Wednesday - February 1, 2023
Jonathon McClellan
READING
You should never view your challenges as a disadvantage. Instead, it's important for you to understand that your experience facing and overcoming adversity is actually one of your biggest advantages. -Michelle Obama
WORDS OF HOPE
Since 2020, due to the constant onslaught of crises, we are being told that we must “come together” to address the issues affecting our planet. That, of course, is a lot easier said than done. How can we come together when there are so many unresolved issues? Women’s rights, LGBTQ rights, voting rights, and various crimes against minorities have left us with an open wound. Nevertheless, the problems that we are facing now are more than what any one faction can handle alone. Therefore, at the very least, we should desire solidarity.
It’s not going to be an easy conversation. In fact, it’s going to take many conversations, getting frustrated, and being patient. All great things take time to become great like the time it takes a seed to reach its full potential. It is often, that battles are won within the hearts of humankind before they ever reach an actual battlefield. And this is a battle.
Not the “winner takes all” kind of battle – but a high stakes battle where everyone has something to gain. It may not be won in a single generation, but the example we give to our children offers us our greatest chance to achieve a better world for everyone.
In any battle, there are usually obvious pitfalls to avoid. Never enter a battle where your troops are forced to take the low ground. But Michelle Obama puts it in even better terms, “When they go low, we go high.” Our morality is our greatest virtue and can be a mighty force. The never-ending cycle of pain and vengeance has to stop. There is a reason why the temperature in this country is so high; it’s because just when the fire is starting to go out, someone tosses in another log.
We can’t win against ourselves, but we can win against a common enemy. If we determine the infighting to be frivolous, then we can focus on real matters of importance – how to survive what’s coming. Because it’s clear now that things have the potential of getting worse before they get better. It’s also clear that we are divided. Before there were ever any fire trucks, when someone’s house was on fire, the whole neighborhood stopped what they were doing and worked together to put out the flames. Their differences didn’t matter, because in those days, if one house caught on fire, then it would jump to another house next to it. And another... and another – until the whole town was consumed.
Right now, our house is on fire. We know what is going to happen if we do not put out the flames. There are times when we must stand our ground – but if the ground we stand on loses its stability, then all the progress that we have made up until now, will mean nothing. And any future that we might have had will become void.
But if we can refocus our energies on reconciliation, with the same level of passion that gave birth to our resentment, then maybe we can reclaim what we have lost. The pride we once had as the United States can once again inspire others to unite. And we can once again tell our children that all people are created equal.
Spouses must agree to disagree, neighbors must lend a helping hand, those in authority must remember the ones they serve, and the people must take the high ground. We have been fighting an uphill battle for too long. It’s time we fight for what is rightfully ours; our homes, our livelihoods, and our very lives. We will never know what we are capable of unless we try.
PRAYER
Uniting God, we pray in the words of the Apostle Paul: I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought. (1Corinthians 1.10) Amen
DEVOTION AUTHOR
Jonathon McClellan
Order of St. Francis and St. Clare
Need More Inspiration? Read our Daily Devotions
SCRIPTURE The Revelation of John 21:1-5 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “See, the home of God is among mortals. God will dwell with them; they will be God’s people, and God will be with them and be their God; God will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away.” And the one who was seated on the throne said, “See, I am making all things new.” WORDS OF HOPE The End or the Beginning? What is going on in your life now? Do you see yourself at a particular place, stage or phase of your life? Is it a time of beginnings? Beginnings can happen repeatedly. Beginnings occur whether we are young or old or in the middle of something or some time. Even the word “begin” starts with the word “beg” which evokes a plea or asks for something that is not yet. Beginnings are opportunities. Beginnings are opportunities to start something, give something, receive something, create something, invite something or someone into being. Notably, the word beginning is often associated with the word “new,” which evokes a freshness and youthful energy that brings anticipation of what is yet to be. Anyone can turn the page and write the words, “The End.” It takes intention, creativity, and effort to turn the page and write a new chapter. Beyond that, it requires sacrifice and the desire to bring positive change in the world to make that chapter not just another chapter, but one that becomes a