A Reading from Acts 28:17-31

17 Three days later he called together the local leaders of the Jews. When they had assembled, he said to them, “Brothers, though I had done nothing against our people or the customs of our ancestors, yet I was arrested in Jerusalem and handed over to the Romans. 18 When they had examined me, the Romans wanted to release me because there was no reason for the death penalty in my case. 19 But when the Jews objected, I was compelled to appeal to the emperor—even though I had no charge to bring against my people. 20 For this reason therefore I asked to see you and speak with you, since it is for the sake of the hope of Israel that I am bound with this chain.”21 They replied, “We have received no letters from Judea about you, and none of the brothers coming here has reported or spoken anything evil about you. 22 But we would like to hear from you what you think, for with regard to this sect we know that everywhere it is spoken against.”

23 After they had set a day to meet with him, they came to him at his lodgings in great numbers. From morning until evening he explained the matter to them, testifying to the kingdom of God and trying to convince them about Jesus both from the law of Moses and from the prophets. 24 Some were convinced by what he had said, while others refused to believe. 25 So they disagreed with each other, and as they were leaving Paul made one further statement: “The Holy Spirit was right in saying to your ancestors through the prophet Isaiah,

26 ‘Go to this people and say,
You will indeed listen but never understand,
    and you will indeed look but never perceive.

27 For this people’s heart has grown dull,
    and their ears are hard of hearing,
        and they have shut their eyes;
        otherwise they might look with their eyes
    and listen with their ears
and understand with their heart and turn—
    and I would heal them.’

28 “Let it be known to you, then, that this salvation of God has been sent to the gentiles; they will listen.”

30 He lived there two whole years at his own expense and welcomed all who came to him, 31 proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance..

Meditation

With this passage, St. Luke concludes two magisterial volumes: the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles. Paul and Luke have finally arrived in Italy after wintering in Malta and are welcomed by believers. Although under guard, Paul has his own lodging in Rome and invites the Jewish leaders to visit him. They have not heard from Paul’s enemies in Jerusalem, but they have heard objections to “this sect.” They come “in great numbers” for an all-day seminar. Paul explains to them how Jesus fulfilled Messianic expectations in the Torah and the Prophets, and testifies to his own encounter with Jesus. 

As in other cities where Paul preached, his audience is split: some are convinced, others refuse to believe. Paul rebukes those who refuse with the words of Isaiah: “This people’s heart has grown dull…”  His next words sum up the situation of the Jesus movement in 60 AD. Having done his best to persuade his own people that Jesus is their Messiah, he brings up the issue that enraged the mob in Jerusalem: the Messiah is calling Gentiles into his kingdom along with Jews. Hated Romans, like the soldier guarding Paul, are being invited to follow Jesus too. The kicker is Paul’s last word — and Luke’s summation of the Acts of the Apostles:  “This salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will listen.”

For those of us who are not Jews but follow the Jewish Messiah, this is a joyful word.  Through twenty centuries those who listened, like Samuel Scherechewsky and Henry Martyn, have spread the gospel around the globe. And yet—in an age of audiovisual distractions, “dull heart syndrome” frequently afflicts God’s people today. Let us faithfully reserve time to be attentive to God’s presence and respond as young Samuel did: “Speak Lord, your servant is listening.”

Dr. Grace Sears is past vice president of the board of the Living Church Foundation and past president of the Order of the Daughters of the King, as well as former editor of its magazine, The Royal Cross.

♱

Daily Devotional Cycle of Prayer
Today we pray for:

The Diocese of Kano – The Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion)
The Episcopal Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast

The Feast of St. Luke the Evangelist

A Reading from Luke 1:1-4

1 Since many have undertaken to compile a narrative about the events that have been fulfilled among us, 2 just as they were handed on to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word, 3 I, too, decided, as one having a grasp of everything from the start, to write a well-ordered account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4 so that you may have a firm grasp of the words in which you have been instructed.

Meditation

How could we sing our favorite Christmas carols, from “Away in the Manger” to “While Shepherds Watched their Flocks,” if St. Luke had not written his gospel? On this day let us honor him — physician, historian, and evangelist. 

