Daily Devotional

He entered Jericho and was passing through. And there was a man named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector, and rich. And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not, on account of the crowd, because he was small of stature. So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was to pass that way.

In you, Lord, I have taken refuge;
let me never be put to shame.
In your righteousness, rescue me and deliver me;
turn your ear to me and save me.

The Apostle Paul started the church in Philippi on his second missionary journey. Philippi was a city in Greece situated on a major road that connected Rome to much of its territory to the east. It was an excellent city for Paul to establish a church where the good news of God could travel freely throughout the empire.

This past Monday, one of the most recognizable actors of our time passed away. At the age of 93, James Earl Jones entered his eternal rest. Few people have had the success James Earl Jones has had in the entertainment industry. He is most well known as the voice of Darth Vader in the Star Wars franchise. His career has taken him from the Broadway stage to the silver screen. James Earl Jones is one of only a few people to earn the EGOT distinction. That is to say, he has won an Emmy Award, Grammy Award, Oscar Award, and a Tony Award. His iconic voice has been part of our lives for over 60 years.

In the hit Broadway musical Come from Away, stories are told of the amazing people of Gander, Newfoundland. Through their hospitality and kindness, people from all over the world are welcomed and cared for on the morning of September 11, 2001. This show has become one of my favorite musicals. It is a great musical that highlights and helps bring healing to the powerful emotions we all experienced on that day.

When I was in college, my minor was in political philosophy. I enjoyed reading Machiavelli, Hobbs, Nietzsche, and the early American political thinkers. These great philosophers of the past have helped to shape how we govern ourselves, both here in the United States and around the world. Each time I opened one of these great books of political thought, I wrestled with the collision of what I knew and what I was learning.

Several years ago, I was attending a city council meeting in the small community where I lived. Most of the posted agenda had been accomplished, and it was time for an open microphone for the community.

At Caesare′a there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of what was known as the Italian Cohort, a devout man who feared God with all his household, gave alms liberally to the people, and prayed constantly to God. About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God coming in and saying to him, “Cornelius.”

Hear my cry, O God;
listen to my prayer.
From the end of the earth I call to you,
when my heart is faint.

Today, as we continue to read through the Bible, we encounter one of the most stunning and powerful moments in the Bible. This story was the recent scripture for Rev. Linda Harker’s sermon on the prophet, Ezekiel. In the book of Ezekiel, we encounter the powerful visions of the prophet as the people of Judah experience deportation after Jerusalem falls to the mighty Babylonians. It was a time when hope was lost, and no one knew what the future would hold for God’s people.