Wednesday - January 4, 2023

SCRIPTURE James 1.2-4 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. WORDS OF HOPE I have lived most of my life in parts of Texas where there are a lot of non-English speakers or second language English speakers. But this October was the first time I have spent a good bit of time in a country where English was barely spoken. Or maybe in previous times I was in a group and did not interact that much with the locals. It is a very different feeling to be "the foreigner" who does not speak the language. Thankfully, you did not need to speak the language to take Uber in another country! Your travel destination is already loaded for you. Portugal is an amazing and beautiful country. On the day our daughter had to travel to another city for an important meeting, we managed to find an American restaurant with English menus and a waitress who spoke English! They had American hamburgers and 8 ice cubes for my Coke Zero! I am too old at 78 to learn a new complicated language. I can hang freshly washed clothes on an indoor hanging rack! I would be scared to hang them out my window, like a lot of people did. I might drop our underwear onto someone's patio! I could learn to carry salt & pepper for my eggs with me. And I sure could learn to enjoy their coffee, but I think it might add pounds! The only time not speaking the language was a problem was at the airport when we were leaving at 3am! We could not see where Lufthansa airline was and did not see signs. The only English-speaking person was a homeless person hanging out at the airport! He was very aggressive and hung onto Barb but got us to our check-in area. There was no security anywhere in sight, either. I have a different perspective for people who find themselves where they do not speak the local language! I am the old momma who needs her daughter to make sure I get back correct change when I buy something using actual local currency! Those that know me know I will post Thankfulness posts each day in November! This year my thankfulness has broadened! I have traveled to a new country and have a better understanding and care for people who cannot speak the local language! Especially in this time when their citizenship may be challenged by someone speaking a language that may not be their first language. PRAYER God of all people and all languages, thank you for showing me how it feels to be on the other side of the language barrier. Thank you for helping me know that you love me and people of all languages. DEVOTION AUTHOR Jan Nunn CoH Volunteer

SCRIPTURE Jeremiah 2:8  The priests did not ask, ‘Where is the Lord?’ Those who deal with the law did not know me; the leaders rebelled against me. The prophets prophesied by Baal, following worthless idols. WORDS OF HOPE There’s a certain kind of rejection that feels more painful, more insidious than others. It’s the kind of rejection that occurs when you pour yourself out for someone and they take advantage of your kindness. It’s that moment where you realize the love and care that you showed in their hard times was selfishly forgotten when things got better for them. God speaks to this deep ache of being a forgotten friend. Being brought of out slavery, through the wilderness, and into a promised land of abundance, God’s people became so accustomed to comfort that they forgot to ask, “Where is the Lord?”. Their hardened hearts wandered, and they sought meaning and security in things that could not sustain them. They chased after empty things and became empty themselves. And God ached for them. How often do we go through the motions of faith and forget to ask, “Where is the Lord in this?” In worship, service, and ministry, we can become so focused on managing outcomes, maintaining institutions, and following our own plans. And yet, God calls us to return, to be grateful, to be humble, and to trust in Her. Jeremiah’s words caution us against finding our worth and security in our own plans—trusting in ourselves or in idols that hold no power. Yet they also extend an invitation: to seek the Lord again and again, not by clinging to the past, but through a renewed and living trust. We are called to release what cannot give life and to place our full confidence in the One who can. Let us pray. PRAYER You are always faithful and loving, Lord Christ, giving gifts even and especially when we need you most. Forgive me when I forget to ask “Where are YOU in this?”. Call me back to your company. Let my work, my worship, and life be a reflection of the abundance that you have given me. Amen. DEVOTION AUTHOR Thomas Riggs

