Morning Devotion for the Season after Pentecost
September 9, 2024
Invitatory
I will give you thanks for what you have done and declare the goodness of your Name in the presence of the godly.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen
Hymn 51
We the Lord’s people, heart and voice uniting, praise him who called us
out of sin and darkness into his own light, that he might anoint us a royal priesthood.
This is the Lord’s house, home of all his people, school for the faithful, refuge for the sinner, rest for the pilgrim, haven for the weary: all find a welcome.
This is the Lord’s day, day of God’s own making, day of creation, day of resurrection, day of the Spirit, sign of heaven’s banquet, day for rejoicing.
In the Lord’s service bread and wine are offered, that Christ may take them, bless them, break, and give them to all his people, his own life imparting, food everlasting.
Meditation-Rebecca Northington
Hopefully many of you reading this were able to be back in the Church yesterday morning for regular Sunday worship. It’s been over two months since the fire and everyone has worked tirelessly to get us back in there for the program year. It was a wonderful service. It felt celebratory and full; more like a holy day or feast day! As I was singing this hymn I was reminded that truly every Sunday is a feast day! Sometimes a fire, and the shock that our sacred space could burn, jolts us all into a state of appreciation, not only of the space, and the incredible efforts to bring it back, but of all that we take for granted.
This fall the youth group will focus on JOY, as I have mentioned in some of my meditations. But we will try to get to the essence of joy that is sometimes hard for us in 2024 to wrap our heads and hearts around. It is not about a good party, a good shopping spree, or a good game. Though all of those things can be uplifting. It does not eliminate suffering or pain, in fact, sometimes it accompanies our hardships. But in a world that is so full, so stimulating and saturated with promises of joy, we sometimes need to peel away the layers to get to the core of what and where joy can be found. Because I might argue, it is in the quieter corners of life where the kind of joy I want to explore resides.
As I read through the text of this hymn the last lines jump out at me. They do not promise prosperity or even security. But for me they are harbingers of a joy more akin to peace and love. The kind of joy that sustains, rather than uplifts. “His own life imparting, food everlasting”. In these six words is a promise of eternal joy, as well as a communication and a gift. Christ gave himself for us, and there was joy in that gift. The ultimate sacrifice as the ultimate gift. How do you feel when you give a gift? How do you feel when you give of yourself?
So much about Christ was misunderstood at the time he lived by those in power as well as those who followed him. Was he a threat, no, he is the Messiah! What does it mean to be the Messiah? His message has been, and likely will continue to be, confounding. It turns everything upside down. How can we, who spend our lives striving to achieve, reconcile a message of self sacrifice with joy?
This brings me back to yesterday morning. There was so much joy in that space. It was a reunion. It was a reclamation. Love and hope were manifest. People of every generation were in that space, not to mention those who have come before us. An unfathomable loss was avoided and gratitude was palpable. We broke bread, we exchanged the peace of the Lord. Regular life goes on and the pain and reality of people’s daily burdens will persist. But JOY will be with us too-it abides. We just have to make room for it.
A Prayer for Joy
Joy-giver—who created joy, defines joy, is joy—meet me in my sadness and discouragement, and comfort me with your presence. Help me see what’s good in my life, and in the world. Lead me to gratitude for all your good gifts. As I navigate the difficulties in my life, the stuff that hurts, the dark night of the soul kind of stuff, remind me that real joy, your joy, comes with the morning. Amen.
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