Thursday – June 9, 2022

SCRIPTURE Acts 4:1–4  While they were speaking to the people, the priests, the captain of the temple police, and the Sadducees confronted them, because they were annoyed that they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. So, they seized them and took them into custody until the next day since it was already evening. But many of those who heard the message believed, and the number of the men came to about five thousand. WORDS OF HOPE The Pharisees and other religious leaders believed getting rid of Jesus would stop the teachings, so hearing the disciples proclaim the name of Jesus, must have set them back. They were stunned to see, in spite of all their efforts, the followers of Christ only grew in boldness and number. Peter and John, having just begun their ministry, faced the same religious rulers who had assumed killing Jesus, would also end the Gospel message of the good news where ALL humankind is created equal. Having been filled with the Holy Spirit, the message Peter was sharing began reaching deep into the hearts of many who were being transformed by words of hope! This is just the beginning of opposition as the message of the Gospel begins to spread. Since Jesus had warned them, this would happen, they were no longer afraid to share the good news of Christ. The gospel of inclusion and freedom has survived natural disasters, political parties, wars, chaos, book burnings, and has been hidden in caves. Even today, we experience controlling political and religious leaders who try to crush movements that expose ways to end injustice. It’s so reassuring that no matter who or what tries, it is impossible to stamp out the Gospel. Through the crucifixion of Jesus the man, Jesus the Christ was resurrected, and the teaching of hope and love for ALL humankind is still very alive today! PRAYER God of all creation, thank you for the reminder that everyone is welcome at the table of Grace. Fill us with longing to continually share the “good news” of Christ! In Jesus name, Amen. DEVOTION AUTHOR Donna Jackson

SCRIPTURE Psalm 95:1-3, 6-7 Come, let us sing to our God; let us shout for joy to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before God's presence with thanksgiving, raising a loud shout with song. For the Most High is our God, the great sovereign over all else. Come, let us bow down and bend our knee and kneel before our God. For God is our Maker, in whose presence we live, and in whose hand we are held. Oh, that today I will listen to God's voice. WORDS OF HOPE The Psalms of Eastertide celebrate the victory of Jesus and the practical applications of being thankful to God. The central subject of today’s Psalm is about the surrender of our life and desires in order that God's perfect will may be lived through us. That sounds like a tall order, but we might say today it’s about dedicating our lives to God’s desires for us. But, do we know what that may mean? What we may have to do; what pattern of life activity will we express; what must we change or give up if we are to live according to God's will for us? That's a lot of unknown and big questions. We might say: "I'm kind of comfortable living the way that I am today". What if I don't want to make the changes that God asks me to make? Do I have confidence that God's will is better for my life? That last question is the real key which allows a person to dedicate their life to God. Can we place our confidence in God and in God's perfect goodness? For "God is our Maker" is a strong statement which acknowledges, that even in the midst of these questions, we can put our confidence in God's good desire for our life. Even though our parents were technically our makers, the very "stuff" (atoms) of which we are made and the purpose for our being are the products of the Holy One's creation. At our best and truest self, we are the precious product of God's good creativity. And as God follows the development of our life, God does not want the "shine of divine goodness" to be rubbed off our life and its potential action. We can dedicate our life to God with full assurance that divine goodness will make us into the remarkable creation of an always good God. PRAYER Loving Creator, help us to strive to shine in your divine goodness in all we say or do. May we reflect the light of Jesus. Amen DEVOTION AUTHOR Donald (Luke) Day Order of St. Francis and St. Clare

SCRIPTURE Mark 16:14-18 Later he appeared to the eleven themselves as they were sitting at the table, and he upbraided them for their lack of faith and stubbornness, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen. And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation. The one who believes and is baptized will be saved, but the one who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: by using my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.” WORDS OF HOPE This passage comes from what is called the “Long Ending of Mark”. It is not included in some versions of the Scriptures. Scholars agree that the wording and style is not the same as the rest of Mark and was probably added in the second century. It contains a number of claims that come with the great commission to “Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation…” Then it gives a litany of things that believers will be able to do. If there was ever a reason to question the idea of “biblical inerrancy” it would be this passage for me. I have never tried to pick up serpents, drink poison, or cast out demons, and yet I consider myself a follower of Jesus. I suspect the writer of this addition to Mark wanted to offer “proofs” of the divinity of Jesus, and the snakes and tongues and casting out demons was a bit of marketing to make the message seem more important. Yet, it does not diminish the importance of this passage to me. I think of it as the ancient version of highlighting the text. Magic markers wouldn’t be invented for many years, but writers of theological books used startling imagery to emphasize not the miracle, but the importance of Jesus and his commission. We can read these texts as storybooks but that diminishes the value of them. I love the Bible and find abundant truth in its pages. It is truth that transcends the narratives and resonates with my soul. It challenges my intellect and exposes subtilties left by the authors that still speak to me thousands of years later. That is the majesty of the Scriptures. Not the stories, but the truths. PRAYER God of many names, lead me to find your revelation through the words passed down for centuries. Give me the curiosity to continue to explore these great works and find new meanings for my life today. Amen DEVOTION AUTHOR Hardy Haberman

