The Only Thing We Have to Fear is Fear Itself Devotional Thursday 3/26/20

        Many of you at St. Mary’s Woods may remember this line from FDR’s first Inaugural Address.  I woke up with this line in my head this morning, and I spent some time talking with God about things I am sometimes more afraid of than fear.  We do have reasons to be fearful in these days, I will not deny it.  But (you knew I would say “but,” didn’t you?) something I have learned about fear and anxiety in my spiritual journey is that I ALWAYS have a choice to make when I feel fear.

        “Do not be afraid” occurs more times in the Bible than anything else except “God is love.” So many people in the Bible respond initially with great fear to the appearance of an angel, so God knows that we will feel fear.  But we can choose to focus on the fear, or we can choose to turn our attention toward our Lord who loves us with such great love that Jesus our Savior went all the way through suffering and death to overcome our fears and forgive our sins.  When we are feeling stuck or helpless or afraid of what may happen, turn toward God and God’s “perfect love will cast out our fear.” (1 John 4:18a) It may not be instant, we may have to keep turning toward God, but God will cleanse us of our fears. And that will be a gift from God, and through it God will reduce the effects of fear on our body and our mind and our spirit.

Nancy Waldo, St. Mary’s Woods

2 Timothy 1:6-7 For this reason I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within you… for God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline.

Luke 12:22, 25-26 [Jesus] said to his disciples, ‘Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear. … And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? If then you are not able to do so small a thing as that, why do you worry about the rest?

Prayer Suggestion: As you continue to pray for protection and health for yourself and your family members, add a prayer today for God to ease the fears of so many people who may not know that they have a choice to turn away from fear toward God.

I Wonder What God is Doing with Us in This Time Devotional Wednesday 3/25/20

        I am getting very curious about all the ways that God is with us and working in us and in our world during these difficult days.  We know that God is with us, God is suffering with us, and I believe that God is working all over the world. 

        I’ve seen some good news about ways that people are helping one another. A lot of companies are working to find treatments and cures, while other companies are changing what they make.  Fashion companies are making protective gear for health care workers, distilleries are making hand sanitizer.  People are finding many ways to help one another get what they need. Teachers are learning new ways to educate their students.  Many people are learning new ways to live at a distance and still be happy. 

        None of this means that this is not hard, or that it will stop being hard soon.  But I do need to hear good news even on days when there is a lot of hard news. So I give God thanks and praise for many blessings, even some we don’t know about yet.  I believe we will look back on this time and see how God is healing, creating, and blessing us.

Nancy Waldo, St. Mary’s Woods

Prayer of Thomas Merton: My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think that I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this, you will lead me by the right road though I may know nothing about it. Therefore will I trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone. Amen. 

Prayer Suggestion: As you continue to pray for protection and health for yourself and your family members, add a prayer today for those who are unable to understand what is happening, like young children and people with intellectual disabilities and people who do not understand English.

God Knows All the Things We Do Not Know Devotional Tuesday 3/24/20

        One of the things that can be hardest during this time, especially as it becomes a longer time of not knowing, is that many of the things we thought we could be certain about, we cannot be certain about in these days.  We don’t know how long these restrictions or the virus or the separations from family and friends will last. We don’t know if any of our friends or family might get sick.  So many things are not normal in these days, and that can add to our discomfort.  We may even feel some sadness because we cannot plan to do things we are used to doing.

        I am finding it helpful to remind myself that God DOES know everything that we don’t know.  At the same time, we can be part of how God is working in this difficult time by the ways we participate in keeping all of us healthy.  Keeping a safe distance from one another (six feet is the recommendation), staying in the building, finding ways to stay calm, staying connected to God, praying for our families and one another, these are all ways that we cooperate with God’s work.  We know you are doing everything you can to cooperate with the ways we are asking you to do things differently, and we appreciate that VERY much.

        After the Prayer Suggestion, I’ve included a prayer entitled “Waiting,” which I have found to be helpful.

Nancy Waldo, St. Mary’s Woods

1 Thessalonians 5:16-19, 21-23

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. …. hold fast to what is good; abstain from every form of evil.

May the God of peace himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Prayer Suggestion: When you go to the Lord in prayer today, in addition to praying for protection for your health and that of your loved ones, add a prayer for every person who does not have faith in God, so that each may hear somehow that God loves each one very much.

“Waiting” by Sharlande Sledge

Look upon us gently, Lord,

for waiting is not our forte.

