Category Archives: Daily Devotion

A New Thing

Wednesday of Holy Week

April 5, 2023

Scripture Reading: Psalm 36:5-11
Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens,
   your faithfulness to the clouds.
Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains,
   your judgments are like the great deep;
   you save humans and animals alike, O Lord.

How precious is your steadfast love, O God!
   All people may take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
They feast on the abundance of your house,
   and you give them drink from the river of your delights.
For with you is the fountain of life;
   in your light we see light.

O continue your steadfast love to those who know you,
   and your salvation to the upright of heart!
Do not let the foot of the arrogant tread on me,
   or the hand of the wicked drive me away.

The steadfast love of God is my mainstay, and perseverance does pay.  I tire of all the disinformation that surrounds us today. The hand of the wicked is truly trying to drive us from our mission of building the beloved community. The dark ads during the recent political campaigns were sickening, and the rhetoric that has followed in the political sphere is just as bad. The last line of this Psalm today hit home. It is hard to discern when walking away is the best way. How long do we, preserver?

Perhaps we need to rethink and reshape our perseverance. We need to give heed to Isaiah 43:18-19

Do not remember the former things,
   or consider the things of old.
I am about to do a new thing;
   now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
I will make a way in the wilderness
   and rivers in the desert.

Perhaps our prayers need to ask for eyes to see and ears to hear what that new thing is. Surely if Isaiah says it, the focus is on the One whom he saw was coming that we recognize as Jesus Christ. His prime directive was to Love God and to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. Perhaps we need to focus for a time on whether we do love ourselves. In God’s opinion, what does it mean to love oneself? Surely it partially means fulfilling the capacities with which we were created, becoming fully the persons God created us to be. My guess is that all of us have experienced something in life that has caused us to back away from such a fullness of being. I loved to sing as a child.  While rehearsing a song for a school program, all the girls in the class were practicing. My teacher stopped us and said, “Marilynn, don’t sing; just mouth the words.” My public singing ended right then. As an adult, the choir director at my church invited me to join the choir. I said I could not sing, and he said yes, you can try it. I did and enjoyed it.  When I told him that story. He told me that I probably had a more mature voice than the other girls at that age, and I was drowning them out. I wonder what would have happened if my teacher had said Marilynn see if you can sing as softly as the other or sing softly enough that you can hear the person standing next to you. There is a lesson here in learning to love oneself and avoiding behaviors that kill people’s souls, perhaps because we do not have enough faith in ourselves, or love of self to care about others.

Prayer: Lord, we open our hearts to doing a new thing in you and ask that you heal any damages in our beings that keep us from loving others as we love ourselves. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

A New Thing

Tuesday of Holy Week

April 4, 2023

Scripture Reading: Isaiah 42:1-9

Thus says God, the Lord,
   who created the heavens and stretched them out,
   who spread out the earth and what comes from it,
who gives breath to the people upon it
   and spirit to those who walk in it:
I am the Lord, I have called you in righteousness,
   I have taken you by the hand and kept you;
I have given you as a covenant to the people,
   a light to the nations,
   to open the eyes that are blind,
to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon,
   from the prison those who sit in darkness.
I am the Lord, that is my name;
   my glory I give to no other,
   nor my praise to idols.
See, the former things have come to pass,
   and new things I now declare;
before they spring forth,
   I tell you of them. –Isaiah 42:5-9

I immediately thought of the chorus I Will Do a New Thing in You when I read this scripture. While the song is very short, I cannot quote it as it is copyrighted.  I first heard and learned it at a retreat in Tennessee sponsored by the Children’s Defense Fund. The meeting was designed, I think, to remind children’s advocates not to give up. That meeting was held in the early 1980s.  Fifty years ago, that does not seem possible. It also does not seem possible that we, children’s advocates, continue to work regarding the same problems; some like, gun violence, are even worse now. Here is a link to the Children’s Defense Fund’s most recent summary report of the status of children in Oklahoma. https://www.childrensdefense.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/SOAC-2021-Fact-Sheet_Oklahoma.pdf

Isaiah talks about the arrival of the Bringer of the New Thing, Messiah. While singing lifts our spirits and strengthens our motivation to do a new thing we seem to leave that challenge at the church doors as we leave worship and return to our life routines. Jesus did start a new thing planting new seeds and we are the workers in the garden assigned to bring forth the fruit of the spirit for all people striving for wholeness, oneness, and justice.

