Wednesday - January 31, 2024

The Reverend Dr. Neil G. Thomas

SCRIPTURE


Mark 5. 1-20


Jesus Restores a Demon-Possessed Man


They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes. When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an impure spirit came from the tombs to meet him. This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain. For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones.


When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him. He shouted at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In God’s name don’t torture me!” For Jesus had said to him, “Come out of this man, you impure spirit!”


Then Jesus asked him, “What is your name?”


“My name is Legion,” he replied, “for we are many.” And he begged Jesus again and again not to send them out of the area.


A large herd of pigs was feeding on the nearby hillside. The demons begged Jesus, “Send us among the pigs; allow us to go into them.” He gave them permission, and the impure spirits came out and went into the pigs. The herd, about two thousand in number, rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned.


Those tending the pigs ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, and the people went out to see what had happened. When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. Those who had seen it told the people what had happened to the demon-possessed man—and told about the pigs as well. Then the people began to plead with Jesus to leave their region.


As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him. Jesus did not let him, but said, “Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed.


WORDS OF HOPE


At first glance, this scripture seems a little weird. Jesus arrives on the other side of the sea and is confronted by a man who has made his home among the tombs, among the dead. This is his environment and his expectation based of his circumstances and Jesus meets him. Mark says that the man fell to his knees at the sight of Jesus and is confronted by his own question, “What do you want from me?” In the ensuing conversation Jesus offers him freedom from the impure spirits that had tormented him and sends them into surrounding pigs who run off, rushing down a steep bank and into a lake where they are drowned.


Those who witnessed these events, those who saw the impact of Jesus’ encounter with the man were both confused and perhaps frightened, asking Jesus to leave their region. The man is left to witness to his own people just what Jesus had done for him and, with his testimony, the people were amazed.


Of course, as with all Scripture you must be able to contextualize them within the times that they are written. Pigs are not kosher and the book of Deuteronomy states that the Israelites shall not eat their flesh or touch their dead carcass. In their tradition they are unclean, and it is understandable why pigs are used in this miracle.


The bigger story, for me, in this miracle is in the question that the man asks of Jesus, ““What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?” While this is a question from within him, from the “legion”, this is a question that is vital for us all.


We are so often taught a theology of asking God for things. This is not a bad thing. In my daily prayers I often find myself asking God for things, for answers, for other people to be blessed. However, it is less regular that I sit in my own life and ask God to tell me what God wants from me. Is this your story as well?


The more I thought about this today, the more I realized that perhaps, if I spent more time asking God this question, perhaps I would have more clarity for my life and my vocational work.


Believe me, I am grateful to a God who has often rescued me from numerous situations that could lead me on a destructive path or a path that is not beneficial. I am grateful to God who has offered me ways to follow the call that I believe that God has placed in front of me. I am grateful to God who reminds me every day that my everyday actions can make a difference. Today, I am convicted by the question what more can I do for God and what does God want from me.


The conclusion of this story is a testimony to what happens when you are listening to God’s response to our question. For the man in the story, he found wholeness and healing. He found a new life that bore testimony to others, leading them to belief in Jesus.


Friends, our story is a testimony for others and Jesus calls us to live our story – a story that is still evolving and not yet finished. However, this story has an impact and will help others to see your changed life. This is the miracle.


In the words of one of my favorite hymns, Amazing Grace, “I once was lost but now I’m found.”


May we take a moment, amid our asking God for blessings, to also ask God, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?”


PRAYER


God, thank you for your faithfulness toward me, hearing my prayers and responding to my needs. Hear me today, O God, as I ask You – What do you want from me? Amen.


