Friday - December 30, 2022

READING "Worry is like a rocking chair, it keeps you moving but doesn't get you anywhere." -Corrie Ten Boom WORDS OF HOPE In today’s world, we seem surrounded by worry and some worry much more than others. Haven't all of us known a person who seems to worry constantly and tends to talk something to death? They get an idea fixed in their head and then can't let it go; chewing on it both night and day, but never able to "spit or swallow". If truth be known, haven't each of us done that, and where did it ever get us? No resolution, no peace, no action or settlement of the matter...it only leads to distress and lost opportunity to be truly effective. It's easy to tell that worried person to get over it and stop the rocking chair of worry. But that rarely slows the hurtful process for those who worry. For Christians, we still have things which enter our lives and can cause worry. However, a solution is available. Quiet down and take a few minutes to talk to Christ, not necessarily a formal prayer, just a little conversation with Christ. Ask for guidance in the matter, for wisdom and strength...and the patience to wait for the divine solution. I guess that when we become followers of Jesus, he could have demanded that we saw off the rockers on our chairs; however, with the rocking chair intact we still can exercise our legs a bit while we seek his guidance and help in these troubling matters. A common matter about which Christians worry is their failure to do all that they assume God wants from them. They hang onto their past and allow its weight to distance themselves from God's presence. But ours is a forgiving God. If you can't trust God's mercy, the problem really is a failure to accept divine forgiveness. So, the worry goes on, sometimes for years, and with it grows a greater gap in one's relationship with God. We all need to give God credit for being far more loving and merciful and allow God to forgive us. Corrie Ten Boom stated the matter this way. "God takes our sins, our failures, past, present and future, and dumps them into the sea. Then God posts a sign for us which says, NO FISHING ALLOWED PRAYER Merciful God, guide us to worry not excessively and to pray for Christ's help incessantly! Amen DEVOTION AUTHOR Donald (Luke) Day Order of St. Francis and St. Clare

SCRIPTURE 1 John 3:11-17 For this is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we are to love one another; not as Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And for what reason did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil, but his brother’s were righteous. Do not be surprised, brothers and sisters, if the world hates you. We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers and sisters. The one who does not love remains in death. Everyone who hates his brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life remaining in him. We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers and sisters. But whoever has worldly goods and sees his brother or sister in need, and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God remain in him? WORDS OF HOPE This passage of scripture is one that I tend to think of as being somewhat hazardous. The hazard is that it has the potential for being used as a measuring stick against other people. It is too easy to read this passage and look at someone else and judge them. Especially the last line in discussing worldly goods. I can almost hear someone saying “I’m looking at you”! But the passage begins by saying this is the message you’ve heard. We are to love one another. It talks about how the world will come to hate those who love. But that those who live in love have eternal life. There is no doubt in my mind that the writer is speaking to the reader in a way that turns this passage into a self-examination. Many Christians today seem to use biblical passages as a measuring stick for other people’s actions. Personally, I think the only thing that particular measuring stick should be used for is measuring yourself. And please don’t think I’m not equally guilty about what I’m going to say; because I am. Too often, I think we ask “how can those people” believe what they believe or act as they act and call themselves Christians or Christ Followers? Too often I asked that about others. So, what questions should we be asking? Only ones that begin with “Am I loving”. Am I loving God? Am I loving my neighbor? Am I loving myself? Am I loving my enemies? These are the questions to ask each day. John writes later in this letter that one who abides in love abides in God, and God in them. PRAYER Loving God, be with me each day and when needed, slap me upside the head. Let me see you in all persons; to love You, my neighbors, myself, and especially my enemies. Amen DEVOTION AUTHOR Weber Baker Order of Saint Francis and Saint Clare

SCRIPTURE  James 2.5-6 Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the realm he promised those who love him? But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? Are they not the ones who are blaspheming the noble name of him to whom you belong? WORDS OF HOPE James’ brief instructional letter of Wisdom to the early church is my favorite writing of the New Testament (Greek Scriptures). Tradition tells us that the writer of the Book was likely the half-brother of Jesus, and I can easily imagine the two of them having casual conversations during firewood gathering and other household chores. They would discuss events of the day and the attitudes of their world. Jesus would ask his brother about his thoughts on the Pharisees showing excessive favor and awarding honors to their rich donors while dismissing poor widows who could not afford to give even a mite (worth less than a penny) but who gave it anyway to the Temple’s funds. “Such a woman is rich in faith!” Jesus would declare to his younger brother. James would remember Jesus’ words throughout the years as he watched him scorned, accused of blasphemy, of being a traitor to his faith, and finally being crucified as an insurrectionist to the tyranny of the Empire. I can also imagine a brother’s usual relations with a sibling turning into worship after the Resurrection. It’s those words of worship that we read in his epistle to the early church. The wisdom in the Book of James is therefore the wisdom of his brother Jesus, remembered from countless conversations they had before either had ever heard of Simon Peter, Mary Magdalene, Judas, or the Apostle Paul. To me, the plain talk of James gives us a clue about the essence of his brother’s message: Honor and help the poor and marginalized so that you may be rich in faith. Those who are rich in gold who are exploiting them are exploiting you as well. They are blaspheming the holy name of the One to whom you belong. This is the central message of the Book of James, and I believe of his Holy Brother as well. PRAYER May we always remember that Jesus called us his brothers and sisters, too, and that all we say or do brings either honor or dishonor to the family of God. Help us to be rich in faith. Amen. DEVOTION AUTHOR Dan Peeler Order of St. Francis and St. Clare