Prayer: Lord, travel with us out of the doors of our places of worship and into the world that longs for that new thing you offer. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Healthcare

Monday of Holy Week

April 3, 2023

Scripture Reading:

Isaiah 42:1-9

Here is my servant, whom I uphold,
   my chosen, in whom my soul delights;
I have put my spirit upon him;
   he will bring forth justice to the nations.
He will not cry or lift up his voice,
   or make it heard in the street;
a bruised reed he will not break,
   and a dimly burning wick he will not quench;
   he will faithfully bring forth justice.
He will not grow faint or be crushed
   until he has established justice in the earth;
   and the coastlands wait for his teaching. –Isaiah 42:1-4

I thought of the mentally ill in our country when I read a bruised reed he will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not quench; we seem more aware of the disease and, in many ways, do not know how to address it.  Mental illness is not unlike colds or the flu. We all have experienced it at some level—depression after losing a loved one or anxiety after being laid off from work and not quickly finding new employment. Many do not recognize these as illnesses at all. More serious, more challenging mental illnesses threaten the person’s well-being.  When I was a child, the severely mentally ill were hospitalized and kept away from the public. Some of those facilities were horrible, and eventually, more restrictions were put on caring for the mentally ill. I fear much work remains to heal those who suffer from mental illness.

While physical illnesses may not result in the stigma that mental illness carries, the provision of health services in the USA is appallingly behind that of much of the world. The cause is simple to identify and almost impossible to cure—greed. Our healthcare system is driven by layers of profit that have become more important than the care we provide one another.

Isaiah is saying that God’s servant has the patience and heart to heal the sick and demand and produce the justice all people desire. We are the conduits of that justice today.

Prayer: Lord, give us the courage to bring healing through justice to all people.  Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Serving God, Following the Example of Jesus

Lent

April 2, 2023

Scripture Reading:

Matthew 21:1-11
When they had come near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, ‘Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, just say this, “The Lord needs them.” And he will send them immediately.’ This took place to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet, saying,
‘Tell the daughter of Zion,
Look, your king is coming to you,
   humble, and mounted on a donkey,
     and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’

The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them; they brought the donkey and the colt, and put their cloaks on them, and he sat on them. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and that followed were shouting,
‘Hosanna to the Son of David!
   Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
Hosanna in the highest heaven!’

When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil, asking, ‘Who is this?’ The crowds were saying, ‘This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.’

Fame can be heady, but it also can be a challenge. Being a star actor, musician, athlete, politician even a preacher makes people deal with who they really are and who others perceive them to be. Jesus had to walk that lonely journey. He had to find the perfect combination of being known for who he really was while being able to get others’ attention to share his purpose and not just view him as what we might call a Rock Star.

Amid being surrounded by people all different, and all-seeing him from the prisms of their lives, Jesus seemed to be able to meet each person by who they were and respond appropriately from the children waving their palms in great joy to being jealous (?) threatened (?) faith leaders and even Pilate. He loved them all.

We inherited this same challenge from Jesus when we answered his call to take up his cross and follow (See Matthew 16:24-26} his example to love everyone as we work to build God’s Beloved Community.

Prayer: Lord, during this Holy Week open our hearts and minds to your service. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Growing In Faith

Lent

April 1, 2023

Scripture Reading: Matthew 26:14-27
Then one of the twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, ‘What will you give me if I betray him to you?’ They paid him thirty pieces of silver. And from that moment he began to look for an opportunity to betray him.

On the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, ‘Where do you want us to make the preparations for you to eat the Passover?’ He said, ‘Go into the city to a certain man, and say to him, “The Teacher says, My time is near; I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples.” ’ So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover meal.

When it was evening, he took his place with the twelve; and while they were eating, he said, ‘Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me.’ And they became greatly distressed and began to say to him one after another, ‘Surely not I, Lord?’ He answered, ‘The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me. The Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that one by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that one not to have been born.’ Judas, who betrayed him, said, ‘Surely not I, Rabbi?’ He replied, ‘You have said so.’

