†
A Greeting
Let your steadfast love become my comfort
according to your promise to your servant.
(Psalm 119:76)
A Reading
Surely we do not need, as some do, letters of recommendation to you or from you, do we? You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, to be known and read by all; and you show that you are a letter of Christ, prepared by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.
(2 Corinthians 3:1-3)
Music
Meditative Verse
Your commands have been my songs wherever I make my home.
(Psalm 119:54)
A Prayer
Jesus, you call us softly and tenderly, and promise us your love. You grant us mercy and pardon our sins. Help us to make our home in you. Help us to speak your words of love and comfort to our families, our friends and our neighbours, even while we are physically distant.
In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
- from the daily hymn and prayer of Bishop Susan Johnson,
published on May 11, 2020
Verses for the Day
Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Creator,
who loved us and through grace gave us eternal comfort and good hope, comfort your hearts and strengthen them in every good work and word.
(2 Thessalonians 2:16-17)
†
If you are having trouble playing the video, click here to watch it on Facebook.
“You are our letter.” When Paul first wrote to the church communities, he would never have anticipated that his letters might one day be considered sacred text. For Paul, “scripture” was the Hebrew Scriptures and the oral traditions of the Torah. What would he say, if he could see that his intimate letters are now considered not only sacred literature and teachings of the church, but in some denominations a very critical part of church theology? The way in which the church tells its story has always been fluid. Over time, the global church has relied: on written and oral texts of the early gospel writers; on spoken word stories of missionaries and monks; on the stained glass and fresco dramas of high Renaissance chapels; and now, remarkably, on internet worship! Each era of the church finds a way to make its media sacred in its own careful way. The common throughline is the discipleship of believers, those who carry the stories forward, the embodied “letters” of the church. Wherever we as faithful people go, we carry our baptism and our story with us. With these two things we are reminded that we are always at home in the community of believers. Both of today’s music selections speak to “coming home”. Yo Yo Ma writes about Dvorak's "Going Home", “In these days of anxiety, I wanted to find a way to continue to share some of the music that gives me comfort.” Similarly, Bishop Susan Johnson began singing hymns and writing prayers to go with them in March as a way of comforting the church daily during the time of pandemic. In her prayer today, she writes, "Help us to make our home in you." Both of these musicians use the media they have available to carry the song of their hearts. They have made the space they occupy holy with their deep desire to be the comforter. Each is a “letter” of the church, or of human spirituality, that speaks uniquely to our times. What are the ways that you are challenged to become an embodied "letter" of your faith community in this era of upheaval? What would be the sacred letter you might write about your own faith? How can you bring the comforting love of Jesus into all that you say and do today?
-----
Note: starting on Wednesday, July 1st, Bishop Susan will be offering her hymn singing and prayers on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays, the alternate days for this devotional project, which are Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. The hymns and prayers can be found on the Facebook and Twitter pages of the ELCIC and on the bishop’s personal Twitter page (all linked).
†
During the Pentecost devotional project,
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". While the devotions will always be freely available to all, your donation helps to support the extended offerings that have been taking place in 2020. It also offers a way to celebrate the tenth year of this ministry! Thank you!
†
LC† Spirit of Restlessness is a project of
Lutherans Connect / Lutheran Campus Ministry Toronto,
supported by the Eastern Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada.
Join us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram and on Twitter.
