Hope in Grief

SCRIPTURE Isaiah 11. 1-4 There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. WORDS OF HOPE  Lord God, quiet my mind and help me to be more mindful of your presence and purpose in my life. In the days of the Lenten Season, we will be contemplating the Messiah. These will be times of reflection and the wonders of the perfect plans of the Eternal God in relationship with humankind. With Earth' s creation and the unfolding of the human experience, God saw great beauty and expanding potential for our loving relationship with the Holy One. The creative act endowed humanity with freedom of choice. Some individuals generally chose a lifestyle pattern which was compatible with divine hopes; while many more individuals ignored the opportunity to walk in the ways of God. Over many generations, disobedience and evil ways were chosen most often. From the descendants of the righteous man, Abraham, God chose to demonstrate the Divine's nature and purpose toward humanity. However, even those Israelites often failed to live according to God's desires. Even with the threat of increasing disregard for God’s will, the creation was not to be abandoned by God. Creation would be redeemed. And from the family of Jesse, King David's father, arose One who would restore humankind's relationship with God. Though often sung during Advent, listen to the words of this 16th-century German hymn: "Lo, how a Rose e'er blooming from tenderest stem hath sprung, of Jesse's lineage coming as saints of old have sung. It came a flower bright, amid the cold of winter, when half spent was the night. This flower, whose fragrance tender with sweetness fills the air, dispels with glorious splendor the darkness everywhere. True human but very God, from sin and death he saves and lightens our every load." PRAYER In the Lenten Season, as I walk the road toward sacrifice and resurrection, may I be more aware of your redeeming love. Prepare me to be more ready to share your love with others in my life. Be it ever so. Amen. DEVOTION AUTHOR Donald (Luke) Day Order of St. Francis and St. Clare

READING “Today we can leave the governance of the universe to God.” - Martin Luther WORDS OF HOPE  Have you ever noticed how many times you are asked a question that begins with “What are you doing….?” What are you doing this weekend? What are you doing tonight? What are you doing for spring break? What are you doing after church? What are you doing for dinner? What are you doing for Lent? What are you doing to make the world a better place? What are we doing? I don’t consider myself to have a Type A personality, but I do live each day with a somewhat lengthy To-Do list. The funny thing about my list is that I don’t write down the absolute “have-tos” for the day like feed the dogs, teach my classes, take my medication, I write down all the things that take up time but don’t really have to be done today. And then I judge my day and myself by how successful I was at accomplishing all the things on that list. The reality is that no ill will come to me or anyone else if I fall short of checking every single thing off that list today. And yet, I feel like not doing it all diminishes my “goodness”. I am certain that I am not alone in these feelings. When my youngest daughter was a toddler, bedtime consisted of me singing the song “Seek Ye First,” by Karen Lafferty, many many times. The text is based on various passages from the Gospel of Matthew. Seek ye first the kingdom of God And His righteousness, And all these things shall be added unto you. Allelu, Alleluia! Ask, and it shall be given unto you; Seek, and ye shall find. Knock, and the door shall be opened unto you. Allelu, Alleluia! Man shall not live by bread alone, But by every word That proceeds from the mouth of God. Allelu, Alleluia! In those days of parenting a small child, singing these words with her were often just another thing to cross off my to-do list. Get the baby to sleep so I could get all of the other things done that were still left on my daily list. Looking back now, thirty-three years later, I realize that the times spent singing this song over and over with my daughter were God speaking to me through the voice of a little child, a small voice pleading with me to “seek-y” first the kingdom of God, a message that both she and God knew that I needed to hear. How different might our days be if we more carefully curated our to-do lists and made the top item to seek first the kingdom of God? How might our relationship with God be strengthened if when we are asked what we are doing, we respond by saying, “sitting quietly in the presence of God?” How different might we feel if we left governance of the universe to God? PRAYER “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10) Be still and know that I am. Be still and know. Be still. Be. DEVOTION AUTHOR Kris Baker Order of St. Francis and St. Clare

READING Spiritual Hymn: "Follow Me", lyrics by Ira F. Stamphill: I traveled on a lonely road and no one seemed to care. The burden on my weary back had bowed me to despair; I oft complained to Jesus how folks were treating me, And then I heard Him say so tenderly, "My feet were also weary, upon the Calvary road; The cross became so heavy, I fell beneath the load, Be faithful weary pilgrim the morning I can see, Just lift your cross and follow close to me." "I work so hard for Jesus" I often boast and say "I've sacrificed a lot of things to walk the narrow way, I gave up fame and fortune, I'm worth a lot to Thee" And then I hear Him gently say to me, "I left the throne of glory and counted it but loss, My hands were nailed in anger upon a cruel cross, But now we'll make the journey with your hand safe in mine, So lift your cross and follow close to me. Oh Jesus if I die upon a foreign field someday, 'Twould be no more than love demands, no less could I repay, "No greater love hath mortal man than for a friend to die" These are the words He gently spoke to me, "If just a cup of water I place within your hand Then just a cup of water is all that I demand. But if by death to living they can Thy glory see, I'll take my cross and follow close to Thee. WORDS OF HOPE I love the old-time hymns. They bring to mind the best parts of my growing up years in church. Much of my church experience was full of guilt and shame. But the hymns are full of great wisdom. What wonderful theology "If just a cup of water I place within your hand. Then just a cup of water is all that I'll demand." How wonderful to put your faith in a God who won't ask you for more than you have to give! And in my life each time I have trusted God with what I had, God blessed me with more! During your practice of Lent, I hope you will be able to find a song of faith that moves you to a closer walk as you follow Jesus’ example on this earth. PRAYER Wonderful God, thank you for giving us your faithful promises to always be with us. DEVOTION AUTHOR Jan Nunn, CoH Volunteer

