Thursday - September 22, 2022

SCRIPTURE  Acts 11:20-21 Some of them, however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus. The Lord’s hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord. WORDS OF HOPE “The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.” In Acts chapter 11, we read about the church in Antioch, a community of believers that emerged as a result of the scattering that followed the persecution triggered by Stephen's martyrdom. As the believers dispersed, they spread across regions including Cyprus, Cyrene, and Antioch. It was in Antioch, as in so many places, where the Good News took root and prospered because of the faithfulness of the followers of the Lord Jesus. The Lord’s hand guided them in their speech and in their actions. Indeed, throughout the book of Acts, we discover that the scattered and persecuted church integrated spiritual practices and material generosity. Prayer, worship, evangelism, and fellowship are closely knit together with care for those in need. We read at the end of the 11th chapter that they respond to the Spirit’s leading to provide for a prophesied famine. We see that in our own faith community, where these believers respond not only on Sunday mornings, but on every day of the week in feeding the hungry, caring for children, rallying to causes, and so much more. It is in the midst of this narrative about faithfulness and response, teaching and serving, evangelism and outreach, that the final words of Acts 11:26 are: “The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch”. When we model our church life after the first-century believers in Antioch—living as faithful disciples, discerning and responding to the Spirit, remaining mission-focused, and treating our material resources as deeply connected to our spiritual lives—we reveal to the world a clearer and more compelling picture of what it truly means to be “Christian.” PRAYER When we mirror the church of Antioch, walking faithfully in step with the Spirit, hearts attuned to the call of mission, hands open in generous surrender, seeing no divide between soul and substance— then, and only then, Lord Christ do we offer the world a glimpse of the name “Christian” in all its truest, most radiant beauty. Help us to do so. Amen DEVOTION AUTHOR Thomas Riggs

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SCRIPTURE Psalm 107. 1-3 Give thanks to the Lord, for God is good; God’s love endures forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story— those redeemed from the hand of the foe, those gathered from the lands, from east and west, from north and south. WORDS OF HOPE When I am overwhelmed with sorrows from one report after another, reports of economic hardship, wars, and of loss, there is something that helps - I remind myself of what I'm grateful for. And I thank God for providing it. I won't stop thanking God, even though there's so much despair, because as long I can find something to be grateful for - there is hope. When there is death, I'm grateful for God's promise of eternal life. When there is loss, I'm grateful to God for leading me to more. When there is pain, I'm grateful to God because something must come of it and the pain won't be in vain. When there is devastation, there is salvation. And when my world goes to sleep with labored breath, I have dreams of a time when there is light and lofty laughter. I'm grateful because it is better to be raised with praise than buried with a curse. What are you grateful for? PRAYER If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough. ... -Meister Eckhart DEVOTION AUTHOR Jonathon McClellan Order of St. Francis and St. Clare

SCRIPTURE  Isaiah 41:10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. WORDS OF HOPE My first job as a teenager was working at Six Flags Over Texas in Ride Operations, assigned to the Spelunkers Cave. The industry calls this type of amusement park attraction a “dark ride” which takes you through a long winding trough that tells a story of the mystical, pointy-headed Spelunkers in their daily routines, similar in a way to Disneyland’s Pirates of the Caribbean. Another Disney Park dark ride is Space Mountain, but it’s a roller coaster set in a dark building. I had ridden it enough that I thought I was pretty familiar with it. It wasn’t terribly fast, I recalled from my dozen or so rides before. My then-partner and I had travelled to Paris. We had the opportunity to go to Disneyland Paris. We were not really roller coaster people per se. But I talked him into Space Mountain, because what could be different from its American counterpart? We had boarded and got buckled in when I noticed the sign saying this is a roller coaster-type ride in the dark with high-speeds, sharp turns, and corkscrew twists. I thought “High Speed. Oh no.” I turned to apologize for the mistake that was about to happen. I managed to barely get out the words “I am so sor...” as our heads were plastered against the seats as it took off into the dark; zero to 60mph in 4 seconds; now a completely new experience, with no clue about what happens next. Of course, we survived the afternoon, better or worse, nauseated, mostly in the rain, which didn’t help him forgive me any sooner. It was trial and error with good intentions, lessons learned. Life is sometimes like that, whether at home, or work, or with new people. No matter how you view going into the dark unknown, you always have a choice. Sometimes yes, sometimes no. Or you may either choose to stay in the darkness or walk into the light. You can take a chance and be optimistic for a rewarding new life-adventure or stay the same with the old and familiar. Generally, most of us prefer the safe and familiar, or at least the hope that we won’t be too worse for the wear if we take the risk of walking (or riding) into the dark. It takes courage, determination, but most of all, a lot of faith to enter boldly into the unknown. PRAYER God of light, help us to be present in this moment wherever we are today in life’s journey. Are we ready? May we take deep breaths, eyes open, take one step forward and, trusting in your presence, say this aloud: “Here we go!” AMEN DEVOTION AUTHOR Charlie C. Rose Order of St. Francis and St. Clare

