SCRIPTURE  Luke 15.16 But Jesus would often go away from the crowd to pray in quiet places. WORDS OF HOPE I recently attended something called a “new moon sound bath.” It sounds mystical, doesn’t it? It’s actually a yoga space filled with about 25 or 30 people engaging in light stretching, breathing, and the soothing tones of singing bowls. It’s relaxing and allows your mind to either engage…or wander. Occasionally, someone would fall asleep, signaled by a bit of snoring. Nobody cared. The hum and vibration from the sound bowls, chimes, and rain stick felt almost otherworldly. Those natural, non-electronic sounds, while staring quietly at the ceiling, invited a release from the noise of the day. I often find myself unable to control the moment. Too many days are filled with anxiety from listening to endless news and politics, always politics. Sometimes I wonder why I’m so drawn to that uncontrollable static in the first place. The yoga space glowed with purple and pink lighting, almost like staring into a distant galaxy. We were given permission to drift away. Only once, during one of these sessions, did someone truly doze off hard. Evidently, the release was deeply needed. Whatever worries had carried them to that moment were simply gone. The room filled with intermittent giggles before someone finally nudged them awake. A faint “sorry” was whispered, and we continued with gentle movement. The entire experience lasts only about an hour, yet it feels much longer—as though time itself briefly loosens its grip. For lack of a better description, it’s an inner-city wilderness moment. For a short while, we surrender worry, schedules, and the exhausting need to stay in control. Do you meditate or pray? In Retreats throughout the years, I’ve heard descriptions of intense meditation practiced by both Christian and Tibetan monks, and I sometimes wonder if deliberately seeking collective peace can somehow quiet the low vibration of fear and chaos around us. In a similar way, what did Jesus experience during his walks in the wilderness? Surely, away from the crowds, there was silence there. Prayer. Reflection. Release. Years ago, I walked among the giant trees in Muir Woods in California. It’s difficult to explain, but I felt a powerful vibration in my chest, almost overwhelming, as though the ancient forest itself was welcoming me into communion. Perhaps that’s why one section there is called Cathedral Grove. A posted sign read, “Enter Quietly.” Where are your Cathedral woods? Where will you give yourself permission to commune on a higher plane? When will you finally release the need to control? When you arrive at that place, a place unique to you, no one will need to tell you to “enter quietly.” PRAYER I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. Lord, guide my thoughts and keep me focused on Your truth. Amen. -Psalm 119.15 DEVOTION AUTHOR Charlie Rose Order of St. Francis and St. Clare

SCRIPTURE  Psalm 94:18–19 When I said, “My foot is slipping,” your unfailing love, LORD, supported me. When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy. WORDS OF HOPE Oh, how quick our minds are to chide us for our clumsiness or sound the alarm of eminent danger! Yet, multiple studies have shown that most of the things we worry about never come to pass. I see the truth in that wisdom, for I have done my share of worrying that brought me no benefit. In retrospect, none of those worries were worth the time spent on them. No mistake or misstep will become a defining moment unless we allow it. Sure, we can learn from our mistakes but making them does not make us flawed or wrong. Instead, let us counter our mind chatter with the certain knowledge that Jesus calls us “friend” and declared that we are divine royalty, Heirs and Joint Heirs with Jesus Christ! The psalmist shows us the way. “When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy.” Let us live joyfully, for this brings honor to our beloved God! PRAYER Dear God, when my mind would lead me into fear, worry, and anxiety, help me to remember that you are always with me, always loving me and affirming my worth. I will then, be able to honor you with Joy and a life well lived. Amen. DEVOTION AUTHOR Carole Anne Sarah

READING  Isaiah 51:1-3 Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness, you who seek the Lord. Look to the rock from which you were hewn and to the quarry from which you were dug. Look to Abraham your father and to Sarah, who bore you, for he was but one when I called him, but I blessed him and made him many. For the Lord will comfort Zion; he will comfort all her waste places and will make her wilderness like Eden, her desert like the garden of the Lord; joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the voice of song. WORDS OF HOPE I was born to a scientist and his wife. Their families were vastly different in that my father’s family came from Eastern Europe and my mother’s family came from the hills of Tennessee. My mother was Christian and my father was Jewish obviously from different quarries, yet they gave me a sturdy foundation as a child. They nourished my curiosity, grounded me in the Jewish faith, and instilled in me a good sense of my heritage and an appreciation for all people. I consider myself very lucky to have been raised by such loving parents and am reminded of their strength and patience with me almost daily as I stumbled my way through childhood. I also know not everyone is so lucky, but if we look back far enough we all can find that quarry of which Isaiah speaks. More importantly, we are not destined to become our parents. God gives us the grace and room for us all to grow and develop into our best selves, if we are patient and follow the spiritual guidance we receive. It’s not a recipe for success, but rather a puzzle which we are given that hints at the direction we should travel. Those clues are disclosed not only through scripture, but through our interaction with others on the same journey. We are all seeking the Lord in our own way. We are all hewn from the same rock. PRAYER May we all find comfort and guidance in our journey, and may we work together to create a new Eden in the deserts of our lives. DEVOTION AUTHOR Hardy Haberman