legacy. When a faith community that had been established generations ago found itself dwindling down to only a handful of people, a choice had to be made. The congregation could do nothing until the last remnant of folks died or were no longer able to sustain what they collectively had. They could choose to close and write the words, “The End,” on their history. Instead, they chose to rethink their ending to make it a legacy, not merely for their own benefit but potentially for generations to come. They gifted their large and aging building to a much larger congregation in need of space with which to launch a satellite community. This larger church had the financial resources to make the necessary repairs and refurbishments the building so desperately needed. Just over a year later, from the ashes of a declining congregation, rose an inviting new home for new generations of people seeking to establish spiritual roots and holy connections. Followers of Jesus are called to embody hope, to practice resurrection of spirit and community, to live out redemptive Grace that sees new beginnings in endings and works to make it happen. We can do it with our own lives. We can do it collectively as a group or community, small or large. Transformation starts with divine connection. It is guided and sustained by the fresh breeze of the Holy Spirit. Transformation moves forward by the compelling faith that love and perseverance can outlast despair. PRAYER Come, Holy Spirit, and freshen our lives with new beginnings and the vision, faith, hope, love and connections to make it so. Amen. DEVOTION AUTHOR Rev. Dr. Gary Kindley Pastoral Psychotherapist drgk.org
READING (LYRICS) Kiss today goodbye, The sweetness and the sorrow. Wish me luck, the same to you. But I can't regret What I did for love, what I did for love. Look my eyes are dry. The gift was ours to borrow. It's as if we always knew, And I won't forget what I did for love, What I did for love. Gone, Love is never gone. As we travel on, Love's what we'll remember. Kiss today goodbye, And point me toward tomorrow. We did what we had to do. Won't forget, can't regret What I did for Love…. -Marvin Hamlisch and Edward Kleban* WORDS OF HOPE The day after Labor Day a post by Barbara Brown Taylor appeared in my inbox—always inspiring to read. One topic she touches upon is how we stratify people in hierarchies by their answer to the question: What do you do for a living? There’s quite a different reaction to “corporate litigator” and “septic pump truck driver.” Then she quips that she’s going to say “taxidermist” the next time she’s asked. She tells a story of traveling in an Eastern European country and talking with a person whose “body lit up” when he talked about the boy’s soccer team he coached. He shared that he liked winning, but even more “watching boys learn to play to each other’s strengths instead of relying solely on their own.” When Taylor said, “What a great job,” he said, “Oh, no, my job is on an assembly line. This I do for love.” We hear so much talk today about vocation and finding our calling, but too often what we love can’t provide a sustainable living. We can, however, follow our hearts as an avocation. A friend’s son loved acting and musical theater with a passion that lit him up inside and filled him with joy. While he was able to engage in theater in high school and college, he couldn’t make a living in acting. But he did the next best thing. He got connected with local theater troupes and put his whole self into any part he played. It’s what he did for love. Upon reading Taylor’s reflection, my head was filled with the song “What I Did for Love” from “Chorus Line” whose lyrics are above. I would invite you this morning to ask yourself what it is that you do for love? Gardening, walking dogs, gazing at the stars, cooking, playing cornhole with friends? Perhaps we could ask the question a different way as well: What do you do for love of God? Maybe like me you can remember a time in your life when, in the fullness of gratitude and with an aching yearning in your heart, you wanted nothing more than to serve God—using your time and gifts in feeding the homeless or teaching children or praising God in music. Not a “responsibility” but something so dear to you that when you had to miss doing it, there was a hole in your week. If for whatever reason there is nothing right now that you do for love or for love of God, I’d encourage you to pray about it and to imagine yourself “following your bliss” as Joseph Campbell put it. And then take the steps to get involved in the thing you can’t forget, won’t regret doing for love. PRAYER “The gifts are ours to borrow,” O God, given by you in love. May we sing “what I did for love” with our very lives. Amen. DEVOTION AUTHOR Dr. Pat Saxon *Link to the song sung by Stephanie J. Block https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XxXzj332v8
