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Morning Devotion for the Season after Pentecost

October 20, 2023

Invitatory

The Lord is full of compassion and mercy: Come let us adore him.

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.

Reading - Psalm 17

1 Hear my plea of innocence, O Lord;

give heed to my cry; *

listen to my prayer, which does not come from lying lips.

2 Let my vindication come forth from your presence; *

let your eyes be fixed on justice.

3 Weigh my heart, summon me by night, *

melt me down; you will find no impurity in me.

4 I give no offense with my mouth as others do; *

I have heeded the words of your lips.

5 My footsteps hold fast to the ways of your law; *

in your paths my feet shall not stumble.

6 I call upon you, O God, for you will answer me; *

incline your ear to me and hear my words.

Meditation - Winnie Smith

You may have heard or read my sermon from a couple of weeks ago, in which I lamented the state of the world and the feeling that sometimes it is just hard to see more good than bad in it. This was prompted by the war in Gaza, but the feeling can be brought on in much more localized and personal experiences, too. I’m sure you can all think of instances online, in your social circle, and in the world that make you doubt God’s great goodness being capable of overtaking all the badness and sadness.

In the two weeks since this latest turmoil in Israel broke out, pressure to think and say the right things has been suffocating. Many argue that there is a right side and a wrong side, and there is rampant disagreement about who to assign to those sides. Some say that peace is the only solution, while others suggest the time for peace has passed, and only the strongest side will prevail. Still others have likely tried to shut out the news - stayed away from television and Instagram out of fear of what graphic images they might see next. In all of this, everyone thinks they are right. Of course! That’s human nature. We develop opinions and we argue them. In the best cases, we do so with grace and openness, and at worst we do it with vitriol and hatred.

What people often don’t do, publicly, however, is take on a posture of modesty or of unknowing. Few people take to the streets, the headlines, or their status bar to say “I just don’t know what to think or say and I need some help.” That admits ignorance, or weakness, or some other adjective we fear embodying.

But what if we could? What if instead of feeling pressure to have and proclaim an opinion, we instead admitted that we are often powerless and capable only of asking God for help? “Hear my plea of innocence, O Lord; give heed to my cry; listen to my prayer, which does not come from lying lips.” Perhaps the most honest reaction we can all have to the upheaval in the Middle East is that it upsets us, it is complicated, and it is out of our hands. That frees us to do what people have been doing for all time: cry out to God through sadness, confusion, and anger, and know that ultimately it is only through and by God that peace can prevail.

A Prayer for Peace:

Eternal God, in whose perfect kingdom no sword is drawn but the sword of righteousness, no strength known but the strength of love: So mightily spread abroad your Spirit, that all peoples may be gathered under the banner of the Prince of Peace, as children of one Father; to whom be dominion and glory, now and forever. Amen.

- Book of Common Prayer, p. 815