Wednesday May 15, 2024

SCRIPTURE  Isaiah 24:1-13 See, the Lord is going to lay waste to the earth and devastate it; he will ruin its face and scatter its inhabitants— it will be the same for priest as for people, for the master as for his servant, for the mistress as for her servant, for seller as for buyer, for borrower as for lender, for debtor as for creditor. The earth will be completely laid waste and totally plundered. The Lord has spoken this word. The earth dries up and withers, the world languishes and withers, the heavens languish with the earth. The earth is defiled by its people; they have disobeyed the laws, violated the statutes and broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore a curse consumes the earth; its people must bear their guilt. Therefore earth’s inhabitants are burned up, and very few are left. The new wine dries up and the vine withers; all the merrymakers groan. The joyful timbrels are stilled, the noise of the revelers has stopped, the joyful harp is silent. No longer do they drink wine with a song; the beer is bitter to its drinkers. The ruined city lies desolate; the entrance to every house is barred. In the streets they cry out for wine; all joy turns to gloom, all joyful sounds are banished from the earth. The city is left in ruins, its gate is battered to pieces. So will it be on the earth and among the nations, as when an olive tree is beaten, or as when gleanings are left after the grape harvest. WORDS OF HOPE We often turn to the Bible when we are in need of comfort, reassurance, and hope. The above passage from Chapter 24 of Isaiah offers none of those things. This passage tells of a God who is going to lay waste to the earth, scattering its inhabitants, and turning joy to gloom. This will be done because people have disobeyed the laws and they must bear the guilt. And, no human will be spared, regardless of their position in society. This is one of those passages that is intended to show us the duality of God…and the duality that we as Christians also should have…the balance between the active and the contemplative, the inward and the outward manifestations of our faith life. They reveal that God sometimes gets angry and we too may need to act through righteous anger at times. As a Franciscan, the words of the prayer inspired by St. Francis nourish and guide my daily contemplative life… Peace Prayer “Lord, make me an instrument of your peace, Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy; O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.” These words speak to the inward, the contemplative side, of our faith. St. Francis certainly had his times of inward reflection, but much of his lived faith was a also a very outward and active one. He preferred to be amongst the poor, the disenfranchised, the sick, the lonely, even the non-believers. So how do we pray about our active life of life? How do we pray about our righteous anger? I recently saw a prayer written in the style of the familiar prayer above that addresses the more active side of our faith, a “reverse” prayer of St. Francis, a prayer that calls for us to create disturbances in the name of God. These words are attributed to Rina Wintour and Pat Levercombe: Disturbance Prayer “Lord, make me a channel of disturbance. Where there is apathy, let me provoke. Where there is compliance, let me bring questioning. Where there is silence, let me be a voice. Where there is too much comfort and too little action, grant disruption. Where there are doors closed and hearts locked, grant me the willingness to listen. Where laws dictate and pain is overlooked… Where tradition speaks louder than need… When we refuse to take control of our spiritual growth… Our own mission… Our own poor… Disturb me, O Lord, Teach me to be radical. O Divine Master, Grant that I may seek to DO justice rather than talk about it, To be WITH as well as for the poor, To love the hard-to-love as well as the lovely, To kiss the children of the poor rather than the feet of the crucifix. For it is in giving that we receive. It is in walking-with that we truly understand. It is in challenging evil that we achieve justice. It is in the struggles of life that we touch eternity. Lord, make me a channel of disturbance.” God calls us sometimes to peace and calmness and at other times to dissatisfaction and even anger, to times of creating disturbances. These two sides to God are shown to us throughout Scripture. PRAYER Lord, grant me the wisdom to know when you need me to be a channel of peace and when you need me to be a channel of disturbance. 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  Philippians 4:11-13 I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation... I can do all this through him who gives me strength. WORDS OF HOPE From the movie of the same name, Melvin Udall, played brilliantly by Jack Nicholson, walks out of his therapy session visibly frustrated. He’s clearly agitated and doesn’t feel like the session helped him. The office is filled with other patients waiting for their turn. In his usual abrasive and socially awkward way and in a moment of cynical honesty, says: “What if this is as good as it gets?” In these frustrating times, we too might feel this raw expression of despair. No matter the effort, we fear that things might not improve. It’s an easy and frequent trap to fall into. I’ve had the privilege of escorting adolescents and young adults into impoverished places to help them see the face of Jesus in the eyes of the poor. Whether that’s soup kitchens in New York City, rural Oklahoma trailer parks after a tornado, or Central American slums in the aftermath of a hurricane, it’s always been my experience that if you want to expose young people to the person of Jesus, take them to the poor and marginalized. There is a fair amount of despair and heartache in those voices and behind those eyes. You can see and feel that despondency in the feeding ministries of Cathedral of Hope. But there is also a great deal of gratitude and gladness. From the family that invited teenagers into their United Nations temporary shelter in Honduras to serve them dinner and sing together to the Appalachian trio of brothers who told hysterical (and sometimes inappropriate!) stories to middle schoolers late into the evening, you find contentment and joy in the hearts of Christians who are in need. They do this because they resonate with the words of Paul in his letter to the church in Philippi: I can do all this through him who gives me strength. It’s easy to feel despondent and fearful right now. And for good reason. It’s heartbreaking to watch as those with so much now grab for so much more. It’s damning to see entire cultures of people being persecuted and harmed. It’s alarming to know that systems that once protected the vulnerable are being disassembled. Melvin Udall may have felt justified in his belief that nothing was going to change and in his sense of hopelessness. But Paul reminds us that whether we are in need or have plenty, whether circumstances are dire or favorable, we have the strength of Christ to carry us through and the promise of grace to carry on to another day. PRAYER Gracious God, we thank you for the beauty of creation, for the gift of life, and the love that surrounds us. In joy and in sorrow, in success and in failure, help us to see your hand at work and to give thanks always. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. DEVOTION AUTHOR Thomas Riggs

