Week of Sabbath I, Day Four, Morning Devotion

Prayer for hope and healing:

God of hope,
Lift me up when I am weary. Take my hand when I stumble.
Sometimes I feel like crawling back into bed. But I know that you have made a beautiful day just for me, and that this day will be all that I make of it. May I make it a testimony to you, my rock and my redeemer.
Amen

Reading: Amos 9:13-15: God’s promise

The time is surely coming, says the Lord, when the one who ploughs shall overtake the one who reaps, and the treader of grapes the one who sows the seed;the mountains shall drip sweet wine, and all the hills shall flow with it. I will restore the fortunes of my people Israel, and they shall rebuild the ruined cities and inhabit them;they shall plant vineyards and drink their wine, and they shall make gardens and eat their fruit. I will plant them upon their land, and they shall never again be plucked up out of the land that I have given them,
says the Lord your God.

Meditation:

I chose this text, the final words of the prophet Amos, as the main text for my ordination service. I spent days (no kidding) reading through scripture, armed with my concordance and my shiny new seminary education. I’m still happy with the choice.

These words, which shout out God’s promise of bounty, salvation and safety, seemed perfect to me. I didn’t choose them for myself; I chose them for the community which had gone against the odds (and against the rules) to offer me the chance to be their pastor. Their call was a perfect illustration of God’s promise, which is made not to the rich and powerful, but to those who are without wealth and power, those who are still captive in a foreign land. Our congregation, Abiding Peace, released me from captivity to a church candidacy system which asked gay and lesbian candidates to choose between truth and call. I still burst with gratitude when I think of what a great thing they did, and not just for me. They gave hope to so many, and so many have followed our lead.

I’m proud of that. Probably sinfully proud, since surely it was God at work, and not us. But still I am proud, and grateful, and just as delighted today as I was back in 2000, at the amazing opportunity to lead this great people, the community of Abiding Peace. I truly believe that there is no greater group of disciples of Jesus Christ, and they are still the living picture of God’s promise for me.

Prayer of joy:

Glorious Lord,
You have trusted us with your ministry! What a wonderful opportunity that is! Thank you for gifting us to do your work, and for offering us such a perfect template to follow. We are the children of the promise, and we promise in turn to be the best disciples we can be. In the name of our God, the Redeemer Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit, we pray.
Amen