Today is Friday, the 3rd of February, 2023, in the season of Epiphany.
May the peace of the Lord be with you always!
Day 23,703
As far as I know, the library will be open regular hours, today. So I will be heading out between 8:45 and 9:00. The street outside our house looks relatively clear, now. It’s still below freezing, right now, but barely. I have no idea what kind of day to expect, although I do expect that I will be asked to take on a few extra responsibilities, which is fine. Tomorrow is my Saturday at circulation, and I have a feeling it’s going to be busy.
C is working from home again, today, but mostly because A) it’s her normal work from home day, and B) she’s had a pretty bad headache for a couple days. My guess is that it is stress-related, from work.
TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL AND PRAYERS
The wicked have laid a snare for me, but I do not stray from your precepts. (Psalms 119:110 NRSV)
Dear Father in heaven, we may come to you, for you have counted us as your children. Our hearts long to come to you, our God and Savior. May your Word bless us and restore us. Give us courageous hearts to bear the distress of our times. Let a light arise in our days so that people care about your will. Then the need on earth shall come to an end, your name shall be honored, and your will be done. Lord God, you alone are our help. Be merciful to us. Stretch out your hand so that all people may turn to you and to your commandments, and your will may be done on earth. Amen.
for in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith. As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.
(Galatians 3:26-27 NRSV)
Today I am grateful:
- to be going back to work, this morning
- for the hope of the light of God shining in our world
- for God’s Word, that imparts understanding to us (Psalm 119:130)
- for the Holy Spirit in our lives, “rivers of living water”
- for compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience; may I be clothed in those today (Colossians 3:12)
O come, let us sing to the LORD; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise! For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods. (Psalms 95:1-3 NRSV)
I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God; incline your ear to me, hear my words. (Psalms 17:6 NRSV)
The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple. (Psalms 119:130 NRSV)
At the set time that I appoint I will judge with equity.
(Psalms 75:2 NRSV)
On the last day of the festival, the great day, while Jesus was standing there, he cried out, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, and let the one who believes in me drink. As the scripture has said, ‘Out of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living water.'” Now he said this about the Spirit, which believers in him were to receive; for as yet there was no Spirit, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
(John 7:37-39 NRSV)
When my soul was embittered, when I was pricked in heart, I was stupid and ignorant; I was like a brute beast toward you. Nevertheless I am continually with you; you hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me with honor. Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire other than you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, to tell of all your works. (Psalms 73:21-26, 28 NRSV)
Glory be to God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, so it is now and so it shall ever be, world without end. Alleluia. Amen.
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Your Name. May Your kingdom come, and Your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil; for Yours are the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.
"Almighty and everlasting God, you govern all things both in heaven and on earth: Mercifully hear the supplications of your people, and in our time grant us your peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen." (The Prayer Appointed for the Week - The Divine Hours)
Since there will never cease to be some in need on the earth, I therefore command you, “Open your hand to the poor and needy neighbor in your land.”
(Deuteronomy 15:11 NRSV)
I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
(Ephesians 4:1-3 NRSV)
Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are.
(Romans 12:16 NRSV)
As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.
(Colossians 3:12 NRSV)
Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.
(James 4:10 NRSV)
GOD guards you from every evil, he guards your very life.
(Psalms 121:7 MSG)
What sticks out to me, this morning, is Colossians 3:12. We are to cloth ourselves with “compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.” While a lot of us might be mostly okay with kindness, and maybe even compassion, I dare say that most folks hesitate at the humility and meekness bit, especially since, in Western culture, meekness is ignorantly confused with weakness.
But it’s not. Jesus was “meek,” but He most definitely was NOT weak.
And patience? We seem to have completely forgotten what that means. One might have thought that a global pandemic would have made us kinder, more thoughtful, perhaps more patient. One would be wrong.
But there is that verse in Colossians, anyway, one that has stood out to me for almost forty years, now. How am I doing with it. Not a lot better than most folks, I fear. But I’m trying. And each day, when I remember (so not necessarily “each day”), I ask the Holy Spirit to clothe me in those things, especially if I’m having to leave the house and interact with other humans.
Today is no different.
Oh, and before I move on, I want to point out what the next verse in James says, the one after the one I quoted up there.
Do not speak evil against one another, brothers and sisters. Whoever speaks evil against another or judges another, speaks evil against the law and judges the law; but if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. There is one lawgiver and judge who is able to save and to destroy. So who, then, are you to judge your neighbor?
(James 4:11-12 NRSV)
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, most holy Trinity, I ask You today to both fill me and clothe me, inside and out, with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. May I display those qualities toward everyone with whom I come in contact today. May Your presence in my life be visible in all things, today, Father.
Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus!
O Lamb of God, that takes away the sins of the world, have mercy upon us. O Lamb of God, that takes away the sins of the world, have mercy upon us. O, Lamb of God, that takes away the sins of the world, grant us Your peace. (Agnus Dei)
Grace and peace, friends.
Spaces of Beauty, Grace, Prayer, and Mercy 