SCRIPTURE 1 Samuel 16:7 The Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.  WORDS OF HOPE This scripture from Samuel reminds me of a story: A priest at a church elementary school was speaking to a group of third- & fourth-graders when a young girl approached him to strike up a conversation. A few minutes into their discussion, a look of astonishment crossed her face. "You are blind!" Which was true. "That's not news to me," the priest replied. But before he could say anything more, she blurted out, "You don't know what you look like!" The remark caught him off guard. Then, after a brief pause, she softly added, "You are beautiful!" Her words have stayed with me because, in a symbolic sense, most of us experience a kind of blindness that keeps us from seeing ourselves as we truly are. For the past twelve years, I have been studying the Enneagram. More than anything else I have encountered, it has helped me see myself more clearly. It exposes the stories and assumptions I tell myself about who I am. It challenges me to recognize how much there is still to learn about myself and who I might become. I attend the Cathedral of Hope because I believe its ministers, sermons, music, ministries, and congregation best helps reveal the goodness, truth, and beauty that God has placed within each of us. Yet many of us struggle to see ourselves as God sees us. What are the false stories that cloud our vision? Henri Nouwen identified three powerful lies about identity: I am what I have. I am what I do. I am what other people say or think about me. Whenever I feel unsettled, anxious, or disconnected from myself and from God, I often discover that I have begun to believe one—or sometimes all three—of these lies. They quietly pull me away from the deeper truth of who I am. We have just celebrated Pride Month together. It offered a meaningful opportunity to reflect on our identity and worth. It invited us to look beyond the labels, expectations, and judgments of the world and to consider what God sees when God looks into our hearts. There, we may rediscover the truth that our value is not earned, achieved, or granted by others, but rooted in being beloved children of God. RECEIVE THIS BLESSING Loving God, throughout Pride Month, you helped me look beyond the labels, expectations, and judgments of the world and to see myself as you see me. When I feel disconnected from myself and from you, help me recognize the lies that pull me away from the truth. When I measure my worth, remind me that my true identity is not something I earn or achieve. Call me back to the deeper truth that I am your beloved child, created in your image and held securely in your grace. AMEN DEVOTION AUTHOR David Sims, Deacon

READING 1 Thessalonians 4:10-12 And in fact, you do love all of God’s family throughout Macedonia. Yet we urge you, brothers and sisters, to do so more and more, and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody. WORDS OF HOPE I remember a time when much of life was spent working with one’s hands. My mom sewed many of my clothes when I was little; she knit for charity; and, she made nearly all our meals from scratch…except for bread. My dad made the bread. He also tended a large vegetable garden that yielded most of the fresh produce that my family consumed. My recollection, nearly sixty years later, is that those were much simpler times. But how can that be with all those daily “chores?’” Many people today will tell you that they don’t have time to cook a basic meal, let alone cook every day and make homemade bread. Knitting and sewing have become hobbies, primarily for those with disposable income, rather than skills for everyday life. And growing our own food is out of the question for many due to space and cost. The example that my parents gave to me as a child has stuck with me. Today, the majority of my family’s meals are homemade. We make fresh bread and yogurt each week. Like my mom did, I knit. (Sadly, I do not sew my own clothes, but I do occasionally make quilts.). And gardening at our house is a family affair. Admittedly, I enjoy these things, both the process and the final products, but the benefits are far more than a final product. In the above letter to the Thessalonians, Paul says, “make it your ambition to lead a quiet life.” He follows this with, “you should mind your own business and work with your hands.” What I realized as an adult is that spending time working with my hands provides me with a great deal of quiet time, time that I can be in prayer and in communion with God. Minutes spent kneading bread, sewing a button on a shirt, even washing dishes by hand, provide moments that don’t require critical thinking skills but rather just being present to the task at hand. These are moments that occur multiple time each day, moments that we are invited to slow down and be quiet. What a gift, should we choose to accept it. This daily gift of quiet made possible through working with our hands does make a simpler life, and a life where we have more time and space for God. PRAYER Loving God, bless my hands. Help me to feel your presence in all that they touch and all that they do. I pray that the work of my hands leads me to that place of quiet where I can hear your voice and feel your touch. Amen DEVOTION AUTHOR Kris Baker Order of St. Francis and St. Clare

