Monday - April 15, 2024

SCRIPTURE Psalm 95 Come, let us sing to our God; let us shout for joy to the rock of our salvation... Come, let us bow down and bend the knee and kneel before God. For God is our Maker, in whose presence we live, and in whose hand we are held. Oh, that today I will listen to God's voice. WORDS OF HOPE The Psalmist reminds us: "Oh, that today I will obediently listen to God's voice." Have you ever sat either in meditation or in a quiet silence and heard God speak to you? Some of us can answer that question with a definite “Yes!” Many of the Psalmists had the experience of God speaking to them, either in those situations or some other way. All we know is that God’s word somehow came to them. This verse of the 95th Psalm is the capstone of wisdom in this scripture passage. How will we respond when we acknowledge that God created us for good purpose, is constantly present to help us and whose loving presence is like a hand which holds us in safety. How will we respond to such a loving God, even now in this present moment? Will we go about the business of routine life without paying much attention to God's presence and guidance, or will we actively listen to the constant whispers of the divine voice? Whenever we put on earmuffs to silence God's voice, we can be sure feelings of emptiness or unhappiness will quickly follow that action. We humans are created to be active and creative beings. However, we are not created to function independently from true words of guidance. And the truest voice of guidance comes from our loving Creator. We Christians often seem to go about life acting as if God has nothing to say to us. However, God can be a real "chatterbox" with a lot to tell us, if we only listen. Throughout this day, ask God to speak to you, guide you and uplift your spirit. You'll find that God is a wonderful partner in life's conversations. PRAYER Ever present Creator, guide us to remember we are not created to function independently from your true words of guidance. May we actively listen to the constant whispers of your voice. Amen DEVOTION AUTHOR Donald (Luke) Day Order of St. Francis and St. Clare

SCRIPTURE John 16; 19-22 Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him, so he said to them, “Are you discussing among yourselves what I meant when I said, ‘A little while, and you will no longer see me, and again a little while, and you will see me’? Very truly, I tell you, you will weep and mourn, but the world will rejoice; you will have pain, but your pain will turn into joy. When a woman is in labor, she has pain because her hour has come. But when her child is born, she no longer remembers the anguish because of the joy of having brought a human being into the world. So, you have pain now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you. WORDS OF HOPE When I was a child my father and I used to build model ships. I often wondered why we couldn’t just buy them already completed, but I came to realize that those hours I spent struggling with the tiny parts, carefully cutting them out with an Exact-o knife and sometimes cutting myself in the process made the finished product feel more special to me. Spending that time with my father and learning how to do the tedious and often painful work is something I wouldn’t trade for anything. It taught me that everything does not come easily and that though something is frustrating and painful it can still give birth to something beautiful and meaningful. Life is full of difficulties and pain. But it is also filled with joy and happiness. Why both? Perhaps through our pain and struggling we see the pleasant things more clearly and find success means more if we have to work for it. Jesus tells us we must move through the painful parts of our lives to find the joy that will sustain us. PRAYER God who sustains us through our struggles, let us find your joy in everything we do. May the spirit of Jesus be born into us each day. Amen DEVOTION AUTHOR Hardy Haberman

SCRIPTURE Revelation 21.4 God will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. WORDS OF HOPE Beauty for Ashes Pain was essential to my life. I was birthed through pain. It was my mother’s sacrifice which yielded fruit. Without loss there is no life, but what is lost? Certainly, her own body became my vessel; this revealed that the seed of life was inside her: life inside life. When I was born, I was a life in a life still within the biosphere known as Earth. I am composed of the materials found in Earth. When I drink water, I observe rivers in myself. Dirty water in turn pollutes me, so when I hurt the source, I hurt myself. That is not to say that water is my source, but that all life which is connected to water or all life which is in relationship to water is connected. All pain flows through your river for we all drink from the same source. Do not reject the water because it has pain in it. You need the pain to grow. It will nourish you with wisdom, patience, endurance, a greater appreciation for love, and understanding all the more. These words will not be simple, but everything has a purpose. Without bitterness, would I know sweetness? Without sorrow, would I know joy? Without darkness, would I know light? I know this: that I am who I am not just because of the good experiences, but because of the bad ones also. When I jumped in the water it was cold, but I learned how to swim. Soon my body adjusted, and the water did not seem cold any longer. It was not the water that changed, but I. The discomfort that I experienced from the cold water was the bridge to swimming. The cold then, was not my enemy, but the door. Likewise, pain is not the enemy, but the doorway to life fully experienced. PRAYER Please God make me wiser. Help me not to resent the pain, but to give thanks in all things with a genuine heartfelt appreciation. Heal my heart Lord and take the sorrow, anger, regret, hatred, bitterness, and all manner of sickness. Turn my weeping into shouts of joy. Let me say, “The Lord has given me beauty for my ashes”. Amen. DEVOTION AUTHOR Jonathon McClellan Order of St. Francis and St.Clare