SCRIPTURE Psalm 24.1 “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.” WORDS OF HOPE A World of Mirrors Is it a blessing or a curse that we know what we look like? I am thinking of the animal world, specifically the three growing kittens we feed on the porch. (The Tabby Twins and Tipper) I know they can see their own reflections as they gaze into the glass door. Do they know it is themselves? Do they care? I doubt it. Like the rest of the animal world, they need no mirror. They know an empty stomach. They know needing to fill it. They know cold and warmth. They are not consumed by the inevitability of sickness, age, or death. I pondered a Bible verse in Genesis about God saying we have created humans in “our own image” giving the reader a riddle about who “they” are after whom we are created. We know how we look obsessively; our own image. We further that notion by wanting to have less weight or more weight, more this, less that. When we look in the mirror, do we look like God? The passage urges us to us ask the question, what does God look like? I know what I’ve been told; all about God in human form being Jesus. I don’t think I look anything like Jesus. But analyzing further, could God be part human and part animal like those ancient Egyptian deities, the ones who concentrated on what they did, not how they looked? In the human world of our self-imposed drive to look younger, have more energy, and, by every means, attempt to defeat death in the process, we might look in that mirror and ask What doesn’t look like God? Rather than How does God look, we should be asking Who is God? I could simplify the whole thing by saying God is Love, the love that surrounds the humans with their questions and the kittens with their Kibbles. Every day at feeding times, I know how blessed the kittens are to not have to ask, or to know, but only to be. Maybe that’s what the Almighty meant in saying “Be still and know that I am God.” PRAYER God of our Creation, as we look in our mirrors, may we see your love of the world and all that is in it reflected in our eyes. May the kittens of our lives always teach us the joy of being a part of it. Amen DEVOTION AUTHOR Charlie C. Rose Order of St. Francis and St. Clare
SCRIPTURE Psalm 139:17-19 from The Message Your thoughts - how rare, how beautiful! God, I'll never comprehend them! I couldn't even begin to count them - any more than I could count the sand of the sea. Oh, let me rise in the morning and live always with you! And please, God, do away with wickedness for good! And you murderers - out of here! WORDS OF HOPE A few weeks ago, I celebrated my fifty-ninth first day of school. I began kindergarten at age four and have been in a classroom in some capacity or another every year since then. I spent many years as a student before becoming a professor. I also raised two girls who were educated in both private and public schools; so, I have experienced education from every side of the desk. It goes without saying that much has changed in education during these past fifty-nine years. I’m not sure that the majority of it has been for the better. Today marks the observance of International Day to Protect Education from Attack. “ The day was established by a unanimous decision of the UN General Assembly, calling on UNESCO and UNICEF to raise awareness of the plight of millions of children living in countries affected by conflict. The resolution proclaiming the Day was presented by the State of Qatar and co-sponsored by 62 countries. The General Assembly resolution affirms that governments have the primary responsibility to provide protection and ensure inclusive and equitable quality education at all levels to all learners, especially those in vulnerable situations. It further emphasizes the need to intensify efforts and increase funding to promote safe and protective school environments in humanitarian emergencies by taking all feasible measures to protect schools, learners and educational personnel from attack, refrain from actions that impede children’s access to education, and facilitate access to education in situations of armed conflict.” This declaration was written to address education primarily in war-stricken areas. Sadly, it is needed as well in schools that are not in declared war zones. One of the things that has changed the most during my life in education is that students and teachers no longer feel safe at school. Passing a math or spelling test is far less worrisome than will everyone make it home safely at the end of the school day. Though it may be further below the surface, many enter their places of worship each week with these same worries. Like our schools, our churches, mosques, and synagogues have also had their sense of being a place of safety shattered. The most beautiful of God’s thoughts is that of love. Indeed, no human mind can fully comprehend the vastness of God’s love. It is our responsibility as children of God to become lifelong learners when it comes to growing in our understanding of God’s love. It has many facets. It can look, sound, and feel many different ways. One thing that I am certain of is that God’s love creates for us a feeling of safety. For all those that want God in our schools, let that be the God of safety, the God of love. How much more would our students learn if rather than practicing regular lockdown and armed intruder drills we were required to practice love thy neighbor drills. I doubt I will live to see it, but I pray hard for the day when schools feel safe, when all the scary drills are no longer necessary, when students, teachers, and parents don’t begin each school day wondering if this will be “the day” it happens at my school. PRAYER “And please, God, do away with wickedness for good! And you murderers - out of here!” Amen DEVOTION AUTHOR Kris Baker Order of St. Francis and St. Clare
