Monday - January 15, 2024

READING  “For the beauty of the earth,/for the beauty of the skies,/for the love which from our birth/over and around us lies./Lord of all to thee we raise/this our hymn of grateful praise.” * Folliott S. Pierpoint WORDS OF HOPE OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD! comes easily to my heart and mind and lips in these early autumn days, as a mild cool front has swept through North Texas. In summer’s lingering heat, I yearn for my favorite time of the year when temperatures drop and I can leave both doors open and the breeze flows through the house. Walking out on the deck, I stretch out my arms in greeting and want to imprint everything I see and feel. Oh My God! ---the neighborhood deer, their path curving in front of the house, headed for their morning feeding of corn. The soft eyes of does, the velvet budding antlers of young bucks, the bold yearling who looks straight at me and begins to cross the road as if to connect, then, seeing Sage, suddenly stops and returns to the fold. Oh My God! ---a large male bald eagle soaring over the house, then perching high on a pine bough, regal, watchful over his domain….OH MY GOD! ---a hummingbird flying onto the deck near me, but not as close as Jill’s spirit-bird which brushed my cheek after she died. Oh my God. ---the water lapping at the edge of the lake, waves upon waves upon waves. ---obsidian black night sky with constellations beyond naming spread across an endless vista…. ---the Super Harvest Moon lingering in the morning sky tinted with dawn’s rose and bluish watercolor wash…Oh My God! ---the liquid, trusting eyes a loving dog who rolls over for a belly rub…. ---the sounds of silence. oh my God. ---at Hurricane Creek, the mystic place, morning’s soft light glints through oak and pine. The energy of holy presence draws forth tears, speaks to me in song of the goodness of God, reassures me that They are here, with me, in me, and will not leave me….Oh, my God, Oh, my God….The phrase softens into tears, and then no more words, only felt, oh my God…. *** I had meant for these images, these awe bursts, to be private, mine alone, but reconsidered. Given the level of moral injury we are exposed to every day in our culture, as Rabbi Tirzah Firestone asserts, we all need regular spiritual practices that are grounding, healing, and which return us to the source of light, goodness, love, and peace. So here’s one of my lists—born first of simple noticings, taking in anything which stirs and opens my heart in awe or moves me to tenderness or creates a rush of gratitude, “punctuated” by an exclamation of Oh My God! Or quieter, oh my God…. This morning I invite you to enter your own awe-burst experience. It will lift your heart and remind you that the earth is filled with the glory of God. PRAYER I give you thanks, O God, for all the ways your Grace meets us. Amen. DEVOTION AUTHOR Dr. Pat Saxon *link to a John Rutter version of the hymn https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlBkpAm3fhw

SCRIPTURE 1 Peter 5.10 And the God of all grace, who called you to eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. WORDS OF HOPE In the uncertainty of our times, Hope is what the world needs. We are losing so much, so fast. For some, it is their darkest days. Paradoxically, it is when things are at their darkest, when vision shows you a picture of something horrible, that somehow, the tinniest speck of light offers hope. There is one treasure in my mind that I esteem more than anything. It is a memory of a few years ago and begins in a time much like this, in chaos. In the summer of 2017 I was walking aimlessly down an unknown street in the middle of the night. I was looking for Jesus, but I had no idea of where to start. With only the moon and stars to guide me I walked for hours in unrecognizable neighborhoods. Some people might have considered me heartbroken, but it was more than that; I’m used to being broken. This was a boy looking for the light in a pitch-black maze. My faith was fighting harder than it ever had in looking for someone I knew very little about. “Go home,” it was a whisper. I submitted to the voice and I still remember feeling a strange peace the whole way home. I should have been lost, but I made it home exerting no more effort than it took to walk. After my long walk I went to sleep and had a dream that I have thought about every day since that night. Jesus was waiting for me in a beautiful garden sitting on a rock. There were flowers every one or two feet apart from each other in various colors ranging from lavender to tangerine. I walked through these flowers to the loveliest tender loving person wearing a robe of pure white. As I got close to Him, I could actually feel His love, not just for me, but for everyone. That, in and of itself, was the greatest gift I ever remember receiving. In that love, was the hope that I had with all my heart been searching for. This love did not care about our religion, face, or shame. This love was the reason; my reason, and my hope. When I looked at His face I plainly did not understand. In a single moment, His face had the appearance of everyone and anyone you could ever imagine wearing a modest half-smile. If you want to see hope, then look in the mirror and smile, because to me, Jesus looks like you. PRAYER Oh, Creator God, Holiest of Holies, your majesty cannot be put into words. Guide these hearts that gather close to You today. Let us find hope when all seems lost. Let us remember that our precious hope is inside all of Your children who were made in Your likeness. Let us remember that our hope is Your love. Amen. DEVOTION AUTHOR Jonathon McClellan Order of St. Francis and St. Clare

