Devotion
Love the Foreigners
Frances Taylor
Have you ever thought that the Holy Family were refugees just as Israel and his family were when they went to Egypt to escape the famine? They fled from those who would kill them to a country not their own, trusting that they would be safe. They weren't asked for a passport; they weren't asked if someone there would vouch for them; they most likely didn't know the language and they probably didn't have a job lined up. Joseph did what he needed to do to keep Mary and the child Jesus safe. How many fathers and mothers today must flee from persecution? How many leave everything they know to find safety for their children? Those of us who have always lived in freedom can't begin to understand what this means. Yes, many of us know poverty, discrimination, fear of the violence of the streets, but not the unrelenting fear that many of our neighbors have faced. How might our attitudes be different if we looked at every family seeking asylum as a "holy family?" Would we open our minds and hearts and offer help, or would we worry that "those people" might take away our jobs or put our way of life at risk?
When my sister lived in student housing in Iowa thirty plus years ago, she met another student from Thailand who couldn't believe the wastefulness of Americans. We speak of overcrowding; this student couldn't believe that we used perfectly good farm land for golf courses. It's a good time to remember that our ancestors were once refugees on these shores looking for a new way of life and freedom from tyranny. God wants us to welcome foreigners and care for them just as the Hebrew people were welcomed and the Holy Family were welcomed. What can we do to make today's holy families feel welcome?
Prayer
Loving and gracious God, you welcome all your children and care for them and you ask us to do the same. Open our hearts to welcome the stranger into our land and care for them as you would. Amen.
Devotion
The Unjust Manager
Frances Taylor
We all know the story of the unjust servant. He had been stealing from his master and now he'd been caught. He decided to ingratiate himself with those who owed his master money so they would take care of him after he lost his job. His master commended him on his worldly wisdom, what today we might call "street smarts." But dishonesty has a price. It is very hard for someone to trust those who are dishonest. The person who robs a bank, or embezzles money, probably stole from a parent of shoplifted first. People who are dishonest start out early, a few lies, a piece of candy stolen from a store, something minor, then they progress. Acquiring money can get to be a habit, as the parable of the dishonest manager points out. People often misquote the saying, "The love of money is the root of all evil." They say, "Money is the root of all evil." Money itself is not the problem; it's the love of money. There are those who put money above family or ...
Morning Prayer
The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul. The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.
Inspiration
God has never shirked his responsibility to his children. Bad things may of course also happen to good people, but that is not what is simply meant here. For our earthly bodies are encumbrances in the afterlife, shed so the spirit may roam free. All bad we endure on earth here are at the hands of men, and to be taken as part of God's trails, since he still watches over us. But remember, our ultimate, and our most important safeguarding comes in the afterlife. The faithful are rewarded, and in Heaven their souls are all finally protected from evil. Where we will be at last, safe and secure in everlasting peace.
Prayer
Lord God, my guide and protector, I pray you be with me today as I face unknown trials and tribulations. Help me endure these storms, so that I may be strengthened in my ...
Night Prayer
But ye shall not be so: but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve.
Inspiration
As leaders, we must be trainable, which means we are willing to take constructive criticism as a newcomer and understand that we are serving those we lead. We must be open-minded to the way people have functioned in the past and gentle when announcing the change. God bless us with authority, and we seek to use it for the good of others with humble, teachable hearts.
Prayer
Dear Father, when You select us for leadership positions, we will accept them with humility. Instead of leading with tyranny, we will lead with love and open-mindedness. In Jesus' name, Amen.
