Thursday - February 27, 2025

SCRIPTURE Luke 17:3-4 So, watch yourselves. “If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them. Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying ‘I repent,’ you must forgive them.” WORDS OF HOPE Carpe Diem! Seize the day! We’ve all heard this phrase many times, I suspect. It’s offered to encourage us to make the most of the present day, to not get bogged down in regrets about the past or fears about the future. The phrase carpe diem as it is understood today is thought to have been taken from a line in one of Horace’s Odes, dating from 23 BCE. The complete line is “carpe diem quam minimum credula postero,” which translates as “pluck the day trusting as little as possible in the next one.” It is interesting to me that we have shortened Horace’s sentiment by dismissing the part about trusting as little as possible that there will be a tomorrow. I don’t think that these words are meant to instill fear or anxiety, but rather to remind us that we must live in the now and be fully present to that living. As Jesus says to the disciples in the above passage, “If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them.” The sin is in the past; forgiveness is in the present. Forgive now as you may not have that opportunity tomorrow. When times are good, “seizing the day” is an easy and enjoyable thing. But what about on the hard days? The bad days? The ugly days? The days when it feels like we are the ones being seized by life itself? As difficult as it sounds, these are probably the times when we need to fervently seize the day. On the evening of April 3, 1968, Martin Luther King, Jr. was scheduled to lead the Memphis sanitation workers, who were striking over poor wages and working conditions, in a prayer service and rally. As the evening approached he was physically and mentally exhausted. King asked a close friend, Ralph Abernathy, to address the people for him so that he could stay at the hotel and rest . When Abernathy took the podium by himself, mayhem ensued in the crowd, prompting him to contact King and ask him to please come. Martin Luther King came and addressed the crowd, speaking for over forty minutes. This would be his final speech as he was assassinated the next day on the balcony of the very hotel room where he had hoped to rest on this night. What would Martin Luther King, Jr. have missed if he had not taken the podium that night? What would the world have missed if he had not seized that day, April 3, 1968? Much like Jesus in his final days, King knew his days were numbered. Taking the podium on that night gave him the opportunity to bid farewell to the nation, though the Memphis sanitation workers and the nation were unaware that this was the case. Carpe diem quam minimum credula postero. Pluck the day trusting as little as possible in the next one…even when this is hard to do. PRAYER Loving God, even when my day is hard and my prayer seems only for a better tomorrow, help me to seize this day and make it the best that I can. Remind me that in making this choice, my actions have the potential to make today, and maybe tomorrow, better in some way. Amen. DEVOTION AUTHOR Kris Baker

SCRIPTURE Ecclesiastes 9.12-18 For no one can anticipate the time of disaster. Like fish taken in a cruel net, and like birds caught in a snare, so mortals are snared at a time of calamity, when it suddenly falls upon them. I have also seen this example of wisdom under the sun, and it seemed important to me. There was a little city with few people in it. A great king came against it and besieged it, building great siege works against it. Now there was found in it a poor, wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city. Yet no one remembered that poor man. So, I said, ‘Wisdom is better than might; yet the poor man’s wisdom is despised, and his words are not heeded.’ The quiet words of the wise are more to be heeded than the shouting of a ruler among fools. Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one bungler destroys much good. WORDS OF HOPE I came across the above passage while searching for some Bible references to quiet. There are many, and many that we are probably well aware. But this one was new to me. And the thing that struck me, the most was the short parable in the center about the small city. Admittedly, there is a contradiction that I do not understand where it first says that the wise man’s wisdom delivered the city, and then it says his words were not heeded. Clearly, the city was delivered; someone listened to the wise man. But the words of the wise man delivered the city from the siege. Nonetheless, the last four lines are words that I’m sure we should heed. Quiet words of wisdom not only are effective, not only are useful, but are also comforting. We are in a stage of time where shouts from all directions create such a cacophony of anger and distain for others that we do not hear the quiet words of wisdom. And not just those words of wisdom from outside ourselves. We can also miss those quiet words of wisdom within ourselves; that still small voice that that calls us to be the best, or at least to try to do the best that we can with what we have. Each of us has life experiences, stores of knowledge and internalized wisdom that gives us the ability, hopefully, to discern wisdom versus folly. So, I encourage you today to take some time, maybe even set aside time for several days to listen to the quiet voices, whether they are within or without. Do not let the shouting drown out the wisdom that you know you have. PRAYER Great Creator help us to hear the quiet voices that lead us to wisdom. Bring up within us that part of you that resides quietly within all of our hearts. Help us to drown out the shouting and replace it with your loving voice. Amen.  DEVOTION AUTHOR Weber Baker Order of Saint Francis and Saint Clare.

