Thursday - June 5, 2025

READING Yechezkel 3:21  “Nevertheless if thou warn the tzaddik, that the tzaddik sin not, and he doth not sin, he shall surely live, because he is warned; also thou hast saved thy nefesh.” Orthodox Jewish Bible WORDS OF HOPE This is a passage from Ezekiel, one of the major prophets in the Old Testament. Like many of the prophets, he is warning the people of Israel to mind their P’s and Q’s. To stay righteous and to listen to the word of God which he believed he spoke. The Jewish Bible uses a lot of Hebrew words in its translation because they are more specific and color the language in a more authentic way. The “tsaddik” is usually translated as a righteous person and logically if they heed the prophet's words and stay righteous they will live. And for Yechezkel by warning them he saves his “nefesh”, which translates roughly to “neck”. So, the motive for him to prophesize is to ‘“save his neck”, hardly a righteous motive. What I find speaks to me in this passage is that idea. Sometimes the path you believe to be following God’s guidance can also save your neck. But it can also save the lives of those you interact with. Altruistic motives are admirable but often practical ones are equally worthy. PRAYER May we listen for the quiet guidance of God in our lives, even though it may not be revealed in dramatic ways. Amen DEVOTION AUTHOR Hardy Haberman

SCRIPTURE Joshua 2.1-2 Then Joshua, son of Nun, secretly sent two spies to Jericho. “Go, look over the land,” he said. So, they went and entered the house of a harlot named Rahab and stayed there. WORDS OF HOPE The routine sexism and degrading language in some of the Old Testament stories is sometimes hard to take. Most of us know the story of Rahab, an innkeeper of Jericho whose bravery and clever maneuvering gave the Hebrews one of their most famous victories. Her actions in the story gave no indications of her being a prostitute, but because she was a successful self-employed woman, the writer presumed she must have been. How else could a single woman support herself? If we take the time to read the story we discover Rahab was actually an innkeeper. Words can be killers. The great poet and commentator on life, Dorothy Parker proved that statement to be true countless times. In answer to a question about her opinion on horticulture, she once said “You can lead a horticulture, but you can’t make her think.” It was a deliberate pun, begging for a laugh, but I love what she did with clever words. Unlike the misogynist writer of Joshua, Dorothy Parker was funny. Still is. I can look up any quote from her and get a giggle or become lost in thought. She had a lot to say about what she observed, mostly about the hypocritically snobbish and ultra-rich culture where she did her work. She didn’t hold back, and she seemed always quick to make her point. But before I leave Rahab’s story behind, I was talking to a friend once about her observations on famous Bible prostitutes. My quite liberal friend made me almost spew my absinthe one day. (OK it wasn’t absinthe it was coffee. However, since I was talking about Dorothy Parker, I thought it was more appropriate for the story.) Anyway, she said something to the effect of: “People get up in arms about that Bible harlot Jesus saved from stoning and sent on her way.” My friend said the fact that this was a self-employed woman was inconsequential. The real harlots were the men who wanted to stone her. They had betrayed their faith in a God of love and forgiveness. Profound! She’s right. In many ways Mrs. Parker had a lot in common with Jesus. You might think I’m off my rocker. Do people still say that? Jesus was eloquent but plain-spoken in addressing his world. If we really take note of the freedoms Jesus’ actions and words were expressing, it’s easy to see Jesus was often not politically correct, was he? He had a thing or two to say about the hypocrisy of the religious snobs of the day as well as their oppressive laws. The liberation theology in Jesus’ public speeches was ultimately empowering to the powerless. The difference is in his time if you said certain radical things, you could get killed, but in Dorothy Parker’s time, her critics reasoned she was probably just drunk. It eased the sting of the truth. In retrospect, Jesus did tell us we don’t need a strictly defined, rule-giving God. Look around. We eat well at our cafeteria of spirituality… a little if this and a little of that. Whatever serves our appetite. He described the simplicity of a one-flavor- fits- all kind of God and forget all the rest. Choose love. In fact love IS the only flavor. That’s easy enough.  PRAYER Give us the courage of Rahab and the perseverance of Jesus to use words to their best advantage, words that respect all people and words that manifest your love. Amen DEVOTION AUTHOR Charlie C. Rose Order of St. Francis and St. Clare

SCRIPTURE Proverbs 26:20 NIV Without wood a fire goes out. WORDS OF HOPE The Serenity of Silence Silence is not the absence of chaos but the presence of control. Rage is chaotic, so too is lust; neither of which need sound to be present. To quiet the storms in our hearts, we need only bring order to the confusion. One can only stay silent by showing restraint. A teacher should instruct by considering what she or he says. Every manner of thought passes through the mind, every kind of emotion is felt in the heart, but if each thought were said and every emotion expressed, then even in sleep there would be no rest. Silence bridals the tongue and reins in the heart. It does not always stop the fire within, but it keeps the fire from spreading. Consider silence when you do not know what to say. It is better to say nothing than it is to say the wrong thing. How good it is to sleep in peace. It is hard to sleep under a bridge while a train is passing by. Likewise, let your words offer the listener rest and try your best not to argue. Anger without control ruins relationships but anger with control sees the end of it. There are times when we cannot stay silent, for a pot will boil over if the lid is kept on for too long. However, if we are patient and wise, then we will choose the manner in which we speak and the time. Many monks meditate in silence. Some have found silence so valuable that they even take a vow of silence, meaning that they live their entire lives without speaking. Perhaps, this is the reason why they never go to war. How can there be a fire with nothing to burn or how can there be an argument without words? Quiet places are quite peaceful. There is music all around us, and we can only hear it if we are listening. PRAYER Gentle Spirit, Teach us wisdom. Help us to understand. Some of us do not know peace. Grant us the serenity of silence. Let our minds be at rest and our hearts be still. Bless You, for always making a way. Amen. DEVOTION AUTHOR  Jonathon McClellan Order of St Francis and St. Clare

