Devotion

Scripture

2 Corinthians 13:12

“Greet one another with a holy kiss”

A Word of Hope

There are lots of places where scripture says to greet one another with a holy kiss. Today is National Kiss Day! And here we are stuck at home and wearing masks and social distancing when we go out only for necessities. We cannot get near people; except those we live with.

The social distancing has taken a toll on us all. We do not have personal interaction with each other. That is one of the things that keeps us healthy! I am grateful for Facebook that allows me to have online contact with my friends. But that only partly fills the need to actually be with people.

I have enjoyed zoom meetings with small church groups and family and friends. But still that is just a substitute for real interaction.

Often when we are together in church, I feel touched by God through the interaction of my fellow church members. It does not have to be inside the church building, but that is where I usually see most of my fellow church family.

On the Sundays when we have collected the Thanks Bags and Change for Change it was great to see some of you! We could not share hugs or kisses, but our spirits were connected in the joy of being together and united in the mission of doing something good!

We are still the family of God. No matter how often we get to gather or whether we do not get to meet. It feels wonderful to be together, but our relationship is still strong when we cannot be physically in each other’s presence.

Please reach out by phone, or text or Facebook to your family of choice as well as your biological families during this time of physical separation. Many people really need your individual contact to them. I am throwing a virtual holy kiss to all of you!

Prayer

Holy God, we cry out for an end to this pandemic that separates us from those we love! Help us find creative ways of connection to those who need to know of our care and concern. Prayers of healing for all who are suffering physical and emotional challenges at this time.

Devotion Author

Jan Nunn
CoH Volunteer

Scripture

John 10:10 (The Message)

I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of. John 10:10

A Word of Hope

It was like a punch to the stomach that took my breath away. I was in a boutique neighborhood store that carries a large selection of greeting cards. They are not your standard Hallmark cards. They are unique, some little works of art, and I always find the right special one.

I was looking for a card for my boss who had just lost his father after a brief non-Covid-related illness. I rounded the corner and faced row after row of empty slots where the sympathy cards were supposed to be. The entire wall empty. Not a single sympathy card remained.

Every day I see the numbers of deaths tick up. Now, it is only the milestones that catch my attention. And is it not just the virus. The media only reports a mass shooting if there is a high number of victims. The names of those killed by bigotry and hatred are not remembered. Those killed by the government in a death chamber are barely noticed anymore. Death seems commonplace.

The Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II recently gave the homily at the National Cathedral (watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eviTAayTGT4). He titled his sermon “Accepting Death Is Not an Option Anymore.” He recounts the millions of deaths this country is built upon: indigenous peoples, enslaved peoples, immigrants. Throughout our history we have become too comfortable with death, too accepting of death.

And so the deaths continue. Today, right now, our choices and policies are killing us. We are killing ourselves by destroying our planet. We are killing ourselves by denying health care to millions. We are killing ourselves by trapping generations in poverty. We are killing ourselves by a justice system that is anything but just.

And yet, the truth is, we are bound together. A single death diminishes me. By accepting the deaths of others I contribute to my own death. If I silently accept a culture of death I perpetuate it.

But I am a child of the God of life. I don’t have to accept death. I can fight against a culture of death. Jesus demonstrated that life, an abundant life, comes from love, mercy, grace and justice. I can fight for a society and politics that values each life. I am called to proclaim life’s power over death.

Prayer

God of my being. God of abundant life. Make me uncomfortable with death. Uncomfortable enough to impel me to join with others to stop us from killing ourselves.

Devotion Author

Dennis Bolin

Scripture

Be still and know that I am God. Be still and know that I am. Be still and know. Be still. Be. Breath Prayer based on Psalm 46:10

A Word of Hope

Most days, they are upon you before you even notice, so silent is their footfall. But this day one beautiful doe leaves the well-worn path and walks to the edge of the deck, her grayish tan head tilted upward, as if she had something to tell me, if I could but hear. Whether she is prompted by animal curiosity or something else, communion is what I feel: a welcome.

Her eyes hold me with their gentle depths. Gazing on this sacred icon, the dark-bright mystery draws me deeper into union.

Mary Oliver speaks of such a dream-moment in her poem “The Faces of Deer:”

When for too long I don’t go deep enough
into the woods to see them, they begin to
enter my dreams. Yes, there they are, in the
pinewoods of my inner life. I want to live a life
full of modesty and praise. Each hoof of each
animal makes the sign of a heart as it touches
then lifts away from the ground. Unless you
believe that heaven is very near, how will you
find it? Their eyes are pools in which one
would be content, on any summer afternoon,
to swim away through the door of the world.
Then, love and its blessings. Then: heaven.

She leaves me with the fullness of gratitude for such moments of wordless beauty—abounding, but not always seen. And I pray that I too leave a sign of the heart where my life touches.

Prayer

May moments of quiet beauty heal and restore us, O God, that we may set the seal of your love upon the world. Amen.

