Tuesday – August 2, 2022
Jonathon McClellan
SCRIPTURE
Phillipians 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
Inner Peace
Peace is quiet and not loud, still and not in a hurry, surrendered and not struggling, and simply is without trying to be. Imagine a secret garden that grew without anyone ever helping it. The sun is shining on patches of daisies, lilies, and dandelions spread about the garden randomly in various colors. A small stream stretches the length of the garden flowing in the direction of a great mountain in the distance. Throughout the garden are many apple trees in season with both red and green apples. Finally, the grass is both soft and long, and bows as the wind dances through the garden.
Conversely, chaos is loud and not quiet, in a hurry and not still, struggling and not surrendered, and trying to be, but is not there yet. Imagine a storm raging at sea and being caught trying to sail through it. Thunder is booming while lighting is striking. The wind is fighting against everything in its path. Water has become waves driven by the wind and is striking your boat. A tornado is forming in the sky while rain beats down heavily on your face and you can see nothing.
Nature shows us what peace and chaos looks like, however; it is our hearts that feel its affects. When our emotions guide us, our hearts become as changeable as the weather, but when we guide our emotions, we become unmovable. There is peace even on cloudy days in a heart that is quiet, still, surrendered, and simply is without trying to be. Grow a garden in the sanctuary of your heart and fill it with all the things that bring you joy. Take care of it and never neglect it. Your peace of mind depends on how well you maintain your garden. The storm that rages on the outside does not reach the peace that you keep on the inside. This is what the ancients called ‘Inner Peace’.
PRAYER
Spirit of Peace, Guide and guard our hearts so that we may find, keep, and be at peace. Amen.
DEVOTION AUTHOR
Jonathon McClellan
Order of St. Francis and St. Clare
Need More Inspiration? Read our Daily Devotions
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
SCRIPTURE James 4. 11-12 Brothers and sisters do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister or judges them speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who can save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor? WORDS OF HOPE Today the daily lectionary reading is about judging each other. It is written by James, who is widely believed to be one of Jesus’ brothers. He would certainly have been familiar with the results of gossip and slander. This is a classic passage on the subject in the first century, a tumultuous time for the faith community. The church first started compiling these daily Bible readings in the 7th century, but has human nature changed since that time? What would they know about human nature today? After a quick look at social media lately, I would say they knew quite a lot. I don’t know if people in those days made self-improvement lists like we often see on Facebook but refraining from constantly judging one another should be high on most of our lists. The writer of the Book of James gets to the point right away, calling our constant judgment of one another slander, which has become an expected behavior pattern among politicians and news commentators. Whether our behavior is focused politically or not, judgment of our neighbors has become a common practice in our society and James reminds us that judging against our sisters and brothers is judging against the law itself. To what law is he referring? Many scholars believe it is his own brother’s law that he sees being broken. What was Jesus’ only commandment to us? -To love one another…and in doing so, to love God and ourselves. We often read social media posts routinely containing highly inflammatory remarks, turning private disputes into a public broadcasts and personal name-calling into published slander. The situations could easily become expensive and time-wasting court cases simply because of forgetting the simply stated law to love one another. Obviously, human nature has not changed since the first century, but the internet has afforded us the opportunity to spread our slanders much quicker. It’s easy to judge the evils of social media, but the evil lies in its misuse. Resolving not to judge, on or offline, is a much more productive use of our time, which can be better spent reflecting on the law of James’ brother. PRAYER Thank you for the gifts of the technology that can be the blessings or the curses on our lives. May we be guided by your love that always dwells within us. Amen DEVOTION AUTHOR Dan Peeler Order of St. Francis and St. Clare
SCRIPTURE Ephesians 1. 12-14 …in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory. WORDS OF HOPE Can you recall standing on the playground, lined up with all the other kids from your class, waiting for some “appointed” captain to pick their teams? It didn’t even matter what game we were going to play, most stood anxiously as the choosing began. I know I was mumbling under my breath “pick me, pick me” because no one wanted to be an afterthought or picked last. The good news, we are not an afterthought in the mind of God who says, “I guess you will have to do, you’re not my first choice, but there you go…” Instead, it is the exact opposite. Before the beginning of the world God chose us to be in relationship. And every act of God since then is to remind us we were “predestined ” to be adopted as children, to be welcomed into Gods family. We are part of the purposes, the plans of God, and we can feel joyful, confident and blessed knowing we were chosen because we are loved. As the church song says: “Count your blessings name them one by one and you will be amazed at what the Lord has done.” Paul counts his blessings and rejoices knowing he was chosen by God, adopted into the whole family, and received the gift of the Holy Spirit. Just by being born, we are all uniquely stamped with fingerprints that no else ever has been nor ever will be given. PRAYER God of all creation, as we count our blessings and name them out loud giving you the glory, let us remember to share our joy with ALL humankind. In Jesus name, Amen DEVOTION AUTHOR Donna Jackson