SCRIPTURE Luke 7.31-35 “To what then will I compare the people of this generation, and what are they like? They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another, ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we wailed, and you did not weep.’… Nevertheless, Wisdom is vindicated by all her children.” WORDS OF HOPE I spent many years of my life as a Minister for Children and as a teacher, conducting art museum children’s workshops and lectures. I have always admired a child’s freshness and eagerness to learn. Jesus famously reminded us that we must have the faith of a child in order to discover the central message of his teachings, but in this passage, he is challenging the people of his generation for being stubborn and childish. Is he contradicting his usual teaching? No, he praises being open and fresh as a child, but denounces adults who act childish, which is the dark side of being childlike. Childish people are never satisfied. They create their own specific rules without sharing them with others and are quick to condemn anyone they judge has having broken them. They refuse to listen, learn, or change and take much pleasure in name-calling, bullying, and ridiculing. They are impossible to please because all that brings them pleasure is criticizing those who can’t possibly live up to the standards that only they are qualified enough to follow. When they break their own standards, and they often do, they are experts at making excuses, including re-defining their own versions of the truth. They are prone to tantrums. It’s helpful to identify the specific group of childish people Jesus was addressing in this particular encounter. He wasn’t talking to a mixed crowd of average people on the street, nor was he condemning the usual list of thieves, women of questionable intensions, or corrupt government bureaucrats that were high on the first century’s list of undesirables. He was speaking to their religious leaders. This short narrative is a typical example of Jesus’ ministry. Throughout the Gospels, Jesus never wastes his time confronting or condemning admitted sinners, but a great deal of his time challenging people who are certain that they were not. Then as now, people who appoint themselves as models of doctrinal perfection inevitably fail miserably and assume the roles of those children on the marketplace, denouncing, ridiculing, and blaming everyone who will still pay them any attention. Jesus, however, does not leave his listeners hopeless. Regardless of the failings of certain self-serving groups, Jesus reflects on the Hebrew Scripture personification of Woman Wisdom, saying that overall, her children will eventually recognize and turn away from the failures of those toxic influencers. Jesus’ steadfast faith in a humankind created in God’s own image never faulters. PRAYER May we have the clarity of a child’s faith as Jesus beacons us to follow as adults the mind- cleansing path of Woman Wisdom. Amen. DEVOTION AUTHOR  Dan Peeler Order of St. Francis and St. Clare

SCRIPTURE  Luke 12:22-26 He said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food and the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! And which of you by worrying can add a single hour to your span of life? If then you are not able to do so small a thing as that, why do you worry about the rest? WORDS OF HOPE This passage has always been both one of my favorites and one of the most problematic in scripture. I love the reassurance Jesus gives us that we do not need to worry about tomorrow. However, I always wondered if it didn’t give some folks the impression that we can just sit around and God will provide if we do absolutely nothing. If read carefully, it becomes evident that Jesus is not saying “do nothing”. The ravens may not have a storehouse, but they still fly about searching for food. They don’t concern themselves with worrying about what comes after this life. They live in the moment and enjoy God’s grace and bounty. Perhaps that is Jesus’ message, to live in the moment, for today, and not try to store up our days trying to extend our lives or worrying about what will come after this life. As he says, “which of you by worrying can add a single hour to your span of life?” At some point we have to trust God and get on with living. PRAYER May we use our time here wisely and revel in the grace given us by God, and may we live our lives fully. DEVOTION AUTHOR Hardy Haberman