SCRIPTURE Acts 7:10 But God was with Joseph and rescued him from all his troubles. He gave Joseph wisdom and enabled him to gain the goodwill of Pharaoh king of Egypt. So, Pharaoh made him ruler over Egypt and all his palace. WORDS OF HOPE In Acts chapter 7, we see Stephen brought before the Sanhedrin and put on trial. Back in chapter 6, we learn that he was one of seven men chosen to make sure widows and other overlooked people were cared for in the daily food distribution. While this might have seemed like a simple or even thankless job—basically making sure everyone got their fair share of supper—Stephen, full of God’s grace and power, went far beyond that. He performed amazing signs and wonders among the people, showing that even everyday acts of service can become something powerful when God is at work. That didn’t sit well with some people who grew jealous of Stephen, so they stirred up trouble, made up false accusations, and dragged him into a trial. But that was all the opportunity Stephen needed. Standing before the Sanhedrin, he launched into a bold retelling of Israel’s history, highlighting God’s constant faithfulness—and how, time and again, the people resisted what God was trying to do. In Acts 7:9–14, Stephen talks about how Joseph’s difficult circumstances were completely turned around—he went from being sold into slavery to becoming the governor of Egypt and overseeing Pharaoh’s entire household. It’s a powerful example of how God can take something meant for harm and turn it into something good, bringing purpose and blessing even out of unfair or painful situations. As chapter seven continues, Stephen confronts the religious leaders, accusing them of being stubborn and blind to God's ongoing work throughout history. He compares them to their ancestors who rejected God's messengers, pointing out that they’ve gone even further by betraying and killing Jesus. His bold truth-telling strikes a nerve, enraging the Sanhedrin. Frequently, we too can cling too tightly to tradition and ignore the truth that keeps us from seeing how God is working right now. Just as Stephen talks about how the people of Israel kept turning away from the prophets, we can become just as stubborn — just like the religious leaders were doing with Jesus. This narrative is our reminder to stay open to God’s direction, even when it pushes us out of our comfort zone or challenges what we’ve always believed. PRAYER God of grace and truth, Thank You for working through ordinary acts of service and turning them into something powerful. Like Stephen, help us to be faithful—even when it's difficult or when others misunderstand us. Give us courage to speak truth with love and humility, and keep our hearts open to Your direction, even when it challenges our comfort or traditions. Teach us to see Your hand at work, especially in situations that feel unfair or painful. Remind us, as You did with Joseph, that You can bring purpose and redemption from even the hardest moments. Help us not to resist Your Spirit, but to follow You boldly and faithfully wherever You lead. Amen.  DEVOTION AUTHOR Thomas Riggs

READING “This is the air I breathe. This is the air I breathe, Your holy presence, living in me”….Marie Barnet WORDS OF HOPE Recently, an article in the New York Times reported on a scientific study that found that “the patterns of breathing through our nose are so distinctive that it may be possible to identify us by our breath alone.” If measured for about 24 hours, it reveals a distinct “breath print.” How amazing that it could be so!  As I sat with the wonder of this discovery, I began to remember lines from Genesis about God breathing God’s breath into Adam, and then I recalled songs such “Breathe” which asserts that we breathe the very breath of God. James Finley, one of the core teachers for the Center for Action and Contemplation, had come to this conclusion through personal experience as a young Cistercian monk during his time at the Abbey of Gethsemani in Kentucky (where Thomas Merton was his spiritual director). He was praying the Psalms in the loft of the barn, and as he breathed in the air, he had the insight that “what we tend to think of as the air is actually God. In a subtle, interior way I sensed that I was walking back and forth in the atmospheric, all-encompassing presence of God, who was sustaining me breath by breath.” Sustaining each of us breath by breath. The sheer intimacy of this reality is achingly beautiful and can, if we allow it, crack open our oft-protected heart to embrace the mystical encounter. For Finley, “the most intimate depth of this awakening moment was a simple awareness that God, who was sustaining [his] life breath by breath, knew me through and through as mercy within mercy within mercy.” This kind of awareness should give us pause: It is not the kind of thing we just experience and then run to the grocery store or keep scrolling through news threads. Sacred presence lives in us, exchanges the flow of life with us, sustains us in love. And so I wonder if, in some sense, these breath measurements could be said to capture the billions of manifestations of God’s breath, with each of us so fearfully and wonderfully made? My head swirls with the implications of it all—and I feel like I did when I first saw the images of the Webb telescope. Unable to comprehend it all—but struck with awe and holy wonder. PRAYER Breathe in us, Breath of God, Fill us with life anew, that we may love what you would love and do what you would do.* Amen. DEVOTION AUTHOR Dr. Pat Saxon *(adapted from “Breathe on Me, Breath of God” by Edwin Hatch)