So many other things are...

Things like moving ahead,

fixing what’s wrong,

planning what’s next,

diagnosing the problem,

cramming more into a day

than one person can possibly do

before the sun goes down.

But waiting...

When we are waiting for the light to shine,

when we are waiting for the Word,

when we are waiting for the wound to heal,

nothing in all the world

is harder than waiting.

So, in your mercy, Lord,

Wait with us.

Be our very present help in waiting.

Heal our frenzy.

Calm our fears.

Comfort those who at this very minute

are with every anxious breath and thought

waiting for they know-not-what.

Transform our in-the-meantime

into your time,

while we wait with each other,

sit with each other,

pray each other into hope,

surrounded by your presence,

even in the darkness.

Especially in the darkness.

From Prayers and Litanies for the Christian Seasons (1999)

Spiritual Nourishment When We Are Unable to Gather Devotional Monday 3/23/20

For many of us, we have relied on being present at church to receive spiritual nourishment.  For Catholics, receiving the Eucharist is the most important way to do that. For Protestants, although we don’t talk much about it as nourishment, we receive nourishment from hearing scripture and the proclamation of the Good News in sermons.  I know that many of you also receive spiritual nourishment in your personal devotionals of prayer and scripture reading.

        In these times when we are unable to gather, staying connected to God and to each other through prayer is the best way for us to remain nourished and growing in our relationship.  We do not want to let this difficult time starve our faith!

        Faith leaders around the world are calling us into a time of fervent prayer for God to help us and to show us how to overcome the coronavirus.  We can join in and know that we are part of the worldwide Body of Christ at prayer.

As our faith is strengthened by prayer and leaning in to the strength of the whole faith community, a poet in San Francisco wrote the poem I have put after the Prayer Suggestion. God can use this time in many ways, if we let Him!

Nancy Waldo, St. Mary’s Woods

Matthew 4:4

…Jesus answered, ‘It is written, “One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” ’

John 6:35

Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

Prayer Suggestion: When you go to the Lord in prayer today, in addition to praying for protection for your health and that of your loved ones, add a prayer for patience and understanding as we all learn about how to love one another at a distance.

Pandemic By Rev. Lynn Ungar

What if you thought of it

as the Jews consider the Sabbath—

the most sacred of times?

Cease from travel.

Cease from buying and selling.

Give up, just for now,

on trying to make the world

different than it is.

Sing. Pray. Touch only those

to whom you commit your life.

Center down.

And when your body has become still,

reach out with your heart.

Know that we are connected

in ways that are terrifying and beautiful.

(You could hardly deny it now.)

Know that our lives

are in one another’s hands.

(Surely, that has come clear.)

Do not reach out your hands.

Reach out your heart.

Reach out your words.

Reach out all the tendrils

of compassion that move, invisibly,

where we cannot touch.

Promise this world your love–

for better or for worse,

in sickness and in health,

so long as we all shall live.

God is Always Always With Us Devotional Weekend 3/21-22/20

We breathe because God breathes life into humans, from the beginning of creation throughout all time.  The poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson (English) said “Speak to Him, thou, for He hears, and Spirit with Spirit can meet—Closer is He than breathing, and nearer than hands and feet.”  In this time when so much is changed and changing, when we live with so much uncertainty, every time you breathe in and out, know that God is indeed with you.  In every moment of every day, in every part of creation, and in your hearts, God is with you.

         On Sunday, I hope you will find a worship service on TV or on the internet which will help you to feel the connection with the Body of Christ, all of the believers all over the world.  We are all learning that church is not so much a place we go to as a time when we are in prayer and worship together, wherever we are.  I pray you will sense the presence of God during worship and in every moment and with every breath you take.

Nancy Waldo

Psalm 46:1-3, 10-11

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea; though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble with its tumult…. ‘Be still, and know that I am God! I am exalted among the nations, I am exalted in the earth.’ The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge.

Prayer suggestion:

When you go to the Lord in prayer this Saturday and Sunday, in addition to praying for protection for your health and that of your loved ones, add a prayer for all those whose ability to earn a living is being disrupted, that they may turn to God and learn to trust God’s provision even when they can’t see how.