As surely as St. Paul was called to preach to Gentiles, St. Luke was called to write the Jesus story for Greek skeptics and polytheistic Romans. He compiled an “orderly” account, “after investigating everything carefully from the very first,” foregrounding Elizabeth, Mary, and Anna in the first chapters. In his preface to Acts, Luke reminds Theophilus how Jesus “presented himself alive to [his disciples]”, and then, starting from Pentecost, explains how non-Jews became full members of the early churches. 

In Acts 20:6 we learn — by the pronoun “we” — that Luke joined Paul and others at Philippi on their journey to Jerusalem. After Paul was imprisoned and transferred to Caesarea, Luke probably helped to supply his needs, including medical care (in addition to past hardships, Paul had been beaten by a mob). Two years later, when Paul defended himself before King Agrippa, Luke was still there, taking notes. 

During those years, Luke had the perfect opportunity to travel to places where Jesus had taught and healed, and the early church was born. Local believers in Caesarea could have identified the centurion’s house where Peter had been invited to preach. In 57 AD, some eyewitnesses were still alive. Luke may have interviewed elders and tracked down Aramaic memoirs — “so that you may know the truth.” In keeping with his scientific training, he recorded precise details: names, times, places, relationships.  

Thanks be to God for St. Luke! May we strive not only to cherish his wonderful books, but to follow his example, passing on the story of God’s faithfulness in our own time to a generation yet unborn.

Dr. Grace Sears is past vice president of the board of the Living Church Foundation and past president of the Order of the Daughters of the King, as well as former editor of its magazine, The Royal Cross.

♱

Daily Devotional Cycle of Prayer
Today we pray for:

The Diocese of Kampala – The Church of the Province of Uganda
The Cathedral of St. Philip, Atlanta

A Reading from Jonah 3:1-4:11

1 The word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time, saying, 2 “Get up, go to Nineveh, that great city, and proclaim to it the message that I tell you.” 3 So Jonah set out and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly large city, a three days’ walk across. 4 Jonah began to go into the city, going a day’s walk. And he cried out, “Forty days more, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” 5 And the people of Nineveh believed God; they proclaimed a fast, and everyone, great and small, put on sackcloth.

6 When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. 7 Then he had a proclamation made in Nineveh: “By the decree of the king and his nobles: No human or animal, no herd or flock, shall taste anything. They shall not feed, nor shall they drink water. 8 Humans and animals shall be covered with sackcloth, and they shall cry mightily to God. All shall turn from their evil ways and from the violence that is in their hands. 9 Who knows? God may relent and change his mind; he may turn from his fierce anger, so that we do not perish.”

10 When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil ways, God changed his mind about the calamity that he had said he would bring upon them, and he did not do it.

4 But this was very displeasing to Jonah, and he became angry. 2 He prayed to the Lord and said, “O Lord! Is not this what I said while I was still in my own country? That is why I fled to Tarshish at the beginning, for I knew that you are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from punishment. 3 And now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.” 4 And the Lord said, “Is it right for you to be angry?”

Meditation

Which of us would choose Jonah for a challenging mission? Called to go to Nineveh, he sails in the opposite direction. Thinking he is sacrificing himself to save his shipmates, he asks them to throw him to his death. Yet instead of heroic death, he gets a miserable ride back to shore, comically draped in seaweed. Even when he finally obeys God and preaches to the Ninevites, he hates them.

During the week-long caravan trip to Nineveh, he had time to frame his prophecy in the Akkadian language. In 40 days God will destroy those cruel Syrians. Excellent! God abhors their violence, their cruelty, and the lascivious rites of Ishtar. That will preach! 

Jonah must have spoken eloquently, though he didn’t expect the Syrians to listen. Yet his preaching was a huge success. To his horror, the city’s king put on a sackcloth and asked the whole city to turn from evil, fast, and pray for mercy. Worse, God heard their prayers! 

Perched in a hut above the city, Jonah once again had a death wish. It was good for God to show mercy to Israelites like himself (even when he ran away from God), but a serious error to pardon those horrible Syrians. If Jonah were God, he’d destroy them.

