Lent Devotional April 9, 2025

Scripture

Romans 10:14-21

14 But how are they to call on one in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in one of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone to proclaim him? 15 And how are they to proclaim him unless they are sent? As it is written,

“How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”

16 But not all have obeyed the good news; for Isaiah says,

“Lord, who has believed our message?”

17 So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the word of Christ. 18 But I ask, have they not heard? Indeed they have; for

“Their voice has gone out to all the earth,
and their words to the ends of the world.”

19 Again I ask, did Israel not understand? First Moses says,

“I will make you jealous of those who are not a nation;
with a foolish nation I will make you angry.”

20 Then Isaiah is so bold as to say,

“I have been found by those who did not seek me;
I have shown myself to those who did not ask for me.”

21 But of Israel he says,

“All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people.”

Devotion

The Rev. Ryan Lucas ’18

As a paramedic, I am acutely aware of emergency vehicles when I drive my regular vehicle. Upon hearing a siren, I quickly look for the vehicle before giving way to them. This common courtesy is invaluable to the crew’s response.

During a shift on the ambulance a couple of years ago, we were responding with lights and sirens to a call for difficulty breathing, or so we thought. It was early in the morning, and I had been working all night, exhausted from running calls into the wee hours of the morning. After passing a police officer who was getting into his patrol car, my partner got a text from the police officer and he informed us that, indeed, we did not turn on our emergency lights and were just driving through town with our siren on. It was slightly embarrassing, but there were not many cars on the road to notice our error.

So, how often do we hear things and immediately look for the source? Do we pay as much attention to God’s voice as we do to things in our everyday environment?

In Romans 10:17, we hear: “faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the word of Christ.” God’s voice is spoken to us daily in the people we meet and in the places we live. Loving our neighbor means that we must also listen to them and commune with them, even in their struggles. God calls us to love through the ministry of presence and through building communities that care for each other by listening and responding to each other’s needs. But for us to hear these things, we have to be on full alert for God’s voice in the ordinary and the extraordinary people and places.

Prayer

O God, today we give to You our undivided attention as we wait for your voice to guide us. Whether it is through our neighbor’s long-winded story or the care of EMS personnel tending to someone with an acute illness, may we hear your call to take part in your everlasting story. Amen.

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