How Do We Rejoice in the Lord Always? Devotional Friday 3/20/20

Last night I was reminded in prayer about one of the ways that the Lord has taught me to refocus when I feel anxious.  Making gratitude lists—and making a habit of finding things for which I can be grateful—turns my attention away from negative feelings of any kind toward God whose blessings are so abundant in everything around me and within me.  Sometimes when I start, I have to keep things very simple, “Lord, thank you for my pillow, Lord, thank you for my bed, Lord, thank you for….”  As I do this, I start seeing more and more things to be thankful for, and my anxieties start fading.

         The beauty of spring is more and more evident all around us, so thanking God for sunshine, flowers, the greening of the trees, and the singing of the birds (all things which cannot be affected by the troubles around us) flows from the practice of being grateful.  Keep thanking God, turning to God in praise, and rejoicing will flow, also.

Nancy Waldo, St. Mary’s Woods

Philippians 4:4-8

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

Prayer suggestion:

When you go to the Lord in prayer today, in addition to praying for protection for your health and that of your loved ones, add a prayer of thanksgiving for all the many ways that God is with us and working in and through our prayers.

We Are All In This Together Devotional Thursday 3/19/20

Even as we are all learning more about “social distancing,” we have opportunities to learn more deeply than ever before that nothing can separate us from the love of God, and that the ways we love each other, even when we can’t be face-to-face, are ways that God is working in and through us. 

        I am heartened by many stories surfacing about ways people are helping each other.  There are many school districts where the food that many children depend on is being made available, in some places being delivered by bus drivers, so that children who usually receive their best nourishment at school are being fed.  These are only some of the stories of courage and selfless service that I am seeing, so many instances of the best of humanity being brought out for the love of one another.

Even in keeping distance between us to help prevent the spread of coronavirus, we are loving one another “as Jesus has loved us.”  I give thanks for your courage and your love as we all learn to lean into God, perhaps in new ways, perhaps more deeply, and find our strength in God’s love for us.

Nancy Waldo, St. Mary’s Woods

Romans 8:38-39 “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

John 15:12 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.”

Prayer suggestion:

When you go to the Lord in prayer today, in addition to praying for protection for your health and that of your loved ones, add a prayer for all health care workers, first responders, and those who serve in public places.

Connecting with One Another Through Prayer Devotional Wednesday 3/18/20

As the days without seeing family in person may feel like we are separated from one another, praying for loved ones, our community, and the world can connect us in mysterious ways.  I once “heard” that I was to pray for a woman missionary in the Philippines every morning.  I knew her name from a newsletter, and that she was having a very hard time sleeping at night because of an illness.  So every morning (which was nighttime in the Philippines) for 18 months, God reminded me to pray for her.  Much later, in a newsletter she sent out after she returned to the United States, she said that she felt the prayers (not just mine!) and they had helped her to sleep. This time of being physically separated can become for us a time of learning how God connects us in prayer.

Nancy Waldo, St. Mary’s Woods

From St. Teresa of Avila (Spanish, 1515-1582)

“Let nothing disturb thee; Let nothing dismay thee:
 All thing pass; God never changes.
 Patience attains All that it strives for.
 He who has God Finds he lacks nothing:
 God alone suffices.”

Proverbs 3:5-8

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. It will be a healing for your flesh and a refreshment for your body.

Prayer suggestion:

When you go to the Lord in prayer today, in addition to praying for protection for your health and that of your loved ones, add a prayer for children home from school and their parents who are trying to keep them well and provide emotional support as the children’s routines are disrupted.

The "Sacrament of the Present Moment" Devotional Tuesday 3/17/20

One of the most important spiritual disciplines for me has become staying in/returning to the present moment, in body, mind, and spirit.  As I have learned to deal with my own anxieties, this has become a really helpful way to stay focused on THIS MOMENT.

As soon as you become aware of your anxiety, in your mind or in your body, here is a simple exercise to try:

1.  Put both feet flat on the floor.

2.  Wiggle your toes for a few seconds. Feel the floor under your shoes.

3.  Take a deep breath in and out.

4.  Raise your hands and offer up to God whatever is concerning you in that moment.

5.  Repeat as often as necessary.

(P.S. My toes became VERY strong as I practiced this!)

Nancy Waldo, St. Mary’s Woods

Isaiah 40:28-31

Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and strengthens the powerless. Even youths will faint and be weary, and the young will fall exhausted; but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.

Prayer suggestion:

When you go to the Lord in prayer today, in addition to praying for protection for your health and that of your loved ones, add a prayer for those who do not have the kind of resources that we do.