Wednesday - April 24, 2024

SCRIPTURE Matthew 21:18–22 RSV  In the morning, as Jesus was returning to the city, he was hungry. And seeing a fig tree by the wayside he went to it and found nothing on it but leaves only. And he said to it, “May no fruit ever come from you again!” And the fig tree withered at once. When the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, “How did the fig tree wither at once?” And Jesus answered them, “Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and never doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ it will be done. And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith. WORDS OF HOPE Jesus encounters a fig tree that appeared to be alive because it had leaves, yet it had no figs. I suspect that like the fig tree, I may sometimes appear to be religiously alive on the outside while lacking the spiritual fruit God desires from me. The significance of this scripture reminds me that Jesus’ authority exposes what is truly genuine and what is outwardly superficial. Jesus came looking for fruit and found only appearance. The disciples ask about the withered tree, but Jesus turns their attention toward faith: “Whatever you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.” Oh, heck yes, I’m ready! Today is the International Day to Protect Education from Attack. Being an educator for over thirty years, I’m ready to pray for several conservative groups across the country to wither like the fig tree. I have a long list of people and organizations that I pray will wilt and fade away taking their lists of books to ban, public schools and institutions to defund, their issues with CRT and DEI, and their insane desires to rewrite history to name a few… But here comes the cold hard truth! Jesus’ encounter with the fig tree isn’t a lesson about getting whatever we want if we believe hard enough. Unfortunately, the lesson isn’t that strong faith will give us the power to make anything happen. Rather, Jesus calls us, to trust God deeply enough to live faithfully before Him. True faith is not merely believing that God can do something. It is trusting God so completely that our lives begin to bear fruit—obedience, love, humility, mercy, perseverance, and righteousness. Today, I must ask myself: Do I have leaves without fruit? Is my faith primarily something others can see, or is my faith producing evidence of Christ's life within me? PRAYER God, keep me from having only the appearance of faith, and help my life bear the fruit of love. Give me the courage to trust you enough to release my desire to see others wither and fade away. I pray that your truth, justice, and grace will transform hearts and institutions of learning. AMEN DEVOTION AUTHOR David Sims, Deacon

SCRIPTURE John 21:25  Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written. WORDS OF HOPE Today is International Literacy Day, as designated by UNESCO in 1966. The purpose of this observance is to “remind policy-makers, practitioners, and the public of the critical importance of literacy for creating more literate, just, peaceful, and sustainable society. Literacy is a fundamental human right for all. It opens the door to the enjoyment of other human rights, greater freedoms, and global citizenship. Literacy is a foundation for people to acquire broader knowledge, skills, values, attitudes, and behaviors to foster a culture of lasting peace based on respect for equality and non-discrimination, the rule of law, solidarity, justice, diversity, and tolerance and to build harmonious relations with oneself, other people and the planet.” The goals of International Literacy Day emphasize the impact of literacy on human rights, understanding, diversity, tolerance, respect for all people and the planet. Working against these goals are the many groups, both citizens and lawmakers, who are tirelessly striving to ban any book from libraries and schools that focuses on diversity, tolerance, broader knowledge, and greater freedoms for all. Sadly, many of the strongest voices for banning books call themselves Christians. And yet, the Bible contains many of the same things as the books they deem undesirable—nudity, sex, death, violence, murder… What if the Bible is read as literature rather than as a tool to used against everything that International Literacy Day is striving to accomplish? How is reading the Bible as literature different from reading it as a holy and sacred text? Surprisingly, we tend to read literature more closely than we do the Bible. (Remember all those pop quizzes in English class about minute details of a story?). We look for symbolism, tone, vocabulary and structure. Noticing these things helps us to recognize such details as overarching themes and character development and growth. We thrust ourselves into the writing and see and feel the writing as something that envelops us, where we are a character in the story. We see a whole rather than many disjointed parts. This is not how the Bible is usually read. First of all, the Bible is not one book or even one genre. It is sixty-six books consisting of stories, poetry, letters, songs, and parables. Each of these genres asks its readers for a slightly different approach; however they share the common thread that assumes we come to receive the author’s words with an open mind. No preconceived notions. No expectations. And yet, it is with both preconceived notions and expectations that many approach their reading of the Bible, scouring its pages randomly in pursuit of justification for ideas already held. Think for a moment about how different our Bible reading experiences could be if we came with the primary intent to learn and acquire “broader knowledge, skills, values, attitudes, and behaviors to foster a culture of lasting peace based on respect for equality and non-discrimination, the rule of law, solidarity, justice, diversity, and tolerance and to build harmonious relations with oneself, other people and the planet!” Reading the Bible as literature provides the opportunity to receive its words as an offering of insight and an agent for changer and growth rather than as a confirmation of institutionalized idea. And, if we learn to read the Bible as literature, we might also learn to read literature in a more holy and sacred way, seeking insight and wisdom. We never know when that book we pick up on a whim at the bookstore might be one that leads us unexpectedly to discover something about ourselves, our faith, and our God. PRAYER Dear God, teacher of us all, open my mind so that I may read the many words around me in a way that nourishes and enriches my heart and soul. Remind me that learning often comes from unexpected places. Amen. DEVOTION AUTHOR Kris Baker Order of Saint Francis and Saint Clare