SCRIPTURE  Ephesians 2:14-16 For Christ himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. WORDS OF HOPE We live in fractious and divisive times. Political polarization between progressives and conservatives has widened so much over the past several decades that compromise is nearly impossible. Americans increasingly get their news and commentary from different algorithmic media ecosystems, making dialogue more difficult. Questions about race, immigration, economic inequality, religious identity, and gender roles have become focal points of intense disagreement. And yet, amidst this division, there are countercurrents of cooperation. Local communities, service organizations, faith groups, and civic groups continue to work across differences to address practical needs. More recently, we have seen such collaborations in the Twin Cities area and in local municipalities that have banded together to support marginalized communities and oppose the takeover of inappropriate facilities for detention centers. These efforts remind us that division, though powerful, is not the only force at work in our common life. In the second chapter of Paul’s letter to the church in Ephesus, Paul offers the imagery of a “dividing wall of hostility” being torn down, teaching that the gospel removes barriers—ethnic, cultural, or social. The church is called to live out this unity, not rebuild the walls Christ has already torn down. Today is World Day of Prayer. The chief purpose of this Day is to unite Christians around the world in prayer and informed action for peace, justice, and the needs of others. The movement encourages ongoing compassion, understanding, and support for ministries that uplift communities and address human need. This present time continues to be fractious because our disagreements are sharp, identities feel threatened, human lives are endangered, and trust is fragile. In many instances, that division may not or should not be bridged; we must be clear-eyed and resolute about standing up to injustice and speaking out when peace is threatened. But even so, we remain open to Paul’s words and to the purpose of the World Day of Prayer, which calls us to dismantle the “dividing wall of hostility” and to seek, wherever possible, the patient work of rebuilding understanding and common ground. PRAYER Lord Jesus, you are our peace. Break down the walls that divide us and reconcile us to one another and to you. Put to death the hostility in our hearts and make us one in your love. Amen. DEVOTION AUTHOR Thomas Riggs

SCRIPTURE  Isaiah 41:10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. WORDS OF HOPE My first job as a teenager was working at Six Flags Over Texas in Ride Operations, assigned to the Spelunkers Cave. The industry calls this type of amusement park attraction a “dark ride” which takes took you through a long winding trough that tells a story of the mystical, pointy-headed Spelunkers in their daily routines, similar in a way to Disneyland’s Pirates of the Caribbean. Another dark ride is Space Mountain, but it’s a roller coaster set in a dark building. I have ridden it enough that I thought I was pretty familiar plus it isn’t terribly fast, I recalled from my dozen or so rides before. Then there was the time my then-partner and I had travelled to France. We had the opportunity to go to Disneyland Paris. We were not really roller coaster people , but I talked him into Space Mountain, because what could be different from its American counterpart? We had boarded and got buckled in when I noticed the sign saying this is a roller coaster-type ride in the dark with high-speeds, sharp turns, and corkscrew twists. I thought “High Speed. Oh no.” I turned to apologize for the mistake that was about to happen. I managed to barely get out the words “I am so sor...” as our heads were plastered against the seats as it took off into the dark; zero to 60mph in 4 seconds; now a completely new experience, with no clue about what happens next. Life is sometimes like that, whether at home, or work, or with new people. Of course, we survived the afternoon, better or worse, nauseated, mostly in the rain, which didn’t help him forgive me any sooner. It was trial and error with good intentions, lessons learned. We later found Pirates of the Caribbean was much more our speed, but I had some convincing to do this time to gain back his trust since this adventure was a safe, cute, traditional storybook pirate story, transporting us back in time, up a waterfall, canon firing, villages pillaged, and ending with no nausea. Mission accomplished. No matter how you view going into the dark unknown, you always have a choice. Sometimes yes, sometimes no. You may choose to stay in the darkness or walk into the light. You can take a chance and be optimistic for a rewarding new life-adventure or stay the same with the old and familiar. Generally, most of us prefer the safe and familiar, or at least the reassurance that we won’t be too worse for the wear if we take risk walking (or riding) into the dark. Lent is a good time to consider that kind of walk, that walk of faith. What do you do in your life? Do you walk in faith? I invite you to be present in this moment wherever you are today in your life’s journey. Are you ready? Deep breath, eyes open, and let’s take one step forward and say this aloud: “Here we go!” PRAYER Loving God, there are so many times I’ve begun again and again, repeating the same mistakes, forgetting what I’ve learned. Today, I invite you to guide me on the next part of my journey, however dark and unknown it may seem, because you provide the light I need to see me through to a successful end; to grow in faith with you. Amen. DEVOTION AUTHOR Charlie C. Rose Order of St. Francis and St. Clare