Devotion
Accepting Mortality
David Jacobs
My father spent most of his life as an angry man. He grew up in a poor home, was abandoned by his parents, left school at 12 having never learned to read and write, spent his adolescence in and out of care homes and eventually became a bricklayer. The anger and disappointment in the hand that he had been dealt had forged itself with his very being.
Growing up around him was often unpleasant. He would be insecure, angry, and violent at the drop of a hat. He was caught up in so much hate that he eventually became it, causing much stress for my siblings and me.
I grew up, and after completing my studies I moved out and travelled the world, looking for a safe place to call home. My siblings also travelled and found their own places. We kept contact with our parents but it was often more formal than a truly familiar experience.
5 years ago, my father lost his temper with his boss at work, which resulted in him being 50 and unemployed. During that time, he had also developed bad carpal tunnel from years of hard labor in the cold, which had then developed into severe arthritis that meant he could not find further work.
One day, I received a phone call from him, but it was different. I was no longer talking to the angry, insecure man of my childhood. He had been transformed.
"I am not going to live forever." He said. "I know that now, and I wasted so much of my life being mean to people, being so angry and unforgiving that I have driven a wedge between us. I am truly sorry." We made up.
Not long after this conversation, our family had been washed over. We all got along much better. After his confession, my father eventually found a job teaching vocational skills and trades to children that had been expelled from schools, or abandoned by their parents and fallen behind. He now has the chance to do good work with children that may have eventually grown into the man that he once was. He handwrote me a birthday card that year. That old, angry illiterate man has now learned enough that he can use messaging apps on his phone to send me holiday greetings and words of encouragement wherever I am on planet Earth.How incredible is that?
How much time do we spend on things that don't truly matter? Stress, anxiety, worries, anger, sadness...is this how God intended us to wisely spend our time?
Prayer
Through faithful study, meditation and acts of kindness, our insecurities and pain can be transformed into wisdom and love. Amen.
Devotion
Passover
Frances Taylor
And so still today, the Jewish people celebrate Passover and one of the traditions is for someone to ask why we celebrate this feast, and the youngest child answers with the story of the Passover. Jesus was celebrating Passover with his friends on the night before he died. I know this reading comes up during the summer, so it's not the time for Passover, or the Passion of Jesus, but I have a question. What are our traditions surrounding the passion and death and resurrection of Jesus? Do we celebrate the end of Lent on Holy Thursday? Do we spend time with Jesus on Good Friday remembering his sacrifice? Is Easter all about candy and the Easter bunny? Today, many of our churches are practically empty on Easter Sunday and the children think more about an Easter egg hunt than God. Would the youngest member of the family be able to tell the story of why we celebrate? God brought the Israelites from slavery to freedom at the original Passover, but Jesus brought ...
Morning Prayer
Thus saith the LORD, which maketh a way in the sea, and a path in the mighty waters; In that day shall five cities in the land of Egypt speak the language of Canaan, and swear to the LORD of hosts; one shall be called, The city of destruction. In that day shall there be an altar to the LORD in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar at the border thereof to the LORD.
Inspiration
Through God, all things are possible, and all things may be made a new. Dwell not on the past, of what was or could have been, but rather look forward to what through God's grace, may unfold within his divine plan. Being a Christian is constantly about a state of becoming, of a movement towards the Light of perfection shown to us by Christ. A part of this is to always remain open to Gods' works and feats, emerging all around us. God's will to create and recreate the world is his right as our Heavenly father, and it is not for us to mourn what may pass, but rather to seek to adapt our faith in ...
Night Prayer
My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever.
Inspiration
God is our portion, our ultimate source of peace and happiness. We do not need to understand His ways or timing; we only need to know that He is always with us. God is our safety net, and He guides us through each struggle or hardship. We know terrible occurrences are bound to happen as we live in this imperfect world, but we have hope because God is with us every moment. His love will never fail.
Prayer
Dear Lord, we depend on You for peace and happiness all the days of our life. We are blessed because we can face any obstacle with You by our side. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