Did God laugh a little at this absurd prophet, who couldn’t stand success? A vine grew over Jonah’s flimsy shelter, and his mood improved in the shade. But when the vine shriveled, Jonah raged again in the heat. Patiently God explained that Jonah’s desire for the vine to flourish was nothing compared to God’s desire for the children and animals in Nineveh to flourish.

When I wonder why God has not eliminated contemporary warlords, Jonah speaks to me. God is concerned about the children and the animals, not just the rulers — and not only in the countries I approve.  

Dr. Grace Sears is past vice president of the board of the Living Church Foundation and past president of the Order of the Daughters of the King, as well as former editor of its magazine, The Royal Cross.

♱

Daily Devotional Cycle of Prayer
Today we pray for:

The Diocese of Kamango – Province de L’Eglise Anglicane Du Congo
St. Pierre’s Episcopal Church, Gautier, Mississippi

A Reading from Acts 27:9-26

9 Much time had been lost, and sailing had already become dangerous because by now it was after the Day of Atonement. So Paul warned them, 10 “Men, I can see that our voyage is going to be disastrous and bring great loss to ship and cargo, and to our own lives also.” 11 But the centurion, instead of listening to what Paul said, followed the advice of the pilot and of the owner of the ship. 12 Since the harbor was unsuitable to winter in, the majority decided that we should sail on, hoping to reach Phoenix and winter there. This was a harbor in Crete, facing both southwest and northwest.

13 When a gentle south wind began to blow, they saw their opportunity; so they weighed anchor and sailed along the shore of Crete. 14 Before very long, a wind of hurricane force, called the Northeaster, swept down from the island. 15 The ship was caught by the storm and could not head into the wind; so we gave way to it and were driven along. 16 As we passed to the lee of a small island called Cauda, we were hardly able to make the lifeboat secure, 17 so the men hoisted it aboard. Then they passed ropes under the ship itself to hold it together. Because they were afraid they would run aground on the sandbars of Syrtis, they lowered the sea anchor and let the ship be driven along. 18 We took such a violent battering from the storm that the next day they began to throw the cargo overboard. 19 On the third day, they threw the ship’s tackle overboard with their own hands. 20 When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being saved.

21 After they had gone a long time without food, Paul stood up before them and said: “Men, you should have taken my advice not to sail from Crete; then you would have spared yourselves this damage and loss. 22 But now I urge you to keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed. 23 Last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me 24 and said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar; and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.’ 25 So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me. 26 Nevertheless, we must run aground on some island.”

Meditation

Have you ever encountered rough weather when engaged in ministry? It seems to go with the territory. Problems can appear out of nowhere and threaten to sink the whole endeavor.  

St. Paul had wanted to travel to Rome for a long time. He hadn’t planned on going as a prisoner, but if that was the only option, at least the Romans would pay his traveling expenses (and  thwart would-be assassins). But their ship had run straight into a northeaster. After days without stars or sun for navigation, the ship’s chances for survival dwindled.

Would this be the end of Paul’s mission — would he drown in the Mediterranean, along with Luke, his physician companion? Would Luke’s draft of a letter to Theophilus be lost? 

As the storm raged, Paul and Luke prayed for everyone on board. It must have been hard to pray for some of those soldiers! At this dark moment an angel brought Paul a message of hope: “Do not be afraid! You will stand before Caesar. And God has granted you the lives of all your shipmates.” 

The next morning, Paul called together the cold and hungry passengers. “Courage,” he said. “God has promised that we will live and not die.” Then he got practical: “Eat, so you will have strength to make it to land!” Finally he broke bread and gave thanks, preparing everyone to reach a shore they couldn’t see.

We too are often surprised by messengers of hope when storms assail us. A bequest comes to a non-profit strapped for money. A newcomer at church volunteers to mow the grass. An old friend reconnects, bringing fresh energy.  Even a yellow-throated warbler, singing its heart out, can lift our hearts and assure us that God will bring us through. 

Then let us, like Paul, encourage others, take practical steps, and thank God for the blessing that is coming, although we cannot see it yet. 

