Seventeenth Day

Daniel 1.3, 5-8, 12-13, 18-20

1

3 Nebuchadnezzar told Ashpanaz, the chief steward, to bring in some of the Israelite youth, from either the royal house or the nobility-

5 The ruler assigned them daily rations of food and wine from the royal table, and after three years of training, they were to enter Nebuchadnezzar's service.

6 Among these were young Judean nobles: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. 7 The chamberlain, however, changed their names: Daniel was renamed Belteshazzar, Hananiah was renamed Shadrach, Misael was renamed Meshach, and Azariah was renamed Abednego.

8 But Daniel was determined not to be defiled with the non-kosher food or wine from the royal table, so he begged the chamberlain to spare him such a defilement.

12 "Please test us for ten days. Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. 13 Then see how we look in comparison with the other young people who eat from the royal table, and treat us according to what you see."

18 At the end of the time the ruler had specified for the preparation, the chamberlain brought them before Nebuchadnezzar. 19 When he had spoken with all of them, none was found equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, and so they entered the royal service. 20 In any question of wisdom and judgment which Nebuchadnezzar put to them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in the land.

"I'm Nobody! Who are you?" (no. 260)

by Emily Dickenson (1830-1886)

found in The Poems of Emily Dickinson (Harvard University Press, 1998)

I'm Nobody! Who are you?

Are you - Nobody - too?

Then there's a pair of us!

Don't tell! they'd advertise - you know!

How dreary - to be - Somebody!

How public - like a Frog -

To tell one's name - the livelong June -

To an admiring Bog!

Today’s Art Practice

What You’ll Need

From Your Home:

• Pen, pencil(s), crayon(s), or any other drawing instrument you prefer.

From Your Home:

• Sheet of art paper.

Directions: Start by writing I Hope... in the center on one of your sheets of art paper, then take about 5 minutes to meditate on hope.

What came up for you? What do you notice? What do you wonder? What ARE your hopes?

Using words and/or images, respond to your noticings on paper around the words I Hope... that you wrote.

Make this your own. Don't feel limited to writing and drawing; tear pictures out of an old magazine and glue or tape them if it feels right, gather natural elements from outside if you like.

*For those participating in group discussion around this series, this would be a great project to share with one another.

If you like, this playlist can help you keep track of time. Once it stops playing, 20 minutes will be over.

Let’s Pray…

Parents' Prayer

adapted from Talmud, Berakhot 17a

May you live to see a world that you create.

May your future shine in ways we can scarcely imagine.

May your hope span the generations.

May your heart learn understanding.

May you speak words of wisdom and sing songs of joy.

May your vision be clear before you.

May your eyes shine with the light of wise teachings.

May your face glow with the light of heaven.

May you run to discover the radiance of the Holy Blessed One.