Daily Devotions and Podcasts

SCRIPTURE  Acts 17. 5-7 But the Jewish religious leaders were jealous, and taking some wicked men of the rabble, they formed a mob, set the city in an uproar, and attacked the house of Jason, seeking to bring them out to the crowd. And when they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city authorities, shouting, “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also, and Jason has received them, and they are all acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus.” WORDS OF HOPE Whenever you meet someone new who has the same name as someone you admire, does an image of that earlier person immediately come to mind? The images are more vivid when the name is unusual and not a popular name from the Bible. We usually know several people by names such as Mary, John, Elizabeth, and David. In this narrative from Acts 17, we meet a person with an unusual Bible name: Jason. This was certainly not an unusual name in the first century world of the Apostle Paul, but it was inspired by a Greek hero, not heroic Hebrew names like Joseph or Miriam. Jason was famous as one of the first of the mythic Quest themes of Greek storytelling; the quest for the Golden Fleece. But the Jason of this Acts story was referred to by Paul as his "countryman" which meant fellow Jew, and he lived up to his Greek "hero’s quest " name through his actions on behalf of the early Christian culture. Jason was an early follower of "the Way" of Jesus, and he demonstrated his faith by providing shelter and protection for Paul and his companions in their travels and by suffering the torture and fines of the oppressive Roman Empire. He was a victim of a culture of state-religion rule, the law recognizing only Caesar as both Emperor and God. Jason's heroic defiance was reminiscent of his Greek namesake's unwavering faith to his deity, Hera, the Queen of the Mt. Olympus hierarchy. The Jason of Acts never lost his faith, both in this story and in other mentions within the letters of Paul. Early extra-biblical writings continued to follow his mission, as he underwent continued harassment and imprisonment by Rome, but finally ended his career heroically by becoming a powerful Bishop of the infant church. I ‘ve known several Jasons in my life and each of them has shared the same sort of goals and determination as their Greek and Hebrew examples. Though there is nothing magical about our names, a review of their origins can be a source of inspiration. We are usually named after admirable people. (I have never met a Jezabel or a Caligula!) My name, Daniel, means "God is my Judge.” It is both a reminder and a comfort. But even if our name of origin is not one we might especially like, we have the opportunity every day to make it one future generations will remember. PRAYER May our names, either by birth or ones we have chosen, forever honor you. Thank you for Jesus, the name we most admire, and whose Way we will always follow. Amen DEVOTION AUTHOR Dan Peeler Order of St. Francis and St. Clare

SCRIPTURE  Psalm 30:11 You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; you have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness. WORDS OF HOPE We are at the beginning of our Lenten journey, forty days during which our responsibility as Christians is to turn toward our God, leaving behind those things that hinder and distract us from our relationship with God. This is a season to undertake practices such as prayer, fasting, study, meditation, and denial of those things that separate us from God and our church. The reward for having kept a Holy Lent is receiving fully the joy of the Resurrection on Easter Sunday. Lent is often seen as a dark and depressing time in the church year. And yet, it is the season in which we are allowed, even encouraged, to be somewhat self-centered. It is the time for us to focus on our personal relationship with God. Lent is the time when we make right our hearts and minds so that we can continue faithfully to do the work of the church. The personal work that we must each undertake during these forty days can be difficult, but it also brings profound joy. What better thing is there for our spirit than the joy that comes from making right our relationship with the Holy One? The verse above from Psalm 30 describes what happens to us as we make our way through Lent. Sackcloth was a scratchy uncomfortable fabric made with either camel or goat hair. It was worn by those who were mourning or who were showing repentance before God. Though we don’t see people walking around in sackcloth, we do hear people talking about or even visibly wearing the misery of turning away from things they have “given up” for Lent. God will turn that discomfort into gladness. We may also mourn some things that we have to remove from our life because they compromise our relationship with God. Here too, our mourning of the loss of worldly things is turned into a joyful dance celebrating God as our dance partner. This brings to my mind the Shaker hymn, “The Lord of the Dance,” written by Sydney Carter in 1963. He bases this hymn on the older Shaker tune, “Simple Gifts,” written in 1848. Carter’s lyrics are Jesus’s version of “dancing through life.” Jesus dances in the joyful times, but he also dances through his darkest hours. He desires that we have the strength to do their same…with him as our dance partner. As today’s prayer, I share Sydney Carter’s lyrics. The words alone are powerful, but I encourage you to listen to the music…and to dance. PRAYER “Dance, then, wherever you may be, I am the Lord of the Dance,” said he. PRAYER I danced in the morning When the world was begun, And I danced in the moon And the stars and the sun, And I came down from heaven And I danced on the earth, At Bethlehem I had my birth. REFRAIN: Dance, then, wherever you may be, I am the Lord of the Dance, said he, And I'll lead you all, wherever you may be, And I'll lead you all in the Dance, said he I danced for the scribe And the pharisee, But they would not dance And they wouldn't follow me. I danced for the fishermen, For James and John They came with me And the Dance went on. REFRAIN I danced on the Sabbath And I cured the lame; The holy people Said it was a shame. They whipped and they stripped And they hung me on high, And they left me there On a Cross to die. REFRAIN I danced on a Friday When the sky turned black It's hard to dance With the devil on your back. They buried my body And they thought I'd gone, But I am the Dance, And I still go on. REFRAIN They cut me down And I leapt up high; I am the life That'll never, never die; I'll live in you If you'll live in me - I am the Lord Of the Dance, said he. YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8c3-GMOs10 DEVOTION AUTHOR Kris Baker Order of Saint Francis and Saint Clare