Scripture

Proverbs 20.5

The purposes of a person’s heart are deep waters, but one who has insight draws them out.

Words of Hope

It’s a New Year and there’s no telling what life-sustaining things are happening within us at any given time. Our bodies are designed to heal themselves, sustain themselves, and do all sorts of wondrous things automatically. I’m not sure if that has to do with the work of the soul.  A good friend of mine and I were having a conversation about this. We were speculating on what “kicks in” when we are on life support in the hospital; assisted breathing, intravenous nutrition… what happens within us that pulls us through?

In the less traumatic routines of our daily lives, is it about our own personal willpower or just a combination of chemicals working together that allow us to feel up, down, motivated, or on some days, unmotivated? Our conversation continued. We didn’t have any specific answers, but we landed on something that is vitally important to most of us. It’s not just waking up and pouring ourselves a cup of ambition, as Dolly Parton tells us in her 9-5 song. It is something both simple and complex.

It’s like craving something hot and cold at the same time; like a bowl of ice cream and hot fudge sauce. This one is just as sweet to me… It’s called purpose, those deep waters that the writer of the Book of Proverbs talks about.

I find that I have been led by this principal for most of my life without even realizing it. Oh, I admit I have had my days when I didn’t want to get out of bed; plenty of those days when I had sadness and loss. Thankfully, on my best days, I enjoy making to-do lists of the things I need and want to accomplish. The list-making itself is inspirational, but I also dream a little bit about certain things that inspire me when the rest of the stuff is finished. I’ll admit I can drive myself crazy with those lists, but since I was very young, I discovered that making lists of things I enjoy motivates me. I would make a list of favorite words, cartoon characters, my comic book collection, favorite movies, and so on. I was defining my future without knowing it. It was creating purpose.

I have never stopped making lists. It is all in a day’s work to check off a list of accomplishments at the end of the day, which seems to lighten my load in a way. When part of the list includes scheduling times of prayer, reaching out to friends, helping someone in need, or spending extra time with my cat since he enjoys that time so much, I always discover hints about my true purpose.

What is your purpose? In five minutes, how many things can you list that you’ve accomplished or observed today? I bet you’ll find it to be very surprising, even in the first couple hours of the day, including the details that distract us, all of it can become part of our list. While reading this, have you started your list? Have you discovered a hint about your purpose, your goals and aspirations?

Prayer

Inspiring God, we know our purpose in your plan isn’t to make lists but as we do, may we discover what your purpose is for us today. That is the one purpose all of us should have in common. Amen

Devotion Author

Charlie C. Rose
Order of St. Francis and St. Clare

Scripture

John 8.1-11

Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.”

Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.

At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”

“No one, sir,” she said.

“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

Words of Hope

After reading or hearing this daily thought from Scripture, may we take time to be quiet with it and let God’s Spirit talk to us about what we have learned. It gives us an opportunity to walk along with Jesus and draw from that experience valuable lessons which apply to our daily lives. I suggest that you take your Bible and read each event in order to sense more deeply the experience of your encounter with Jesus.

This narrative from the gospel of John gives us an opportunity to learn about meeting and accepting others as God values them. In this passage, Jesus was teaching some followers in the Temple when the scribes brought before him a woman whom they claimed was caught in the act of adultery. They hoped to trick and condemn Jesus if he did not agree to stone her to death. But Jesus turned the question of personal sin on to them when he told those pious men in attendance: “Who among you has not sinned?”

The accusers were forced to withdraw in defeat. But how would the sinless Jesus encounter this woman? Finally, only Jesus and the accused woman were present when he told her: “Neither do I condemn you. Go your way and from now on sin no more.” Jesus offered this woman the divine forgiving embrace. Rather than a judgmental rejection of her, he offered forgiveness and a better chance to live as God wishes.

It is so easy for us to immediately adopt a posture of judgment or condemnation of others, especially those about whom we know little. However, that is not how God meets us in our imperfect lives. We should love others as we have experienced God’s love, and that love is a divine love of acceptance and help.

Prayer

Today, as we encounter others, help us to open our hearts to God’s forgiving love and let that inspire our words and actions as we interact with them. May we become the all-understanding and loving heart of God to the other person. Amen

Devotion Author

Donald (Luke) Day
Order of St. Francis and St. Clare

Scripture

John 1 : 1-9

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.

Words of Hope

It all starts with words. Not a bang or a miracle but words.

I suspect the author of John understood that the words we use to try to define our experience with the divine are the beginning of understanding and enlightenment.

This passage reminds me how important our words are. If words can bring about enlightenment, they can also do great harm. Choosing our words wisely seems like a good idea.

Recently, I had a friend who identifies as gender non-binary, express their frustration with the way their birth-family spoke with them at Thanksgiving. Their parents constantly misgendered and often “dead named” them. I offered my sympathy knowing how difficult that must have been for them, especially during the holidays when families are together.

