Thursday - November 17, 2022

SCRIPTURE  1 Peter 4.10 As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. WORDS OF HOPE I’m a big fan of Elton John. I began listening to him early in his career, not realizing until much later, how tumultuous his life was on so many levels in the early 70s. He dealt with coming out as a gay man, family life, music business, and all the random, unexpected things connected to following his dreams. As most are aware, he is a prolific songwriter and singer. I had the pleasure of seeing him in concert in the late 90s. This morning one song of his auto-played for me on YouTube; one of my favorites, Tiny Dancer. The lyrics and context were timely. The video itself related to many things but what struck me was my own interpretation of the phrase “tiny dancer in your hands,” which, to me, is about responsibility we adults have to the children of the world. As adults we are responsible for the things we say and do, especially focusing on what our children witnessed in all of us. Jim Henson was often quoted saying, “….the world doesn’t belong to us, it belongs to the children, we only borrow it.” which is so true. Those tiny, inspired dancers, artists, scientists, doctors, environmental protectors, and yes, even those tiny ones soon to be politicians… In all of them lies stewardship and change. Let’ ask ourselves, what is it that we imbue to them as their adult counterparts? What is it that we set as examples for how we interact with them, how we adults manage our every-day lives, and invariably create for their world? Whether I am a “kid person” or not; whether we are given the gift of teaching and understanding them, we have the job of demonstrating life; all with the ups and downs, better or worse. I invite you now to remember yourself at five years old; then 12 years old, perhaps even at 16 or 17 years. What would you have had adults do around you that made your world better? In his endless enterprises and innovations, Walt Disney formulated ideas of how to create situations in which both parents and children could enjoy and experience growth together. His primary goal was to allow us to get in touch with the child within all of us. I’m sure you could make your own list of what that means to you. Then, take a good look at what children are facing today. How do we connect with them in the NOW? Those tiny dancers are counting on each of us. They are watching us closely and they don’t care whether we are their parents or not. We are all their teachers. PRAYER Help us to remember that one of Jesus’ followers most frequent titles of respect for him was “teacher”. May we revere and honor that title in our daily encounters with the tiny dancers in our lives. DEVOTION AUTHOR Charlie C. Rose Order of St. Francis and St. Clare

READING “The greatest spiritual practice isn't yoga, praying the hours, or living in intentional poverty, although these are beautiful in their own way. The greatest spiritual practice is just showing up, being present to what is real, to what is actually happening.” Bishop Allan Bjornberg WORDS OF HOPE A recent sermon by Nadia Bolz-Weber posted on substack is titled “Another Expletive Deleted Day of Violence in America.” (except the expletive wasn’t deleted!) In it she centers Mary Magdalene as one who shows up—even when the institutional violence of empire tortures the one who had freed her from her inner “demons” and showed her a love beyond imagining. Though it must have been devastating, she is fully present at the foot of the cross and mirrors that love back to Jesus, her heart broken open. Days later, “when it was still dark,” she shows up in hope at the tomb and meets the resurrected Christ. Showing up comes in many forms. It can be as simple as caring for your grandchildren when their parents are drooping with exhaustion. Or it could be participating in one of our meal programs, praying with others, traveling to Austin to be a voice against injustices to LGBTQ+ people, gathering with others for Life group meetings to grow our faith, and marching against the creeping authoritarianism of our times. A Sunday commitment to worship is yet another important practice. Sometimes showing up can feel necessary to our survival and wellness—getting out of bed to go to an AA meeting, summoning the courage to open a dark door to face child abuse in therapy, speaking the truth in love at a time of conflict in a relationship. Showing up can even mean summoning the courage to face the future after your beloved has died. One of the hardest parts of showing up is facing the painful reality of a loved one’s condition but being there anyway: sitting by the side of your partner in a chemo lab, again and again, standing by a young adult child whose judgment lapse has been costly, faithfully visiting a parent who is slipping into the shadows of dementia. Sometimes showing up means sitting down, as indicated in a powerful eulogy turned prophetic message by Bishop William Barber for Maj. General Joseph O’Neil. O’Neil was one of the Greensboro Four whose lunch counter sit ins catalyzed the Southern Freedom movement in 1960. Barber issued the call for direct action, such as peacefully sitting in at legislators’ offices—and being arrested if needed, in these dire times.  How will you show up in this time which desperately needs you? PRAYER In times when we want to retreat into ourselves, O God, show us the way to show up in the name of Jesus, the one who healed, taught, loved, and spoke truth to power, even when it meant facing death on the cross. Amen. DEVOTION AUTHOR Dr. Pat Saxon

SCRIPTURE  1 John 4:17, 19, 21 God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them.... We love because God first loved us... The commandment we have is this: those who love God must love their brothers and sisters. WORDS OF HOPE When chaos surrounds us. We need not be overwhelmed, confused, or helpless. We just have to keep finding more ways to love others, especially the "others" among us. Whether someone voted differently than us, or someone is a different race or someone worships in another church, our challenge is the same. We must find more ways to love, and we do this by finding ways to bless them with the same generosity that God has blessed us. There is a lot in the news about trans people lately. Some of us have had Transgender sisters and brothers who have lost their lives because they were misunderstood and hated. As we recall their names, I remember their courage in sharing their truth even though it was met with hostility and hatred. It is important to remember that while their deaths were caused by one or more persons who "othered" them, they were also loved and are now mourned. I wish to offer comfort to their loved ones. I also ask you to join me in loving and blessing our transgender siblings. They are not "others". They are God's beloved children. The following poem was written by Jeanne Medina to honor a member of Cathedral of Hope. With permission from the author and recipient, I offer it to honor our entire transgender community. Revealed Looking Eastward I see your gentle Blue-grey feathers laying low across the sky. Then, the Earth moved! The still-hidden sun revealed your full glory! Blue-grey feathers turn Powerful Pink before my eyes, and dance upon the horizon of this New day! PRAYER Dear God, please help us love one another in Jesus's name. Amen. DEVOTION AUTHOR Carole Anne Sarah

