Friday - August 11, 2023

SCRIPTURE  Esther 4.14 For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” WORDS OF HOPE In such a time as this, could you use another holiday about now? I’m sure Queen Esther, the recipient of the message in today’s reading, would have welcomed a celebration and a little time off from the daily turmoil that was her life. Her older cousin Mordecai had spoken these fateful words to the young queen, reminding her that she was the single person with the ability to save her entire nation as they faced annihilation at the hands of the ultimate minions of evil. Most of us know the story of Esther and realize that she did accomplish the impossible and the descendants of her people still celebrate her victory in a yearly holiday celebration called Purim. Esther herself was never to know the extent of her victory that future generations would commemorate. She just did what was right at exactly the right time. Each generation has the opportunity, or even duty, to make a difference in their unique time in history. As we witness the serious threats to our Republic perpetrated by elected leaders who swore to preserve it, we each know in our hearts that such a time as this requires our full attention to do what is right as peaceful, but unyielding followers of God’s initiative. The Book of Esther is the only Book of the Bible to make no mention of God, prayer, or a spiritual agenda. Esther knew who she was and had the courage to aggressively do the work of God for others rather than sit down and expect a miracle. If we want peace on our planet, we must be the peace, pursue the peace, and teach the peace. We must become a nation of Esthers. Most of us have already made that commitment as we endeavor to live the life Jesus himself lived. If not yet how about today? It’s May Day, a holiday much of the world still observes as they welcome a new season into their lives. It may not be Purim, but wouldn’t it be comforting to know that future generations could indeed look back on our lives and set aside holidays to remember the people of peace who changed their history? PRAYER Here we are, Lord. You have shown us the way of peace. May we be your way for such a time as this. Amen DEVOTION AUTHOR Dan Peeler Order of St. Francis and St. Clare

SCRIPTURE Psalm 62. 1-2 Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him. Truly God is my rock and my salvation; God is my fortress, I will never be shaken. WORDS OF HOPE Our Firm Foundation "How firm a foundation, you saints of the Lord, is laid for your faith in God's excellent word. What more can be said than what God has said, to you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?" This is a quotation from the hymn Our Firm Foundation with words taken from the Rippon Selection of Hymns 1787. Did you ever ask yourself, “What is my foundation?” Can you with assurance say: "God alone is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold, so that I will not be greatly shaken” [or filled with stress and fear]? In today’s atmosphere of uncertainty or fear, the quest for a true foundation in our lives can be overwhelming to all of us. Can we find true foundations in our political leaders, in news sources we trust, or in the endless discussions of friends, family, or mostly strangers on social media? Or, is our actual foundation where it has been all along, waiting patiently, and just a prayer away? For many centuries, the practice of silent prayer has been the principle source for the saints of old to eliminate the cacophony of the world and hear that still small voice of our true foundation, our assurance of comfort. We don’t have to be a Saint of old to hear it, or even better, to feel it. Find a place today, or tonight before bedtime, where you can take a few moments for a time of silence. Here’s a prayer that I often repeat; one that works for me: “I wait for you alone, my God; my hope is in you. You alone are my rock of assurance and safety; I will put my trust in You always, pouring out my heart's concerns to You, my refuge.” God is known for the steadfast love as stated in the Psalm of today’s reading. God is our sure foundation as we journey through this time of distress and uncertainty. Today’s news can be overwhelming to all of us. But these are the best of times to press together the palms of our hands and remember: "God is sovereign, and God is our firm support!" PRAYER Only you, Lord, can focus my heart to be present to you. In the multiplicity of things and distractions of my mind and every day's routine, the one necessity, the one place where my heart can rest is you. May your Spirit help me in my weakness and my distress. May the gift of your presence and comfort speak to my soul.* Amen DEVOTION AUTHOR Donald (Luke) Day Order of St. Francis and St. Clare *modified from the words of Karl Rahner

