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Morning Devotion for the Season after Pentecost

November 9, 2022

Invitatory

Send out your light and your truth, that they may lead me, and bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son: and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

The earth is the Lord’s, for he made it: Come let us adore him.

Reading - Titus 3:1-7

Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show every courtesy to everyone. For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, despicable, hating one another. But when the goodness and loving-kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of any works of righteousness that we had done, but according to his mercy, through the water^* of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit. This Spirit he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

Meditation - Winnie Smith

As a generally optimistic person, I am finding myself more frustrated and less hopeful about the state of the world every day. There is not one thing, in particular, that is troubling me. Rather, it is everything. I feel overwhelmed by the pace of life, the necessity and inescapability of living in two worlds - the physical and the digital - and by the influx of information of all kinds at all times. I just want to hit “pause” on life for a little while and catch my breath.

Where am I to turn? If time-out isn’t an option, how do I cope with this feeling?

I find comfort in my finitude and my smallness in relation to the universe. I feel solace in knowing that I am limited but not insignificant, and that God is bigger than I can understand or imagine and knows me and every other person in creation. I am one tiny piece of the puzzle, as is every person - no matter how much power they have in our human systems - and only God can see the whole puzzle. Remembering this is freeing, and it helps relieve my anxiety about the next scandal or disaster.

In his letter to Titus, Paul encourages people “to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show every courtesy to everyone.” Today, this seems impossible. We live in a time where the daily news brings with it an undercurrent of evil, quarreling, aggression, and a distinct lack of courtesy. We are the people Paul describes as foolish and disobedient, because so many of us no longer live for or really even with one another. Instead, we harness our opinions, listen only to others who share those opinions, and vilify everyone else.

So, writing on this Election Day, knowing that my meditation will hit inboxes the morning after results come in, I am asking myself: where do I find hope? Amid anger, negativity, disagreement, and disrespect, how can I maintain the optimism I have always carried but that seems buried now?

“When the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of any works of righteousness that we had done, but according to his mercy” (Titus 3:5). This is where I find optimism. It’s in the assurance that ultimately, God’s goodness and mercy will outweigh our divisions. Our leaders matter, and I believe active participation in their election is our responsibility. But in a world that seems determined to divide people, let’s unite in gratitude for a God who loves us beyond measure, and who promises us an eternal life far greater than this one.

The Lord's Prayer

Our Father, who art in heaven,

    hallowed be thy Name,

    thy kingdom come,

    thy will be done,

        on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our trespasses,

    as we forgive those

        who trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation,

    but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom,

    and the power, and the glory

   for ever and ever. Amen.