DEVOTION AUTHOR


The Reverend Dr. Neil G. Thomas

Senior Pastor

Pronouns: he/his/him

Need More Inspiration? Read our Daily Devotions

Monday - December 1, 2025

By Dan Peeler • December 1, 2025
SCRIPTURE  Nehemiah 8. 2-4 So, Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, both men and women and all who could understand…And he read from it facing the square … from early morning until midday, in the presence of the women and the men and all those who could understand. And the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law. And Ezra the scribe stood on a wooden platform that they had made for the purpose. And beside him stood all the Levite Priests. And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was above all the people, and as he opened it, all the people stood. WORDS OF HOPE All of us have heard a sermon, or perhaps many sermons, that have truly transformed our lives. The Bible, especially the Hebrew Scriptures, has its share of sermons, too. This one delivered by Ezra the scribe transformed the lives of an entire nation. And all he did was read aloud the Books of Moses. The people were profoundly changed by the Word of God. Nehemiah, the first Governor of Jerusalem during the Second Temple period, likely recounted this Hebrew Scripture event as a first-hand witness. As a background to the story, the people, after many years in Babylonian captivity, had just returned to their homeland. Many of them had not had the opportunity to hear a reading of their own Holy Scriptures for decades. The young among them had never heard it. Ezra’s public reading was more in the nature of the headline act at a rock concert. A special stage had been constructed for the event and his backup vocals were a team of venerable Levites, the famous tribe of priests who could answer scripture questions on the spot. It was a Revival even beyond the level of the legendary Billy Graham Crusades from the middle of the last century. Ezra’s formula was one of faith in the power of the word when read aloud, accurately interpreted, and applied, to inspire spiritual renewal. He was building a cohesive community with a shared commitment to follow God's laws of mutual love. The event also reminds us that this was a time in the history of the children of Israel when their patriarchal society gave way to welcoming all women as well as young people who were old enough to understand the message. All were included. Some were shocked, saddened by their years of neglecting their own scriptures, but Ezra reminded them that the ultimate purpose of God's Words is to inform us of the salvation they bring. Today, we have the privilege of hearing God’s message read every Sunday at church, and being a literate society, every day in our own homes if we choose. The next time you are asked to please rise for the reading of the Gospel, remember that Ezra’s congregation stood from early morning until noon to hear the reading of God’s Word. In your own life, whether in church or during those voluminous conversations on social media, do you stand for the Word of God? PRAYER God of Salvation, may your Words always be our own Words and may they always be words of Hope. Amen DEVOTION AUTHOR Dan Peeler Order of St. Francis and St. Clare

Friday - November 28, 2025

By Charlie C. Rose • November 28, 2025
SCRIPTURE Job 38. 4-7 “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it? On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone— while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy? WORDS OF HOPE I love today’s excerpt from Job, with God as the divine architect laying out the Earth as a work of art. All of us can be artists, designers of our own lives. Some of us even do it for a living. For as long as I can remember, my artistic ideas usually didn’t come to me inspired by just one or two things. Life isn’t that way. I am blessed to come up with concepts I’ve been calling “idea clusters” for the last few years. Looking back, the first time this happened to me was probably while I was in the third grade. I had a formulaic idea of how to draw superheroes and fast cars. Superheroes dreams came out of watching multiple Saturday morning cartoons. Drawing race cars and hot rods was inspired by one called the Wacky Races. All were inspirations to create my own original concepts. The ideas flooded my brain, often well past my bedtime, and the sketches and lists began. I had such a strong inclination for getting the ideas down because I learned quickly if I let it go, the next morning I would have forgotten those inspirations. I’m still that way. Having ideas so strong that I need to keep detailed notes to make sure I could revisit after a deadline. In our very anthropomorphic concept of God, I’m in wonder at all the creation ideas that sprang forth, as if God wouldn’t be able to sleep until the ideas were manifested. But remember, God did rest on the Seventh Day! That’s more human and less Divine than I can get my head around. I don’t know how our world came to be. I’ve seen clusters of asteroids and meteors form planets and moons on the science channel. Theoretically, something had to manifest in the way of natural causes for these celestial bodies to form. Genesis defines it as Divine Creation. Science suggests that the raw material was stardust. Isn’t it humbling to imagine that we are literally made of Stardust? -Those clusters of particles that beg for a purpose from an almighty Creator. Raw materials in God’s idea clusters. Is Genesis somehow literal in saying humanity was made from dust? God’s stardust? It sounds prophetic, doesn’t it? Is that what happened? And here WE are…another miracle, God’s works of art in this thing called Creation. That’s probably enough to ponder for a day. What idea clusters do you have? Are you making a list? PRAYER Wonderous Creator, today, may I join the morning stars to sing together and shout for joy with the angels of the wonders of your Creation. Amen DEVOTION AUTHOR Charlie C. Rose Order of St. Francis and St. Clare