SCRIPTURE Philippians 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 So many of us are anxious during this stressful political time. It makes me uncomfortable that politics is more divisive than it ever has been. There was a time when my marriage wasn't legal. We were so happy when the time came that we could be legally married. But now we have threats against our marriage again. And so many of my friends at church in the trans community literally have active bills in the State and National political stages that affect their lives almost every day! It breaks my heart. Hate should not be legislated! Most people are concerned about our healthcare, especially older people. It seems health in America and around the world is in jeopardy. It is hard to find peace and joy in these turbulent times. I have a Facebook page called Jan's Joy that I use in addition to my personal page that I try to promote daily joy in the world! It is my life mission. But promoting joy has become a little more difficult in these times. The verse above tells me to be thankful and to pray no matter what! And that God is able to give us a peace that is beyond understanding! I claim joy as well. I believe joy is a state of peace deep within our soul that sustains us despite external circumstances. No matter how turbulent our life may be, we can hang on to the lifeline of God's joy deep within us. If we constantly cultivate that joy through our walk with God, it keeps us sane in a world that has lost its mind! An old church camp song I used to sing says: I've got the joy, joy, joy, joy, Down in my heart, Down in my heart, Down in my heart; I've got the joy, joy, joy, joy, Down in my heart, Down in my heart to stay. (by George W Cooke) And it must be based on this scripture because the second verse says I've got the peace that passeth understanding down in my heart. So, I encourage you to remember the "secret" to having Joy and peace is to pray and be thankful. And it will guard our hearts and minds! PRAYER God of Peace and Joy, we pray giving thanks for your presence in our lives that helps us find that peace that surpasses our understanding and keeps us sane in troubled times. DEVOTION AUTHOR Jan Nunn CoH Volunteer
SCRIPTURE Colossians 4:7-8 Tychicus will tell you all the news about me. He is a dear brother, a faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord. I am sending him to you for the express purpose that you may know about our circumstances and that he may encourage your hearts. He is coming with Onesimus, our faithful and dear brother, who is one of you. They will tell you everything that is happening here. WORDS OF HOPE Scripture is littered with little known people with difficult to pronounce names that have made a big difference. In the last few verses of the fourth chapter of Colossians alone, Paul ends this epistle mentioning Tychicus, Onesimus, Aristarchus, Barnabas, Justus, Epaphras, Nympha and Archippus. One can suppose that if Tychicus or Onesimus were as well known as the Apostles Bartholomew or Thaddeus, we might not only know how to readily pronounce their names, but there might also be a Tychicus Memorial Hospital or an Onesimus University! What can we know about Tychicus and Onesimus? They were ordinary men who became trusted messengers. Tychicus is mentioned beyond the 4 th chapter of Colossians, having also been mentioned in the 20 th chapter of Acts and the 6 th chapter of Ephesians. He’s described as a “faithful minister and fellow servant”, having been trusted with messages that were critical before written communication was widespread. Onesimus was a former slave who became honored as a “dear brother” to Paul. Including Onesimus as a helper was radical in a society where slaves had little status. In verse 15, Paul sends greetings to Nympha and the church that meets in her house. Including her in his letter is profound, as Paul recognizes not only her hospitality, but her leadership as well. In a patriarchal culture that gave women minimal recognition, Paul knew that leadership by lay people, including women, were central to the early church’s growth. This closing section of Paul’s letter to the church in Colossae (say that word 10 times fast!), isn’t just a list of names. It reflects the relational, collaborative, and sacrificial nature of the early church. It shows us the importance of partnership, unity across social and ethnic lines, prayerful vigilance, and spiritual encouragement. It also shows us that Christianity is meant to be communal, not just personal. Each one of us, whether we have an unpronounceable name and/or a perceived marginalized status, have an important place in the continuing story of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are called to work together, love each other, give sacrificially, pray continually, and live joyfully. PRAYER Lord, thank You for the faithful servants who quietly build Your Kingdom through encouragement, prayer, and perseverance. Help us to be like them—steadfast in our calling, generous with our gifts, and devoted to others in love. May we complete the ministry You have entrusted to us, for Your glory alone. Amen. DEVOTION AUTHOR Thomas Riggs