Good morning. Today is Wednesday, the fifth of January, 2022, in the second week of Christmas. It’s the twelfth day of Christmas.
May the peace of Christ be with you.
Day 23,309
Eighteen days until Hamilton!
It was a fine day, yesterday. My evening at the library was different than usual. I was asked, at the beginning, to cover in the computer center while the full-time librarian went on lunch break, so I didn’t get a lot of shelving done. In fact, I didn’t technically put anything on the shelves, last night, as the remainder of my time was spent sorting a cart of DVDs. While that task may sound simple, it’s more time-consuming than you might think. I have to open every case to check the DVD in the case and make sure it matches the bar code number on the case. Then I have to make sure all DVDs in a multiple set (such as a season of a TV show) are in the case. Then I have to make sure that each case has one of our sticky notes with places to indicate issues with the media (won’t play, skips, and so on). Then, before putting them back on the cart in alphabetical order by title, I have to lock each case with our magnetic locking device. That is occasionally a challenging task, as sometimes those locking mechanisms don’t want to work.
At any rate, I was able to get the full cart sorted and ready for someone to shelve this morning, and then walked the shelves to straighten up some, and picked up stray books along the way, which we mark as “used” in the system. If a book is taken off the shelf, but not checked out, it is marked “used” so that the librarians know that there was at least some interest in the book. This helps them when the “weeding” times come.
I’m up pretty early, this morning, and not sure why. I am working the full day, today, 9:15-6:15, and it is the first full day since my new devotional routine began. That may have something to do with why I couldn’t go back to sleep. I also signed up to work an extra shift tomorrow, from 10-2, to cover for someone. I don’t know who, but that doesn’t really matter. I’m always willing to work an extra shift if it doesn’t interfere with any other plans, and it is only a half day, so I’ll still have time to prep for our Chicken Stir-fry tomorrow evening.
Oops. I just remembered . . . I’m supposed to start soup in the crock pot, this morning. And my coffee cup is empty. Be right back.
Thanks for waiting. The soup is started. It’s Chicken Ranch Crockpot soup, today. Chicken breast, three cans of 98%fat free cream of chicken soup, and one packet of ranch dressing mix. Oh, and a can of water, using one of the soup cans.
Okay, here we go.
TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL AND PRAYERS
Little Things, by Daryl Madden
Little gifts of kindness Of generosity Bring light to this world Through humility Little acts of love Through the trinity Draw the world as One Bound Spiritually Little prayers of faith Through divinity Turns the worlds direction Oh, so gradually All these little moments One day we will see In another world Flow to eternity The little things in life The world sees as small Turns out in the end Are the greatest, of all
This is something to remember when we feel like we can’t do anything to change the world because we are only one person. One person can change the world of one other person. Please check out Daryl’s other poetry on the link provided above.
But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy, and spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may exult in you. For you bless the righteous, O LORD; you cover him with favor as with a shield. (Psalms 5:11-12 ESV)
Today I am grateful:
1. for coffee 2. for little acts of love and kindness, spread around the world 3. for these quiet pauses, each morning 4. for colors; red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet, and all the combinations 5. that Jesus looks at me (and you) and sees good things 6. for Jesus's calling on me to follow Him 7. that God's Word is not just some literary artifact to be studied, but can be brought into present tense in our lives
The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, "Follow me." Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see." Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!" Nathanael said to him, "How do you know me?" Jesus answered him, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you." Nathanael answered him, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!" Jesus answered him, "Because I said to you, 'I saw you under the fig tree,' do you believe? You will see greater things than these." And he said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man." (John 1:43-51 ESV)
When Jesus saw Nathaniel, he noted a good quality about him. What good qualities does Jesus see in us? I assure you that He does see good qualities in us. As hard as I am on myself, when I look within, I believe that Jesus, who can see all and knows me better than I know myself, looks upon me and sees some good things.
Yet I find within me things that I would have Him change. What things would you have Jesus change in you? I encourage you to talk about these things with Him, both the good things that He finds in you, as well as those things you would like to see changed.
Father, I am thankful, this morning, for the calling of Jesus on my life. Obviously, You found something in me that was worth having, or You would not have chosen me and called me. Yet, anything that You found was something that You already put there. This puts me back at Psalm 139 again. “Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it.” Show me the “greater things,” Lord. Let me see where You are working in this world that seems so lacking of Your presence. Help me do the little things that You place in my path, little things that can change the world of one of “the least of these.”
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.
As I continue looking at the spiritual discipline of meditation, the question is posed, “What are some obstacles to meditation for people in secular careers?”
That is an interesting question, especially considering that the word “secular” did not come into use in that context until after the fifties. What, exactly, is a “secular” career? The opposite of a “sacred” career? Did not Brother Lawrence even consider the washing of dishes as “sacred?”
But I digress. It is not the purpose, here, to debate the difference between “secular” and “sacred.” I understand the meaning behind the question. All of my full-time jobs have been in a “secular” career. And while there may not be a large number of obstacles to meditation in these careers, they don’t have the advantage of having a career in some kind of ministry. For example, a pastor should have all kinds of time to meditate. Now whether or not he or she takes advantage of that is on them.
