Wednesday - February 19, 2025

SCRIPTURE “Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all God’s benefits.” Psalm 103: 2 “I remember the days of long ago; I meditate on all your works and consider what your hands have done.” Psalm 143:5 WORDS OF HOPE  We hear so much today about the importance of staying in the moment, about mindfulness, focus, attention, and the physical, psychological and spiritual benefits of these practices—especially in the distracted, divisive, and distraught world we live in. I certainly honor these. And yet I wonder if, in centering these, we have undervalued an important spiritual practice: remembering. Consider, if you will, the value of some ways of sacred recollection. Remembering Scripture: The two verses above from Psalms stress these practices. In the first, not forgetting God’s gifts to us and saving deeds provides a wellspring of praise. Psalms 143 states it directly—to remember the days of old, the wondrous works of God’s hands-- and goes even further, to encourage us to ponder and meditate upon the impact and significance of these. One of the most powerful promises is offered in Isaiah 43: 1-3. Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you, and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God…. For generations people have been delivered from anxiety and the threat of harm by remembering and trusting in these words of God’s presence and protection. Particularly, when you are feeling beset by the pain and hardship of life, lifting to consciousness scriptures which have anchored you, guided you, and comforted you in past times can lighten the load again. Remembering with Ritual: The recent grief, love and remembrance rituals of the 25 th anniversary of the 9/11 tragedy have helped restore the power of these deeply moving modes of solemn witness and honoring for individual, communities, and the nation. Personal grief rituals are meaningful as well. Visiting a grave and leaving flowers, making a loved one’s favorite meal, sharing stories with family or friends, revisiting a special place and scattering ashes, playing a special song, writing a letter which speaks of ongoing love or expresses to the spirit of the beloved how you are doing are a few rituals, often offered on the anniversary of a loved one’s death. Remembering our own Grace experiences: Because I carry so vividly and gratefully the visitations of Grace in my life, I return again and again to the line: “Oh, to grace how great a debtor daily I’m constrained to be…”*These experiences may be subtle touches or dramatic resurrecting events. No matter what, returning to them in memory can help keep us afloat in the times our hope is nowhere to be found. Each Sunday we re-enact our central ritual of Grace when we share communion with lines that echo through the centuries: “Do this in remembrance of me.” We remember the night Jesus was betrayed that the bread and the cup were offered to all --in their wholeness—goodness and flaws together. We remember the sacrifice of love. PRAYER Holy God, you call us to remember how prone to wander we are and about how your Grace has healed us, saved us, and given us a vision of hope and new possibilities when we could not see. There is no way we can thank you enough except by living our lives in service. Amen. DEVOTION AUTHOR Dr. Pat Saxon *From “Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing”

SCRIPTURE  Matthew 18: 1-5 At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” He called a little child to him and placed the child among them. And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.” WORDS OF HOPE I find that life is a continuous process of remembering who we really are and letting go of all the things society says we “should be.” This Scripture offers such a powerful shift in how to live. It resonates with me because I believe we’re at our most whole when we bring forth the curiosity and compassion we all experienced as children. I’ve been working through the Internal Family Systems (IFS) method with my therapist. In Self-Therapy Workbook, Bonnie J. Weiss describes IFS as recognizing “our psyche is made up of different parts” and “understanding and working with these parts to release the burdens they carry from the past and heal the system so you can function in healthy ways.” In doing this work, I identified each of my parts and their core belief and wrote them on Post-it notes. One of my parts is my Big-Hearted, Creative Child. He believes that “the nostalgia of childhood is anchoring, energizing, and makes me feel safe. I can see things with childlike wonder and excitement. Every day can be an adventure. Ordinary things can be extraordinary.” When I feel frustrated with work or scared about the state of the world, I pray to God for wisdom. Then I ask Big-Hearted, Creative Child what he needs. Sometimes it’s to let go of my ego, laugh, and not take everything so seriously. Other times it’s to have hope and believe that challenges happen for my growth and can become my greatest treasures. No matter what he tells me, I’m certain that when I listen, I become more aligned and feel a greater sense of peace. I encourage you to take this Scripture to heart and “become like little children” in whatever way feels authentic to you. It could end up being one of the greatest gifts you give yourself. PRAYER The divine power of God lives within me and nurtures and protects my inner child. DEVOTION AUTHOR Logan Alexander Johnson