SCRIPT URE Luke 10:36-37 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.” WORDS OF HOPE Much has been written about the Parable of the Good Samaritan. We find that when an expert on the law tries to give Jesus a religious litmus test, he finds himself not only being compelled to understand what neighbor means, but to live the parable as well with the words “Go and do likewise”. We learn from Jesus to redefine neighbor as anyone in need, rather than the proximity of people in your own community. In a recent reading of someone’s commentary on the Good Samaritan, I found something I had not considered before. Not only does this parable teach us about ourselves and how to respond to those on the margins, but also that this parable might be talking about the nature of God as well. For those on the margins, for those who need light and life, for those who search for food and justice, God has no limits on love. That when it comes to those on the margins, God isn’t afraid to use communities of people who are non-religious or perhaps even antithetical to religious communities. If the church won’t work for these things, then God will find other communities that will. A 2019 University of California study suggested that atheists and agnostics are far more willing to help other people than those who identify themselves as religious. The study suggests that atheists are driven by emotions, such as compassion, as opposed to religious people, who may be more influenced by "doctrine, a communal identity, or reputational concerns." It further suggests that even though atheists tend to be less trusted, they may actually be more inclined to help their fellow citizens than more religious people. The parable is called Good Samaritan. The story is more than a description of a spirituality that leads one to be empathetic. It is also an assessment of religious inaction. The Samaritan, reviled and marginalized, is called ‘good’ not for any other reason than that he had mercy. The priest and Levite, members of the establishment, are vilified not because of their faith system, but because they had no empathy. PRAYER Lord Christ, So open our eyes that we might see what the Good Samaritan saw. Grant us the insight to see the need in others, the wisdom to know what to do, and the will to do it. Amen. DEVOTION AUTHOR Thomas Riggs

SCRIPTURE Ephesians 4.29 Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. WORDS OF HOPE A long time ago I took a course in ancient Greek. I can’t remember exactly why in the world I would want to learn about it other than I was in need of learning to read and understand the Scriptures in their proper context, whatever that is. In the end I had a much better understanding of how the phrase “It’s Greek to me?” began. What I do remember is that Jesus spoke a language, more specifically a dead Hebrew variant language called Aramaic. It’s been described as sort of proper Hebrew with a cockney accent, the peoples’ language. It’s easy to understand why some of his fellow Hebrews had a hard time understanding him, if at all. More important, I find it an interesting study that we can presume so much context from what he said, from a language that is mostly consonants. This gives a whole new meaning to the other phrase that comes to mind, “words are cheap.” After all, there are still so many things left to conjecture in our modern understanding of biblical messages, but more specifically the stuff that Jesus is said to have said.. We’ve managed to try to understand the context of living in those times 2000 years ago. But I know even if I had a time traveling DeLorean, I don’t know that I would really want to live in those days. The thought really kind of scares me. I would imagine that if those people living in the biblical age could have a glimpse at our world, they would be equally frightened if not mortified at how we use and misuse their words. As an author, I’ve come to understand that we want to convey our stories in the most precise manner we can; not too many words, not too few words, but just the right amount to convey an idea close to what’s in our brains as possible. Easy? No. Communication + proper context is vital. The idea makes me yearn for context and truth and to discover for myself not just what the Bible says but how these words survived to begin with. All this to say, the greatest lesson I’ve learned is to choose my words wisely. I don’t often do that. I would like to but so much of my personality is about shooting from the hip. It’s a trait that I often want to go back and re-edit, but that’s how I learn. It makes me wonder if the ancient scripture writers would like the chance to re-edit their Greek or even Aramaic words for clarity their meaning to our generation. In reading the Bible in whatever translation I can understand today, I’m left with that thought. Choose your words wisely! Then ask yourself, “How will my words survive beyond today?” PRAYER Colossians 4.6 Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person. Amen DEVOTION AUTHOR Charlie Rose Order of St. Francis and St. Clare