SCRIPTURE James 5:7-8 Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. WORDS OF HOPE The other day I was having a conversation with a friend about the fact that they were feeling let down, betrayed, abandoned by God right now. These thoughts stemmed from some things that were perceived as being unfair in their personal life and general unhappiness with a God that would allow our world to be so filled with cruelty and hatred. Though I certainly understand the place from which my friend was coming and on the surface share these same curiosities about how God is currently moving in the world right now, my response to this person was to say that I do believe that God is working for our good, that God dislikes the ways of God’s pople even less than we do right now, and that I do firmly believe that God will sort all of these things out in divine time. That in the end, those who can be patient and stand firm in their faith will “inherit the world.” My friend responded almost instantly with, “I don’t have that kind of patience.” The voices in my head seemed a little confused by the words I spoke. I am an idealist and idealists are not known for our patience. The words, “God will sort all these things out in divine time” came from my mouth in that moment, but they were not my words. Generally, I am not a fan of things happening in God’s time. I don’t have that kind of patience! These words were God’s words spoken both to me and through me. Later that evening in my own quiet meditation, this scene from earlier in the day kept running through my head. I came to the realization that the kind of patience that I was talking about is the kind that is enveloped in hopeful expectation, not immediate gratification, and is a mark of a deep faith. The willingness to accept that God is in control, to trust God’s process and timing and, the hardest part, to be grateful for the journey, is to stand like the farmer and wait for the land to yield its valuable crop. All that said, my patience and my faith ebb and flow sometimes hour by hour. There are many moments where I feel defeated and alone; then, these feelings are countered by moments like I had when talking to my friend, moments where I feel strong, empowered, resilient, and like I can persevere, endure, and hold fast to my faith long enough to see this mess to its end, believing without a doubt that God will take care of me. I also believe that God will take care of you. “I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart. and wait for the Lord.” ( from Psalm 27) PRAYER Patient God, Lord, please help me to live with patience as I wait on your divine timing. Remind me that in doing so, my faith grows stronger and my heart grows closer to you. May your spirit continue to work in me so that through this patience I may be a reflection of the peace, love, and understanding that you desire for all of your people. Amen DEVOTION AUTHOR Kris Baker Order of St. Francis and St, Clare

SCRIPTURE Psalm 119:105 O God, "Your word is a lantern to my feet and a light upon my path."  WORDS OF HOPE Today's reading leads us to evaluate how we walk with God in our daily lives. We must seek God's "word" to find our life's path in harmony with the divine desire for our life. Fortunately, God has not hidden these desired principles in some dark and obscure corner of reality. This verse tells us that we have been provided a searchlight to successfully find them... "a lantern for my feet and light upon my path". If you've ever been surrounded by the profound darkness of a moonless night while camping in the woods, you know the value that a lantern can be for your walk to the outdoor privy. It doesn't illuminate the whole scene in front of you, but it shines enough light on your feet that you don't trip on something and fall down. It will guide you through the little, moment-by-moment steps of life. This verse continues and tells us that the word (desires) of God will light up our whole path throughout life, not just step-by-step, but the whole trajectory of our life. Divine wisdom and teaching will be like airport landing lights which are seen at a distance and lead us straight ahead. Psalm 119: 111 tells us: O God, "your decrees are my inheritance forever; truly, they are the joy of my heart." The God-given principles for a life in harmony with divine desire are a gift to the Christian, just like an inheritance in the life of a family's heir. These divine instructions become a treasure to guide a healthy and contented life of inner peace and joy. By following this guidance, an individual can live in harmony with God today, through all future tomorrow's and into an eternal presence with the Divine One. However, like a family inheritance, the Christian can't pick and choose among the gifts (divine principles) of the inheritance and still expect to live in peaceful harmony with God. In life, walking with God means walking in step with God! PRAYER Lord God, may your Spirit teach me to develop a more vibrant spiritual life which is surrendered to you. And may I walk hand-in-hand with you this day. Amen. DEVOTION AUTHOR Donald (Luke) Day

SCRIPTURE 2 Timothy 2. 22-25 So, flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting all opponents with gentleness. WORDS OF HOPE Feeling any youthful passions lately? Before images of The Blue Lagoon come to mind, the author of the pastoral letter addressed to Timothy was probably not writing about teenage love in a 1980 movie. Sometimes attributed to the Apostle Paul, 2 Timothy’s wise teacher is more likely using “youthful” in the context of “immature.” Regardless of our chronological ages, none of us is immune to immature behavior occasionally. This is true of myself anyway, because immature behavior is usually born of anger, and we live in a time when anger, outrage, and disgust are not strangers. That is the best reason to always have today’s Scripture’s brief words of advice on call in our cellphone notes, or even better, in our memories. We live in a Nation when politics and religion are frequently discussed, sometimes combined into one package, and anyone with definite viewpoints about either is usually labeled an extremist. It’s an atmosphere that “breeds quarrels” where opponents are immediately labeled pure evil and facts are often of no consequence, producing those “foolish, ignorant controversies” Timothy is warned to avoid. As much as most of us, and I am one, would prefer to completely avoid such confrontations, our commitment to the faith, love, and peace of Jesus should and must be voiced. But that is the point at which those “youthful passions” must be left behind in favor of an internal prayer prior to speaking: PRAYER Lord, remind me that I am your servant. Before I speak I. must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, and correcting my opponents with gentleness. Amen. DEVOTION AUTHOR Dan Peeler Order of St. Francis and St. Clare