SCRIPTURE Psalm 94: 1-3 Lord, you God of vengeance, you God of vengeance, shine forth! Rise up, O judge of the earth; give to the proud what they deserve! O Lord, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked exult? WORDS OF HOPE The Psalms are song lyrics. They were meant to be sung I believe and as such they often express the frustration and anguish of the composer. In this case it is frustration, and one whose words I could echo almost on a daily basis. Seems the wicked are indeed exult, parading their misdeeds and boasting and blustery. It is nothing new, apparently, since these words are thousands of years old. The good news is that most people who deal in spinning evil end up being caught in their own web. The psalmist would consider that Divine retribution, since their vision of God was very much black and white. My view of the Divine is much less one of a vengeful God who rules by might, but a loving power that persuades through example. Sometimes that persuasion takes longer than I would like, but that timetable is not under my control. PRAYER God of love and serenity, grant me patience and grace, that I may carry your love forth by example and not succumb to vengeful acts. DEVOTION AUTHOR Hardy Haberman
READING "Many proposals have been made to us to adopt your laws, your religion, your manners and your customs. We would be better pleased with beholding the good effects of these doctrines in your own practices, than with hearing you talk about them". ~Old Tassel, Chief of the Tsalagi (Cherokee) WORDS OF HOPE Today is the Trail of Tears Remembrance Day. If you don't recall from the history class somewhere, the Trail of Tears was at a time when the United States forcibly removed the Native American Cherokee peoples from their homeland in the southeastern part of the United States. They were moved from Georgia and other parts of the South to reservations in Oklahoma. This was prompted by Americans who wanted land and the discovery of gold in Georgia. The quote above sums up for me the entirety of Christian Nationalism from the viewpoint of its victims. The early 19th century was the birthplace of Manifest Destiny, the belief that descendants of European Christians, mostly Protestant, assuredly white, were given the right by God to spread their superior culture, religion, and way of life from the Atlantic to the Pacific. They further believed that the indigenous tribes they encountered would be better served (as would their own economy) by adopting the ways of the immigrant Europeans. Clearly Chief Tassel has been exposed to this concept. And the interesting thing to me is not that he objects to the culture, or the religion, or the way of life. His objection comes from someone trying to impose those things on him and his people when they themselves do not evidence that they live with any of those things either. Basically, he says we don’t see where they’re doing you any good; so why would we expect these things to do us any good? Bringing in this concept forward, we need to stop and think about two things. We live at a time when many people are trying to force upon us certain things that they feel are necessary for all of us to be “saved”. And yet many of those folks do not live in a manner that shows that they follow those things. To me the most available example is the large number of people who insist that the 10 Commandments, be part of our education system when they barely follow any one of them with any diligence or faith. But the other thing we need to stop and consider whether we, and believe me when I say we includes me, live up to the lifestyle that we profess. We say we are followers of Christ. We need to be sure that we live into what it is we say. Or like Chief Tassel, the people we are trying to introduce to a Christ-like life who question our sincerity. So as you go through your day think of the words of Saint Francis who is reputed to have said “preach often, sometimes use words”. PRAYER God of all people, help me be an example of Your love. Give me the grace to be an example of the Christ in this world so that others might see You in all I do. Amen. DEVOTION AUTHOR Weber Baker Order of Saint Francis and Saint Clare
SCRIPTURE Genesis 17: 4-5 As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations. No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations. READING What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet. Romeo and Juliet, Act II, Scene 2 WORDS OF HOPE A few months ago, Kasandra and I saw the musical & Juliet. It’s a vibrant pop musical that reimagines Shakespeare's tragic heroine Juliet choosing to live after Romeo's death, embarking on a journey of self-discovery and empowerment. The musical keeps the sentiment of ‘a rose by any other name’, but it expands on this idea to show that, in reality, names and societal labels do have power and can significantly influence identity, relationships, and outcomes. Names are not superficial but deeply embedded in our society and are difficult to overcome. Perhaps the bravest person I know is my non-binary child Orion. In a culture where trans people are vilified and their identity has been officially rejected by the State, they shine like a star. They continue their Library Science studies, run a produce department at a grocery store, care for their cat Toothless, and love people unconditionally. They embrace themselves and care deeply for others. Yes, I am an extremely proud papa. There’s a Biblical embracing of name changes as being sacred. The name changes often accompany transitions in identity and calling. This aligns powerfully with queer experiences of gender and identity affirmation. Abram becomes Abraham and Sarai becomes Sarah. Jesus renames Simon to be Peter. Saul becomes Paul. These moments resonate with people who have wrestled with their identity and emerged with new, truer names — not as rejection of the past, but as holy affirmation of who they are becoming. From a queer biblical lens, changing your name is a sacred act of becoming, affirming the divine image within. Mirroring biblical transformations, changing one’s name becomes a testimony of resilience and truth. It says: “I have wrestled, I have survived, I have seen God, and I will be who I will be.” Last month, my niece Abigael wrote this in her Facebook feed: Tomorrow morning, I'm participating in the Rite of Blessing a New Identity at St. John's. The transformation that God has done in me since moving to Minnesota 6 years is too amazing to put in words. I am so grateful for the parts each of you have played in my life. The Holy Spirit is wild and free, but when you chase after Her with your whole self, all fear and falseness fall away, and all that remains is love. In that transformation of name and identity, in that affirmation of becoming, the rose might smell even sweeter. PRAYER Blessed are You, Source of Becoming, who calls us by our true names, even before we speak them aloud. Like Jacob becoming Israel, like Sarai becoming Sarah, like You, O God, who said, “I will be who I will be” — we rise into our name with courage, with pride, and with You beside me. Amen. DEVOTION AUTHOR Thomas Riggs