Friday - April 14, 2023

SCRIPTURE 1 Corinthians 9:19-23 from The Message Even though I am free of the demands and expectations of everyone, I have voluntarily become a servant to any and all in order to reach a wide range of people: religious, nonreligious, meticulous moralists, loose-living immoralists, the defeated, the demoralized—whoever. I didn’t take on their way of life. I kept my bearings in Christ—but I entered their world and tried to experience things from their point of view. I’ve become just about every sort of servant there is in my attempts to lead those I meet into a God-saved life. I did all this because of the Message. I didn’t just want to talk about it; I wanted to be in on it! WORDS OF HOPE I first read the above passage in several more “traditional” translations of the Bible; my initial reaction to it was not a positive one. The following is from the translation in New International Version : “To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak.” As I reflected on my personal reaction to these words, I realized that there were two things that immediately bothered me. First, I don’t like the use of the word “win” when talking about new followers being brought into Christ’s fold. And secondly, in the NIV translation, Paul’s thoughts and actions sound inauthentic, like someone I could not trust to be who and what they claim to be. Knowing that this was not the intended message of this passage, I sought out means to help my understanding. I found the clarification that I needed in the translation in The Message . The tone in these words feels totally different to me. Now Paul is portrayed as a servant, in the same way Jesus is a servant, rather than one who is seeking to “win” or dominate people. It is also clear that he maintains his values as a Christ-follower at all times, but seeks to understand the experiences and points of view of those whose lives were different than his. Now I read this passage as an example of an empathetic Paul. The word empathy was first used in 1909 by the psychologist Edward Titchener, so it is no surprise that the word itself is not biblical, but empathy is a foundational principle throughout the Bible. God’s character and Jesus’s ministry are living examples of empathy. “Jesus wept.” (John 11:35) is the shortest passage in the Bible yet it carries with it the deep understanding that Jesus had for the emotions of Mary and Martha as they grieved the death of their brother, Lazarus. It is this kind of love and care for all of our neighbors that we as Christ-followers are commanded to emulate. In current times, empathy is seen by some to be a weakness rather than a holy attribute. Empathy requires that we allow ourselves to feel the pain and sorrow of others, but it also gifts us with sharing joy by the same means. Empathy asks us to try to understand thoughts and experiences for which we have no context. Empathy calls us to listen to everyone. Empathy demands that we look for the face of God in all people. Empathy is something that we each promise to practice when we take our baptismal vows and become followers of Christ. That said, practicing empathy is hard. It makes us vulnerable. It makes us hurt. It makes us sad. It removes the option of dehumanizing individuals and groups so that we don’t have to acknowledge or listen to them. It can make us feel weak. Empathy is also evidence of being a Christ-follower. PRAYER God of understanding, Open my heart to the pain and joy of others. Help me to listen, not just with my ears, but with a heart that seeks to understand. Let my empathy be not only emotion, but action. May it guide my hands, shape my choices, and build bridges where there now are walls. Amen DEVOTION AUTHOR  Kris Baker Order of Saint Francis and Saint Clare

SCRIPTURE Psalm 119:111 O God, "your decrees are my inheritance forever; truly, they are the joy of my heart." WORDS OF HOPE Have you been able to spend any time in solitude lately? Not solitude as a state of loneliness or abandoning our community, but as deliberate times we set aside to be still and to listen for the voice of God. Cole Arthur Riley, in her book, This Here Flesh: Spirituality, Liberation, and the Stories That Make Us, has this to say about Solitude: “Solitude can be a profound teacher. It can teach us how to hold ourselves—how to affirm ourselves and listen. How much is the sound of your own voice worth? And yet, we were made for belonging. Maybe you’ve heard it said that you need to learn how to be alone before you can be with someone. I say you have to learn how to be with and part of something in order to know how to be alone. I think it is only out of a deep anchoring in community that one can be free to explore the solitary.” In my times of solitude, I contemplate on the God-given principles for a life in harmony with the divine desires or decrees that are a gift to the Christian. It’s just like an inheritance in the life of a family's heir. These divine instructions become a treasure to guide a healthy and contented life of inner peace and joy. By listening for this guidance, an individual can live in harmony with God today, through all future tomorrow's and into an eternal presence with the Divine One. However, like a family inheritance, a person can't accept it one day, reject it the next, and expect be a happy heir to the family's treasures. Likewise, the Christian can't pick and choose among the gifts of the inheritance and still expect to live in peaceful harmony with God. We need to live a consistent lifestyle which is willing to be molded by God’s desire to change our words and actions. In life, walking with God means walking in step with God! Who knows? In solitude, you might even find your calling. Cole Arthur Riley concludes: “Some callings come to you only in memory, some come only on the mouth of someone you trust. Some don’t need to be heard in order to be lived. And not all calls come from outside of you.” PRAYER Ever present God, may we always be alert and ready to hear your voice, from times of solitude, from our own intuitions, or from the voices of our trusted community. In Jesus’ guidance,Amen. DEVOTION AUTHOR  Donald (Luke) Day Order of St. Francis and St. Clare

