Thursday July 25, 2024

SCRIPTURE  Isaiah 6:1-4 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. WORDS OF HOPE When we enter the scene of Isaiah 6:1-4, we are presented with imagery that is both awe-inspiring and overwhelming. The prophet Isaiah recounts a powerful vision of God’s majesty and holiness. He describes seeing the Lord seated on a high and exalted throne, with the train of His robe filling the temple. Surrounding God are seraphim, calling out to one another in worship, proclaiming, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory." Their voices cause the temple's doorposts to shake, and the entire temple fills with smoke. This is widely regarded as Isaiah’s call, or perhaps rededication, to prophetic ministry. Standing in the temple of and in the very presence of God, Isaiah rightly is struck by his inadequacy and unworthiness in the presence of a God whose holiness has been repeated with the words “Holy, Holy, Holy” by the seraphs. However, what starts this almost psychedelic panorama of powerful imagery and majesty is a rather mundane historical reference to when this vision takes place for Isaiah. It begins with the words: In the year that King Uzziah died. For those keeping track, that would have been around 740 BCE. King Uzziah had ruled the kingdom of Judah for over 50 years, bringing prosperity, stability, and military strength to the nation. For those who read this prophet’s story, they knew that his death likely signaled a time of uncertainty, anxiety, and political change. What the people of God needed in such an uncertain time was a stability point. Isaiah prophesying such a dizzying and magnificent vision provided a contrast between an earthy king passing and the eternal reign of God. Even as good leaders (and bad leaders) vacate their seats of empire, Isaiah and the rest of us are given a vision of God still on the throne – high and exalted – reaffirming that God’s sovereignty transcends human rulers. This is reassuring and comforting knowledge especially in these days: While kingdoms rise and fall, God’s rule is unshakable. Isaiah’s account of this vision stands as a powerful call to ministry—not only for him, but for us as well. We are explicitly and urgently called to partner with God in rising up against empire. In support and defense of our marginalized siblings, we sing to God in God’s Temple: Here am I! Send me! PRAYER Let us pray a paraphrase of a prayer by theologian J. Clinton McCann, Jr. Sovereign Lord of heaven and earth, Just as you majestically revealed yourself to Isaiah to ready him for your message, ready our hearts too—so we may hear your voice clearly and step into our purpose with passion and resolve. Let your glory break into the world, wild and unstoppable like smoke and flame. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, who gave everything to fulfill your will and make us holy. Amen. DEVOTION AUTHOR Thomas Riggs

SCRIPTURE  Psalm 65:5 Awesome things will you show us in your righteousness, O God of our salvation. WORDS OF HOPE Are you ready to experience something awesome? Today is May Day, a time when we look around us and celebrate the springtime of God’s Creation. Whether we rest our trembling soul in God's embrace, or we walk with confidence in God's path; in all things and in all times of life, we can experience new and wonderful revelations of divine care and love. They are like jewels along our path. All that we must do is maintain awareness of God's presence in our every step. Don't be distracted by the noise and confusion of the world around you. Focus your attention on God who will lead you forward and free you from fear of the uncertainty of the unknown. That's the root of the word "salvation" as used in this verse. God is the One who frees you to live your full potential as a human directed by divine love. God frees you to live and see awesome things every day of your life! What awesome things are you inspired to do today? Often, we think about matters of social justice as inequality of opportunity, education and income among various groups or races of people. Hence, we set out to change the structure of society to better fit its needs. Although emphasis can be on change of policies toward better practices, as Christians we should seek to become involved in God's concept of justice which has its foundation in the existence of harmony among all humans. The word "harmony" is derived from the concept of things "fitting together, joining in good order". God's desire is that human society will participate in a "seamless process" of receiving: giving and caring for: sharing so that everyone experiences the full blessings of God's magnificence. As we give a cup of cold water to those weakened by thirst, we should "fit" their other hand into our loving hands of help. We should join not only our self but also our resources in harmony with their needs to bring them peace and relief. Harmony is more than "just getting along with others". That's cheap harmony... cheap social justice. We Christians are called to practice divine-style harmony/justice which results when we interact with all others and share ourselves in peace, love, humility and the full blessings of God. In doing this, we can each truly be one of God’s awesome things! PRAYER Lord God, quiet my mind and sharpen my attention to your Spirit's presence in my life. It is my desire to live this day in closer relationship with you and to express your love in each of my interactions with other people. Be it ever so. Amen. DEVOTION AUTHOR Donald (Luke) Day Order of St. Francis and St. Clare

