Wednesday - July 5, 2023

SCRIPTURE  Psalm 30:4-5 Sing the praises of the Lord, you his faithful people; praise his holy name. For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning. READING Don′t forget where you came from Don't forget what you′re made of The ones who were there When no one else would care Don't be afraid to cry now Even when the world comes crashing in Don′t forget to sing when you win – The chorus of the song “Don’t Forget (Welcome to Wrexham)” WORDS OF HOPE About ten years ago, some friends invited me to a pub early on a Saturday morning to watch an English Premiere League Football match. In this context, football = soccer. The team they root for is known as Arsenal Football Club and they were playing their rivals Tottenham Hotspur. After watching just one match with a raucous and rowdy crowd, I was hooked. I started following Arsenal… and then world football… and then the Champions League… and Major League Soccer in the U.S… and so on. I recruited my spouse to The Arsenal fan base, known as the Gooners, as well. And yes, I’m absolutely thrilled about the World Cup being played in our backyard (anyone have a spare ticket to England vs. Croatia?). Last week, on a Tuesday afternoon, Arsenal fans all over the planet, who number in the hundreds of millions world-wide, sat glued to watching a match between Manchester City and Bournemouth (yes, that Bournemouth, the city of our own Pastor Neil’s birth). If Bournemouth could win or tie City, then Arsenal would be the Premiere League Champions for the first time in 22 years. As the seconds ticked down and we all collectively held our breath, the match finally ended in a tie and our beloved team won the league. For all of us fans, it was a moment of ecstasy. After finished in second place for three years in a row, after so many disappointments and let downs, after getting so close and not winning, the relief was joyous. The song “Don’t Forget (Welcome to Wrexham)” is about the fans of another long-suffering football club in Wales. The song reminds those fans what the writer of Psalm 30 was also singing to the long-suffering people of Israel at the dedication of the temple. Those lyrics? Sing praises. Remember God has been with you. Remember that the Lord shared favor with you during your trials and heard your cries for mercy. See how God turned your wailing into dancing and how grief was turned to joy. Weeping may stay for the night, but joy comes in the morning. Don't be afraid to cry now. Even when the world comes crashing in. But don′t forget to sing when you win. Beloveds… there are trials all around us. In our personal lives, in the lives of so many who are suffering, and in our community. Psalm 30 reminds us that weeping may stay for the night, but joy comes in the morning. That it’s okay to cry now that the world is crashing in, but God is already about the business of flipping wailing into dancing and grieving into joy. And when that does happen, don’t forget to sing when we win. PRAYER Lord of both tears and triumph, Thank you for staying with us through every long night of waiting, disappointment, and hope. When the world feels heavy and our hearts are weary, remind us that joy still comes in the morning. Turn our wailing into dancing, our grief into song, and our fear into courage. Teach us to remember where we came from, to celebrate with gratitude when victory comes, and to never forget to sing your praise. Amen. DEVOTION AUTHOR Thomas Riggs

SCRIPTURE  2 Peter 2.17-22 These people are springs without water and mists driven by a storm. Blackest darkness is reserved for them. For they mouth empty, boastful words and, by appealing to the lustful desires of the flesh, they entice people who are just escaping from those who live in error. They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity—for “people are slaves to whatever has mastered them.” If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and are overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them. Of them the proverbs are true: “A dog returns to its vomit,” and, “A sow that is washed returns to her wallowing in the mud.” WORDS OF HOPE The Apostle Peter, who the Roman Catholics honor as their first Pope, did not sugar coat his evaluations of people who called themselves Christians, but whose words and actions were anything but Christlike. This letter to the early church, written either by Peter or in the spirit of the man Jesus called his Rock, comes across as more of a modern social media rant than the words we would expect from a Holy Apostle. Jesus knew what role each of his disciples would play as he designated each one an apostle and sent them out to spread his message of love and peace. He immediately changed the name of the one called Simon to Peter, which literally meant “the rock”, the foundation of a movement that would change the world with the radically liberal teachings of the Christ. This letter of Peter shows us that Jesus was right in predicting the future of his most trusted followers. In the first and second centuries, as now, there were people who labeled themselves the followers of the Way of the Christ, yet who preached and acted in ways that were anything but Christ-like. He bluntly compares their actions to habits of dogs and sows whose natural habits never change. They have turned their backs on the sacred commandment of love to pursue one of corruption. They do not follow Christ, but worship those who ‘promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity—for “people are slaves to whatever has mastered them.”’ Today, we have similar Prophets of profit among us, labeling themselves as Christian leaders, holding rallies in the Nation’s Capital; profiteers of hatred and the weapons of war. Their disillusioned followers have lost sight of Prophet of Peace. But the Rock remains solid. The spirit of Peter still stands tall among those of us who thank God daily for the eternal love of Christ that inspires and informs us. May we always have the courage to be the rocks of our time in history, knowing Christ’s truth shall make us (and everybody else) free. PRAYER May we be the springs of your water as our prayers include the people who are slaves to whatever has mastered them as we give thanks for the sustaining love of Christ in our troubled world. Amen DEVOTION AUTHOR Dan Peeler Order of St. Francis and St. Clare

