Thursday - June 25, 2026

SCRIPTURE  Psalm 57:1 Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me; for it is in you that my soul takes refuge. In the shadow of your wings I will take refuge." WORDS OF HOPE The above Psalm, like so many, have been attributed to David, the shepherd boy who became king. This particular verse references the time when the Israelite King Saul was hunting to kill the young warrior David who had sought refuge and hid in a distant cave. Like David’s world, sometimes the world around us may be turned upside down with dangerous threats and loss. We need a sure and safe refuge to anchor our lives and quiet the worries of our heart. The world may offer potential solutions or mind-numbing options, but David models for us the best solution for these moments of crisis... turn to God's loving care. You may hide under the protection of God wings and still get scratches and a nosebleed, but you won't end up mortally wounded! Consider, too, David’s reaction to an incident in his life recorded in I Chronicles 16:8-9: "Give thanks to the Lord, call on God's name, make God’s deeds known among the people. Sing, sing praises to God." After King David fought the Philistines and recaptured the Ark of the Covenant, he brought it safely back to Israelite territory and ordered celebrations. This verse begins a hymn of praise to God. Since then, many official statements and hymns have been composed to praise and thank God. But, what about your personal life experience? Is it filled with genuine thanksgiving to the Creator God? Each of us receives more blessings per hour than we can count. Do words of gratitude flow off your tongue giving thanks and praise to our Lord? Praising God's nature and love is the basis of our spiritual life. From ancient rabbinic literature it is said: "In the world to come, all sacrifice and offering will cease, but the sacrifice of thanksgiving will remain forever. All confessional statements will cease, but the confession of our thanksgiving to God will remain forever. Let it be so in our lives. May our days be filled with an acute awareness of God's blessings and may we experience a closer walk with the Divine One. PRAYER Lord God, as I journey through daily activities, may the multitude of these divinely inspired words help me to focus on your desires for my life. Keep me safe and on the right path with you. Amen DEVOTION AUTHOR Donald (Luke) Day Order of St. Francis and St. Clare

SCRIPTURE  Revelation 2. 9-11 I know your tribulation and your poverty, but you are rich and the slander of those who say that they are Jews and are not but are a synagogue of Satan. Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. To the one who has an ear, hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death. WORDS OF HOPE Every time one of our daily lectionary readings is from the Book of the Revelation, I think about Martin Luther who was a vocal critic of many books of the Bible. He famously detested the Epistle of James, labeling it an "epistle of straw" due to its perceived lack of grace by emphasizing justification by faith. And the Book of Revelation! He just wanted to trash the whole thing. He saw it as a writing that was not Christ-centered at all, no gospel of love anywhere in sight, all about punishment, hatred and revenge. The Book is actually about the Roman Empire’s persecution that believers must endure due to their faith, full of metaphors about outrageous mythical tyrant beasts who finally burn forever in the pit of fire. The words of a brighter future in it, however, come when they are encouraged to remain faithful even to the point of death with the promise of eternal glory as a reward, emphasizing the assurance of security to believers. The “pie in the sky when you die” that was preached so often in some evangelical churches of my youth. Even though Martin Luther knew a lot of persecution himself, he just wasn’t buying it. It wasn’t speaking to his generation. He was right. Whenever we attempt to adapt some of the metaphors and monsters understood by the first century readers into warnings and predictions meant for our era, we have a problem. The bad guys in Revelation were the Roman Emperor and the corrupt leaders of their religious system, not the list of individuals we don’t like today, people we like to call Satan, the devil, or the Anti-Christ in our memes. The stories that keep modern Prophecy Seminars well-attended and profitable. The message I like to take from Revelation is not about the gospels of hatred and revenge, but the importance of faith in the worst of times, the faith that directs us to the gospel missing in the Book: the gospel of Love. PRAYER May love continue to bind us together, regardless of the trials and persecutions of our lives, and regardless of promises of future rewards for our faith, knowing that the true reward, the true comfort, is living that gospel of love this day. Amen DEVOTION AUTHOR Dan Peeler Order of St. Francis and St. Clare