In contrast, someone working an 8-5 job in some kind of industry doesn’t have an abundance of time to stop and meditate during the day. However, those obstacles can be overcome. For example, last night, as I was walking the shelves of the library, I prayed, which can be a form of meditation. I could just as easily have gone over memorized passages of Scripture in my head, while glancing through shelves of books. The challenge is to not look at all the books and wonder, “Oh, that looks interesting; what is it about?”
One of the reasons I have, for many years, chosen to get up much earlier than I need to, is so that I can have the time to read and meditate on Scripture and other worthy writings, before I begin the tasks of my day. That’s what I’m doing right now, because I cannot guarantee that I will have a chance to have quiet reflection during my work day, even at a place like a library. Working the circulation desk is not always quiet.
But taking time to pause in the morning, like this, also helps me be more aware of times throughout the day when I can pause and reflect or pray. There is plenty to pray about, at least for me.
Meditation is an important discipline to engage in. It is a process of thinking through passages of Scripture that have been read, praying them back to the Lord, along with questions about what has been read. Is there something I need to ask Him? Is there an opportunity for the Holy Spirit to speak further into this passage, helping me understand it? And while there are certainly obstacles to this discipline, in “secular” careers, they can be overcome.
Father, help me to be more aware of times, during my day, when I can pause and reflect on things I have read earlier. Help me to rely on the Holy Spirit to draw my attention to these things and remember what I have read.
In Symphony of Salvation, Eugene H. Peterson describes Deuteronomy as “maybe the longest sermon ever.” Along with Leviticus, Deuteronomy probably stands as one of the least favorite books of the Bible to read. It is, essentially, “Moses, standing on the Plains of Moab with all Israel assembled before him, preaching.”
Peterson says that this sermon “does what all sermons are intended to do: Take God’s words, written and spoken in the past, take the human experience, ancestral and personal, of the listening congregation, then reproduce the words and experience as a single event right now, in this present moment.”
Peterson rejects that thought that God’s Word is just a literary artifact to be studied, or that human experience “is dead history merely to be regretted or admired.” It all must be brought into today, into context.
This commandment that I'm commanding you today isn't too much for you, it's not out of your reach. It's not on a high mountain—you don't have to get mountaineers to climb the peak and bring it down to your level and explain it before you can live it. And it's not across the ocean—you don't have to send sailors out to get it, bring it back, and then explain it before you can live it. No. The word is right here and now—as near as the tongue in your mouth, as near as the heart in your chest. Just do it! Look at what I've done for you today: I've placed in front of you Life and Good, Death and Evil. And I command you today: Love GOD, your God. Walk in his ways. Keep his commandments, regulations, and rules so that you will live, really live, live exuberantly, blessed by GOD, your God, in the land you are about to enter and possess. (Deuteronomy 30:11-16 MSG)
Notice how the words “today,” “here,” and “now” keep recurring. This sermon’s importance is highlighted by the fact that this is the last stop on their long journey to the Promised Land. Moses puts their entire experience, as well as the entirety of the commands of God, into present tense.
Be vigilant, listen obediently to these words that I command you so that you'll have a good life, you and your children, for a long, long time, doing what is good and right in the eyes of GOD, your God. (Deuteronomy 12:28 MSG)
“and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.”
(Psalms 50:15 ESV)
In the day of my trouble I call upon you, for you answer me.
(Psalms 86:7 ESV)
He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength.
(Isaiah 40:29 ESV)
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
(2 Corinthians 12:9 ESV)
Today’s word in Pray a Word a Day is “creativity.” Albert Einstein is quoted as saying “Creativity is intelligence having fun.”
Kids are naturally creative, it seems. What happens to us, though? It seems like most of us lose that creativity when we get older. There are a handful of people, who seem almost “genius-like,” who never seem to grow up. And I don’t blame them, if “growing up” means losing your imagination.
How can the word “creativity” be used in prayer, today? I will be considering this as I walk through this day. For me, it lends itself to my desire to make more music this year. Making music, whether writing it or performing someone else’s creation, is, itself, creativity. Every time I play a song, regardless of who wrote it or when it was written, I create something new. That is worth considering, don’t you think?
Also, consider . . . we were created by the Master Creator, “in His image.”
Father, fan my creativity into flame today. Make my imagination soar. As I find time to meditate on Your Word, throughout this day, and as I am called upon to pray for the needs of whoever you put in my path, make me creative in these tasks. There is nothing wrong with creativity in prayer. Thank You for giving me an imagination, and I thank You that there is still the heart of a child lurking in there, somewhere.
Father, I continue to pray for relief in this pandemic. Numbers are soaring; hospitalization are at an all-time high; make us aware of the needs, and give us a miracle. I have been asked to pray for people who have Covid, Lord, and I do that. I am asking for a miracle for one family, today, if it is not too late. They need a miraculous healing, Father. I pray Your healing blessing upon them.
Even so, come, 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 