Thursday - November 27, 2025

By Dr. Pat Saxon • November 27, 2025
SCRIPTURE 1 Thessalonians: 5:18 “Give thanks in all things.” WORDS OF HOPE This Thanksgiving Day I am grateful for holy resistance. For all the ways we say NO to the forces of empire which seek to overwhelm us with one unjust edict after another, with one abuse of justice after another, with one attempt to silence free speech and peaceful protest after another. I give thanks for the myriad ways of resistance. For taking to the streets to cry NO KINGS, for cramming legislative halls with our bodies, for court filings, and for going to jail if that’s what it takes. But for the quieter ways of resistance too. For refusal to have our joy and our hope and our peace and our love stolen from us. Refusal to deny the holiness of our bodies, our identities, the spark of the divine in each of us. For God said, “You are good.” I give thanks for our grief which is a resistance to a culture so enslaved to production, to busyness that we are too often asked to suppress our sorrow, pull ourselves together and get back to work. For the grief which, even when complicated, honors the sacredness, depth, and everlasting connection of our relationships. For attending to our grief during the holidays, in resistance to succumbing to the expectations to overextend ourselves, to not setting healthy boundaries, to being silent about our loss, to not speaking their names. For resisting the Christian platitudes about grief we are offered—not out of intentional harm—but still harming in ignorance. I give thanks for those who help us resist—by making space for grief traditions at our tables, by inviting us to share a memory, by helping plant a tree in our loved one’s memory, or companioning a friend on her journey to scatter ashes if she wishes, by witnessing to our love and loss (and grief needs to be witnessed), By knowing now and forever that all grief is sacred. * This Thanksgiving, I am grateful for holy resistance. PRAYER Holy God, Cultivate in us all the ways of holy, healing, loving resistance. Amen. DEVOTION AUTHOR Dr. Pat Saxon *For local support: Faith and Grief at Faithandgrief.org The following links offer insights into grief processing: Dr. Alan Wofelt: The Art of Cherishing During the Holidays: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Obimo3V6uLo David Kessler and Michelle Martin in conversation on processing grief in a world of constant crisis: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4cr1BU7r-0

Wednesday - November 26, 2025

By Jonathon McClellan • November 26, 2025
SCRIPTURE Philippians 4:7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. WORDS OF HOPE Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day, a day for gratitude and peace, but the peace of God does not exist in a time or place, is not defined by how we feel at any given moment but is the companion that travels with us on a journey with two roads. One road is traveled internally, and the other, externally. If peace existed in a specific time and place, then we could not exist outside of it. If peace were defined by how we feel, then we would have no reassurance when our feelings changed. Jesus promised to give us his peace, and at the same time, aforehand told us that we would face trials and tribulations. To understand that we can have peace with tribulation, we must first understand how the peace of God differs from human peace. God’s gift of peace is the reassurance of God’s presence in our lives. In essence, it is because of that presence that we do indeed have peace. The companionship of the Christ, Spirit, and God’s loving hands that covers us bear fruit in us unto peace. This great love works in our lives fulfilling God’s purpose to prosper us. It is not limited nor temporary. Even in the depths of despair, God our peace, is with us. Our helper leads us to victory over the battles we fight every day in our hearts. When winds of change blow like a hurricane all around us, our God is a mighty defense. On the inside, we must choose every day whether to love ourselves, forgive our enemies, and often, trust in what we cannot see. God is speaking to our hearts every day and we must choose to listen or not to listen. On the outside, we face a world that with each revolution brings new trouble. God does not always prevent trouble from happening to us but strengthens us when it does. Trails may come but God has overcome. It is because of our relationship with our Creator that we can have the peace of God. Truly, our peace never leaves, for God is everywhere. PRAYER God our peace, Bless You, for being with us when we could not see You and for never letting us travel alone. Praise You, for You command the storms in the world and in our hearts to be still. By Your companionship, we are mighty conquerors. In Your loving arms, we are at peace. Amen. DEVOTION AUTHOR Jonathon McClellan Order of St. Francis and St. Clare

