Monday - January 15, 2024

SCRIPTURE Job 38.12-13 Have you ever given orders to the morning, or shown the dawn its place, that it might take the earth by the edges and shake the wicked out of it? WORDS OF HOPE In the 38 th Chapter of the book of Job, after so much has happened, God finally speaks, not with easy answers, but with questions. “Have you commanded the morning since your days began?” God asks Job. “Have you entered the storehouses of light?” These are not questions meant to humiliate. They are questions meant to humble. They remind Job that the world is larger, deeper, and more mysterious than his suffering alone. And yet, something is striking in today’s passage. God speaks about dawn, about light breaking into darkness, about the edges of the earth being shaken awake. Even in the midst of pain, God points toward the possibility of a new day. Today is also the International Day of UN Peacekeepers, a day that honors those who stand in fragile places around the world trying to hold back chaos, violence, and despair. Peacekeepers are not perfect. Institutions are not perfect. But the work of peace itself remains sacred. To stand between violence and vulnerability is holy work. Job reminds us that we are not God. We cannot control the morning. But we can decide whether we will participate in the coming of the light. Every act of justice, every word of compassion, every refusal to surrender to cynicism becomes part of God’s dawn breaking into the world. Peace is not passive. It is built—sometimes painfully, sometimes imperfectly—by people willing to believe that another world is still possible. In a time when fear dominates headlines and cruelty is too often normalized, people of faith must resist the temptation to withdraw into silence or despair. The voice of God in Job calls us outward again: toward awe, toward humility, and toward responsibility. We may not command the morning. But we can help welcome it. PRAYER God of light and justice, when the world feels heavy with violence and division, remind us that dawn still comes. Give us courage to be makers of peace, protectors of dignity, and bearers of hope. Keep us from surrendering to despair or indifference. And where darkness seems strongest, help us trust that Your light is already breaking through. Amen. DEVOTION AUTHOR Rev Dr. Neil G Thomas Senior Pastor Cathedral of Hope United Church of Christ

SCRIPTURE  Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did it unto me. Matthew 25:40 WORDS OF HOPE Many a moon ago I was a faculty sponsor for our Human Rights group on campus. One year the student leadership decided to engage in an Amnesty International Write for Rights event. In the undertaking leading up to International Human Rights Day on December 10, the young women from our student body joined people from hundreds of countries writing millions of letters to “pressure governments to end torture, halt executions, and free individuals who have been unjustly detained.” (amnestyusa.org) As well, letters to the affected individuals were vessels of hope helping sustain them and their families in terribly dark times. The project was both educational and for some a first step into political activism. Today is the 65 th anniversary of Founders Day for Amnesty International. Begun by Peter Berenson, a labor lawyer in London, with a goal of freeing prisoners of conscience around the world, it has grown to over 10 million members from countries across the globe—from Afghanistan and Angola to Zambia and Zimbabwe. Among the high-water marks for the organization is having the Nobel Peace Prize conferred upon them in 1977. The Nobel committee commended the organization by saying that “the defense of human dignity against torture, violence, and degradation constitutes a very real contribution to the peace of this world.” Since 1977 the abolition of the death penalty has also been an important goal. When the work began, only 16 countries had ceased the practice, but today 113 countries have abolished it. A current campaign urges Gov. Gavin Newsome to commute all death sentences in California before his term is up. Disturbingly, there was a 78% surge in state sanctioned death in 2025, with 5 countries accounting for most of those, the United States being one. (The video link here gives an overview of the increase as well as some signs of hope. https://www.amnesty.org/en/what-we-do/death-penalty/ ) The scope and depth of the work of this organization is truly admirable, and even to list the causes on which members expend time and heart is too much for this short format. Some of the current campaigns supported in the US are stopping authoritarian practices in our country, protesting and turning back the mass deportation and detention machine, protecting student power from the crackdowns on free speech and peaceful protest, stopping genocide in Gaza, participating in Banned Books week, and advocating for women’s rights. In LGBT+ rights, Amnesty presses for decriminalization in the 60 countries that still have laws against homosexuality and advocates for full and equal access to health care and protections from discrimination in policing, housing, employment and all other areas. https://www.amnestyusa.org/issues/gender-sexuality/lgbtqi/ As I write I keep hearing the words of a favorite hymn: Having heard God’s pain at the plight of their people and the call for compassionate service, the faithful one replies: “Here I am, Lord. Is it I, Lord? I have heard you calling in the night. I will go, Lord, if you lead me. I will hold your people in my heart.” That is the response God asks for today and every day from us. May our heartful response be Yes. (“Here I Am, Lord” by Dan Schultz: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1W4gABkEGHA ) PRAYER God of all creation, We hear the pain and distress of so many people all over the planet today. May organizations like Amnesty International help us find outlets for fostering justice and peace. Bless the work of our hands and hearts this day. Amen. DEVOTION AUTHOR Dr. Pat Saxon