While they were eating, Jesus took a loaf of bread, and after blessing it he broke it, gave it to the disciples, and said, ‘Take, eat; this is my body.’ Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you;

Oklahoma farmland has pockets of destruction resulting from the Dust Bowl of the 1930s, where the winds took more than the topsoil but gouged out three-sided gullies. There was one on our farm that was eventually delegated as the junk pile filled with old equipment that had served its purpose. I do not know if that was the case with one of our neighbor’s farms. There was an interesting rock and valley formation that may have been there forever but also could have been eroded into an area that would never be used to plant anything. The owner, however, had a vision of how that land could be useful. With a little rearrangement of some of the areas, he created an outdoor arena that was perfect for an annual Easter pageant.  The churches in my small hometown came together each year to present the story of the last week of Jesus’s life. I am not sure how old I was when I first waved palms and shouted Hosanna as the actor playing, Jesus rode by on a donkey. In junior high, I was one of the people crying out Crucify him! Crucify him! Eventually, I played Solome walking with my sister playing Mary, the mother of Jesus, and the other women who went to anoint Jesus and discovered the tomb was empty.

That experience left an indelible impression on me. I have watched professional reenactments of these same events, but nothing could impress me more than at one moment waving palms of exaltation and just a short time later crying out Crucify him!

I encourage us all this Easter to ponder on the happenings of the coming week and use what we discern as a catalyst for growth in our faith commitment.

Prayer: Lord, open our hearts to the tremendous love you shared with us in sending your Son to be our Savior. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Loving Like Jesus

Lent

March 31, 2023

Scripture Reading:

Philippians 2:5-11

Therefore God also highly exalted him
   and gave him the name
   that is above every name,
so that at the name of Jesus
   every knee should bend,
   in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue should confess
   that Jesus Christ is Lord,
   to the glory of God the Father. –Philippians 2:9-11

This is a beautiful recognition of Jesus as the chosen Christ. He certainly is worthy of our praise, but I cannot help but think he takes greater pride in his work when he sees his followers following his example. That starts with loving God and spreads to loving all God’s creation, which is a whole lot easier to say than do. Jesus even got frustrated with leaders who get too caught up in amassing wealth and prestige rather than caring for the least of these. He chased the money changers out of the temple.

I like the definition that love is wanting the very best for another, which has nothing to do with what the other can do for us. We then must struggle with the idea that we do not get to define what is best for others. The hard part comes when we see the ones we love getting involved in behavior that is self-destructive. How do we love them? We need to seek professional help as needed. We must also invest more time and energy in sharing our concerns and seeking God’s support and help. I like the example of airline instructions when an emergency arises, and all passengers must use the oxygen tubes that drop down from above our seats. The steward always says if you are traveling with someone who will need help with using oxygen, put your oxygen on first so you will be able to help your companion.  Staying in sync with God is our best way of helping others.

Prayer: God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference, living one day at a time; enjoying one moment at a time; taking this world as it is and not as I would have it; trusting that You will make all things right if I surrender to Your will; so that I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with You forever in the next.− Reinhold Niebuhr Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Being in the Same Mind in Christ

Lent

March 30, 2023

Scripture Reading:

Philippians 2:5-11

Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,
who, though he was in the form of God,
   did not regard equality with God
   as something to be exploited,
but emptied himself,
   taking the form of a slave,
   being born in human likeness.
And being found in human form,
   he humbled himself
   and became obedient to the point of death—
   even death on a cross. –Philippians 2:5-8

If you read these devotions regularly, you have probably figured out that I believe that God created each person with unique skills and talents and tasked us to each work to become the best person we can be within that framework. God also was generous enough to allow a wide spectrum of opportunities to develop our avocation. Growing to be seven feet tall does not destine one to play basketball. You might be the scientist that finds the cure for cancer. It also does not mean that you could not be a basketball star if your adult height is five foot three like Tyrone Curtis “Muggsy” Bogues. He survived the challenges of poverty, a dangerous neighborhood, and an imprisoned father. After being an all-star in the NBA, he worked in several successful ventures. He founded the Muggsy Bogues Family Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization “organized to assist vocationally bound students with scholarships and develop community outreach programs for at-risk families that address the most basic necessities” and “encourage youth and families by providing resources that emphasize stability and empower youth and families to reach their full potential, becoming well-rounded students and productive adult citizens.”**

Avocation is a subordinate occupation pursued in addition to one’s regular work, especially for enjoyment*. However, the best of all possible careers is when your purpose in life is your vocation fulfilling your avocation. It is rather like being in love with someone you love.

Jesus came into this world as God Incarnate, showing us how to fulfill our life purpose within our called avocation of doing our part in building the Beloved Community, which God initiated at creation. We can best accomplish that by [Letting] the same mind be in [us] that was in Christ Jesus.

How do we gain the same mind that was in Christ Jesus?

  • Do not exploit God for our own purposes.
  • Empty ourselves taking the form of a slave, thus allowing the Spirit to guide us.
  • Be humble.
  • Be obedient to the point of death.