SCRIPTURE  Acts 9:32-35 As Peter traveled about the country, he went to visit the Lord’s people who lived in Lydda. There he found a man named Aeneas, who was paralyzed and had been bedridden for eight years. “Aeneas,” Peter said to him, “Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and roll up your mat.” Immediately Aeneas got up. All those who lived in Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord. WORDS OF HOPE I do believe in a loving God who has the power to heal, but like many I struggle sometimes with the who, what, when, and why of the miracle stories like this one about Aeneas. In my lifetime I’ve witnessed both the “miracles” and the disappointments attributed to God. And, I still experience the profound “why” each time. The cliche answer, “It is God’s will,” to my pleading questions is not acceptable to me. I know that I can never understand the mind of God, but that does not stop me from questioning, thinking, and praying to somehow increase my understanding of God’s power in the world. This process has led me to ask why stories like the healing of Aeneas are included in the Bible. This may sound a bit heretical, but my first reaction to this story is that it is a big marketing scheme, perhaps even a pyramid scheme. Peter is out to make his quota of new followers for the day. Healing a paralyzed man certainly would cause people to believe in what you were selling. This makes perfect sense in a society where followers of Jesus were new and few. The question remains, however, what is the meaning of this story for those of us living now, when there are over two billion Christians worldwide? As Christians, we call ourselves “people of hope.” Our hope is grounded in the promises of our God, many of which are made to us in the resurrection of Jesus. This hope is what feeds our faith. Without faith, we are left only with fear. Without something bigger than ourselves towards which to turn during our darkest times, we are left to be consumed by our fear and its many ugly faces. In trying to make sense for myself of the healing of Aeneas, I started thinking about it like a trip to Vegas…or a trip to the gas station to buy a lottery ticket. As we put that nickel into the slot machine or hand over our dollar to the gas station attendant, we believe that this could be our time; we can hit the jackpot, that this moment can be part of a miracle story. Most of our stories don’t end by hitting that jackpot, but our faith in the possibility doesn’t waiver. We keep believing… Why? Because we have seen other people win and we know it is possible…just like the people of Lydda saw a paralyzed man rise up and walk and now know that it is possible. Witnessing such things strengthens our hope and faith in what is possible. This brings me to another observation about this brief passage from Acts. Though we may not witness such miracles every day, many opportunities for them do occur. Instead of putting ourselves in the place of Aeneas, what if we assume the role of Peter in this story? It was through Peter, a human being just like us, that Jesus healed Aeneas. Each day, Jesus also works through us in this same way to be agents of good deeds and perhaps even miracles. This is the hope to which we all must be open. Through our life and work in Christ, we have the ability, and the responsibility, to bring hope and faith to others. This is what Jesus desired of Peter and it is what he asks of all of his disciples, including us. PRAYER God of all that is possible, help me to be open to opportunities to share your love, to have courage to speak your truth, and to remain steadfast in hope and faith each day. Amen." DEVOTION AUTHOR Kris Baker Order of St. Francis and St. Clare