SCRIPTURE  1 Thessalonians 4:10-12 And in fact, you do love all of God’s family throughout Macedonia. Yet we urge you, brothers and sisters, to do so more and more, and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody. WORDS OF HOPE I remember a time when much of life was spent working with one’s hands. My mom sewed many of my clothes when I was little; she knit for charity; and, she made nearly all our meals from scratch…except for bread. My dad made the bread. He also tended a large vegetable garden that yielded most of the fresh produce that my family consumed. My recollection, nearly sixty years later, is that those were much simpler times. But how can that be with all those daily “chores?’” Many people today will tell you that they don’t have time to cook a basic meal, let alone cook every day and make homemade bread. Knitting and sewing have become hobbies, primarily for those with disposable income, rather than skills for everyday life. And growing our own food is out of the question for many due to space and cost. The example that my parents gave to me as a child has stuck with me. Today, the majority of my family’s meals are homemade. We make fresh bread and yogurt each week. Like my mom did, I knit. (Sadly, I do not sew my own clothes, but I do occasionally make quilts.) And gardening at our house is a family affair. Admittedly, I enjoy these things, both the process and the final products, but the benefits are far more than a final product. In the above letter to the Thessalonians, Paul says, “make it your ambition to lead a quiet life.” He follows this with, “you should mind your own business and work with your hands.” What I realized as an adult is that spending time working with my hands provides me with a great deal of quiet time, time that I can be in prayer and in communion with God. Minutes spent kneading bread, sewing a button on a shirt, even washing dishes by hand, provide moments that don’t require critical thinking skills but rather just being present to the task at hand. These are moments that occur multiple times each day, moments that we are invited to slow down and be quiet. What a gift, should we choose to accept it. This daily gift of quiet made possible through working with our hands does make a simpler life, and a life where we have more time and space for God. PRAYER Loving God, bless my hands. Help me to feel your presence in all that they touch and all that they do. I pray that the work of my hands leads me to that place of quiet where I can hear your voice and feel your touch. Amen DEVOTION AUTHOR Kris Baker Order of St. Francis and St. Clare

SCRIPTURE  2 Corinthians 4:8,9 We are hard pressed on every side but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted but not abandoned; struck down but not destroyed. WORDS OF HOPE In this scripture, Paul, having experienced disappointment, prison, hunger, being forced out of town, and mocked for his beliefs, outlines four powerful contrasts that apply to struggles of everyday life. I recently spoke with someone who declared they were exhausted from fighting things alone, felt like the walls were closing in fast and was “throwing in the towel” with nowhere left to turn. When someone is really down hope seems so far away! Yet when we tire in our personal struggles it’s the perfect time to grip onto our relationship with God. There is a difference between giving up and surrendering. In boxing matches when the fight gets out of hand and the struggle to stand up becomes more difficult, the trainer steps forward, “throws in the towel”, as a symbol of surrender to save the fighter’s life. In Christian life when we “throw in the towel” it becomes a surrender where we are flooded with Gods amazing power. God doesn’t wait for us to be perfect before we are lifted and carried with grace through the word of faith. Instead, God meets us in our messy, scared places where we feel vulnerable and unworthy of love. When faced with great obstacles is the perfect moment to let Jesus Christ, our personal trainer “throw in the towel” and carry us back to safety. What may have felt like being shattered was actually training for transformation. So next time we say or hear the phrase we might consider it the action of being rescued instead of giving up. PRAYER Thank you Jesus my protector, trainer and guide for taking control when I fall the furthest and remind me peace is just a breath away when I surrender, let go and let God take control. Creator God, as we forget to surrender and stumble back into the ring, give us the wisdom to “throw in the towel” so Jesus can remind us of your unconditional, everlasting love!! In Jesus name, Amen DEVOTION AUTHOR Donna jackson