Prayer: God, fill us with your Spirit as we strive to gain the same mind that was in Christ Jesus. Amen.

*https://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/unabridged/avocation

**https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muggsy_Bogues

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Loving all Neighbors

Lent

March 29, 2023

Scripture Reading: Psalm 31:9-16
Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am in distress;
   my eye wastes away from grief,
   my soul and body also.
For my life is spent with sorrow,
   and my years with sighing;
my strength fails because of my misery,
   and my bones waste away.

I am the scorn of all my adversaries,
   a horror to my neighbors,
an object of dread to my acquaintances;
   those who see me in the street flee from me.
I have passed out of mind like one who is dead;
   I have become like a broken vessel.
For I hear the whispering of many—
   terror all around!—
as they scheme together against me,
   as they plot to take my life.

But I trust in you, O Lord;
   I say, ‘You are my God.’
My times are in your hand;
  deliver me from the hand of my enemies and persecutors.
Let your face shine upon your servant;
   save me in your steadfast love.

I read the first segment of the Psalm and identified with it somewhat. I must use pliers to open tight lids, and both my knees have wasted away to the extent that they have been replaced. In general, those realities have made me appreciate that someone invented pliers and titanium knees. I have learned in public to pass bottled water containers to ask even strangers sitting near me to remove too-tight lids. I generally ask only people whom I observed could open their own lids. Doing that has provided opportunities for pleasant conversation.

The second segment made me sad. I thought of the people who are homeless and often in need of physical or mental health care. I just heard, once more, the reports of another school shooting where a now adult former student had returned to the school they attended to carry out some vendetta. I also grow weary of the public officials and others who foster such reactions by castigating people for being different.

The third segment is a beautiful and appropriate prayer for all people who feel the sting of societal exclusion and a call to all people to love their neighbors as they would like to be loved given the same circumstances.  

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the helpers who open lids for and their hearts to others. Help us all fill that void whenever it is in our capacity.  Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Created to be Me

Lent

March 28, 2023

Scripture Reading: Isaiah 50:4-9a

The Lord God helps me;
   therefore I have not been disgraced;
therefore I have set my face like flint,
   and I know that I shall not be put to shame;
   he who vindicates me is near.
Who will contend with me?
   Let us stand up together.
Who are my adversaries?
   Let them confront me.
It is the Lord God who helps me;
   who will declare me guilty?
All of them will wear out like a garment;
   the moth will eat them up. –Isaiah 50:7-9

The more I listen to news reports and see the anger on social media of discrimination and other verbal and violent attacks on people because of who they are, the more I become concerned about people’s sense of self-worth. I can only think that running down other people makes them feel better about themselves. It doesn’t. Such behavior leaves an emptier place in one’s soul that drives us to work harder at diminishing the self-worth of others so we can feel better about ourselves. Indeed, Isaiah describes well the result of such behavior All of them will wear out like a garment; the moth will eat them up.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for creating all people in your image, so we can love one another as all people, including ourselves, were declared good at their creation. Enable us to work together to ensure everyone knows your love as we support each other to become who you created us to be. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Listening First

Lent

March 27, 2023

Scripture Reading: Isaiah 50:4-9a

The Lord God has given me
   the tongue of a teacher,
that I may know how to sustain
   the weary with a word.
Morning by morning he wakens—
   wakens my ear
   to listen as those who are taught.
The Lord God has opened my ear,
   and I was not rebellious,
   I did not turn backwards.
I gave my back to those who struck me,
   and my cheeks to those who pulled out the beard;
I did not hide my face
   from insult and spitting. –Isaiah 50:4-6

Education is a big deal in Oklahoma right now as the legislature tries to tackle ways to improve our public education system so that our children are prepared for bright futures realizing their full potential. They are our future.

The above scripture starts off with the recognition that teaching requires special skills. I especially l that the part about listening as those who are taught. If we pay attention, children will tell us how they learn through their actions and responses. Standardized tests are oxymorons. People are not standardized. Animals are not either. I have had the joy of raising two dogs. Hefner, understood words, If I said do you need to go outside, he would run to the back door. He had a very broad vocabulary. A few months after his death, I got another dog, Micah. He frustrated me at first because he did not respond to spoken instructions as Hef did. One day I pointed to the door, and he immediately ran to it, eager to go outside. I started experimenting with hand signals and soon learned that he understood them. I listened to those who were taught.

Prayer: Lord, guide us in finding the best ways to communicate with one another as we grow together in spirit and in truth. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.