Tuesday - December 19, 2023

SCRIPTURE Acts 13:16-25 So Paul stood up and with a gesture began to speak: Fellow Israelites and others who fear God, listen.  WORDS OF HOPE He self-describes as an “unattractive little man with a nasally, professorial voice.” He is an unassuming introvert who prefers time behind the cover a book or watching great old movies. He is proficient at playing the tuba, having once been a member of the University of Michigan Marching Band. Even with his name, he prefers the unassuming moniker of ‘Bob’ rather than ‘Robert.’ When you go to hear him preach, however, you are met with a giant. In his Presbyterian robe and stole, he settles into his pulpit and one cannot help but be enraptured by his ability to drop you into the narrative. He is a brilliant homiletician, opening the passages of scripture to the listener in such a way as everyone in the room can understand. After 30+ years in that same pulpit, Bob continues to open scripture and reveal a Savior who, like him, is unassuming, brilliant, graceful, and loving. When he steps up to the podium, he starts with a short explanation of the Scripture he is about to read. Then, as he is about to begin, he stops and looks lovingly at the assembled congregation. Purposefully and intently, he pauses, then says: “Listen.” Wherever your mind was before that moment, your focus is immediately drawn towards this unpretentious man with the nasally voice. Your inner monologue about your shopping list, your uncomfortable shoes, the noisy child two pews over, and the strangers in the back pew ceases. With the word “Listen” spoken intently and resolutely, you turn your attention to the scripture about to be read and the homily about to be shared. When Paul begins his sermon in Pisidian Antioch, he gestures to the assembled Israelites and Gentiles and summons them to himself with one word: Listen. And listen they did, hearing Paul recount God’s sovereign action in Israel’s history, in the wilderness and in the period of Judges and Kings. Paul invites his listeners to remember the story they belong to—a story shaped not by their achievements, but by God’s faithful initiative. Eventually, Paul’s words lead to God’s ultimate act of faithfulness: the sending of Jesus, the promised Savior. He stood before them and reminded them that the starting point of faith is simply this: “Listen.” Before God calls us to act, God calls us to pay attention to what He has already done. Amid a culture that pressures us to perform and a smartphone-driven world where our attention is always drifting, Pastor Bob, the Apostle Paul, and the still small voice of God calls us into a posture of humility and receptivity. How can we tune in when the voice beckons us with the word ‘Listen’? PRAYER Lord, quiet the noise within and around us so we may LISTEN and truly hear the story of Your faithfulness. Teach us to listen with humble and open hearts, ready to receive the grace You so gently speak. Amen. DEVOTION AUTHOR Thomas Riggs

SCRIPTURE Proverbs 22.1 A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold. WORDS OF HOPE Greed is an inglorious miseducation which teaches us that the difference between less and more is our happiness. The assertion is that those with less are poor and that those with more are rich. Ironically, the acquisition of wealth is thought to lead one to happiness; however, endeavoring for wealth which cannot be enjoyed after one’s years are spent acquiring it is a bitter venture only realized by the time it is too late to get the time back. This is poverty: spending your whole life trying to get rich and gaining nothing but regrets and the desire for more time in the end. Our true wealth is the time we have to spend with the ones we love. We have time to discover the beauty of this world, to build relationships, and to leave this world better than we found it. None of these things require money to attain more than the requirement of our time. Happiness is inexpensive but time is priceless. Yet, for every one person who finds satisfaction there are nine hundred and ninety-nine who want more. This is blindness: there is enough food in the world to feed everyone, but people are dying of hunger. There are people who live modest lives. They may wear the same clothes every day and only eat what they can grow but are smiling from within out of an abundance of wealth that few understand. It is long overdue that humanity asked the honest question...why? Why do we need so much? We have the resources needed to meet the physical needs of every living person on Earth but lack the vision to make it happen. Jesus once warned us that it profits us nothing if in the end, we gain the world but lose our souls. PRAYER God our provider, Teach us not only to desire what we have, but also, to share what we have with others. Keep us from the path of confusion, and from trying to monopolize wealth and happiness. Grant this world the true riches of Your love. Let Your companionship be treasured far more than jewels. Help us, to not only see our own needs, but also, the needs of our neighbors. Bless You, for You provide all that we need and more than we desire. Amen. DEVOTION AUTHOR Jonathon McClellan Order of St. Francis and St. Clare

