Thursday - June 1, 2023

SCRIPTURE Hebrews 10:39 (NRSVUE) But we are not among those who shrink back and so are lost but among those who have faith and so preserve our souls. WORDS OF HOPE “Curiosity and Friendship” I met them both when I was six years old in first grade. My family had just moved to Fort Worth over two months after the school year had started. Not only was I a newcomer, but almost everyone in my class had attended Kindergarten together and so knew each other well. I was an outsider. Two boys made a difference. The first I met on my first day. He approached me with a friendly smile, offered his hand to shake mine and said, “I’m Chad Davis.” It was a warm welcome on a cold November day in first grade. The following Sunday, my family went to the local Methodist Church to see if it was a fit for our family. To my surprise, Chad was in my Sunday School class. He even invited me to his house for lunch! Sitting with him was his friend and neighbor, Jesse Cockerell. Chad introduced us. Jesse was friendly, shook my hand, and welcomed me to the church. He also offered that his father was a dentist if I needed one. I didn’t, but it was good to know. Chad and I became fast friends. We rode bikes, played at his house, and his parents took us out on their boat and taught us to waterski. Jesse’s parents moved across town years later and he went to a different high school. 23 years after I met him, he was the best man at my wedding and years after that I officiated his wedding. Chad would have likely been a part of all that, but he was killed our senior year in an auto-pedestrian accident. Today is Best Friends Day. At a time when there is much tension and combative conversation on social media, in politics, and in society at large, may we be curious to listen to others and learn about them. May we welcome strangers, extend a hand of greeting, show compassion, live with empathy and strive for good will. Curiosity is the antithesis of judgmentalism. Curiosity opens us to consider people as they are rather than judging them with a preconceived expectation or bias. When we choose to be curious, we bypass criticism and negativity and consider what possibilities and opportunities may be at hand in any given moment. I am striving to cultivate greater curiosity in my life and relationships. Who knows what good may yet come of such a practice? PRAYER Dear Jesus who loves us, help us we pray, to be curious people, who follow your Way. Amen. DEVOTION AUTHOR Rev. Dr. Gary Kindley, LPC Pastoral Psychotherapist drgk.org

READING In Celebration of the Life of Andrea Gibson (8/13/75-7/14/25) Lines from their words of inspiration: “When nothing softens grief, may grief soften me.” “When I realized the storm was inevitable, I made it my medicine.” “In the end, I want my heart to be covered in stretch marks.” WORDS OF HOPE Many years ago a student introduced me to Andrea Gibson—a queer spoken word poet and eventually poet laureate of Boulder, Colorado. Like so many who were drawn to them, I found power in their wrestling with LGBT+ issues in a language that was bold, fresh, achingly sensitive, and vulnerable. They deplored customary binaries of all sorts and once said they thought their gender would be changing up until the time of their death. Several months ago I was re-introduced to Andrea via their Substack posts with poetry and the most stunning photographs of the Colorado landscape where they live with their wife Megan and three well-loved dogs. Several years ago, Andrea was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, the disease which would claim their earthly life. They speak openly of having feared cancer all their life, but once the bell had tolled, they experienced a spiritual transformation, seeing through the eyes of love and gratitude even the smallest things. During their treatment, part of them wanted to keep the pain from readers, but with characteristic courage, they stepped through the door of silence to voice their truth. One compelling poem during this time is “MAGA Hat in the Chemo Room.” The work begins with anger that MAGA man has violated the rules of the chemo room forbidding clothing with political slogans—a rule Andrea adheres to though almost everything she owns signals her values. Their honoring “clothes neutrality” is in part an acknowledgement that everyone in the room is struggling for their lives. In the course of the poem, anger gets transformed into compassion for each person in the acute awareness of shared mortality. Andrea also imagines that the Holy Trinity reveals God’s nonbinary nature and that in heaven gays will enter first. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCX-0zJTEbk After Gibson’s death, tributes poured in from all kinds of people—artists and poets, collaborators and friends, the Governor or Colorado and readers who have been impacted by their work. Linda Williams Stay tells how her son Aiden once took her to see Andrea in an amazing performance and how he continued to share their poetry as a way of helping her understand his experience as a young transgender man. The morning of Andrea’s death, Aiden called to tell her and together they grieved this loss. He sobbed, “Andrea saved my life, mom.” Linda responded, “I know.” Months before her death, Andrea wrote a moving poem to their wife Meg called “Love Letter from the Afterlife,” in which they assert: “Dying is the opposite of leaving. When I left my body, I did not go away. That portal of light was not a portal to elsewhere, but a portal to here. I am more here than I ever was before.” Oh, that each grieving person could know such intimate resurrection. https://stephaniecarney.substack.com/p/love-letter-from-the-afterlife (text) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmZHLvq-gDg (spoken) A documentary of Andrea’s life “Come See Me in the Good Light” showed at the Sundance Festival this year and garnered the Festival Favorite prize. It will be shown on Apple TV+ this fall. Rest in power, Radiant Spirit. PRAYER God of Expansive Love, Before [we] die, [may we] be somebody’s favorite hiding place, the place they can put everything they know they need to survive, every secret, every solitude, every nervous prayer, and be absolutely certain [we] will keep it safe. [We] will keep it safe. Amen. (Prayer adapted from Adrea Gibson’s words.) DEVOTION AUTHOR Dr. Pat Saxon

