Daily Devotions and Podcasts

SCRIPTURE  1 Peter 4:1-2, 8 Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin. As a result, they do not live the rest of their earthly lives for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God… Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. WORDS OF HOPE Peter originally wrote this letter to believers facing persecution, a scenario that’s still so relatable for many of us. He essentially tells us that experiencing hardships in life means we’re doing it right. It echoes what Jesus said in John 16:33: “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” These biblical messages are refreshing because they are the direct opposite of the world’s messages, which often prioritize ease and comfort over struggle. I encourage you to take a moment and reflect on the words of Peter and Jesus. Really let them sink in. How do they make you feel in your body? For me, they feel like tension releasing from my shoulders and jaw. Like remembering to stop holding my breath. Tomorrow, I’ll find out if I’m one of the thousands of people who will be laid off at my company. The reasons are intentionally vague, and algorithms will likely make the final decisions. This world of “evil human desires” often reduces our humanity to expendable names and numbers on spreadsheets. I could wallow in anger or discouragement, but I choose to focus on how this experience can bring me closer to “the will of God.” If you’re facing similar hardships, my heart is with you. Please remember to be kind to yourself and to the people in your life. Framing love as an action verb that we constantly return to is our greatest strength and will always produce the most meaningful rewards. PRAYER Lord, thank you for calling me to love. Please help me anchor to Your love, especially in times of suffering. Work through me to extend lovingkindness to every person in my life. Amen. DEVOTION AUTHOR Logan Alexander Johnson

SCRIPTURE  Luke 4:18-19 The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because God has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. God has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. READING If the poor, the women and the dispossessed sat at the tables where theological decisions are made, there would be a different set of sins. -Sister Joan Chittister WORDS OF HOPE At the very beginning of his ministry, Jesus is in the synagogue, and the scroll of the Prophet Isaiah is handed to him. He finds the place where the prophet proclaims that the spirit anoints him to proclaim good news to the poor, to set prisoners free, to give sight to the blind, and to set the oppressed free. Jesus then shocks the room by saying “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing”. In that declaration, Jesus frames his ministry not in power, but those who are excluded from power. Sin is reframed not as a personal failure, but as neglect or harm toward the vulnerable. Jesus proclaims that the marginalized define faithfulness and even religious decision-making spaces are critiqued when they exclude or diminished the disregarded. If that quote from Sister Joan Chittister smacks you between the eyes, perhaps we can reconsider who sits at the table when we name sin and discern what is right. Too often, those conversations happen among the comfortable, the secure, and the well-resourced. Yet Scripture consistently shows that God’s perspective emerges most clearly from the margins. When those who struggle—the poor, women, and the dispossessed—are absent, our vision narrows. We begin to call acceptable what harms, and overlook what truly breaks God’s heart. What would happen if the guests at BACH or iCARE were at the table of deciding what is sin and harmful? How would our churches be different if black and brown and native peoples were to speak truth in seminaries and Sunday School classrooms? And would we listen and adapt, or would we have our feelings hurt or comment about their tone? Are the voices of women being seriously considered or are they asked to be ‘patient’ and not make anyone uncomfortable? What about trans children whose medical care is being denied? Can those who speak in Central American Spanish or Haitian pull up a chair? The invitation here is not merely to listen, but to make space, to shift perspective, and, in so doing, to be transformed. And can we hear that summons honestly, even though it can hurt or sound harsh? For when those long silenced are finally heard, we may discover that God has been speaking through them all along—and that the path toward justice begins by pulling up more chairs. PRAYER God of good news, open our ears to hear your voice in those long silenced, and widen our tables to reflect your justice and mercy. Transform our hearts, that we may name sin truthfully, stand with the vulnerable, and follow you in liberating love. DEVOTION AUTHOR Thomas Riggs