SCRIPTURE James 4. 11-12 Brothers and sisters do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister or judges them speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who can save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor? WORDS OF HOPE Today the daily lectionary reading is about judging each other. It is written by James, who is widely believed to be one of Jesus’ brothers. He would certainly have been familiar with the results of gossip and slander. This is a classic passage on the subject in the first century, a tumultuous time for the faith community. The church first started compiling these daily Bible readings in the 7th century, but has human nature changed since that time? What would they know about human nature today? After a quick look at social media lately, I would say they knew quite a lot. I don’t know if people in those days made self-improvement lists like we often see on Facebook but refraining from constantly judging one another should be high on most of our lists. The writer of the Book of James gets to the point right away, calling our constant judgment of one another slander, which has become an expected behavior pattern among politicians and news commentators. Whether our behavior is focused politically or not, judgment of our neighbors has become a common practice in our society and James reminds us that judging against our sisters and brothers is judging against the law itself. To what law is he referring? Many scholars believe it is his own brother’s law that he sees being broken. What was Jesus’ only commandment to us? -To love one another…and in doing so, to love God and ourselves. We often read social media posts routinely containing highly inflammatory remarks, turning private disputes into a public broadcasts and personal name-calling into published slander. The situations could easily become expensive and time-wasting court cases simply because of forgetting the simply stated law to love one another. Obviously, human nature has not changed since the first century, but the internet has afforded us the opportunity to spread our slanders much quicker. It’s easy to judge the evils of social media, but the evil lies in its misuse. Resolving not to judge, on or offline, is a much more productive use of our time, which can be better spent reflecting on the law of James’ brother. PRAYER Thank you for the gifts of the technology that can be the blessings or the curses on our lives. May we be guided by your love that always dwells within us. Amen DEVOTION AUTHOR  Dan Peeler Order of St. Francis and St. Clare

SCRIPTURE Ephesians 1. 12-14 …in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory. WORDS OF HOPE Can you recall standing on the playground, lined up with all the other kids from your class, waiting for some “appointed” captain to pick their teams? It didn’t even matter what game we were going to play, most stood anxiously as the choosing began. I know I was mumbling under my breath “pick me, pick me” because no one wanted to be an afterthought or picked last. The good news, we are not an afterthought in the mind of God who says, “I guess you will have to do, you’re not my first choice, but there you go…” Instead, it is the exact opposite. Before the beginning of the world God chose us to be in relationship. And every act of God since then is to remind us we were “predestined ” to be adopted as children, to be welcomed into Gods family. We are part of the purposes, the plans of God, and we can feel joyful, confident and blessed knowing we were chosen because we are loved. As the church song says: “Count your blessings name them one by one and you will be amazed at what the Lord has done.” Paul counts his blessings and rejoices knowing he was chosen by God, adopted into the whole family, and received the gift of the Holy Spirit. Just by being born, we are all uniquely stamped with fingerprints that no else ever has been nor ever will be given. PRAYER God of all creation, as we count our blessings and name them out loud giving you the glory, let us remember to share our joy with ALL humankind. In Jesus name, Amen DEVOTION AUTHOR  Donna Jackson

SCRIPTURE Psalm 94: 1-3 Lord, you God of vengeance, you God of vengeance, shine forth! Rise up, O judge of the earth; give to the proud what they deserve! O Lord, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked exult? WORDS OF HOPE The Psalms are song lyrics. They were meant to be sung I believe and as such they often express the frustration and anguish of the composer. In this case it is frustration, and one whose words I could echo almost on a daily basis. Seems the wicked are indeed exult, parading their misdeeds and boasting and blustery. It is nothing new, apparently, since these words are thousands of years old. The good news is that most people who deal in spinning evil end up being caught in their own web. The psalmist would consider that Divine retribution, since their vision of God was very much black and white. My view of the Divine is much less one of a vengeful God who rules by might, but a loving power that persuades through example. Sometimes that persuasion takes longer than I would like, but that timetable is not under my control. PRAYER God of love and serenity, grant me patience and grace, that I may carry your love forth by example and not succumb to vengeful acts. DEVOTION AUTHOR  Hardy Haberman