SCRIPTURE 1 John 2.7-11 Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment that you had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word that you have heard…Whoever says they are in the light and hates their sister or brother are still in darkness. Whoever loves their siblings abides in the light, and in them there is no cause for stumbling. But those who hate their brothers and sisters are in the darkness and walk in the darkness, and do not know where they are going, because the darkness has blinded their eyes. WORDS OF HOPE Why so much hate? That is not an uncommon question in our turbulent world. In a recent discussion with an old friend, in his frustration over the current political and ideological differences that plague our country, he concluded that “It’s time for a divorce!” He went on to say that in lieu of a bloody civil war, the most logical solution for our country is to divide into Red States and Blue States, with independent systems of government, but with interstate trade agreements. In his estimation, the ability to love one another is beyond the realm of reality. My friend is a highly intelligent and well-informed individual, but he is not a person of faith. The writer of 1 John lived in oppressive, tyrannical, and dangerous times beyond our scope of understanding, but through it all he was a person of faith. In the letter to his readers, he doesn’t have to immediately state the text of the “old commandment that you had from the beginning.” By the time of the writing of this very late New Testament epistle, they had it engraved on their hearts from their earliest memories of being members of their faith community. It takes John three- and one-half chapters to finally write down the words, “Love One Another.” This was Jesus’ most difficult teaching to many of his generation and maybe even more difficult to ours. Those three words are infinitely simple to say but unquestionable challenging to practice. The commandment leaves no options. There were no exceptions as to who the recipient of love was to be in John’s community. Though not as inclusive as “Love your neighbor” which included not only the immediate community of believers but the whole world, the words then and now command us to love people who we cannot possibly like. Where does that leave our present community of followers of Jesus Christ? I can never like a person who practices injustices and preaches hatred, but I must love that person as one who has been blinded by the darkness. Jesus’ light was already shining then and is in no danger of flickering out now, especially when we take his words, his commandment, seriously. He didn’t say to love only those who return your love. That is not a relevant issue to a Messiah who loved the ones who condemned him and nailed him to a cross. His love was unconditional and so should ours be. It is the only way for the people of the Light. PRAYER Loving Parent of All of Us, before we react to, revile, or reject any of your children, our sisters and our brothers, teach us to look on them through your eyes and think of them through your heart and mind. Amen DEVOTION AUTHOR Dan Peeler Order of St Francis and St. Clare

SACRED READING Lord, make me an instrument of your peace; Where there is hatred, let me sow love; Where there is injury, pardon; Where there is doubt, faith; Where there is despair, hope; Where there is darkness, light; And where there is sadness, joy. O Divine Master, Grant that I may not so much seek To be consoled, as to console; To be understood, as to understand; To be loved, as to love; For it is in giving that we receive, It is in pardoning that we are pardoned, And it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life. Amen. —Saint Francis of Assisi WORDS OF HOPE Recently I was given a card with this prayer on one side and a painting of St Francis on the other. I was already well aware of it, but the new card is a nice gift. Of all non-biblical verses this may be one of the most famous. It is read at 12 step programs; has been set to music as a church hymn, has been sung on Christian and secular albums, and even has been to Broadway in “Come from Away”. I noticed today is World Wish Day. It celebrates the first wish ever fulfilled by the Make a Wish Foundation. A young man with leukemia, who wished to be a police officer was granted that opportunity. But while looking at my prayer card gift, I realized that it is in fact a wish list. Look at the first line, “Lord, make me an instrument of your peace”; and from that point on there is a litany of the things that one would wish to be able to do. We often say that we “wish” we could be more like Jesus. We sometimes say we “wish“ we knew what to do to live a more Christ-like life. Saint Francis has given us the answer. But he knows that we need to do this with God‘s help. And so he begins by expressing the simple wish to become an instrument of God‘s peace. That is how one lives a more Christ-like life. PRAYER  Great Creator, echoing Saint Francis, make me an instrument of your peace. Set my mind such that I do not need to recall all of the things that Francis asked to be allowed; but install them in my heart so that they can become as natural as breathing. Amen. DEVOTION AUTHOR Weber Baker Order of Saint Francis and Saint Clare

SCRIPTURE John 14. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. WORDS OF HOPE Ripples in a Small Pond Consider peace. Lao Tzu gave the formula for peace when he said, “If there is to be peace in the world, there must be peace in the nations. If there is to be peace in the nations, there must be peace in the cities. If there is to be peace in the cities, there must be peace between neighbors. If there is to be peace between neighbors, there must be peace in the home. If there is to be peace in the home, there must be peace in the heart.” The individual directly affects the world. When there is war in the heart, there is war in the world. Each individual has the power to affect this world positively or negatively, and either way, we have to live with the consequences. When a person has no values, the world will have less values, and in the end, our world will have no value. We are plagued with corrupt world leaders because it is us who are creating them. Unless we realize that we are all living in a world made smaller by our connectedness and that one pebble causes ripples in the whole of a small pond, then the world will never be at peace and the surface of the water will never be still. When you do not value life, all life, everything alive will be in danger from you. The gravity cannot be underestimated because your life and what you choose to do with it, matters. Believe that you can affect this world, change this world, and better this world. We are contagious creatures. Our love is just as contagious as our hate. The common denominator behind Lao Tzu’s formula was you and me. PRAYER Divine Spirit, As the world suffers from one plague after another, we realize that we are all connected. Help us to live with love towards all that You made. Give us the grace to love ourselves and be at peace. Bless You Great Spirit. Amen. DEVOTION AUTHOR  Jonathon McClellan Order of St. Francis and St. Clare