SCRIPTURE Psalm 38.19-20 Many have become my enemies without cause, those who hate me without reason are numerous. Those who repay my good with evil lodge accusations against me, though I seek only to do what is good. WORDS OF HOPE Today’s Scripture reading is one of many titled A Psalm of David and could easily have been written by King David himself, considering the subject matter and degree of frustration the writer pours into his lyrics. The Psalms were written as song lyrics and I can imagine the music for this one being a heavy Wagner opera, not a Little Mermaid overture. I can’t count the times I’ve been asked how something written (in this case) about 2,800 years ago in a different culture could have anything to say to us today? My answer is that the words were written by humans, and we are humans with the same kinds of hopes, dreams, adversities, joys, disappointments, and surprises in our culture as they had in theirs. They felt the same raw emotions that we are feeling now. The Psalms remind us to never keep those emotions locked up inside of our minds and souls until they eventually destroy us, but to express them to ourselves, to the ones we love and trust, but most of all, to God! The Psalmists had no problem with releasing their inner selves, even when the presumed perpetrator of their griefs was God. They yelled at God all the time. Did God hear them? Yes! Did their stories always have happy endings? You know the answer to that. A common happy-ending thread in most of the Bible narratives, however, teaches us that when the families, nations or tribes were unified in their determination, their purposes were accomplished. When they were feuding or fragmented, they failed. How does that fact effect our lives today? Do we have enemies we had considered our friends, who repay our desire for justice and truth with baseless accusations and hatred? What would the Psalmists have us do? Yell at God? Blame others? Blame ourselves? Write a sorrowful song? Fine! Do all of that. The ancients were honest with their emotions and went through that whole list of positive and negative responses to what they considered as hopeless situations, but hear the words of the last lyric of today’s reading: “I seek only to do what is good.” That was God’s Commandment and Jesus’ lifelong practice, and he always did it to build the community. And that community survives today in you and me. PRAYER Empathetic God, you have listened patiently to our laments for thousands of years. You have never abandoned us. You are with us now. Guide us today as we seek together to do only what is good, what is right, on the path first walked by Jesus. It is in His name we pray. AMEN. DEVOTION AUTHOR Dan Peeler Order of St. Francis and St. Claare

SCRIPTURE Matthew 6: 20, 21 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. WORDS OF HOPE While helping a friend load up the car with boxes, we headed to a storage unit shaped like a castle. I bust out in laughter when I read the sign “Welcome to Cram a Lot”. What a great metaphor! We came a lot to cram a lot…there’s a song in this somewhere. Apparently, storage units in the US are a 53bn dollar industry and growing. Storing our “stuff” has become very valuable for companies who hold onto items that many have forgotten what’s in the boxes they packed. Then I thought about the multiple photo albums and various boxes of stuff Ive been lugging around for years. It’s been taking up space with pictures of people and places I don’t remember as well as a plethora of other “things” which are from days gone by. While we can’t erase the past or deny its existence, we can let go of it in ways that promote healing and growth. Jesus invites us to let got of material things that keep us stuck both physically and spiritually. By cleaning out the debris of negative thoughts, letting go of old hurts and even friends who are holding us back we open the space to have a deeper relationship with God. In speaking with like-minded folks, we discussed how enjoying the moment, sharing memories from the past and letting go of the ones that keep us imprisoned is the best gift we can give ourselves and others. I know when I feel free of fear, doubt, regret or other negative thoughts, I have more energy to freely share. There is immense freedom when we lighten our load, feel the joy of life and breathe a sigh of relief from carrying burdens. It’s the internal peace God intended for our lives. It’s free, and always there with an infinite promise of peace! PRAYER Everlasting Creator of life, as we unpack and repack our problems, let us remember when we ask, you promise to carry our burdens away! In Jesus name, Amen DEVOTION AUTHOR  Donna Jackson

SCRIPTURE Isaiah 30.18 Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you; therefore God will rise up to show you compassion. For the LORD is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for the LORD! WORDS OF HOPE True North “We shall overcome because the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” -Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Dr. King believed that true justice was more inevitable and within reach, detours sometimes, but in time–finds a way. That “long arch that bends towards justice” is often, hard to see… As you’re waiting to arrive–to this inevitability–it’s hard to believe you’ll actually get there. But somewhere, deep in your soul, something is refusing to get extinguished–a flame of hope. Change, in the same way, takes time to make its appearance known. What will be isn’t known until it becomes and the future is life’s greatest mystery. And yet, it cannot stay a mystery. We know that time must move forward–this, too, is an inevitability. To perceive time, one must remember that it is only temporary. Your “true north” is moving you forward through time, so that everyone will receive what is owed to them. Eventually, everyone will inherit the world they created. The good will be very good and the evil must bow to it. PRAYER Loving Creator, Do not let our differences be what destroys the souls of the nations, but restore our dignity, heal our hearts, and answer our calls for justice. All we desire is peace between neighbors. Dissolve our fears, and in its place, grow friendship. Enlarge our hearts so that we can meet our enemies with love. There is so much resentment, pain, and suspicion but nothing is more powerful than your forgiveness. We all need you to help us end this terrible cycle of hate and light our way to togetherness, trust, and most of all, love. Amen. DEVOTION AUTHOR Jonathon McClellan Order of St. Francis and St. Clare