READING  “To everything (Turn, turn, turn) There is a season (Turn, turn, turn) And a time to every purpose under heaven. A time to be born, a time to die, A time to plant, a time to reap, A time to kill, a time to heal, A time to laugh, a time to weep…” “Turn, Turn, Turn” by the Byrds, a song based on Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8 WORDS OF HOPE At the Cathedral of Hope we are fortunate to be supported by the scaffolding of the liturgical seasons. Sr. Joan Chittister says of their function: “By taking us into the depth of what it means to be a human on the way to God—to suffer, to wonder, to know abandonment and false support, to believe and to doubt—the liturgical year breaks us open to the divine.” We begin by entering into Advent’s yearning and waiting in eager anticipation of the coming of Emmanuel, experience the birth of our light and Savior at Christmas and come to understand that we too are Christ-bearers in the world. In the Epiphany stories, we witness the manifestation of Jesus’ identity as the son of God. Lent brings us to a time of deep self-reflection, seeking to “return to God with all our hearts”, and we accompany Jesus in his betrayal, suffering and crucifixion. Easter breaks through in the glorious miracle of resurrection and the appearances of the risen Christ breathing peace into the frightened disciples. At Pentecost the power of the Holy Spirit descends in rushing wind and tongues of fire, transforming hearts and birthing the church. Finally, Ordinary time immerses us in the fullness of Jesus’ teachings and his works among the people. Using the 4 seasons of the year is another common way to describe the spiritual seasons of our lives. We live through seasons of interiority and quiet, seasons of letting go, seasons of planting, new life, seasons of gathering the harvest and going out into the world. Truly, when we look at our lives thoughtfully, prayerfully, we can discern “a time to every purpose under heaven.” We discover what Love can do, what Love is doing in our lives. Sometimes a spiritual season names itself more personally. The year before last the “season of the open heart” began to move in me during the first week of Lent and was intensely lived out for over a year. It did not “disappear” but some difficult and sudden life challenges have set up camp and claimed the center. Even this time, though, is not without its blessings and teachings. Perhaps you know a dry season, or a time of healing, a period of burgeoning creativity, or a time of letting go. Listening to the voice of the Spirit can identify the essence of the time. A blog by Hannah Brencher speaks of what the writer calls “manna seasons.” And I wonder if some of us don’t live in that place right now. Her understanding is based on the story of the Israelites wandering in the desert and grumbling that they will starve, saying that at least in Egypt they were fed. God meets them in their need and provides bread from heaven. Not the miracle of the loaves and fishes—but enough for their needs. The author asserts, “It’s proof to me that our seasons can swing wildly. One moment, we’re standing in abundance. The more-than-enough. The mountaintop. In another swoop, we’re swinging low. We’re bending to the ground to gather the manna. Just enough. Never more than the portion for that day…. I’m beginning to call them “manna seasons.” Seasons of just enough. Seasons of one day at a time. Seasons where you want the full ladder but you’re only getting the next rung.” What season are you in right now…What is God’s purpose unfolding in you? PRAYER Teach us, O God, to abide in you no matter the season of our lives, for in you is the life more abundant. Amen. DEVOTION AUTHOR Dr. Pat Saxon

SCRIPTURE  Psalm 57:1 Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me; for it is in you that my soul takes refuge. In the shadow of your wings I will take refuge." WORDS OF HOPE The above Psalm, like so many, have been attributed to David, the shepherd boy who became king. This particular verse references the time when the Israelite King Saul was hunting to kill the young warrior David who had sought refuge and hid in a distant cave. Like David’s world, sometimes the world around us may be turned upside down with dangerous threats and loss. We need a sure and safe refuge to anchor our lives and quiet the worries of our heart. The world may offer potential solutions or mind-numbing options, but David models for us the best solution for these moments of crisis... turn to God's loving care. You may hide under the protection of God wings and still get scratches and a nosebleed, but you won't end up mortally wounded! Consider, too, David’s reaction to an incident in his life recorded in I Chronicles 16:8-9: "Give thanks to the Lord, call on God's name, make God’s deeds known among the people. Sing, sing praises to God." After King David fought the Philistines and recaptured the Ark of the Covenant, he brought it safely back to Israelite territory and ordered celebrations. This verse begins a hymn of praise to God. Since then, many official statements and hymns have been composed to praise and thank God. But, what about your personal life experience? Is it filled with genuine thanksgiving to the Creator God? Each of us receives more blessings per hour than we can count. Do words of gratitude flow off your tongue giving thanks and praise to our Lord? Praising God's nature and love is the basis of our spiritual life. From ancient rabbinic literature it is said: "In the world to come, all sacrifice and offering will cease, but the sacrifice of thanksgiving will remain forever. All confessional statements will cease, but the confession of our thanksgiving to God will remain forever. Let it be so in our lives. May our days be filled with an acute awareness of God's blessings and may we experience a closer walk with the Divine One. PRAYER Lord God, as I journey through daily activities, may the multitude of these divinely inspired words help me to focus on your desires for my life. Keep me safe and on the right path with you. Amen DEVOTION AUTHOR Donald (Luke) Day Order of St. Francis and St. Clare