SCRIPTURE  Joel 2. 28 And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. WORDS OF HOPE We sleep at night not knowing the journey our soul is making. Usually, we do not remember our dreams. Sometimes, however, we remember in the morning what was happening underneath the cover of darkness we call the night. We plant seeds deep into the dirt not knowing which direction the roots grow. When we dig, we discover the countless roots that lie hidden underground spanning all directions. If there is anything the darkness of the night or the depth of the Earth has taught me, it is that sleeping things move and buried things grow. To put it another way: progress is not limited by what we can see. Sometimes, the world seems to be in an endless night of sorrow buried in its own despair. Nevertheless, as each day passes, the next generation is coming closer and closer to inheriting this Earth. Everything that we have planted, the good and the bad, is going to bear fruit to the future. Bitter and sweet fruits are sure to grow according to what has been planted, but I trust that the sweet fruit will always be preferred over the bitter. We always desire for our children to have better, to live better. In this way, each generation that comes into its own leaves behind the promise for a better future. It was not even a hundred years ago that a gay, black man who struggles with mental illness would not have had the simple opportunity of writing these words, but here I am, the fruit of my foremothers and forefathers. I am proof of their progress despite centuries of injustice, cruelty, and evil. Our children are the evidence that what prevails in this world are our collective hopes and dreams. Like those who came before us, we must give our children everything, all of our love, and anything worth passing onto the future. We must demonstrate our love by believing in our children, for they are the greatest part of us. PRAYER Spirit of hope, It is often that we are so limited by what we can see. Despite that, allow our hopes and dreams to go beyond every barrier and obstacle set before us. Grant us the simple joy of leaving behind what we ourselves have inherited, this thing called love. We trust You, although we do not see You and we love You even when we are buried in the night. Amen. DEVOTION AUTHOR Jonathon McClellan Order of St. Francis and St. Clare

READING “I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ” . . . “If it weren’t for Christians, I’d be a Christian.” Quote attributed to Gandhi.  WORDS OF HOPE Long before I converted to Christianity, I read a lot of Eastern philosophy. Among the books I read was “Gandhi on Christianity” a collection of essays and writings from him about the Christians he came to know. I also read a good deal of work by Thomas Merton, an American Trappist monk, writer, theologian, mystic, and scholar of comparative religion. He was a monk in the Trappist Abbey of Our Lady of Gethsemani, near Bardstown, Kentucky. His books gave me insight into the Eastern religions and how they all seemed to have similarities. Having come from a Jewish upbringing, a lot of what religions like Taoism, Buddhism and others taught felt surprisingly familiar in their views of the Divine and more specifically how to achieve enlightenment and live a good life. When I examined the teachings of Jesus, I found much the same thing. It seems that great thinkers, prophets and teachers all grasped that bringing heaven to earth was not a magical thing, rather the product of contemplation followed by doing the actual work. Jesus tells us this over and over and His message resonated with me enough that I decided to follow His way. Perhaps, if more people who professed to be Christians actually followed Jesus we would have a better world. The divisions we perceive between various religions are minor when we look at their essence. PRAYER Great Divine Power, help us to find a way to your love and strength to do the work to bring heaven on earth. Amen. DEVOTION AUTHOR Hardy Haberman

SCRIPTURE Mark 6.47-51 Later that night, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and Jesus was alone on land. He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. Shortly before dawn he went out to them, walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them, but when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out, because they all saw him and were terrified. Immediately, he spoke to them and said, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” Then he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. They were completely amazed, for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened. WORDS OF HOPE Following the life of Jesus, Mark continually reports the most remarkable of events in the most casual of ways. He writes in succinct news reporter terms, sharing only the facts without commentary. He would never be able to find a job on the legacy networks today. His favorite word is “immediately”, never troubling us with superfluous details. Mark just reports the news. In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus notices the disciples’ difficulty with the oars. Later, he casually walks on the water to check out the situation and is about to stroll on by when he hears cries of fear from the boat. We are informed that the men are believers in ghosts, which heightens their fear, so “immediately” Jesus calms the situation down, first his friends and then the storm. Mark concludes that the astounded boat crew does not have any spiritual understanding of who Jesus was or what had happened. Earlier that day, they had witnessed Jesus feeding thousands of hungry people from a basket of bread and fish. They readily believed that the apparition on the lake was a ghost but, were unable to accept the conspicuous fact that they were in the presence of God. Their hearts were hardened. Are our hearts hardened these days? Are we so numbed by sensationalized news or political partisan rhetoric that it will take a storm to wake us up to the presence of God in our lives? If this story teaches us anything, it is that God is ever present, always aware, hears our cries, and then moves as God moves. Mark, in his succinct accounts, never gives us a formula for gaining immediate access to God. He simply states that in any situation, God is always there beside us. The rest of the story is up to us. And that’s the way it is. Mark’s news reporting at its best.  PRAYER Ever present God, you have stilled countless storms in our lives. Please help us to remember that you will always be there beside us for the next one. Amen DEVOTION AUTHOR Dan Peeler Order of St. Francis and St. Clare