Wednesday - January 18, 2023

SCRIPTURE Acts 26.15b-18a “ ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,’ the Lord replied. ‘Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen and will see of me. I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light…’ ” WORDS OF HOPE Today’s Scripture reading is about the life-changing encounter the Apostle Paul experiences on the road to Damascus during which the voice of the Risen Christ commissions him to a ministry that will define the rest of his life. Jesus is direct, succinct, and leaves no doubt as to the direction Paul will be taking. Several references are made about what Paul has seen and will see, because, in fact, as this declaration is made, Paul cannot see at all. He has been blinded by the sudden flash of light that is the presence of Christ in the rolling clouds before him. Paul has been traveling, probably by horseback, with a company of Roman soldiers, on his journey of persecution. His targets: Anyone who proclaims the teachings of Jesus and follows him in their words and lives. Works of art throughout the centuries have intensified the dramatic event depicting Paul thrown from his horse and on his knees, stunned by the light of glory. The voice tells him he will be a witness of what he has seen and will see of Jesus, opening the eyes of others in the process. But, Paul is blinded, unable to see Jesus at all, and in his recollection, has never seen Jesus in the past either. We can only try to imagine his confusion or ever putting ourselves in his bewildering situation. But, like Paul, how many times have we turned a blind eye to the presence of Jesus in our lives? How many times have we failed to see the face of Christ in the hurting, bewildered, or desperate among us? Paul had been blind countless times to courage of the Christ in those he had mercilessly persecuted, silenced, and imprisoned. Aren’t many of us in the same situation today? What will it take to knock us off our horses? Paul became the most influential of all the Apostles following this life-altering encounter, so the story leaves us with hope. We have the opportunity daily to become more active in proclaiming the words or living the life of Jesus every time we acknowledge the needs of the least fortunate among us or stand up for the humanity of the most persecuted. You know who they are. We can see them as our sisters and brothers through the eyes of Jesus, and with the guidance of Jesus, bring light back to their darkness. PRAYER God of Mercy, in a world gone dark, help us to travel the way of Jesus this day, that we may see his face in the ones you love most, the vulnerable, the despised, and the forgotten. May others see his face in us. By the Light of Christ, AMEN DEVOTION AUTHOR Dan Peeler Order of St. Francis and St. Clare

SCRIPTURE Isaiah 41:10 Don't be afraid, for I am with you. Don't be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. WORDS OF HOPE When I picked my word of the year at Cathedral of Hope for 2025 I was very excited to see it was “Restore”! Double Knee surgery was my New Year commitment! After putting it off for three years, I finally agreed to surgery and scheduled it for January! I needed to be restored. The warranty on the old knees had expired several years ago. It is amazing the amount of dependence on others that double knee surgery leaves you! I had an Upgraid team who texted daily. My doctor was amazing and has the best record for avoiding infections! Nurses were outstanding and so caring and encouraging. PT was great at home and outpatient. My Prayer groups are the best! And Barb was an amazing nurse at home and took on the job of helping me bathe and putting on my socks and had an incredible spreadsheet for my pill schedule to be sure we kept pain at bay as much as possible and she kept the ice bags on my knees and every other chore that had to be done for our household! Our Irving Circle brought food & helped get me up all the stairs and into the house when I arrived home from the hospital! And prayed nonstop for my recovery. God was present in all these amazing people who were responsible for getting me through the process of double knee surgery! All of us needed God's help for this process! It is a strange feeling to be totally out of control of your household! I had no idea what was in my fridge! I was only in the bedroom and living room propped up in my recliner with ice on both knees! It is now three months later I can hardly remember the pain, but am sure pleased at the progress. I can walk well and only need help getting in and out of vans and other unusual places! I have been able to give tours at the house at the Dallas Arboretum and have volunteered as a photographer at the Veritex golf tournament! Some days I overdo and still need an extra nap and a mild pain pill. I am not completely healed, but so much better than my old knees were! And improvement continues where every day was worse with the old knees! God gave Barb lots of patience to make it through having to do everything for me without strangling me! Or maybe she was just too tired! It took all our friends and their prayers and kind helpfulness to get us through this time. Once again, I am aware what a precious gift friendship is. PRAYER God of all good gifts, I praise you for the miracle of modern medicine that allows new knees to extend quality of life! And I praise you for amazing friends who provide food and prayers and helping hands to help through difficult times! And I thank you for always being there through all the difficult times! DEVOTION AUTHOR Jan Nunn CoH Volunteer