Devotion Author

Dr. Pat Saxon

Scripture

“Be still, and know that I am God! I am exalted among the nations, I am exalted in the earth.”

Psalm 46:10 NRSV

Words of Hope

After being in semi-isolation due to the current COVID 10 pandemic, staying home except to shop for groceries and occasionally get take-out meals, the idea of being still is really a difficult one for me. I am still, at least stuck in one place, and stillness is just something I have trouble with.

What I believe the psalm is talking about in my case is to still my thoughts. My brain has been like a runaway train, unable to concentrate on much and every bit as stir crazy as my body.

If I listen to the Psalmist and hear God speaking, I realize I need to coax my thoughts into stillness, to slow the spinning of my brain and find an inner peace where I can clear my thoughts and center on just listening. It is a call to meditation and calm, rather than a motivation to do things. Sometimes doing nothing can accomplish more than a frantic attempt to do something.

I majored in philosophy for the short time I attended Baylor University. It was a tumultuous time in my life; my father had died, I had just come out as gay, and I was the only Jew at Baylor that year. I felt a lot of pressure especially from the Theology Department. What I found solace in was my study of philosophy and particularly Eastern thinkers like Lao Tsu. The great Taoist writer emphasized Wu wei which translates as “non-action” and the practice of emptying the mind and sitting in a state of simply being one with reality. It was the Chinese version of “being still”. In that stillness I found life became clearer and more simple. And not surprisingly I still practice it today.

When I stop spinning and fighting against whatever it is that is troubling me, often the path forward becomes clearer. When I wonder what God is trying to do with my life and what path I am supposed to follow, I remember to just be still for a bit. With my eyes closed in a quiet place, I find my vision and hearing become much clearer and God is present. God was present all along, but my mind was too cluttered with worries and fears that I was unable to see.

Prayer

God, may I find a quiet place in my life to just sit and be still, for there I will find your presence revealed.

Author

Hardy Haberman

Words of Hope

What is in a Seed?

Do you know how much good comes from one single righteous seed? To answer this question, first, we must consider Adam. When Adam took a bite of the forbidden fruit, he immediately received the sentence of death within himself. What was once immortal and perfect became mortal and corrupt. Not only that, but his seed was cursed with the same death sentence. If by one man’s act of disobedience death entered the world, how much more was life given by the single righteous act of obedience by Christ? In truth, the sacrifice of Jesus is still saving lives to this day offering hope to a world that often feels hopeless.

From Adam’s seed of disobedience, the whole world bared the weight of generations each more wicked than the last. So much evil covered the face of the world that God brought the waters out of the depths of the Earth and the storehouses of Heaven to rid the world of the evil. The Earth was washed clean, except for Noah and his family. Now, we observe the children, or the seed of Cain, who murdered his brother out of jealousy, covering the face of the Earth. Many generations have passed since Cain’s act of disobedience towards God’s law, and the Earth weeps for the countless acts of evil she sees every day.

Although it is hard to see the forest from the trees, a single act of kindness is more powerful than all the evil acts the world has ever known combined. Is not light more powerful than darkness? A little light shining never becomes dark in darkness, but the darkness becomes light. If a smile, small and modest, can become someone else’s smile when seen, what can be said about a thousand smiles? If one smile can become a thousand smiles, how much good comes from all the acts of kindness the world has ever known? The answer is that we cannot imagine the outcome or know the full effect of the seed until it is time for harvest. The time will come to everyone when we will reap what we sow, whether our seeds be of good or evil. Be encouraged, because a righteous seed bears much fruit.

Prayer

Dearest Father who is loving and gentle,

Do not let us give up on small acts of kindness. Sometimes, it feels as though it is all for nothing. We are unappreciated and often unseen, yet You appreciate us and see us. You reward our efforts with life everlasting. Bless You Lord, for Your kindness and Your reward.

Amen.

Devotion Author

Jonathon McClellan

Scripture

1 Thessalonians 4:9-12

Now concerning brotherly love, you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another, for that indeed is what you are doing to all the brothers and sisters throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers and sisters, to do this more and more, and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one.

Words of Hope

Most of my life I have worked for myself, that is I have either been a freelancer or owned my own company. Yes, I had stints working for others and even a couple of large corporations, but my most productive and happiest times were when I was making my own way.

Yet, even in those times when I was working on my own, I had collaborators. I had business partners, creative partners and associates. Together we did some great work. I always looked at my business partners as though they were my brothers. Our fortunes rose and fell together and we shared equally in the failures and successes. We loved each other like brothers.

I believe this is what Paul is asking of the early Christians at Thessalonica. He urges them to love each other as brothers, to work together to build their community. He urges them to be self-sufficient and industrious. It is something that doesn’t sound very theological, but practical. It seems more mundane than sacred. Sometimes doing practical things is a sacred act.

