Devotions Week of Nov. 11

Sunday Nov. 11-Ps 127-speaks a lot about work in vain, as if it would be meaningless, transitory, useless, even. I love the poetic line of “eating the bread of anxious toil” as that speak sot so many of us who act as if we can live on anxiety instead of security and hope.In down times, we may well wonder what is the us eof it all. In better times, we are reminded that the ocean consists of drop after drop, but each drop also contains an ocean (drawn and changed from Cloud Atlas). Monday-Veterans Day does not sadden me as much as Memorial Day, but I do indeed mark it.I like to honor those who served our country, especially those older survivors of WWII and Korea, as they are more than survivors, they built this country post-war. I continue to struggle with the Christian call to being pacifist with the reality of evil and the necessity for a nation to fight, including for pacifists. I pray that one day we will have few veterans of conflicts. Tuesday-I find bureaucracy frustrating,especially red tape. It’s not that I think I should be immune from rules and regulations,but the rules and regulations seem to get in the way of a desire we may well share. A friend is going through a tough time with fear that a small mistake on her forms for church positions could inhibit the work of the Spirit.At the same time, can mere red tape inhibit the work of the living God? Wednesday-Where does a spirit of restlessness come from? It may be a signal that something is amiss in life. It could be as simple as a plan being disrupted, but a bothersome restlessness seems to me a form of spiritual anxiety. It may well be a sign that I have not spent enough quality time with God in prayer or with the bible, or I have let my spiritual practices fall into some disrepair.In such times, we need to be in communion wiht the God of peace, of shalom, who can tell us, “peace, be still (and know that I am God). Thursday-Usually when I mention patience, I usually make a distinction, biblically, between two words, endurance and long suffering. Today, I want to consider it the way we use the word:to be able to wait placidly, without complaint, without trying to hurry things along.When things go wrong, to be able to cope without exploding seems an element of it as well. It seems the necessary complement to frustration. Friday-We have a wedding rehearsal here. I find them tedious, as I always say women already know what they want to do and men have to b e reminded the next day.Still, it is an expected ritual in a time when we try to reinvent the wheel and avoid ritual as passe.I am glad that we surround a wedding with ritual, and that is is one thing where we invest the ties of family and community through the ages. Saturday-Discernment is an attempt to integrate Christian thoughts and feelings with decision-making. One way is to be alert to our feeling state as we mull and pray over a decision. If something keeps gnawing at you, that may be a signal to rethink one’s position.While some decisions were made at random in Scripture, we are also told to test the spirits (I John) and Acts 15 demonstrates a careful deliberative process.