SCRIPTURE John 10:10b  I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly WORDS OF HOPE As I write this, we just left a restaurant where we had an amazing lunch with a friend who is close to her 101st birthday! How blessed I am to have a friend of that age! It is a very special gift. I marvel at the blessing of life and how God blesses us with friends. Recently we met for lunch with women who all worked together 35 years ago, and we have remained friends and get together every few months. It is a blessing to have friends from that many years ago. We are of different ages, but our friendship has spanned all these years. And I consider my friendship with my wife an amazing gift as well. We have been friends since 1989! God has been so generous to bless me with an abundance of precious friendships. I am certainly living a heavenly life on this earth! I know I write a lot of devotionals about friends, but when I start to praise God, my church and the friendships God has given me fills my heart with joy. The abundant life God promised us sure is amazing. Some people are blessed with music talent that fills their lives and some with art and many at CoH fill their lives with cooking for and serving our homeless neighbors. God's blessings are different and are given according to our needs. PRAYER God of perfect gifts, how amazed I am at your gifts to me! My church is full of wonderful friends who bless me and pray for me! Wonderful long-term friends. How blessed I am to have a friend who is over 100 years old! I am so thankful for the gift of friendship in my life. DEVOTION AUTHOR Jan Nunn CoH Volunteer

SCRIPTURE  Isaiah 58:7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? WORDS OF HOPE Have you ever seen those memes on social media about travel? They say something like: How many cities or states or countries have you been to? – or – Give yourself a point for every National Park you’ve visited – or – Are you a world traveler? How many countries have you visited? Then, you count how many places you’ve seen and either feel like you’re a real journeyer or that your passport is sadly bereft of stamps. Having been in youth ministry for 30 years, I wish there were a listing of places where you’ve served in a food ministry. That would be a list I could populate! Soup kitchens in New York City? Check. Food pantry in Denver? Check. Soup kitchens in Memphis? Check. Food banks in Houston, San Antonio, and North Texas? Check, check, and check. And let’s be sure to add Cathedral of Hope! Big check mark! The first Friday in September is designated as National Food Bank Day. A day that we raise awareness about hunger, honor the work of food banks, and kick off Hunger Action Month in the U.S. Throughout Scripture, God calls us to the ministry of feeding the hungry. From Isaiah 58, where we are called to connect faithful worship with caring for those in need, to Matthew 25, where Jesus reminds us that when we feed the “least of these,” we are ministering to Jesus himself, the message is clear. In Luke 9 and Matthew 14, Jesus commands his followers, “You give them something to eat.” We give thanks to God for the ministries of Food Banks in our state and throughout the world. This tireless ministry of recovering, sorting, and distributing food is essential in hard economic times as well as times of plenty. Food ministries of all shapes and sizes, faith-based and otherwise, recognize that what they have to offer isn’t enough to alleviate food insecurity throughout the world, but they work tirelessly to do what they can in the many places where they are found. God does not want us to look inward to hide from the injustices of the world, particularly the injustice of food insecurity. Instead, She calls us to look outward, move close to the suffering, and actively meet the physical needs of others. Meeting physical needs – food, shelter, and clothing – is tied directly to honoring God. We must continually ask ourselves this: In what way can I honor God with a generous portion of my time, ability, and resources to meet the needs of a hungry soul? PRAYER Gracious God, open our eyes to those who hunger and our hearts to your call to share generously from the abundance of our time, gifts, and resources. Give us the courage to move toward those in need, remembering that whenever we feed the hungry, welcome the stranger, and care for our neighbors, we honor and serve you. Amen. DEVOTION AUTHOR Thomas Riggs

SCRIPTURE Isaiah 58:11 The Lord will guide you always; God will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.  WORDS OF HOPE In these sun-scorched days of a Texas summer, I have had the opportunity to take more indoor time than usual for meditation and reflection; more time to spend in peace, listening; hearing what thoughts God may send my way. What I’ve found true for myself is that my inner peace, health, and happiness have been much better than I might have predicted. I’ve thought a lot about not only my relationship with the Divine, but with others. The biggest truth is that my relationships: friends, extended family, are not just the people I share time with. They’re also my internet counsel and my foundation for the business of life. I can hear their affirmation, advice, and suggestions for guidance but it all circles back to me and what makes me happiest in the end. And if I’m honest; if we’re all honest, what matters at the end of the day is how we feel and how others make us feel. One of the best pieces of advice I ever got was “never let somebody else put out your pilot light.” So, I have to be myself; do the things that make myself ME. My life has often been about resolving problems and restoration. I’ve learned that closing the door on a problem can’t resolve it. Worst of all, closing the door on someone I have a problem with creates unfinished business that could haunt me the rest of my life. Our job is to resolve our issues; strive for the best without expecting perfection. As an artist, I know when the art is finished but I’ve been taught one basic rule about it; never be content that it’s the best. Grow. Do better. Do your best and, as one of the four agreements says, your best is different every day. Your mood, health, and situations can alter what your best is. It’s often a personal choice, other times a programmed response. Relationships with both God and humankind are personal. Only you can know when your connection with God is genuine. Only you can know whether someone is the best match for you. Jobs may also be personal. Only you know whether a job you have works toward fulfilling you. Perhaps you’re asking, is it the best match for my potential? My life, of course, is personal. Only I can live my life. It’s not about how often I can please others or meet everyone’s expectations. It’s about sharing my light and dreams and hope... and some of those days it’s about lighting someone else’s pilot light or perhaps ‘turning up’ the burner! What aspects of your life are making yourself YOU today? What relationships, both human and Divine are giving you peace or nurturing your growth? You might find yourself having a little extra time to relax, be quiet and listen. What guidance is being whispered by God to you today? PRAYER Help me to know that your guidance for me is always available, always present, to strengthen my spirit. May I learn to be silent, to be at peace and to listen. DEVOTION AUTHOR Charlie Rose Order of St. Francis and St. Clare