now, as we prepare to meet in Calgary, let us examine where we are now and where we want to go. Let us examine our current situation as we think of what will be taking us to meet in Calgary. Equally, let us lift our hearts, hands, minds and souls to God of heaven, seeking discernment, love and mercies, until God sees us, until the Lord looks down from heaven and responds us. Let us enter an intentional mode of prayer and fasting, looking forward to God's presence, as we pave together the way forward for the life, mission and ministry of the UMC.
While we gather in Calgary, let us be reminded that God's unending love and mercies never cease and never will come to an end. While we recognize that we are crossing challenging times in the life and ministry of the church, we should not be discourage. Jeremiah's experience should the source of inspiration, knowing that His mercies are new every morning, great is thy faithfulness.
While we prepare to meet in Calgary, may we be reminded that we serve a Mighty God. A God of possibilities. God who never sleeps and never slumbers. A God who watches over Israel and who keep His church moving forward and great is thy faithfulness.
Fear should not be part of our life, for God's unending love and mercies are attainable and enjoyable. While we face challenges of the current winds of change, we should never forget to call on His name from the cities and suburbs areas where we live and serve. Let us call on him from the valleys, from the mountains and from the wet and dry lands of Africa, Europe, Asia and America. The Lord will not close His ears to our cries for help but will give us relief. As we anticipate our participation in Calgary, let us call on the name of Lord with hope that it will be alright with the UMC, great is thy faithfulness.
Though our situation may be like that of Jeremiah, let us keep in mind that God's unending love and mercies are bountiful, and let us work tirelessly knowing that in such times as these, our hope is in the Lord.
Prayer
May God bless His people, His church, Amen!
Read the whole series: On the Way to Calgary.
Next: Bishop Ruby-Nell Estrella, Sunday, October 4, 2026.