SCRIPTURE Luke 23:39-43 One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” WORDS OF HOPE These few verses are found in Luke's account of Jesus' passion on the cross. He had been crucified with two thieves hung on crosses beside him. The holy Jesus had suffered the exhaustion of his betrayal, trial, torture and now the pain of being nailed to the cross. Death of his body was close at hand. And yet, he must endure ridicule from one of those thieves and many individuals who traveled by the site of the crucifixion. It seemed almost too much to deal with. Almost a time to curse and spit if there had been only enough energy left in his body. Maybe it's a time to sink within one's own body and shut out all the noise and evil action around. However, one of those thieves recognized Jesus' holy nature and pleaded that Jesus would remember his confession: "I have been condemned justly but this man (Jesus) has done nothing wrong. Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." Jesus could have been consumed with his own agony, but instead, he responded to that thief: "Truly, I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise." There's a real lesson for us in these few verses. In times of deep pain and loss in our life, there usually are others around us who also are in agony and may not have an adequate relationship with God. They may not have the assurance of that divine loving presence which can lead them through the current trial. In such difficult and self-consuming moments, we are still servants of Christ, and still asked to witness to God's loving and forgiving care. It is during such moments, that our words and actions have their greatest strength to tell of divine grace. It is then that we can extend to others God's offer of peace to a weary humanity. As followers and proclaimers of the blessed love of God, never do we have the right to "crawl into our own shell of comfort" and ignore the pain of those around us! May we always take the example of Jesus' promise given to this dying thief. We can do no less than Jesus! PRAYER Gracious God, as we reflect on the example of Jesus' experience, strengthen us to be more faithful and consistent in our life's witness to your redeeming love. Open our eyes to the opportunities in which we can help others find you as a rich source of comfort and guidance for their life. May this week be filled with God-given opportunities for us to express God's love. DEVOTION AUTHOR Donald (Luke) Day Order of St. Francis and St. Clare

SCRIPTURE John 13:31-35 At the last supper, when Judas had gone out, Jesus said, "Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once. Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me; and as I said to the Jews, so now I say to you, 'Where I am going, you cannot come.' I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." John 13:31-35 WORDS OF HOPE The passage above is most often associated with Maundy Thursday, as it is Jesus’s words to the disciples at the Last Supper. It was also the Gospel reading in the common lectionary for the Fifth Sunday after Easter. Why are we reading it again so soon? Because the words of Jesus here are important and worth repeating…over and over and over. “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.” I recently had an annual checkup with my cardiologist. In our general conversation, he was touting the benefits of The Mediterranean Diet. When I got home, I did a little research about what exactly is The Mediterranean Diet. The food components of this diet were not surprising—fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes, poultry, limited red meat and sweets—but I was pleasantly surprised by some of the information that was included in the more thorough articles, details of this “diet” that went beyond just what goes on the plate and into the mouth. The Mediterranean Diet is not a diet in the way that we have come to understand that word; rather, it is a lifestyle, a way of living that values and thrives on community and social engagement especially around meals, laughing often, moving “naturally” (not specifically intentional exercise, but walking in your daily life and getting up from in front of the TV and computer), and living simply. I realized that many people approach Christianity like they do the commonly held understanding of a diet. If I only consume the “right” things—read and inwardly digest the Bible—my faith life will be healthy and good. This approach fails to take into account how we are nourished by the food we eat and how we live outwardly as Christians every day. Focusing more on self rather than on community, it overlooks, or perhaps even ignores, the “new commandment” that Jesus gives to his disciples. The meal that Jesus and his disciples shared on their last night together is certainly important to the “diet” of our Christian faith, but our consumption of the bread and wine on Sunday morning is not all that there is to the story. The post-communion prayer in the Episcopal Church ends, “…Send us now into the world in peace, and grant us strength and courage to love and serve you with gladness and singleness of heart; through Christ our Lord.” The food that we consume is only one part of living a full and healthy life, spiritually or otherwise. We partake of the communion bread and wine to remind us of Jesus’s promises to us and to give of us nourishment and energy to do the work that Jesus has called us to do. The example and the commandment that Jesus left to his disciples is one of service, presence, and love. Jesus was fully present with them on that night. He washed their feet. He affirmed his love for them. “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another…” So be it. PRAYER Blessed Jesus, you gave us this new commandment to love one another. Feed, nourish, strengthen, and guide me in my daily life so that everyone I encounter feels love and knows that I am your disciple. Amen. DEVOTION AUTHOR  Kris Baker Order of St. Francis and St. Clare