READING Genesis 11: 1-8 Now the whole earth had one language and the same words. And as they migrated from the east, they came upon a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. And they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks and fire them thoroughly.” And they had brick for stone and bitumen for mortar. Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves; otherwise we shall be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.” The Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which mortals had built. And the Lord said, “Look, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do; nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and confuse their language there, so that they will not understand one another’s speech.” So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city. WORDS OF HOPE At first glance, my thought was, “seems like God is feeling threatened?” Since the people of what was later called Babel thought they could do absolutely anything. But on consideration and a bit of pondering, I think the takeaway from the story is the dangers of hubris. The people of Babel thought they could do anything. Though it’s a good aphorism, it’s not usually true. Speaking the same language is important, but it’s not the same as having the humility to know when to take a breath and consider all the consequences of your actions. I am reminded of another tall tower, this one in New York City. 161 Maiden Lane, also know as One Seaport is a residential tower in the burgeoning Seaport neighborhood. It was designed to rise 60 floors and is on a very small footprint. Other tall towers have and are being built in NYC, but this one was build on the unstable soil of the seaport district; land that was reclaimed centuries ago by dumping trash, debris and rock into the harbor. That meant to give it a stable foundation engineers would have to drill down to bedrock, 155 feet below the surface. Here is where the hubris comes in. The developers opted for a technique on “Soil improvement” where concrete is pumped into the loose soil to stabilize it and give the building a firm foundation. It was cheaper than excavating and building the conventional way. The result is that as the building grew taller, the foundation shifted and the tower began to lean. Contractors tried to mitigate the lean by pouring thicker concrete on one side of the building to bring it back into plumb. After the structure topped out, it still had a 3-inch lean, which doesn’t sound like much but prevented elevators from being installed and glass windows from properly fitting. Today, the multi-million dollar skyscraper sits unoccupied, unsellable, and unfixable. Even tearing it down would cost hundreds of millions. Many residents who put deposits down on apartments are now tied up in legal troubles, and the situation may drag on for years. Hubris and a failure to speak the same language, the language of science and sound engineering. PRAYER Though the people of the world speak many languages, may we find unity in the language of God’s love. Amen DEVOTION AUTHOR Hardy Haberman

