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| Image by Nicholas Raymond |
A GREETING
This is my comfort in my distress,
that your promise gives me life.
(Psalm 119:150)
A READING
So those who welcomed [Peter's] message were baptized, and that day about three thousand persons were added. They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. Awe came upon everyone, because many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles. All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need. Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people.
(Acts 2:41-47a)
MUSIC
A MEDITATIVE VERSE
When you send forth your spirit, they are created;
and you renew the face of the ground.
(Psalm 104:30)
A PRAYER
He who raised himself from death to life,
He has also awakened me to new life
From the sleep of death.
And he gives me new life from day to day,
And at some time his fullness is to stream
Life of your life — indeed, you yourself:
Holy Spirit — eternal life!….
Your work that encircles the world:
Holy Spirit -- God's molding hand!
- from a prayer by Edith Stein,
found in The Flowering of the Soul: A Book of Prayers by Women
edited by Lucinda Vardey
VERSE OF THE DAY
May the God of steadfastness and encouragement
grant you to live in harmony with one another,
in accordance with Christ Jesus, so that together
you may with one voice glorify God.
(Romans 15:5-6)
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| Image by Denis Collette |
“Awe came upon everyone.” Acts 2 finishes the way it began, with an overwhelming wonder at the capacity for Spirit to make transformation in human relationships. Peter has preached the story and words of Jesus and conducted a mass baptism. We are returned to words and the Word.
The text tells us that the followers sold all they had and redistributed the proceeds so that all could share in material goods. Holding all things in common is therefore most often thought to be exactly that: sharing our belongings with one another and redistributing excess to those in need. But how can we challenge ourselves to use the model to think more widely? How can holding things in common be holding a common desire for wellbeing for all, and the stabilization and even thriving of the ecosystems of the world? How can we hold these dreams in common?
Today’s music was written by a collective of singers and songwriters and other artistic collaborators. Coming together in retreat, they made songs and art as adaptations of two books, The Lost Words and The Lost Spells by Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris. Macfarlane and Morris were inspired to write their books by the Oxford Junior Dictionary in 2007 discarding a number of words from the natural world, in order to make room for words that were part of emerging technology. Among the lost dictionary words were acorn, bluebell, kingfisher and wren.
We can lose words and we can lose voices. We can let the din of our news feeds drown out the voices of wisdom and experience. Those who prophesy from the margins use their words to make the sound of protest: their noise disrupts us and prompts us to respond, to take action. We need all the words of all of the prophets. We need all the listening. It will take all of the prophesy of all of the people seeking justice, and all of the listening, to build God’s kindom in a fastly changing time. The good news is that we are not alone: Jesus, God and the Spirit are right there with us as we do.
How can we make a world in which there are no lost words and no lost voices? How can we embody the vision that arrived in a sea of words, on the breath of the Holy Spirit, to transform our communities?
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A STORY OF LEGACY
These last three days marking Pentecost were inspired by and are dedicated to the life, legacy and memory of The Rev. Dr. Oscar (Oz) Cole-Arnal, a long-time close follower of the devotions who died on May 12th. As a professor at Waterloo Lutheran Seminary (now Martin Luther University College), he helped shape several generations of bishops, pastors, deacons and leaders. His deep commitment to social justice and particularly anti-racism and anti-poverty activism will be remembered by many. He also loved birds, especially herons and red-winged blackbirds. For the 2019 Advent project, he shared a story in which he described walking prayer, in the light of newly diagnosed Parkinson's. At the end of it, he wrote, "Next spring I am hoping to go for walks again in a new way, using my walker and pausing to sit, read, then walk, sit and read. See my bird friends again. Reflect. That plan cuts into my sense of time because of the effort it takes. But if I make time, I will do it. Hope sharpens in bad times." May we all make time to do what is necessary to sharpen hope in the midst of a hard world. And may we feel the Spirit encouraging us to do so abundantly.
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| Image by Garry Knight |
This marks the end of LC† Awakening in the Spirit, Pentecost edition.
Blessings in the Spirit!
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LC† Awakened by the Spirit is a project of Lutherans Connect, supported by the Eastern Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada and the Centre for Spirituality and Media at Martin Luther University College. To receive the devotions by email, write to lutheransconnect@gmail.com. The devotional pages are written and curated by Deacon Sherry Coman, with support and input from Pastor Steve Hoffard, Catherine Evenden and Henriette Thompson. Join us on Facebook, and on Twitter. Lutherans Connect invites you to make a donation to the Ministry by going to this link on the website of the ELCIC Eastern Synod and selecting "Lutherans Connect Devotionals" under "Fund". Devotions are always freely offered, however your donations help support the ongoing work.
Thank you and peace be with you!