SCRIPTURE  You are the God who sees me. Genesis 16:13 WORDS OF HOPE In Genesis 16, Abram and Sarai wrestle with the tension between God's promise and their present reality. As they wait for the child God has promised—a descendant whose family would one day outnumber the stars—they pursue a human solution to accomplish what God had pledged to do. And as the waiting became painful, Sarai proposed a solution that seemed practical: Abram would have a child through Hagar, her servant. What followed was a cascade of hurt, jealousy, conflict, and regret. It is tempting to read this chapter as a story about impatient adults making poor decisions. Adults caught in their own struggles, fears, and retribution. Hagar fleeing into the wilderness, feeling used and discarded. Racism, agism, jealousy, faithlessness, ambition, and disappointment run rampant through the narrative. This story of Abram, Sarai, and Hagar is that—but it is also about a child. While adults often focus on their own selfish desires, displeasures, motivations, or conflicts, God sees the children who are affected by those choices. He sees the child caught in family tension. She sees the child impacted by broken relationships. They see the child whose future may be shaped by decisions made long before they have a voice. God sees the children in Gaza who are helpless victims of a conflict not of their making. God sits with the 1 in 5 children who live in a food-insecure household in America. God can count the 14 million children worldwide who have lost access to nutrition services, vaccination campaigns, clean water initiatives, and disease prevention efforts because of global aid funding cuts. God sees them all. And implores us to see them too. When Hagar was in the wilderness, the angel of the Lord met her there. God’s message to her included a promise not only to her, but to her child. Ishmael mattered to God. This reminds us of an important truth: whenever a child is involved, God is paying attention. God still sees every child. While adults wage war, withhold resources, and raise family tension, God sees the children who are affected by those choices. She sees the child impacted by broken relationships and developmentally stunted by hunger. He sees the child whose future may be shaped by decisions made long before they have a voice. God's compassion extends beyond the main characters we tend to focus on. Hagar, a servant woman with little social standing, was seen by God. Ishmael, an unborn child whose existence resulted from human failure and dysfunction, was seen by God. Neither was forgotten. Genesis 16 assures us that God's eyes are not limited to the powerful, the successful, or the central figures in the story. She sees those on the margins. God sees the children. And in a world where children suffer, God implores us to see them too. PRAYER Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the realm of heaven belongs to such as these.” Matthew 19:14 DEVOTION AUTHOR Thomas Riggs

SCRIPTURE  Paul’s Letter to the Church at Ephesus, Chapter 2, verses 8-9 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God— not the result of works, so that no one may boast. WORDS OF HOPE Saint, Sinner, or Both? Since the days of the Garden of Eden, humans have been fascinated by the idea of good and evil. Too often, our understanding of good and evil has led us to mistakenly believe that people are either good OR evil. In truth, we can be both. Perfectly imperfect humans, we are claimed for the precious gift that we are by the Creator of the greatest gift that there is—Divine Grace. Such Grace was demonstrated through the life and ministry of Jesus. But following Jesus’ teachings can be challenging, to say the least. The Hebrew word for “sin” can mean “missing the mark,” as when a marksman misses the target. But like it’s Greek counterpart, “sin” can also mean “moral failure.” It can be a sin to fail to act or to squander our gifts and abilities. Mortal rebellion can take the form of wasting our talent, failing to act in love, refusing to be kind. It is not difficult to manifest the evil and the selfishness that lies within. It is more challenging to grow our innate goodness into a lifestyle of Grace. We are not perfect, but we are good and precious. We are not solely evil, but we are often sinful and selfish. Sometimes, we are just lazy or afraid to do the right thing—whatever that may be. Sin, which is a part of humanity, need not dominate us. Overcoming it requires a relationship with the One who calls us to live into our gifts and live up to our greatest potential. It is a call to save us from ourselves. Love is the greatest gift. Love is the reason for life. Love is the source of the Christ we seek to follow and the Christ who lives within us. Grace is what we are called to both receive and to share. If our concept of God, our understanding and practice of religion, is not rooted in love then it is useless. Today is “Juneteenth,” the date we commemorate the message of Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation finally being received by those bound in slavery in and around Galveston and the Texas Gulf Coast. May we choose to accept the gifts of freedom: Freedom to love, to serve, to be real, to be kind. PRAYER Loving God, may we grow in love and acceptance of ourselves and each other. Grant us the courage to be real, to be kind, to show compassion, to be bearers of your Grace. Amen. DEVOTION AUTHOR Rev. Dr. Gary G. Kindley, LPC Pastoral Psychotherapist DrGK.org