SCRIPTURE  Isaiah 6:1-4 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. WORDS OF HOPE When we enter the scene of Isaiah 6:1-4, we are presented with imagery that is both awe-inspiring and overwhelming. The prophet Isaiah recounts a powerful vision of God’s majesty and holiness. He describes seeing the Lord seated on a high and exalted throne, with the train of His robe filling the temple. Surrounding God are seraphim, calling out to one another in worship, proclaiming, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory." Their voices cause the temple's doorposts to shake, and the entire temple fills with smoke. This is widely regarded as Isaiah’s call, or perhaps rededication, to prophetic ministry. Standing in the temple of and in the very presence of God, Isaiah rightly is struck by his inadequacy and unworthiness in the presence of a God whose holiness has been repeated with the words “Holy, Holy, Holy” by the seraphs. However, what starts this almost psychedelic panorama of powerful imagery and majesty is a rather mundane historical reference to when this vision takes place for Isaiah. It begins with the words: In the year that King Uzziah died. For those keeping track, that would have been around 740 BCE. King Uzziah had ruled the kingdom of Judah for over 50 years, bringing prosperity, stability, and military strength to the nation. For those who read this prophet’s story, they knew that his death likely signaled a time of uncertainty, anxiety, and political change. What the people of God needed in such an uncertain time was a stability point. Isaiah prophesying such a dizzying and magnificent vision provided a contrast between an earthy king passing and the eternal reign of God. Even as good leaders (and bad leaders) vacate their seats of empire, Isaiah and the rest of us are given a vision of God still on the throne – high and exalted – reaffirming that God’s sovereignty transcends human rulers. This is reassuring and comforting knowledge especially in these days: While kingdoms rise and fall, God’s rule is unshakable. Isaiah’s account of this vision stands as a powerful call to ministry—not only for him, but for us as well. We are explicitly and urgently called to partner with God in rising up against empire. In support and defense of our marginalized siblings, we sing to God in God’s Temple: Here am I! Send me! PRAYER Let us pray a paraphrase of a prayer by theologian J. Clinton McCann, Jr. Sovereign Lord of heaven and earth, Just as you majestically revealed yourself to Isaiah to ready him for your message, ready our hearts too—so we may hear your voice clearly and step into our purpose with passion and resolve. Let your glory break into the world, wild and unstoppable like smoke and flame. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, who gave everything to fulfill your will and make us holy. Amen. DEVOTION AUTHOR Thomas Riggs

SCRIPTURE  Psalm 65:5 Awesome things will you show us in your righteousness, O God of our salvation. WORDS OF HOPE Are you ready to experience something awesome? Today is May Day, a time when we look around us and celebrate the springtime of God’s Creation. Whether we rest our trembling soul in God's embrace, or we walk with confidence in God's path; in all things and in all times of life, we can experience new and wonderful revelations of divine care and love. They are like jewels along our path. All that we must do is maintain awareness of God's presence in our every step. Don't be distracted by the noise and confusion of the world around you. Focus your attention on God who will lead you forward and free you from fear of the uncertainty of the unknown. That's the root of the word "salvation" as used in this verse. God is the One who frees you to live your full potential as a human directed by divine love. God frees you to live and see awesome things every day of your life! What awesome things are you inspired to do today? Often, we think about matters of social justice as inequality of opportunity, education and income among various groups or races of people. Hence, we set out to change the structure of society to better fit its needs. Although emphasis can be on change of policies toward better practices, as Christians we should seek to become involved in God's concept of justice which has its foundation in the existence of harmony among all humans. The word "harmony" is derived from the concept of things "fitting together, joining in good order". God's desire is that human society will participate in a "seamless process" of receiving: giving and caring for: sharing so that everyone experiences the full blessings of God's magnificence. As we give a cup of cold water to those weakened by thirst, we should "fit" their other hand into our loving hands of help. We should join not only our self but also our resources in harmony with their needs to bring them peace and relief. Harmony is more than "just getting along with others". That's cheap harmony... cheap social justice. We Christians are called to practice divine-style harmony/justice which results when we interact with all others and share ourselves in peace, love, humility and the full blessings of God. In doing this, we can each truly be one of God’s awesome things! PRAYER Lord God, quiet my mind and sharpen my attention to your Spirit's presence in my life. It is my desire to live this day in closer relationship with you and to express your love in each of my interactions with other people. Be it ever so. Amen. DEVOTION AUTHOR Donald (Luke) Day Order of St. Francis and St. Clare

SCRIPTURE 1 John 2.7-11 Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment that you had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word that you have heard…Whoever says they are in the light and hates their sister or brother are still in darkness. Whoever loves their siblings abides in the light, and in them there is no cause for stumbling. But those who hate their brothers and sisters are in the darkness and walk in the darkness, and do not know where they are going, because the darkness has blinded their eyes. WORDS OF HOPE Why so much hate? That is not an uncommon question in our turbulent world. In a recent discussion with an old friend, in his frustration over the current political and ideological differences that plague our country, he concluded that “It’s time for a divorce!” He went on to say that in lieu of a bloody civil war, the most logical solution for our country is to divide into Red States and Blue States, with independent systems of government, but with interstate trade agreements. In his estimation, the ability to love one another is beyond the realm of reality. My friend is a highly intelligent and well-informed individual, but he is not a person of faith. The writer of 1 John lived in oppressive, tyrannical, and dangerous times beyond our scope of understanding, but through it all he was a person of faith. In the letter to his readers, he doesn’t have to immediately state the text of the “old commandment that you had from the beginning.” By the time of the writing of this very late New Testament epistle, they had it engraved on their hearts from their earliest memories of being members of their faith community. It takes John three- and one-half chapters to finally write down the words, “Love One Another.” This was Jesus’ most difficult teaching to many of his generation and maybe even more difficult to ours. Those three words are infinitely simple to say but unquestionable challenging to practice. The commandment leaves no options. There were no exceptions as to who the recipient of love was to be in John’s community. Though not as inclusive as “Love your neighbor” which included not only the immediate community of believers but the whole world, the words then and now command us to love people who we cannot possibly like. Where does that leave our present community of followers of Jesus Christ? I can never like a person who practices injustices and preaches hatred, but I must love that person as one who has been blinded by the darkness. Jesus’ light was already shining then and is in no danger of flickering out now, especially when we take his words, his commandment, seriously. He didn’t say to love only those who return your love. That is not a relevant issue to a Messiah who loved the ones who condemned him and nailed him to a cross. His love was unconditional and so should ours be. It is the only way for the people of the Light. PRAYER Loving Parent of All of Us, before we react to, revile, or reject any of your children, our sisters and our brothers, teach us to look on them through your eyes and think of them through your heart and mind. Amen DEVOTION AUTHOR Dan Peeler Order of St Francis and St. Clare