SCRIPTURE James 5. 1-6 Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days. Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, 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 self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. You have condemned and murdered the righteous person. WORDS OF HOPE We hear a lot of discussion these days about enormous wealth verses the plight of the poor. The writer of the Book of James does not hold back in his condemnation of the lifestyle practiced by the worst of the selfish rich in his community. People who follow a faith- based lifestyle, rich or poor, are taught to do good, be honest and caring toward others without a thought of being given credit. Some people do a lot of good but always want to be recognized for their deeds. For example, they may give a sizable donation to build a homeless shelter, but they want their name attached to the project. They need to be recognized for their philanthropy. I am reminded of this gospel story: Jesus was sitting with his disciples in the Jerusalem Temple while people were passing by and placing money into the offering chest. Many rich people placed in large sums of money and their coins made lots of noise. Then a poor widow passed by and deposited two tiny copper coins, worth less than a penny today. In Mark12.41, Jesus commended the widow's generosity and told his disciples: "This poor widow has put in more than those who are rich. For they contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in all she had to live on." Her gift to the offering didn't make noise as it fell into the treasury chest. Her offering came from a quiet and humble heart which acknowledged the goodness of God who was the foundation and source of her livelihood. Likewise, when we pray giving thanks for the love that we share with one another, we should also give praise for God's love. For God's goodness and love is the source of the Christian's expression of goodness to others. The goodness that we express is only a reflection of the pure goodness of God. PRAYER Gracious God, as I reflect on how I want to begin each new day of life with you and others, may I be more faithful and consistent in my life's witness to your redeeming love and care. Open my eyes to the opportunities which you will provide whereby I can help others find you as a rich source of comfort and guidance for their life. Amen. DEVOTION AUTHOR Donald (Luke) Day Order of St. Francis and St. Clare

SCRIPTURE Matthew 24:23-24 Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look! Here is the Messiah!’ or ‘There he is!’—do not believe it. For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and produce great signs and wonders, to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. WORDS OF HOPE Sometimes I think we are all looking for a Messiah, someone to come in and fix everything. And we want it to happen fast. Maybe that’s why politicians who claim to have all the answers seem so popular. After all, messiahs make everything so much easier. We can feel free to make a mess of our lives if we believe there is an easy fix. A “get out of jail, free” card. A magical solution to everything. We can feel free to continue to sully the earth and destroy the environment, as long as we believe some outside force will magically make everything better. Isn’t that what some preachers tell us? If I read the words of Jesus correctly, he never really says any of that, and he warns us of false Messiahs, prophets and tricksters. He doesn’t even claim that for himself. What he offers us is a way. A way of living and behaving that can bring heaven to earth. It is not cheap salvation, but a process that takes time and work and most of all an ethical compass that reminds us, “In everything do to others as you would have them do to you, for this is the Law and the Prophets.” PRAYER May we remember that we are God’s hands here on earth. May the words of Jesus guide our work and our lives that we may indeed bring the kingdom of heaven to earth. Amen DEVOTION AUTHOR Hardy Haberman

SCRIPTURE Psalm 57.1 Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me; for it is in you that my soul takes refuge. In the shadow of your wings, I will take refuge. WORDS OF HOPE The Israelite King Saul was hunting to kill the young warrior David who had sought refuge and hid in a distant cave. Sometimes the world around us may be turned upside down with dangerous threats and loss. Like David, we too need a sure and safe refuge to anchor our lives and quiet the worries of our heart. The world may offer potential solutions or mind-numbing options, but David models for us the best solution for these moments of crisis... turn to God's loving care. You may hide under the protection of God’s wings and still get scratches and a nosebleed, but you won't end up mortally wounded! In all things, give praise to God! In I Chronicles 16:8-9, we read: "Give thanks to the Lord, call on God's name, make God’s deeds known among the people. Sing, sing praises to God." David didn’t stay hidden in that cave. After he fought the Philistines and recaptured the Ark of the Covenant, he brought it safely back to Israelite territory and ordered celebrations. This verse begins a hymn of praise to God. Since then, many official statements and hymns have been composed to praise and thank God. But, what about your personal life experience? Is it filled with genuine thanksgiving to the Creator God? What is your personal hymn of praise? Each of us receives more blessings per hour than we can count. Do thanks flow off your tongue giving thanks and praise to our Lord? Praising God's nature and love is the basis of our spiritual life. From ancient rabbinic literature it is said: "In the world to come, all sacrifice [and offering] will cease, but the sacrifice of thanksgiving will remain forever; equally, all confessional statements will cease, but the confession of our thanksgiving to God will remain forever." Let it be so in our lives. PRAYER Lord God, as I journey through daily activities, may the multitude of these divinely inspired words help me to focus on your desires for my life. Keep me safe and on the right path with you. Amen DEVOTION AUTHOR Donald (Luke) Day Order of St. Francis and St. Clare