Daily Devotions
Meditation, Prayers, and Assorted Stuff for June 30, 2020
Henri Nouwen, Bread for the Journey, “Coming Home”
In the parable of the prodigal son (see Luke 15:11-32), there are two sons: the younger son, who runs away from home to an alien country, and the older son, who stays home to do his duty. The younger son dissipates himself with alcohol and sex; the older son alienates himself by working hard and dutifully fulfilling all his obligations. Both are lost. Their father grieves over both, because with neither of them does he experience the intimacy he desires.
Both lust and cold obedience can prevent us from being true children of God. Whether we are like the younger son or the older son, we have to come home to the place where we can rest in the embrace of God’s unconditional love.
Today’s prayer is from “Awed to Heaven, Rooted to Earth,” a collection of prayers by Walter Brueggemann.
Is There a Balm In Gilead?
We come to your presence haunted by an old question: The question is posed by your presence, for we would not ask it otherwise. The question is an old one, asked by our mothers and fathers forever. Haunted because we do not know … and we must know. So now yet again, like all our predecessors, We ask again, Is there a balm … in Gilead or anywhere? Is there medicine for what ails us? Is there healthcare with you, so absent everywhere else? Is there a drug to deal with our infection? Is there a heavy dose for our pathology? We ask, linger for your answer, but do not know. We ask, then rush to lesser remedies, to quack physicians, to secret recipes, all the while thinking to heal ourselves. But then back to you, still needing your answer. We suspect a “yes” from you, We ponder the way you healed old slaveries, the way you sent Jesus among the disabled, the way your spirit has surged to heal. We crave a “yes” from you and wait. We wait … midst our disabilities of fear and anxiety; We wait … aware of our pathologies of hate and rage and greed; We wait … knowing too well our complicity in violence we need not see … We cut below that … We wait in weariness, in doubt, in loneliness. And we pray: say the word and we will be healed; say the word and our bodies will move to joy; say the word and our body politic will function again; say the word that you have fleshed in Jesus; say the word … we will wait for your healing “yes.” And while we wait, we will “yes ” you with our trusting obedience. Amen.
Dad Jokes
Slept like a log last night… Woke up in the fireplace.
What time did the man go to the dentist? (Tooth hurt-y)
A police officer caught two kids playing with a bottle rocket and a car battery. He charged one and let the other off.
Today’s links!
https://twitter.com/fourhourtarget/status/1272077437447426048This couple’s cat was so big he showed up on Google Earth—the satellite view from space.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2020/06/16/theres-loophole-along-closed-us-canada-border-couples-are-getting-married-there/Love will find a way, even across a supposedly “closed” border. See how some CanadianAmerican couples are taking advantage of an international loophole not just to see each other, but also to get married.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azx-Ht4aP8Y The title of this YouTube video is “First Dance Best Surprise Ever.” You’ll see why.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjvOK0Sz4cA&feature=emb_logo Aesha Ash fought negative stereotypes about African-American women all the way to the New York City Ballet. These days, you can find her—tutu and all—pirouetting around her native inner-city Rochester, New York. Through her Swan Dreams Project, Aesha proves that artistic talent, beauty and grace are not defined by status or race.
Sunday worship at 9 AM, with “Doughnut room” time starting at 8:30 AM. https://us02web.zoom.us/j/815064120, Meeting ID: 815 064 120
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Copies of “Our Daily Bread” have arrived in the church office. Feel free to stop by and pick up a copy, or help distribute them to others.
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Don’t forget communion at Zoom church on July 12! Stop by the church office to get a prefilled cup and wafer set. Help distributing them is much appreciated as well.
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In-Person worship resumes, July 19! Watch for more details. (Zoom church will continue to be offered as well.) **************************************************
Stay safe and stay well!