Dr. Grace Sears is past vice president of the board of the Living Church Foundation and past president of the Order of the Daughters of the King, as well as former editor of its magazine, The Royal Cross.

♱

Daily Devotional Cycle of Prayer
Today we pray for:

The Diocese of Kalima – Province de L’Eglise Anglicane Du Congo
St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, Pasadena, Maryland

A Reading from Luke 8:40-56

40 Now when Jesus returned, the crowd welcomed him, for they were all waiting for him. 41 Just then there came a man named Jairus, a leader of the synagogue. He fell at Jesus’s feet and began pleading with him to come to his house, 42 for he had an only daughter, about twelve years old, and she was dying.

As he went, the crowds pressed in on him. 43 Now there was a woman who had been suffering from a flow of blood for twelve years, and though she had spent all she had on physicians, no one could cure her. 44 She came up behind him and touched the fringe of his cloak, and immediately her flow of blood stopped. 45 Then Jesus asked, “Who touched me?” When they all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the crowds are hemming you in and pressing against you.” 46 But Jesus said, “Someone touched me, for I noticed that power had gone out from me.” 47 When the woman realized that she could not remain hidden, she came trembling, and falling down before him, she declared in the presence of all the people why she had touched him and how she had been immediately healed. 48 He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace.”

49 While he was still speaking, someone came from the synagogue leader’s house to say, “Your daughter is dead; do not trouble the teacher any longer.”50 When Jesus heard this, he replied, “Do not be afraid. Only believe, and she will be saved.” 51 When he came to the house, he did not allow anyone to enter with him, except Peter, John, and James and the child’s father and mother. 52 Everyone was weeping and grieving for her, but he said, “Do not cry, for she is not dead but sleeping.” 53 And they laughed at him, knowing that she was dead. 54 But taking her by the hand, he called out, “Child, get up!” 55 Her spirit returned, and she stood up at once, and he directed them to give her something to eat. 56 Her parents were astounded, but he ordered them to tell no one what had happened.

Meditation

In this dramatic story, Jesus not only heals a desperate woman’s body but restores her soul. He makes a synagogue ruler wait — and then performs a greater miracle in calling Jairus’ child back to life. 

Jairus knows Jesus has the power to heal. Love for his daughter has overcome any pride of place. Now he’s begging: “Come save my daughter!” 

Yet as Jesus follows the father through narrow streets, he passes a haggard, impoverished woman who has been ritually untouchable for 12 years. She knows she shouldn’t touch a rabbi — but he’s so amazing! If she just touched Jesus’ cloak, just the fringe that might brush the street anyway, surely it would be enough. In the crowd no one would notice. 

Except Jesus. In spite of the disciples’ protests, Jesus stops and calls out the newly healed woman. For her, it’s embarrassing to reveal her ailment in front of the whole town. She dreads the anger of the rabbi and the taunts of the crowd. Yet she’s overjoyed, for when she touched Jesus’ cloak, something powerful swept through her and the bleeding stopped. Shaken by fear and joy, she finally dares to fall at Jesus’ feet, confessing how she has been healed. 

“Daughter,” Jesus says. No longer an unclean outcast, she belongs to his family. Instead of condemning, he publicly commends her faith and blesses her. 

But Jesus hasn’t forgotten Jairus, crushed as news of his daughter’s death arrives. It’s not too late, Jesus assures him, saying: “Only believe.” Having just seen an astonishing miracle, Jairus takes Jesus to his home. After the mourners are evicted, Jesus goes to the little girl’s bed and gently takes her hand. “Child, get up!” he says. And she does. 

Lord Jesus, grant us your vision for the unwelcomed and unnoticed ones, and ears to hear unspoken prayers, even when urgent matters demand our attention.

Dr. Grace Sears is past vice president of the board of the Living Church Foundation and past president of the Order of the Daughters of the King, as well as former editor of its magazine, The Royal Cross.

♱

Daily Devotional Cycle of Prayer
Today we pray for:

The Diocese of Kajo Keji – Province of the Episcopal Church of South Sudan
St. Aidan’s Episcopal Church, Milton, Georgia