SCRIPTURE Hebrews 2:5–9 What are human beings that you are mindful of, or mortals that you care for? WORDS OF HOPE Autistic Pride Day Today is more than just a date on the calendar. It is —a day that invites reflection on the sacred dignity of autistic people everywhere. It is a reminder that neurodivergent minds are not mistakes to be corrected, but lives to be honored. Too often, society has reduced autism to stereotypes—sometimes through portrayals like Rain Man, and other times through misunderstanding, silence, or exclusion. But autism has never been one story. It is a spectrum of human experience shaped by intensity, creativity, sensitivity, memory, pattern, and perception. For me—and for many autistic people—the world does not arrive quietly. Sounds, smells, lights, textures, and environments can feel immediate and overwhelming. Over time, I have learned there is wisdom in honoring those realities instead of apologizing for them. Sometimes that means choosing quieter spaces like Half Price Books over loud and overstimulating environments. There is comfort in predictable shelves, familiar silence, and the gentle order of books. Those choices are not limitations. They are forms of self-understanding. As a child, I was drawn to systems and patterns—airplanes, dinosaurs, NASA launchpads, construction equipment, maps, history. I lined up Matchbox cars across the floor and built tiny cities because order made sense to me in ways the social world often did not. And like many autistic people, I learned early what it felt like to be different. From school through college, I experienced bullying and teasing for my routines, intensity, and way of communicating. I learned to mask—to study people carefully, rehearse conversations, and edit parts of myself in order to fit in. But masking is exhausting. It teaches you how to survive while quietly convincing you that belonging must be earned through performance. And underneath all of that is a very human longing: to be loved without translation. Even so, I carried forward. I graduated high school. I graduated college. I earned both a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree. Those milestones matter to me not because they define worth, but because they represent persistence in systems not always designed for neurodivergent minds. Today, I work alongside individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, including people with Down syndrome and other unique support needs. Those relationships have changed me deeply. They remind me again and again that dignity is inherent. Belonging should never be conditional. Some of the most compassionate, joyful, and genuine people I have ever met are people the world too often overlooks. Autism has also given me gifts I would never want to lose. My mind naturally connects details, stories, music, history, theology, and ideas. I notice patterns. I remember small things. I feel deeply. And honestly, I sometimes wonder if autistic people notice sacred things others miss. The comfort of repetition. The emotional weight of music. The ache of injustice. The relief of finally being understood. Perhaps what the world calls “sensitivity” is sometimes a form of attentiveness. There is also something important that must be said clearly: autistic individuals who are LGBTQIA+ are beloved exactly as they are. Their identities are not contradictions or problems to solve. They are sacred reflections of human diversity, worthy of dignity, affirmation, safety, and love. As an ally, I celebrate with my queer friends at Cathedral of Hope—a community that reminds me every week that love is expansive and that nobody should have to erase themselves in order to belong. As Temple Grandin once said, “I’m different, not less.” That truth feels deeply spiritual to me. I do not believe autism is a mistake. I believe neurodiversity is part of the beauty of creation itself. The same God who creates galaxies, oceans, fingerprints, ecosystems, and stars also creates different kinds of minds. In the poetry of the Book of Genesis, creation unfolds through rhythm, pattern, and wonder. Maybe that is why I find comfort in systems and detail. Maybe that is why I believe God is not frightened by difference. And sometimes I wonder—not literally, but spiritually—if God understands neurodivergent experience more deeply than we imagine. Not a God confined to categories, but a God who delights in complexity, notices what others overlook, and calls it good. Perhaps neurodivergent minds are not deviations from the image of God, but reflections of its vastness. Too often, religion has demanded conformity when Jesus seemed far more interested in compassion. Again and again, he moved toward those who had been excluded, misunderstood, or pushed aside. Maybe holiness has never been about pretending to be normal.  Maybe holiness looks more like honesty. More like tenderness. More like making room for each other. So today, on Autistic Pride Day, I do not celebrate perfection. I celebrate authenticity. I celebrate autistic people learning they do not have to apologize for who they are. I celebrate the slow unlearning of shame. Autistic people are not outside of God’s love. We never were. We are held within it. PRAYER God of wonder and compassion, You who made every mind and everybody with care, We give thanks for autistic people and the many ways they experience your world. For those who have been misunderstood, excluded, or asked to hide who they are, bring comfort, belonging, and peace. Remind us that no one is a mistake in Your creation— that every person is held in love, dignity, and purpose. May LGBTQIA+ autistic people know they are fully embraced, never divided in their identity, never beyond Your care. And teach us to see one another as You see us: beloved, whole, and enough. Amen. DEVOTION AUTHOR Reed Kirkman