Mail Archive of the old Santa Clara Valley Lutheran Parish

Subject: Devotion for October 7, 2008

Date: Wed, 8 Oct 2008 11:50:07 -0700 (PDT)

From: PrJohn <prjohnhrlc@aol.com>

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Subject: Devotion for October 7, 2008
From: PrJohn <prjohnhrlc@aol.com>
To: SCVLP <scvlp@googlegroups.com>
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Some of us at Holy Redeemer are participating in the "40 Day Journey"
series. This particular journey has been written by Joan Chittister.
We are on day 38, some of which I would like to share with you.

"The rule of Friendship," the Buddha said, "means there should be
mutual sympathy between them, each supplying what the other lacks and
trying to benefit the other..." The words ring true. Friendship is not
as much a matter of happenstance as we are inclined to think.

Perhaps one of life's most preciuous lessons is that we must learn to
choose our friends as well as to find them. The corollary of the
insight, of course, is that we must learn not to allow ourselves
simply to fall into alliances and acquaintanceships that come and go
like starlight on the water, exciting for a while but easily
forgotten. We must learn, in other words, not to make life a
playground of faceless, nameless people -- all of whom are useful for
awhile but who never really touch the soul or stretch the mind or prod
the conscience.

Biblical Wisdom:

"Johnathan said to David, "Go in peace, for we have sworn friendship
with each other in the name of the Lord, saying, 'The Lord is witness
between you and me, and between your descendants and my descendants
forever.'" Isaiah 20: 42

Question to Ponder:

How has contemporary culture affected the capacity (positively or
negatively) to achieve deep friendships?

Journal Reflection:

Meditate on how your friendships mutually "really touch the soul or
stretch the mind or prod the conscience."

Prayer of Hope and Healing:

Pray for your community of friends that God will sustain and nourish
their souls and lead them to greater understanding and wisdom. Pray
for all those who are without true friends that God will anoint them
with love. May our friendships be honored and respected as we continue
to grow in the Spitit.

Prayer for today:

Thank you, Great Mystery, for all the friends in my life. Thank you
for their love and honesty. May I become a more committed and generous
friend in all my relations.