SCRIPTURE  Proverbs 16.24 Pleasant words are a honeycomb, Sweet to the soul and healing to the bones. WORDS OF HOPE Throughout my volunteer days of teaching Sunday school, also known as Children’s Church, I was always sad to witness any time that a parent would say something limiting to a child. Without realizing, they were often living out their personal dreams and whatever else they projected about themselves into their kids. We all do that either to ourselves or to others, but to a developing child smack in the middle of self- discovery, words can be lifelong curses. I’ve heard “You can’t do that!” more times than I can remember. What might seem like a momentary setback can and often becomes “I will never do that again” to a young person. Children are gifted with many intuitive and natural talents, often out of the blue. I remember my high school art teacher telling me I could do many things with my talent if I just got over a shade of laziness. Sadly, all I heard was “you are lazy.” Looking back, I can now realize that it was often the assignments that were lazy. The reality was and still is, motivation often comes from stimulation, not from boredom. I was sometimes not stimulated by assignments. That later translated to having a client who’s payment was dependent on me pushing through the process to meet the deadline, even if it was boring. Other times, I might give even more to a project if it was something I loved and in which I found a shared interest. Our words and the words we hear carry strong magic. We must shield ourselves from those word curses and guard against cursing someone else’s bliss. A child being told they can’t play piano may never learn how or they might prove they can learn in spite of the criticism. I have learned that the word-spell cast by my art teacher carried a lot of irony forward in my lifelong passion and career in art. I am fortunate to have ignored the supposed curse of laziness and realized some of her assignments were just uninspired. Solomon said “There is nothing new under the Sun.” We have to find ways to either recreate an old, boring thing or know when it’s time to discard it. What are some thoughtful words you can use to inspire yourself or others? What kind of new positive spin can you give to someone who might need a little push? PRAYER May the words of my mouth always be inspired by the love in my heart. Amen DEVOTION AUTHOR Charlie C.Rose Order of St. Francis and St. Clare

