Wise Up

Devotionals Wise Up! 1/22/2024 - by: Kathy O’Toole Peters - Starting With Scripture Share The Reverend Kathleen O’Toole Peters, a retired UCC clergywoman who divides her time between CT and Florida, is a grateful and joyful member of the First Congregational Church in Southington, Connecticut and an associate member of First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Wildwood, Florida. In retirement she clowns around as her clown persona SweetCakes, volunteers as a chaplain and fundraiser for a local soup kitchen and pantry, and travels to be Nana to her granddaughter in California! Scripture: Psalm 111 (NRSV) Praise the Lord! I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart, in the company of the upright, in the congregation. Great are the works of the Lord, studied by all who delight in them. Full of honour and majesty is his work, and his righteousness endures for ever. He has gained renown by his wonderful deeds; the Lord is gracious and merciful. He provides food for those who fear him; he is ever mindful of his covenant. He has shown his people the power of his works, in giving them the heritage of the nations. The works of his hands are faithful and just; all his precepts are trustworthy. They are established for ever and ever, to be performed with faithfulness and uprightness. He sent redemption to his people; he has commanded his covenant for ever. Holy and awesome is his name. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practise it have a good understanding. His praise endures for ever. Reflection: Wise Up! As a child I was scared to death of God and my night time prayer of “Now I lay me down to sleep,” did much to perpetuate that fear. The line “…if I should die before I wake” was the most frightening since I was never quite sure if I had done enough good for “the Lord, my soul to take” up to be with him in heaven. Yes, God was definitely a he and was a scary judging being who seemed always trying to catch me in a mistake. And I was required to remember each and every one of those mistakes so I could “confess” them to my priest every Saturday afternoon, starting at the age of seven. As I got a bit older my last confessed sin was always that I had lied just in case I had forgotten anything. Please do not hear me bashing any religious tradition, but the perhaps unintended learning of my religious upbringing was of a God who was to be greatly feared. Praise the Lord, that God has been chased away! The “beginning of wisdom” and embracing a loving God came to me well into my adult years. And the struggle to remember always that I am beloved is a journey of faith that continues into my “old age.” Praise God for her patience and love on my journey. I remember first reading The Color Purple and loving Nettie’s notion of chasing the old white man out of her head. That image has stayed with me. As I located the quote for this reflection, I see now that it is much richer. “Well, us talk and talk bout God, but I’m still adrift. Trying to chase that old white man out of my head. I been so busy thinking bout him I never truly notice nothing God make. Not a blade of corn (how it do that?) not the color purple (where it come from?). Not the little wildflowers. Nothing. Now that my eyes opening, I feels like a fool.” (Alice Walker The Color Purple Nettie p. 195, 1982) Chasing that old God away can also lead to an openness to noticing God’s awesome works. Our psalmist encourages us to open our eyes as well to “delight” in all of God’s gracious, merciful and wondrous deeds! Our world can be a discouraging place at best these days; yet, the promise has always been that our God is with us and that we can trust in God’s ways! Perhaps we need to use these words more often: “Holy God, whose ways are not our ways and whose thoughts are not our thoughts, grant that your Holy Spirit may intercede with sighs too deep for human words.” (Romans 8:26 as adapted in the Book of Worship UCC Memorial Service 1986) Proverbs 9:10 declares that “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.” (NRSVUE) Might we continue to wise up and embrace the light of this Epiphany season with the insight and good understanding that “fear” of God is best expressed with awe and reverence rather than terror and trepidation. “Holy and awesome is God’s name. God’s praise endures forever.” PRAYER Holy and wise God, enfold us in your loving embrace, chase away our fearful foolish ways, and assure us again and again that your awesome and holy ways endure forever. Amen New Prayer Requests: We ask churches and church leaders to join us in the following prayers either by sharing them during worship, printing them in bulletins, or sharing them in some other way. To make a prayer request, please contact Marlene Gasdia-Cochrane at cochranem@sneucc.org. Prayers of Intercession: For the people of Ukraine and the Middle East whose lives continue to be shattered by war, as well as the many landscapes that are currently embroiled in conflicts . For those grieving or suffering due to the ~1,900 gun violence deaths that happened in the US since the start of the year. For the friends and family of The Rev. Dr. John Afman, Jr., of Cheshire, CT, who passed away on December 31, 2023. Rev. Afman held ordained ministerial standing in the New Haven Association, and served churches in New York, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut, followed by a second career as a marriage and family therapist. For those suffering from the recent snow, floods, and extraordinary winter weather. Prayers of Joy and Thanksgiving: For health and human service ministries and resources. For resolutions that express our faith around moral, ethical, governance, policy, or religious matters. For God’s gracious, merciful and wondrous deeds. For the ability to pray together. (You are invited to participate in Pause for Prayer, Wednesdays @ 12:30, Live on Facebook. Add your prayers through the chat feature, and recordings can be found on the SNEUCC Facebook page or our webpage.) This Week in History: January 28, 1985 (39 years ago): Music stars gathered to record We Are the World -- which helped raise more than $60 million for African famine relief. [History] “Study the past if you would define the future.” — Confucius kathypeters.jpg Kathy O’Toole Peters a retired UCC pastor and "no longer worrying" January 22, 2024