SCRIPTURE  James 5: 1-6 Come now, you rich people, weep and wail for the miseries that are coming to you. Your riches have rotted, and your clothes are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver have rusted, and their rust will be evidence against you, and it will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure for the last days. Listen! The wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. You have lived on the earth in luxury and in pleasure; you have fattened your hearts on a day of slaughter. You have condemned and murdered the righteous one, who does not resist you. WORDS OF HOPE Sometimes we overlook or fail to appreciate things because we are so used to them. We don’t even think about them. Sometimes these are big things. I suspect, unless there is some unusual sound, most of us ignore the flyover of planes. But I suspect most of these things that we fail to notice are the small things. And sometimes it is the smallest things that make the biggest changes. One of my favorite little-known holidays is Punctuation Day. A day to celebrate those small marks that we are so used to and that our English teachers so often got onto us about. We don’t even think about them as we read most of the time. I was curious about the origin of punctuation and found some things that were kind of interesting; at least to me. While the ancient Greeks had some marks in their writings that were meant to help auditors as they read, it was not until almost the seventh century CE that punctuation was really used. Isidore of Seville introduced the comma the period and the colon. Prior to this no punctuation was used. One of my favorite teachers in college said that often times Romans didn’t even use spaces between words. Needless to say uppercase letters versus lowercase letters were nonexistent. Soimaginereadingsomethingwrittenlikethis When I read this, it made me think about the people who first wrote, and who first read the gospels and other Christian writings. Most of these things were not available in written form to the general public until the invention of the printing press in the 1400’s. Someone educated who had access to these writings would have to read them out loud to everyone. And because the writings were so valuable, they were kept in a place that was considered safe. People did not have the kind of leisure we have today; one of those small things we sometimes fail to think about. Nor did they have the education or reading materials we have. You worked from the sunup to sundown; usually at some form of manual labor. You maybe had a candle or oil lamp that you could use after dark but probably did not stay up that late. So, you got your gospel on Sundays in church from someone there; a priest who had been educated enough to read from the gospels and write a passage assigned by the church. This was often done in a way that within a specific time span, specific parts of the Bible would be read. So often we take for granted the simple things that make life easier. Punctuation, so simple and like so many things so obvious, makes communication clearer. Yet we do not stop to think about what it does and how much we rely on it. It is frequently this way with God’s creation. We see bugs; small animals. We often kill or chase them away. We fail to stop and think what the world would be like without these little miracles cleaning up our refuse. We worry about our own comfort without thought to the circle of life and death that is part of our universe. We give God thanks for the big things of life but often forget to thank God for the system of existence that is Creation. PRAYER Great and loving Creator, gives us pause to see all parts of your Creation and to appreciate those little things which keep that Creation in order. Remind us that the dominion which we have means care not just mastery. Amen. DEVOTION AUTHOR Weber Baker Order of Saint Francis and Saint Clare

SCRIPTURE  Philippians 1:6 And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. WORDS OF HOPE My granddaughter is really into the natural world. Whenever she visits, we always explore my backyard for specimens: snail shells, interesting rocks, cicada “shells”, etc. So, it came as no surprise when a beginner rock tumbler set appeared on her Christmas wish list last year. Grandpa obliged and it appeared under the tree on Christmas morning. Upon opening she immediately wanted to try it out with the sample rocks included. (no delayed gratification at 7 years old!) While Anna and I set it up, her mother read the instructions: “For step one, add grit and water, tumble for 4-5 days.” DAYS!?!?!? I thought it only took a few hours! Then, after step one there are steps 2, 3, and 4 till the rock is completely smoothed and polished. Driving home that evening it occurred to me that our lives in God are very much like the rocks in a tumbler. So often we think God can just shape, smooth and polish us overnight, or at least in a day or two. The reality is that it takes a lifetime of “tumbles,” various types of “grit” and the water of God’s spirit to make the transformation. So, take heart! We are all in process! God is polishing our lives into the beautiful gems we were created to be. It just takes time. PRAYER Dear God, thank you for the good work you’re doing in me. May I trust your hand in all the tumbling and gritty moments of my life. Amen DEVOTION AUTHOR Les Geiter

SCRIPTURE Philippians 4:19, MSG You can be sure that God will take care of everything you need, God’s generosity exceeding even yours in the glory that pours from Jesus. WORDS OF HOPE God My Provider A person will work their whole life getting richer, and by the end of their life, never know what it was to be rich. Why spend years for what you will only enjoy for days? So long as we have time, we have wealth, for a person’s happiness is in how they remember their time. Seeing as no one knows how much time they have, can anyone afford to waste it? We lack time more than we lack money. The one who has little is not poor and the one who has much is not rich, but the one who finds happiness is satisfied. There are people living in mansions who cannot buy happiness and there are people living in clay houses who would never sell it. If you can count it, if you can measure it, then its value is limited. Happiness can neither be counted nor measured; by this, we know that it is priceless. Therefore, do not waste your wealth, that is, your time, on trying to be wealthy. For once the money is spent, you will need more. Many people never enjoy peace because they think that they do not have enough money. They forget that its very purpose is to be spent, and if not spent by them, then by someone else after they are gone. No one keeps their money. Life does not begin when you have it, but when you wake up and begin your day. At the start of the day, we are gifted with time. How will we spend it? God has already considered everything that we need so that we may have peace in the world. Be at rest, for God will provide. PRAYER Jehovah Jireh, Bless You for the gift of life. We could never pay You back for the time You have given us. Yet sometimes, we fear not having enough. Help us to appreciate what we already have in You so that we may enjoy our time. Amen. DEVOTION AUTHOR Jonathon McClellan Order of St. Francis and St. Clare