SCRIPTURE Romans 16:17-20 from The Message One final word of counsel, friends. Keep a sharp eye out for those who take bits and pieces of the teaching that you learned and then use them to make trouble. Give these people a wide berth. They have no intention of living for our Master Christ. They’re only in this for what they can get out of it, and aren’t above using pious sweet talk to dupe unsuspecting innocents. And so while there has never been any question about your honesty in these matters—I couldn’t be more proud of you!—I want you also to be smart, making sure every “good” thing is the real thing. Don’t be gullible in regard to smooth-talking evil. Stay alert like this, and before you know it the God of peace will come down on Satan with both feet, stomping him into the dirt. Enjoy the best of Jesus!  WORDS OF HOPE These words from Paul to the Romans, likely written around 57 A.D., feel like they were written for us today. Particularly as the political season is ramping up, we are being bombarded with statistics, stories, and promises, many of which are deceitful…and many of which are not. As with most things in life, it is up to us to study and be true to what fills our heart and mind and to what our faith teaches us, when we make decisions, decisions of any kind. We don’t want to fall victim to “smooth-talking evil.” The biggest warning in Paul’s message is, “Keep a sharp eye out for those who take bits and pieces of the teaching that you learned and then use them to make trouble.” There are those who will quote bits and pieces of Scripture, usually taken out of context, as if the Bible is a buffet line from which we can pick and choose to consume only what we like whether it tells a well-balanced story or not. Those who do this hope that they can lure us in with a few familiar words but hoping we aren’t listening carefully enough to realize that they are actually working for the good of themselves and not for the God of All. There is no question that words are powerful. We do need to listen carefully; but Jesus tells us that we also need to keep our eyes open and watch what is going on around us. In Matthew 7:15-21, Jesus says, “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.” The short summary of both the words of Jesus and those of Paul to the Romans…actions speak louder than words. For us that means listen carefully, but watch more closely those around us. The right choices, the right path are there in front of us, but often it is the narrow one, the dimly lit one, the most challenging one. If, however, we choose this one, in the end we will “enjoy the best of Jesus.” PRAYER Dear God, open my ears and my eyes to what is true, and right, and good in your sight. Sharpen my senses such that, with your help, I can discern the true path to You. Amen. DEVOTION AUTHOR Kris Baker Order of Saint Francis and Saint Clare

SCRIPTURE Psalm 130:5 I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in God’s word I put my hope. WORDS OF HOPE That Which Remains (A Poem for the International Day of Peace) I’ve been so focused on the future these days. Because we’ve been leaving the old ones behind. And everyone it seems has buried the same loved one– When children weren’t going hungry because Parents could send their kids to school and know That they’d have two meals waiting for them. And when summer was something everyone looked Forward too; when the sun didn’t smite the land or our cheeks. When did the dollar become so important That we’d become savage just to attain it? And when did we decide to just sit back and watch As evil men fought for dominancy over the planet Leaving us to pick up the pieces and bury our countrymen? But I had to wake up This morning And see a beautiful sunrise, The promise of a new flock of baby birds Testing their wings for the first time. Now, they’ll have to discover how to find food. And they know nothing of the world that was before them. There’s something in that, I think– In the beauty and innocence of not knowing. How is it that the birds still know how to Live… Is it because the young are unspoiled by past and future, When today is entirely new and different, Unbeholden to loss when they’re just finding? Shall we, too, become young again If only to find Today… PRAYER Gentle Spirit, May we never forget or take for granted, Holding sacred this most precious life that allows us to live out your love each day. Living not merely for our bread, but the holy Bread of Christ–in water and Spirit and never… To thirst again. Amen. DEVOTION AUTHOR Jonathon McClellan Order of St. Francis and St. Clare

SCRIPTURE 1 John 3: 20 If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts and God knows everything.  WORDS OF HOPE Immediately after realizing a mistake had occurred, I wrapped myself in guilt which led straight to shame, remorse, then followed by unease. The culmination of emotions literally ran in tandem under 60 seconds where I could feel myself leaning into a big pool of self-blame! It’s easy to see how our hearts become myopic and only focus on one thing, usually it’s the one thought we need to release and move on. However, the Bible says our hearts are the seat of our emotions carrying thoughts and consciousness. It can and often does reflect our innermost feelings of joy or deep sorrow. This same amazing heart can spin on a dime and catapult us into condemnation where guilt and self-doubt take center stage to snatch us away from our inner peace. That’s when we begin to question our worthiness with thoughts of failure. Guilt and shame drop quickly like an impenetrable barrier between our peace working overtime to assure us we are beyond God’s grace let alone anyone else’s. Fortunately, while we may be short -sighted, God is still present, ready to quelch any feeling of doubt or fear of being unworthy. In the scripture, John reminds us even when we stumble Gods knowledge and all-encompassing love sees beyond any missteps and offers up the real truth, “God’s love is greater than any outside circumstances that bring conflict to our inner soul”. While our human hearts can only see the situation in front of us, Gods love is relentless, unyielding, and marked by compassion. When we find ourselves in the depths of failure, God reminds us to seek mercy, ask for grace and receive the promise of everlasting love. Once we allow God to calm our hearts, our attention to the promise of peace can be recalled and embraced. PRAYER Gracious God of mercy, forgiveness and hope, let us have the same love and grace towards ourselves and each other as you have for us. In Jesus name, Amen DEVOTION AUTHOR Donna Jackson