They were relieved when they returned to their family-of-choice, people who knew them intimately and honored their gender identity. For them, their creation story started with words. The words they used to identify themself were the beginning of their new self, one that was much more aligned to who they felt they were.

Prayer

May we remember that our words have power. The power to create and to destroy. Knowing that, we should use them carefully. May we remember the words of John as well, who came as a witness to the light of the world.

Amen

Author

Hardy Haberman

Scripture

Isaiah 1. 5-6

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another:

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty;
    the whole earth is full of his glory.”

At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.

Words of Hope

Today is Trivia Day and in most traditions it’s the 11^th Day of Christmas, which to many people is also a trivial fact. To clarify matters, it is the day of eleven pipers piping. The eleven pipers are symbols of the eleven faithful disciples who remained with Jesus after Judas’ departure. The 12 Days of Christmas song was put together a few hundred years ago, probably as a memorization aid to children reviewing facts for their confirmation. Many people today consider it little more than an annoying seasonal song since they’re not reviewing for anything.

Another reason it is not in the top 40 of Christmas favorites is that it just doesn’t contain enough special effects. People expect to hear about thousands of angels crowding the sky to declare a miraculous birth, or wealthy magi being guided by a mysterious star to discover the Holy Family in the unlikely location of a humble stable. If the subjects of these songs are not amazing enough, there are always the alternative ones about an omnipresent deliverer of toys in a sled pulled by flying reindeer led by one with a glowing red nose; much more exciting than 11 earthbound pipers.

In today’s Lectionary reading, the Prophet Isaiah shows us how to really grab the audience’s attention with six-winged super angels called seraphim singing their praise until the Holy temple trembled on its foundations and filled with smoke. That’s entertainment. I love Bible passages like this one filled of a Marvel-load of special effects. Luke and Matthew learned their lessons well from the ancient Prophet as they emphasized all that was breathtaking about the birth of the Redeemer of all of humankind.

I have a good idea that’s why most people are ready to call it a wrap after the last wrapping has been torn off the gifts under the tree, but the tradition of observing the 12 Days of Christmas reminds us that one day is not enough to celebrate the profound world-changing impact of the coming of the Christ. Any good Marvel comic movie fan can tell us the story doesn’t stop because the credits have begun to roll. The preview after that fade to black lets us know that the best is yet to come. The joy of the living Christ among us can’t be limited to his birthday. Three hundred and sixty-five Days of Christmas would be much more appropriate.

Prayer

May we heed the words of Charles Dickens at the conclusion of A Christmas Carol: “and it was always said of [Scrooge], that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any one alive possessed the knowledge. May that be truly said of us, and all of us!…God bless us every one. Amen

Devotion Author

Dan Peeler
Order of St. Francis and St. Clare

Scripture

Hebrews 12.14

Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.

Words of Hope

Peace Between Us; a Thought for the New Year

Elementary school was my first exposure to cliques. Early on I realized that people tend to form groups among those who are similar to themselves. This homogenization, however, is not limited to the playground. We form church groups, political groups, social groups, and stay in these kinds of groups for our entire lives. In and of itself, a group of like-minded individuals seems rather appealing, connecting with people who can understand you as opposed to interacting with people who do not. It is not clear as to when humanity first started doing this, other species do the same, and the existence of our nations depends on a group of people who share a common place of origin.

The problem that arises is when these groups engage in tribalism. It is when people lose the ability to identify themselves as individuals and instead have their identities dependent upon the ways of their tribe or group. When we live surrounded by uniqueness and diversity but lose the ability to befriend someone outside of our own groups, we leave ourselves vulnerable to the inevitability of tribal warfare. On the macro-scale we have marked the crumbling of nations through domestic conflicts often referred to as civil wars. However, on the micro-scale, we have observed prejudice or unnecessary aversions to other groups or individuals whose uniqueness makes us uncomfortable.

If our earliest social experiences are of homogenizing in the cafeteria, and the only thing we learn about how to be social is to stay with our own kind, then the cafeteria will become the macrocosm of how we socialize. When I was in school, the tables in the cafeteria were divided: blacks with blacks, whites with whites, same color, geeks with geeks, jocks with jocks, the popular kids, and the outcasts. Unfortunately, as an adult, not much has changed. Even our own government is gridlocked by opposing political factions. There is nothing wrong with being part of a team, but it would be better if we were on the same team.

Prayer

Holy Spirit,

Constantly, we are divided. There is so much strife between those who cannot see eye to eye, and so little of an attempt being made to understand one another. Help us to see each other as people worthy of love and respect regardless of our differences. Tear down the walls surrounding our hearts so that we can love one another without the fear of rejection. Bless You Spirit, for we know that it is Your desire that there would be peace among us. Amen.

Devotion Author

Jonathon McClellan
Order of St. Francis and St. Clare