SCRIPTURE John 7:37–39 Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever trusts in me, as the scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them. WORDS OF HOPE World Otter Day There are moments when the sacred does not arrive through arguments, systems, or carefully managed theology, but through something far more alive—playful, slightly chaotic, and full of unexpected joy. World Otter Day feels like one of those moments, when creation itself seems to pause and remind us that holiness is not only found in seriousness or certainty, but also in laughter, splashing, and delight that refuses to be contained. Because sometimes the truest theology does not come as an explanation. It comes as laughter. As splashing. As otters sliding into rivers like joy itself decided to become visible—without permission, without apology, and without needing to prove anything at all. When I think of otters, I think of creatures moving through water as if they were made for joy itself—tumbling, floating, playing, holding hands so they do not drift apart. They do not seem driven by anxiety, control, or performance. They simply live—present, relational, and free in a way that feels like a quiet interruption to a world that constantly trains individuals to be guarded, hurried, and afraid. Creation keeps whispering another way. Whales sing across oceans like connection has no borders. Giraffes stretch into the sky like curiosity is built into existence. Birds cut through air like freedom refuses containment. Cats rest in sunbeams like peace is sacred… then suddenly sprint through the house at 3 a.m. like mystery itself just knocked on the door. And otters turn rivers into play, reminding us that joy is not extra—it is part of being alive. None of this looks like fear. It looks like an abundance. And it raises a deeper question that quietly unsettles and invites reflection: what if, instead of us being made in the image of God, we have sometimes tried to remake God in our image—shrinking the Divine into something shaped by fear, control, and the limits of what we can comfortably understand? Because when God is reduced that way, love becomes narrower, belonging becomes conditional, and individuals—especially those already pushed to the margins—are measured instead of welcomed. Difference becomes suspicion. Mercy becomes rationed. And fear begins to sound like wisdom. But creation refuses that smallness. We see galaxies beyond counting, oceans still more mysterious than space, and life overflowing with difference at every level. Nothing in the natural world suggests a God threatened by variety. Instead, everything suggests creativity without fear—an imagination too vast to be contained by any single category. That includes humanity. Across race, ethnicity, nationality, culture, language, ability, neurodiversity, gender, sexuality, identity, age, and class—every individual is part of that same overflowing creativity. LGBTQIA+ individuals are not outside divine imagination, but within it. Immigrants and refugees are not interruptions to compassion, but beloved neighbors carrying dignity, grief, memory, courage, and hope across borders that do not limit God’s care. Muslims, Jews, Christians, Hindus, Buddhists, Indigenous communities, seekers, doubters, and those with no label at all are not outside grace—the Sacred has never been confined to one language or one expression of truth. A God who creates without repetition is not threatened by difference. A God who says “it is good” does not revoke that goodness when life looks unfamiliar or diverse. It is good. It is good. It is very good. Not “if it fits.” Not “if it conforms.” No conditions. No exclusions. No fear attached. Just good. And very good. And when that truth is taken seriously, it begins to widen how we see everything. It widens how we see immigrants seeking safety and dignity, refugees rebuilding life after loss, LGBTQIA+ individuals living truthfully and beautifully, and every individual who has ever been told they are too much, too different, or not enough. It widens compassion, softens certainty, and challenges us to see that belonging was never meant to be conditional. It also calls us back to what God requires: to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly. Because repeatedly, the sacred story bends toward the widow, the orphan, the stranger, the excluded, the wounded, the prisoner, and those denied dignity. That is where God keeps showing up—not at the center of power, but at the edges where care is most needed. And it saddens me when Scripture is used as a weapon instead of a bridge—used to exclude immigrants, LGBTQIA+ individuals, or other faith communities rather than to expand love and justice. Because God is still speaking through many voices, many traditions, and through creation itself. Still speaking through prayer, through resistance, through compassion, through science, through art, through communities of care, and through individuals who refuse to let fear have the final word. So maybe World Otter Day is more than whimsy. Maybe it is a reminder that God is not tightening the world. God is widening it. Still creating. Still delighting. Still speaking. More life. More color. More love. PRAYER God of laughter and rivers, Thank You for creatures that remind us not to take ourselves too seriously. Thank You for otters, for joy, for play, for creativity, and for the holy freedom found in delight. Teach us to hold on to love, to rest without shame, to laugh without fear, and to live with wonder. When life feels heavy, remind us that creation still knows how to dance. Amen. DEVOTION AUTHOR Reed Kirkman