SCRIPTURE  Isaiah 24:1-13 See, the Lord is going to lay waste to the earth and devastate it; he will ruin its face and scatter its inhabitants— it will be the same for priest as for people, for the master as for his servant, for the mistress as for her servant, for seller as for buyer, for borrower as for lender, for debtor as for creditor. The earth will be completely laid waste and totally plundered. The Lord has spoken this word. The earth dries up and withers, the world languishes and withers, the heavens languish with the earth. The earth is defiled by its people; they have disobeyed the laws, violated the statutes and broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore a curse consumes the earth; its people must bear their guilt. Therefore earth’s inhabitants are burned up, and very few are left. The new wine dries up and the vine withers; all the merrymakers groan. The joyful timbrels are stilled, the noise of the revelers has stopped, the joyful harp is silent. No longer do they drink wine with a song; the beer is bitter to its drinkers. The ruined city lies desolate; the entrance to every house is barred. In the streets they cry out for wine; all joy turns to gloom, all joyful sounds are banished from the earth. The city is left in ruins, its gate is battered to pieces. So will it be on the earth and among the nations, as when an olive tree is beaten, or as when gleanings are left after the grape harvest. WORDS OF HOPE We often turn to the Bible when we are in need of comfort, reassurance, and hope. The above passage from Chapter 24 of Isaiah offers none of those things. This passage tells of a God who is going to lay waste to the earth, scattering its inhabitants, and turning joy to gloom. This will be done because people have disobeyed the laws and they must bear the guilt. And, no human will be spared, regardless of their position in society. This is one of those passages that is intended to show us the duality of God…and the duality that we as Christians also should have…the balance between the active and the contemplative, the inward and the outward manifestations of our faith life. They reveal that God sometimes gets angry and we too may need to act through righteous anger at times. As a Franciscan, the words of the prayer inspired by St. Francis nourish and guide my daily contemplative life… Peace Prayer “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; 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.” These words speak to the inward, the contemplative side, of our faith. St. Francis certainly had his times of inward reflection, but much of his lived faith was a also a very outward and active one. He preferred to be amongst the poor, the disenfranchised, the sick, the lonely, even the non-believers. So how do we pray about our active life of life? How do we pray about our righteous anger? I recently saw a prayer written in the style of the familiar prayer above that addresses the more active side of our faith, a “reverse” prayer of St. Francis, a prayer that calls for us to create disturbances in the name of God. These words are attributed to Rina Wintour and Pat Levercombe: Disturbance Prayer “Lord, make me a channel of disturbance. Where there is apathy, let me provoke. Where there is compliance, let me bring questioning. Where there is silence, let me be a voice. Where there is too much comfort and too little action, grant disruption. Where there are doors closed and hearts locked, grant me the willingness to listen. Where laws dictate and pain is overlooked… Where tradition speaks louder than need… When we refuse to take control of our spiritual growth… Our own mission… Our own poor… Disturb me, O Lord, Teach me to be radical. O Divine Master, Grant that I may seek to DO justice rather than talk about it, To be WITH as well as for the poor, To love the hard-to-love as well as the lovely, To kiss the children of the poor rather than the feet of the crucifix. For it is in giving that we receive. It is in walking-with that we truly understand. It is in challenging evil that we achieve justice. It is in the struggles of life that we touch eternity. Lord, make me a channel of disturbance.” God calls us sometimes to peace and calmness and at other times to dissatisfaction and even anger, to times of creating disturbances. These two sides to God are shown to us throughout Scripture. PRAYER Lord, grant me the wisdom to know when you need me to be a channel of peace and when you need me to be a channel of disturbance. Amen. DEVOTION AUTHOR Kris Baker Order of St. Francis and St. Clare

SCRIPTURE  Philippians 4:6-7 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. WORDS OF HOPE So many of us are anxious during this stressful political time. It makes me uncomfortable that politics is more divisive than it ever has been. There was a time when my marriage wasn’t legal. We were so happy when the time came that we could be legally married. But now we have threats against our marriage again. And so many of my friends at church in the trans community literally have active bills in the State and National political stages that affect their lives almost every day! It breaks my heart. Hate should not be legislated! Most people are concerned about our healthcare, especially older people. It seems health in America and around the world is in jeopardy. It is hard to find peace and joy in these turbulent times. I have a Facebook page called Jan’s Joy that I use in addition to my personal page that I try to promote daily joy in the world! It is my life mission. But promoting joy has become a little more difficult in these times. The verse above tells me to be thankful and to pray no matter what! And that God is able to give us a peace that is beyond understanding! I claim joy as well. I believe joy is a state of peace deep within our soul that sustains us despite external circumstances. No matter how turbulent our life may be, we can hang on to the lifeline of God’s joy deep within us. If we constantly cultivate that joy through our walk with God, it keeps us sane in a world that has lost its mind! An old church camp song I used to sing says: I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy, Down in my heart, Down in my heart, Down in my heart; I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy, Down in my heart, Down in my heart to stay. (by George W Cooke) And it must be based on this scripture because the second verse says: “I’ve got the peace that passeth understanding down in my heart.” So, I encourage you to remember the “secret” to having Joy and peace is to pray and be thankful. And it will guard our hearts and minds! PRAYER God of Peace and Joy, we pray, giving thanks for your presence in our lives that helps us find that peace that surpasses our understanding and keeps us sane in troubled times. DEVOTION AUTHOR Jan Nunn CoH Volunteer