Wednesday - January 4, 2023

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

SCRIPTURE Genesis 40:8 "Do not dream interpretations belong to God? Please tell them to me." WORDS OF HOPE I'm sure that you remember the Bible story of Joseph, the young and precious son of Jacob. Because of sibling jealousy, he had been sold into slavery by his brothers and carted off to Egypt where he was sold once again as a slave in the house of Potiphar, one of Pharaoh's chief officers. There, he was given special new duties, responsibilities which he faithfully performed. How do you handle unexpected responsibilities in your life? Sometimes, in life's transition periods, we have opportunities and responsibilities which are completely unplanned. How many of us make the most of them? Back to our story, yet another unwelcome surprise awaited Joseph. One day Potiphar's wife tried to seduce the young and handsome Joseph to have sex with her. He refused to deviate from faithful service to his Egyptian master. So, the humiliated and aggrieved wife falsely claimed that he had tried to rape her. For her lie, he was placed in Pharaoh's prison; where for more than two years, he still conducted himself honestly. Although he longed for release and did not understand why God might allow this injustice, he persisted in a faithful, God-fearing lifestyle. He trusted God would find a way. God's way for his release was derived from that steadfast adherence to a good and productive life, even in difficult circumstances. The Cupbearer and Baker of Pharaoh, who also had been imprisoned, were given dreams. When they asked Joseph if he knew of anyone who could interpret dreams, Joseph, as quoted in the passage above, said: "Do not dream interpretations belong to God? Please tell them to me," He was sure that the faithful God of his life would give him the correct interpretation.” When the Cupbearer was released, he forgot about Joseph. It seemed that all hope of release was lost, but Joseph continued a God-fearing lifestyle waiting in prison for two years. Then one day, Pharaoh also had a troubling dream which none of his counselors could interpret. The Cupbearer remembered Joseph and asked that he be released to respond to Pharaoh's request. God gave the faithful Joseph the correct interpretation. Not only was Joseph released from prison, but he was made the chief counselor and second in command to Pharaoh; he became the Chief Steward of Egypt. Because Joseph had been persistently faithful to God, even in difficult times, he was honored with a powerful political position and his wisdom saved Egypt and his father's family from starvation during seven years of famine. So, what does the story tell you about enduring transitional times of loss and uncertainty? We may not be offered a post in the Federal government that would allow us to clean up our present mess, but we can be assured God will always remain faithful to us regardless of any circumstances in our lives. PRAYER Always , even in difficult times, may we be persistent in living a faithful God -inspired lifestyle! Amen DEVOTION AUTHOR Donald (Luke) Day Order of St. Francis and St. Clare

SCRIPTURE Psalm 23:1 The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want. WORDS OF HOPE “What I Am For”  Optimism is contagious in a wonderfully transformative way. When we meet someone with a positive outlook on life it is as if we have stepped into a brighter place. If we are self-aware, we will notice that our mood lightens. There is a shift in perspective. The possibility of being receptive to fresh viewpoints and new ideas increases. Optimism broadens the tunnel vision of pessimism and keeps an eye toward hope. As the Psalmist might put it, because I trust in the LORD, I choose to follow God rather than worry. Pessimism is invasive and corrosive. It can eat away at your spirit and swallow your hope. With so many things in our nation and world changing in ways that bring distress and even harm, it is understandable to be against that which disrupts or erodes. The danger is, we begin to view the world through a narrow lens. We focus on all those ideas, decisions and viewpoints that we object to—that we are against. We become defined by what we stand AGAINST. The better question is, “What do we stand FOR?” When we shine the spotlight on love, justice, compassion and equity the dark side of fear-based or authoritarian actions is more clearly seen. When we state what we are FOR it makes clear the reason why change is required of those things we find objectionable. When the frog is in the kettle and the heat is turned on it is vital that someone call attention to what has changed by reminding us that we all need cool water. If we don’t, everyone can get burned. PRAYER Dear Jesus who loves us, help us we pray. May we call out the turmoil and point to your Way. Amen. DEVOTION AUTHOR Rev. Dr. Gary G. Kindley Pastoral Psychotherapist drgk.org

READING  “When life implodes in loss, it takes with it the future we thought was ours. The future can feel like a bleak, black hole.” Lisa Appelo WORDS OF HOPE Why the disciples did not recognize the resurrected Jesus on the road to Emmaus is a salient question to wrestle with, and it can also offer insight into our own difficulty sensing the presence of the risen Christ in our lives today. To refresh the story: As two of the disciples are journeying from Jerusalem after Holy Week, they are discussing “all these things which have happened”—the traumatic events they have just witnessed (Luke 24: 14). They are joined by a “stranger” who asks what they are talking about as they walk along, but Luke says that “their eyes were kept” from recognizing him as Jesus (16). When they tell him what they are talking about, the gospel indicates their emotional state: “They stood still, looking sad (17).” As they continue, they invite the “stranger” to come and stay with them, since nightfall is near. They only discern Jesus’ identity—their eyes being opened-- as he shares the breaking of the bread with them. So what kept their eyes from seeing the resurrected Jesus? Certainly, one response might be that Jesus looked different after he was “changed from glory into glory.” However, in most of the artistic depictions of the narrative, Jesus is not imaged as all that different from the disciples—no halo, luminousness, or altered physicality. He is often dressed differently—in white mostly and sometimes with a headcovering/shawl on his shoulders, but many times not even that. For me, the story speaks subtly but powerfully about the nature of the intense grief and disorientation in which the disciples were living. The recent days of injustice and violence, denial and betrayal. The days of witnessing Jesus’ torture and death by the state. The death of their prophet, leader, companion and brother, the longed-for Messiah, the one in whom all their hopes lived. Now gone. Like an ocean wave, the intensity of grief knocks us off our feet, bringing us to our knees. It impacts not only our emotions—but our bodies and mind. Our immune system is often compromised. Sleep habits are disturbed. We may eat too much or too little, seek substances to dull the pain, isolate ourselves. Energy is depleted. But equally important are the effects on the brain, a condition now called “grief brain.” Mary Francis O’Conner, one of the chief experts on the subject, asserts that “grief is tied to all sorts of different brain functions we have, from being able to recall memories to taking the perspective of another person, to even things like regulating our heart rate and the experience of pain and suffering.” Another significant interpretive dimension to the story is the effects of witnessing the torture of a beloved one. Dr. J. Carey Jackson asserts that 30% of people who have experienced violence show symptoms of PTSD. And in remembering violence against themselves as opposed to violence against another, “it is not their own suffering that haunts their nightmares, but the faces of others being tortured that they grieve most and can’t shake.” One possible manifestation of this is Cleopas’ reactive response when “the stranger” asks for a recounting of the events. Are you the only one who doesn’t know what’s happened here, he snaps, as if to deflect having to describe the pain he saw. However, Jesus’ continued presence and holding the story of the disastrous events allows the expression of the disciples’ suffering, helping it move through them. After an unimaginable and catastrophic loss, the road to Emmaus may be our own road. Our resistances to taking it all in, to “seeing”it—is understandable in human terms and verified by neurological processes. Telling our stories, bearing witness to one another’s grief helps us heal in the long run. PRAYER Risen Christ, Hear the anguish of our losses and be our healing balm. Amen. DEVOTION AUTHOR Dr. Pat Saxon