SCRIPTURE  Mark 7:7-8 These people make a big show of saying the right thing, but their heart isn’t in it. They act like they are worshiping me, but they don’t mean it. They just use me as a cover for teaching whatever suits their fancy, Ditching God’s command and taking up the latest fads. WORDS OF HOPE In a conversation with a friend the other day, I mentioned that I am having a hard time right now calling myself a Christian, not because I am having a crisis in my faith in Christ, but because the word “Christian” looks and sounds like so many different things right now. And if I may be honest, many of those expressions of Christianity are nothing like what the Jesus that I carry in my heart looks and sounds and feels like. When asked about my faith, I simply say that I am “a follower of Christ.” Those that are confused by this response and looking for something more concrete usually ask the follow-up question: “What church do you attend?” Often, my answer leaves them still wondering. In our conversation, my friend and I tried to unpack our feelings about the word “Christian.” At its core, faith is what nourishes our spirit; it is food for our soul. Christianity is like food. And with that, it all made sense to me. There is junk food and there is healthy food. That is the dichotomy that exists in Christianity today. Food that is less healthy often seems more appealing. The doughnut covered with brightly-colored sprinkles that catches our attention, the fast-food burger that is quick and easy, the plate of nachos at the local bar—all these things taste and feel good in the moment, but are they the best thing for our bodies long term? After indulging on junk food, there is no room left for a healthier meal. within the meaning of the act, we “ate.” It’s like saying, “I went to church.” The question is, were we fed? Reading and quoting the Bible, and even going to church, doesn’t feed your soul if you are not taking in nourishing “food” that can be digested and used to fuel the work of Jesus. The words of Jesus in the above passage from Mark, “These people make a big show of saying the right thing, but their heart isn’t in it” remind me of people who are hungry and are enticed by the sugary doughnuts because they are pretty and easy and taste good. They then exist on a short-lived sugar high, eventually leading to a crash and the hunger soon returning. “They just use me as a cover for teaching whatever suits their fancy,” The true work of being a follower of Christ requires feeding ourselves with “the leafy green veggies, the seeds and nuts, the fruits” of faith, things that nourish us deep down and sustain us for the long haul. This often means not taking the “fast food” route, the sweet route, the fun route. When we strive to live our faith fully and do the work that the gospels call us to do, it doesn’t always taste good, but at the end of the day, we are filled up with good things. PRAYER “ O Bread of Heaven exposed upon the altar, nourish my soul, strengthen my faith, and inflame my heart with divine love.” -Pope Leo XIV DEVOTION AUTHOR Kris Baker Order of Saint Francis and Saint Clare

READING "Not every sky will be blue and not every day is springtime. So, on this spiritual pathway a person must learn to find her kind of happiness (contentment) without a whole lot of nice things happening outside." -Depak Chopra WORDS OF HOPE On this Memorial Day, our reading is from the well-known New Age writer, Depak Chopra. We are reminded of what is only too obvious today. Not every day is filled with "blue sky" happiness. How can spiritually attuned persons find their own happiness in our present turbulent world? They must first learn to focus their "spiritual eyes" on the value of each interaction which they have with the world, interactions with other people and the environment. It is the first step on a path to peace. We live in a world of clashing messages which often lead to bitter disputes or physical conflict. Some days are so distressing that it seems like we're running over a path of broken glass. There is no stop to the painful stimulation. Where is a place of peace? Who can clear some of the glass shards and create a zone of peace... a place for healing? As a follower of Christ, you are that one! When Jesus sent his disciples to go into small Galilean villages, he instructed them to meet people with peace. In Luke 10:5, Jesus says: “Whenever you enter someone’s home, first say, ‘May God’s peace be on this house.’ It's important that as I am in contact with others, whether I’m in their home or not, that I am fully aware of that magnificent gift which I can bring to others. Jesus said, in John 14:27: "My peace I give to you." So, when you meet others, you can give them the blessing of holy peace. I use voice recognition software to jot down my thoughts or write devotions. As I dictate the word p-e-a-c-e, it usually writes p-i-e-c-e. That's a less than helpful software error. But it reminds me that when I enter into any interaction with someone, I can bring "peace" to them only if I carry a "piece" of Christ's loving presence into that action. PRAYER Lord Jesus Christ, may I always remember that your peace resides in my soul and in my spirit, so that I may say to those around me “my peace I give to you” by my presence alone. Amen DEVOTION AUTHOR  Donald (Luke) Day Order of St. Francis and St. Clare