SCRIPTURE Ecclesiastes 3:1 and 7 “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens… …a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak”. WORDS OF HOPE As I sit down to write, the coffee cup in front of me reads, “My brain has too many tabs open.” I suspect that this is true for many of us. Thus, many things in our lives that perhaps deserve our attention often get overlooked. How often do you think about your voice…not your voice as in what you have to say or are you being heard, but the physiology of your body that allows you to speak? Today is World Voice Day. Begun in Brazil in 1999, its observance quickly became worldwide as otolaryngologists, speech and language pathologists, and vocal instructors came together to talk about the importance of our voice and how we can care for it. I am one of those who, in the past, has not thought much about the “care and feeding” of my voice except when it fails me when I need it to sing. Perhaps we all could benefit from thinking more about caring for our voices and how and when we use our voices. “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens… …a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak” The best thing that we can do to care for our voices, both its physicality and its use as a tool, is truly to know its depth and breadth. What does my voice sound like? Can I hear and feel when my voice is not healthy? Can I hear and feel when the words coming from my mouth are not my own? Sometimes the best thing we can do for our voice is to be quiet. I’d like to share a poem I wrote: Be Quiet Days arise When words feel inadequate. Cherish them. Be quiet. Draw, paint, go for a walk. Sew, meditate, plant a flower. Nap, listen, make music. In speechlessness, potency comes to words. “There is a time to be silent and a time to speak.” Our voices need rest so that when we are called to speak, they are strong enough physically to project the message and our words are strong enough to speak out for justice and truth, to answer the call to do the work of Christ here and now. PRAYER God, remind me often that my voice is a gift. It is my responsibility to care for it and use it wisely. Help me to know my voice and to discern when it needs to be quiet and when it should speak loudly and clearly. Amen DEVOTION AUTHOR Kris Baker Order of St. Francis and St. Clare.

SCRIPTURE  I John 3:10-11 This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child, nor is anyone who does not love their brother and sister. For this is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another. WORDS OF HOPE “I no longer listen to what people say” wrote Winston Churchill, “I just watch what they do. Behavior never lies.” “Don’t listen to what people say” writes Doris Gottlieb, “Watch where their feet are going.” “Don’t listen to what they say…watch what they do!” says Rachel Maddow regularly on her TV show. We are in an era of instant and constant communications, where social media makes room for everyone’s thoughts and dozens of forms of media create space for persons of all types to opine. Unless one precipitously and intentionally uses the OFF button on their phones, computers, televisions, streaming services, podcasts, and satellite radios, we are inundated with the thoughts and ideas of thousands of voices. Ironically, you’re listening to or reading another one of those voices right now. Long before mass communication, when ideas and thoughts were readily shared by masses of people, the apostle John knew something that would serve us well now. You can tell the difference between those who mean you well and those who mean you harm. You can discern who is a “child of God” and who is a “child of the devil” by a simple means. Watch what they do. If what they do reflects love, they are a child of God. John goes on to say in verse 16 - This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. This is our calling as the children of God. This is our urgent mission as the family known as Cathedral of Hope. Our calling is to reflect love. Our mission is to lay down or lives for others. It’s to love the unlovable, perhaps even those who would do us harm or to deny us as loving children of God. Our purpose is to do speak the words AND to do the actions. An unbelieving world, overwhelmed with messages of hate and fear, is watching us feed the hungry, lift up those excluded, educate children, and sing for joy. They’re watching us lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. And they know that we are Christians by our love. PRAYER Loving God, I pray that I would be a worthy ambassador for Christ, reflecting His love and truth to all I meet. May I rest in Your love, walk in the truth of Your Word, and finish the work You have for me on the earth before You call me home. In Jesus' name, AMEN. DEVOTION AUTHOR Thomas Riggs