SCRIPTURE 1 Corinthians 9:19-23 from The Message Even though I am free of the demands and expectations of everyone, I have voluntarily become a servant to any and all in order to reach a wide range of people: religious, nonreligious, meticulous moralists, loose-living immoralists, the defeated, the demoralized—whoever. I didn’t take on their way of life. I kept my bearings in Christ—but I entered their world and tried to experience things from their point of view. I’ve become just about every sort of servant there is in my attempts to lead those I meet into a God-saved life. I did all this because of the Message. I didn’t just want to talk about it; I wanted to be in on it! WORDS OF HOPE I first read the above passage in several more “traditional” translations of the Bible; my initial reaction to it was not a positive one. The following is from the translation in New International Version : “To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak.” As I reflected on my personal reaction to these words, I realized that there were two things that immediately bothered me. First, I don’t like the use of the word “win” when talking about new followers being brought into Christ’s fold. And secondly, in the NIV translation, Paul’s thoughts and actions sound inauthentic, like someone I could not trust to be who and what they claim to be. Knowing that this was not the intended message of this passage, I sought out means to help my understanding. I found the clarification that I needed in the translation in The Message . The tone in these words feels totally different to me. Now Paul is portrayed as a servant, in the same way Jesus is a servant, rather than one who is seeking to “win” or dominate people. It is also clear that he maintains his values as a Christ-follower at all times, but seeks to understand the experiences and points of view of those whose lives were different than his. Now I read this passage as an example of an empathetic Paul. The word empathy was first used in 1909 by the psychologist Edward Titchener, so it is no surprise that the word itself is not biblical, but empathy is a foundational principle throughout the Bible. God’s character and Jesus’s ministry are living examples of empathy. “Jesus wept.” (John 11:35) is the shortest passage in the Bible yet it carries with it the deep understanding that Jesus had for the emotions of Mary and Martha as they grieved the death of their brother, Lazarus. It is this kind of love and care for all of our neighbors that we as Christ-followers are commanded to emulate. In current times, empathy is seen by some to be a weakness rather than a holy attribute. Empathy requires that we allow ourselves to feel the pain and sorrow of others, but it also gifts us with sharing joy by the same means. Empathy asks us to try to understand thoughts and experiences for which we have no context. Empathy calls us to listen to everyone. Empathy demands that we look for the face of God in all people. Empathy is something that we each promise to practice when we take our baptismal vows and become followers of Christ. That said, practicing empathy is hard. It makes us vulnerable. It makes us hurt. It makes us sad. It removes the option of dehumanizing individuals and groups so that we don’t have to acknowledge or listen to them. It can make us feel weak. Empathy is also evidence of being a Christ-follower. PRAYER God of understanding, Open my heart to the pain and joy of others. Help me to listen, not just with my ears, but with a heart that seeks to understand. Let my empathy be not only emotion, but action. May it guide my hands, shape my choices, and build bridges where there now are walls. Amen DEVOTION AUTHOR  Kris Baker Order of Saint Francis and Saint Clare

SCRIPTURE Psalm 119:111 O God, "your decrees are my inheritance forever; truly, they are the joy of my heart." WORDS OF HOPE Have you been able to spend any time in solitude lately? Not solitude as a state of loneliness or abandoning our community, but as deliberate times we set aside to be still and to listen for the voice of God. Cole Arthur Riley, in her book, This Here Flesh: Spirituality, Liberation, and the Stories That Make Us, has this to say about Solitude: “Solitude can be a profound teacher. It can teach us how to hold ourselves—how to affirm ourselves and listen. How much is the sound of your own voice worth? And yet, we were made for belonging. Maybe you’ve heard it said that you need to learn how to be alone before you can be with someone. I say you have to learn how to be with and part of something in order to know how to be alone. I think it is only out of a deep anchoring in community that one can be free to explore the solitary.” In my times of solitude, I contemplate on the God-given principles for a life in harmony with the divine desires or decrees that are a gift to the Christian. It’s just like an inheritance in the life of a family's heir. These divine instructions become a treasure to guide a healthy and contented life of inner peace and joy. By listening for this guidance, an individual can live in harmony with God today, through all future tomorrow's and into an eternal presence with the Divine One. However, like a family inheritance, a person can't accept it one day, reject it the next, and expect be a happy heir to the family's treasures. Likewise, the Christian can't pick and choose among the gifts of the inheritance and still expect to live in peaceful harmony with God. We need to live a consistent lifestyle which is willing to be molded by God’s desire to change our words and actions. In life, walking with God means walking in step with God! Who knows? In solitude, you might even find your calling. Cole Arthur Riley concludes: “Some callings come to you only in memory, some come only on the mouth of someone you trust. Some don’t need to be heard in order to be lived. And not all calls come from outside of you.” PRAYER Ever present God, may we always be alert and ready to hear your voice, from times of solitude, from our own intuitions, or from the voices of our trusted community. In Jesus’ guidance,Amen. DEVOTION AUTHOR  Donald (Luke) Day Order of St. Francis and St. Clare