Scattered Moments
Brief reflections on faith, adversity, and the quiet places where grace appears.
Each episode of Scattered Moments is a brief journey through the unexpected classrooms where God does His deepest work — hospital rooms and sanctuaries, seasons of grief and flashes of joy, the ordinary moments where grace shows up and changes everything.
Drawing from over forty years of writing, ministry, and life in the trenches, Matt Tullos weaves together original poetry, hymn stories, Scripture, and honest reflection to remind you that even adversity, you are not alone.
Three Types of Episodes:
Scattered Moments: Brief Reflections on Faith, Adversity and the Quiet Places
Guided Meditations: Opportunities to Encounter God through Meditation
Moments Almanac: Released Every Morning, Reflecting on the Meaning of Each Day,
Take heart, notice the scattered moments, and share the grace.
Scattered Moments
May 31, 2026 | Moments Almanac | Visitation
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On this May 31 edition of Moments Almanac, we remember Mary's visit to Elizabeth and the joy that arrived before Jesus was even born. We also pause to remember the victims of the Tulsa Race Massacre and the Johnstown Flood—sobering reminders that Christ entered a broken world very much like our own. Through Scripture, hymn, prayer, and reflection, we discover the enduring hope that Jesus brings and His promise to make all things new.
Hello, friends, and welcome to Moments Almanac. Today we say farewell to May. It's for May 31st, 2026, and today we remember a meeting. Not a meeting of kings, not a gathering of generals, not a summit of powerful leaders, just two women. One young, one older, one carrying a promise, the other carrying a miracle. The church is long remembered May 31st as the feast of the visitation, the day Mary visited her cousin Elizabeth. After receiving the angel's astonishing message, Mary traveled into the hill country to see Elizabeth. When she arrived and offered her greeting, something remarkable happened. Luke tells us when Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped inside her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. Luke 1 41. John the Baptist, still unborn, recognized the presence of Jesus. Before a sermon was preached, before a miracle was performed, before a cross was raised, the presence of Christ brought joy. Yet as we remember this joyful meeting between Mary and Elizabeth, it is worth remembering the kind of world which Jesus was about to be born. It was not a peaceful world, it was not a just world, it was not a safe world, and ours isn't either. On this day, may thirty first, we remember the Tulsa race massacre of nineteen twenty one, a terrible blight in our nation's history when racial hatred erupted into violence and destruction. We also remember the Johnstown flood of eighteen eighty nine, one of the deadliest natural disasters in American history. More than twenty two hundred people lost their lives when a wall of water swept through a Pennsylvania Valley. One tragedy born of human sin, one tragedy born of nature's fury. Both reminders that we live in a world that groans beneath the weight of brokenness. And yet it was into a world very much like this one that God sent his son. Mary carried more than a child. She carried hope. She carried the promise that God had not abandoned his creation. She carried the one who would heal the sick, welcome the outcast, comfort the grieving, bear our sorrows, and one day make all things new. The joy that filled Elizabeth's house that day was not the denial of suffering, it was the announcement that suffering would not have the final word. Sometimes God does his greatest work through a visit, a conversation, a cup of coffee, a phone call, a note in the mail, a quiet presence beside one carrying a burden. Mary brought more than herself that day. She brought Christ with her. And Elizabeth was encouraged. As May draws to a close, perhaps that is the reminder worth carrying into this new month. You never know what God may do through a simple act of showing up. Our scripture for the day is found in Luke 1, 46 and 47. My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior. These words begin what we know as the magnificat, Mary's great song of praise, a song that is echoed through churches, monasteries, cathedrals, and homes for nearly two thousand years. A hymn for the journey. Tell out my soul the greatness of the Lord, unnumbered blessings give my spirit voice. Tender to me the promise of his word. In God my Savior shall my heart rejoice. Mother Teresa said, Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier. Mary did not arrive with wealth. She did not arrive with answers to every question. She arrived carrying Christ. And that was enough. Lord Jesus, thank you for entering a broken world. Thank you for coming near to those who suffer, those who grieve, those who wonder if hope still remains. Today we remember those affected by tragedy, violence, disaster, and injustice. Comfort those who mourn. Strengthen those who serve. Heal what is broken and wounded in our communities and in our hearts. As Mary carried your presence into the home of Elizabeth, help us to carry your presence into the lives of others. May our words bring encouragement. May our actions bring kindness. May our lives point to the hope found in you. For you are making all things new. In the name of Christ our Savior. Amen. The world that greeted Jesus was broken. The world we inhabit today is broken. But the promise carried by Mary is still true. Christ is come. Christ is with us, and Christ will come again. The floodwaters do not have the final word. Hatred does not have the final word. Death does not have the final word. Jesus does. And because he does, we live with hope. And that's today's Moments Almanac, May 31st, 2026. Thanks so much for stopping by. I hope you'll come again tomorrow. Until then, take care. Notice the scattered moments, and share the grace.