Tuesday - November 25, 2025

By Kris Baker • November 25, 2025
SCRIPTURE 2 Thessalonians 3:13 And as for you, brothers and sisters, never tire of doing what is good. WORDS OF HOPE I often dismiss my college level classes by telling my students to “go out and do the next right thing.” It used to be that this statement was more about making good choices than actually knowing what was right. The other day, a student, who had heard me say this to the class many times, was the last to leave. They waited around to ask me, “How do I really know what is right?” The current climate of life in our country, amplified by the influence of social media, most certainly has blurred our perception of right and wrong and good and evil. My friends have an older neighbor who fell ill and was hospitalized for several weeks. The neighbor lives alone with two dogs. My friends and other neighbors stepped up to make sure that the dogs were cared for by someone actually taking them into their home. Others maintained the yard and did a much-needed cleaning of the home’s interior so that it was welcoming upon their return. Most people would consider these as acts of care and kindness. Unfortunately, that was not the case in this situation. The recipient of these intended acts of goodness was angry at everything that had been done. “The yard didn’t need to be whacked down to dead twigs. The dogs didn’t need to be groomed. I was going to clean the house when I got home.” My student’s question about how do we really know what is right suddenly became more momentous. As a follower of Christ, I have always believed that Jesus tells us, in Matthew 7:12, exactly what doing good looks like— “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.”. Seems simple, but based on my friends’ experience, it’s not. What do we do when what we thought was good and right is not perceived as such? Or, the contrary, when what we see as not right is perceived as good? Paul’s letter to the Romans has an answer for us. “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” (Romans 12:2) As you go about your days, pray for guidance, be an example of peace and love to the world, and go forth and do the next right thing. PRAYER Loving God, guide my words and actions as I greet this new day. Grant me courage and strength to move through my day showing kindness, patience, and love to others and to myself. Teach me to always be a reflection of your goodness. Amen DEVOTION AUTHOR Kris Baker Order of St. Francis and St. Clare

Monday - November 24, 2025

By Donald (Luke) Day • November 24, 2025
SCRIPTURE Joshua 1:9 Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. WORDS OF HOPE Within the Genesis story of Earth' s creation and the unfolding of the human experience, God saw great beauty and expanding potential for our loving relationship with the Holy One. The creative act endowed humanity with freedom of choice. The descendants of Adam and Eve often chose a lifestyle pattern which was compatible with divine hopes while many more ignored the opportunity to walk in the ways of God. Then, from the descendants of the righteous man, Abraham, God chose to demonstrate the Divine's nature and purpose toward humanity. However, even those Israelites often failed to live according to God's desires. It was an era when so many were frightened and dismayed, but the creation was not to be abandoned by God. Creation would be redeemed. And from the family of Jesse, King David's father, would arise One who would restore humankind's relationship with God. Throughout the centuries, we have been given hope and courage by so many hymns that remind us of that truth. "Lo, how a Rose e'er blooming from tenderest stem hath sprung, of Jesse's lineage coming as saints of old have sung. It came a flower bright, amid the cold of winter, when half spent was the night… True human but very God, from sin and death God saves.” -from a 16th-century German hymn. Do you remember this hymn by Bob McGee? "Emmanuel, Emmanuel, his name is called Emmanuel, which means God with us and revealed in us. God continues to offer us this incredible, loving gift of Emmanuel to draw us into close relationship with the Holy One. God in us, God with us and God to act through us. As Thanksgiving approaches, what a joy it is to be grateful for this gift of divine wisdom that empowers us to bless the world. What a fantastic gift which is freely offered to each of us by the loving Creator. A THANKSGIVING SEASON PRAYER Almighty God, we give you thanks that you will sustain and guide us through uncertain periods of life. We can place complete trust in your constant presence and love in our lives. Strengthen us to listen and respond to your voice. And may our confidence in your guidance allow us to comfort and help those around us who experience fear and need. Amen. DEVOTION AUTHOR  Donald (Luke) Day Order of St Francis and St. Clare
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