SCRIPTURE Psalm 69.1-3 Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in the miry depths, where there is no foothold. I have come into the deep waters; the floods engulf me. I am worn out calling for help; my throat is parched.  Psalm 119:105 O God, Your word is a lantern to my feet and a light upon my path. WORDS OF HOPE We live in precarious times and the words of despair in Psalm 69 express how a lot of people feel these days. However, there is hope in today’s follow-up Psalm, the famous words that rejoice in God’s guidance. I’m sure, in our association with members of our faith community, we have known people who refer to their spiritual journey as their walk with God. Is that a metaphor that works for you? Do you sometimes feel God’s presence beside you, especially in uncertain times, as you would the loving support of a good friend? The question leads us to evaluate how we interpret our walk with God in our daily lifestyle. Does God lead the way in some of our excursions? How do we keep our contact fresh in our relationship with the Divine? It has been my experience to first seek God's "word" to find our life's path in harmony with the divine desire for our journey. Fortunately, God has not hidden these desired principles in some dark and obscure corner of reality. This verse tells us that we have been provided a searchlight to successfully find them... "a lantern for my feet and light upon my path". Just as the sun provides all the light we need, illumination from God will guide our steps along life's path. In a large city, where many of us live, illuminated with ambient light, sometimes it’s hard to visualize what true darkness is really like. A walk in the forest can be an entirely different experience. If you've ever been surrounded by the profound darkness of a moonless night while camping in the woods, you know the value that a lantern can be. This was the world of the Psalmist. The lantern doesn't illuminate the whole scene in front of you, but it shines enough light on your feet that you don't trip on something and fall down. It will guide you through the little, moment-by-moment steps of life. This verse continues and tells us that the word (desires) of God, which have been disclosed by Scripture and the life example of Jesus, will light up our whole path throughout life, not just step-by-step, but the whole trajectory of our life. One day at a time, as Jesus eloquently phrased it. This Divine wisdom and teaching will be like airport landing lights which are seen at a distance and lead us straight ahead to land safely at our life's desired terminus; comfort along the way to an eternity with Christ. PRAYER O God, your desires for my life, expressed by your word, are all the light I need. I seek your desires for my life, and I offer to you my praise for gifting me with your words of guidance and hope. As I study and apply them, I know they will give light to your path and allow me to be in harmony with you. For you are my comfort and peace divine. Amen. DEVOTION AUTHOR Donald (Luke) Day Order of St. Francis and St. Clare

SCRIPTURE Romans 8.9a “You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. WORDS OF HOPE Today’s weird holiday is Superman Day. (commemorating the superhero’s birthday in one of the comics) If my friends know anything about me at all, they know I’ve been a Superman fan nearly all my life. It started when I was two or three years old watching the old 1950s TV show starring George Reeves. The program felt magical because even though I didn’t understand much of the storyline, I loved watching Superman leap out of windows to fly or duck behind a boulder to change from Superman into Clark Kent. It wasn’t until years later that I realized Superman had been created in the 1930s, long before television. Oddly enough, an early version of the character wasn’t even a hero, but a villain bent on world domination. I also discovered Superman’s creators were Jewish, and that the character carried parallels to Moses being sent down the river in a basket to escape death — much like young Kal-El being sent away from the doomed planet Krypton in a rocket. The metaphors don’t stop there. Like Jesus, Superman was initially misunderstood — an outsider observing humanity while trying to guide and protect it. Even Jesus was careful about revealing His true nature to everyone around Him. That mirrors Superman’s earliest stories, where he guarded his identity from Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen, and Perry White. Of course, modern audiences can no longer pretend a pair of glasses would fool Lois Lane. Superman is the real identity, while mild-mannered Clark Kent is the disguise. Both Jesus and Superman are described as possessing powers beyond mortal men. Yet even Superman cannot change water into wine or restore sight to the blind. Jesus changed the course of human history, though many interpretations religion itself still seems to divide humanity as much as unite it. And despite all our wars, suffering, and confusion, often neither Superman nor Jesus appears able — or willing — to save us from ourselves. That is the human conundrum. Even if Superman were real, he couldn’t be everywhere at once. That kind of omniscience belongs only to the Almighty Creator. So why do we sometimes act as though God selectively saves a chosen few while ignoring the rest? At times, that almost makes God seem like a supervillain Himself — strangely enough, much like Superman originally began. In one episode of I Love Lucy, George Reeves appears as Superman and asks the children, “Any of you kids want to wrestle?” On the surface that would make God the greatest Joker of them all. In our frustrating and confusing world, sometimes it feels as if God asks us the same question every day. But remember the Jewish roots of our superhero’s origins. When Jacob wrestled with God, he was truly wrestling with his own self-created conflicts. The result? He not only saved his nation; he became the nation. Jacob discovered that his secret identity all along had been Israel. How about you? Are you ready to take off those glasses and discover your Super Self? PRAYER Help us to understand that waiting for mythic heroes or gods to save the day is futile when we realize that the Spirit of God has been living inside us all along. Amen DEVOTION AUTHOR Charlie Rose Order of St. Francis and St. Clare