Putting food on the table by the work of our hands can be thought of as a sacrament every bit as much as any other. Sometimes serving ourselves can be a holy act, feeding our bodies is necessary before we can feed our souls. It brings a dignity to our lives and makes us grateful for the gifts God has given us that we use in the process.

Prayer

God, thank you for the work you set before me that I might sustain myself and my brothers as we do your will in the world.

Devotion Author

Hardy Haberman
Cathedral of Hope

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 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; equally, 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

Scripture

Psalm 13

How long, LORD? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
How long must I wrestle with my thoughts
and day after day have sorrow in my heart?
How long will my enemy triumph over me?

Look on me and answer, LORD my God.
Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death,
and my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,”
and my foes will rejoice when I fall.

But I trust in your unfailing love;
my heart rejoices in your salvation.
I will sing the LORD’s praise,
for God has been good to me.

A Word of Hope

These are frustrating times. We are frustrated with the chaotic political scene, the pandemic that is re-writing our history, frustrated with each other, and sometimes even with God. How do we handle these disheartening feelings? Today’s scripture reading provides some considerations that could easily be our own. No writers of the Bible were as brutally honest with their raw emotions as were the writers of the Psalms, especially concerning their attitudes toward God. The writer, perhaps David, of Psalm 13, expresses a candor that reflects so many of our thoughts these days, giving voice to our broodings or maybe even to our prayers.

David covered our situations quite well: Have we been abandoned, forgotten, will our negative thoughts ever stop plaguing us, is there no end to the sorrows that surround us, will the bad guys forever claim the victories? Will we ever find our way, finally see the light, or forever be condemned to witnessing the triumph of this indiscriminate disease and these dispassionate leaders?

I believe the reason so many of the Psalms are attributed to David is that the inexperienced shepherd boy turned reluctant general turned dauntless but blemished king had, like no other, experienced the full variety of human challenges, yet never lost his faith. Did he question it? Many times! Did he abandon it? Never! The conclusion of this Psalm of anguish is one of the most optimistic in Scripture.

In the end, David was able to say God’s love of him was now and had always been unfailing. His simple shepherd’s heart could not confine the joys he had experienced in God’s salvation throughout one seemingly impossible situation after another. His praise could not be contained. He had to sing it out! He had been nurtured, guided, forgiven and loved through agonies that the modern reader could never imagine. Yet, because of his faith, his sorrows had been replaced by joys. In the end, David could summarize all of it with honesty and assurance: “God has been good to me.”

Prayer

Teach us to walk the walk of David moment by moment, day by day. When the time at last comes for us to look back and assess these frustrating times, may each of us assuredly say, “God has been good to me.”

Devotion Author

Dan Peeler

Minister for Children and Families
Order of St. Francis and St. Clare

Scripture

1 Corinthians 13. 11-13

When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall understand fully, even as I have been fully understood. So faith, hope, love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

A Word of Hope

The Gift

Love has always been many gifts, but what is a gift that is not given? Unless the gift is given it can never become what it was meant to be. One does not smile from the inside, but it stretches across the lips from cheek to cheek for all to see. When we smile at others, we give a gift that comes from the heart. Then, once that gift is received by another, her love grows and responds with a smile of her very own. She will have then learned to smile, and not only that, but will find someone new to give her smile to.

Today, there are many smiles all around the world all because God first smiled at us when God created us. God created us as someone to give the divine love to; The Creator wanted to show that eternal smile to the creation. The love of God gives life, otherwise, why would God have ever given the gift? Love hurts sometimes, and we all hurt sometimes. A baby cries when she wants to be held. Once the baby is in the arms of her mother, however, she stops crying because she craved love. As the baby lives off of the mother’s milk, so too does she need love from the one who created her.

Milk is for the body, but love, is for the spirit. Jesus said, “Humankind shall not live off of bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.” The “word” that Jesus spoke of is, in essence, the love of God. Without love, God’s words would be soundless, unheard, and of no effect. If God made Humankind because God wanted to give us a gift, then we, by nature, were meant to receive that gift. My Earthly father taught me that love is not love unless it is given because love has always been, and always will be, an expression of the heart.

Prayer

Bless You Lord for Your precious love. You smiled at us, and now, we smile too. Protect these hearts that learned how to smile so that we, in kind, can give it back. Thank You for showing us the way. You have so much love for us, but it is not always understood. Help us to understand Your great love towards us. Show us how to love others as You have loved us. Amen.

Devotion Author

Jonathon McClellan
Order of St. Francis and St. Clare

Reading

“Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change we seek.” Barack Obama

A Word of Hope

Change is frequent topic with contemporary articles, TV commentaries and sermons. Covid-19 has thrown all of us off kilter and most of us realize that our lives in every sector will never be the same again – requiring adjustment of CHANGE that has happened and that will happen in the months and years to come.

We will not be able to go home again in the same way – ever! It is not a comfortable position to be in and yet all of us will make choices to survive and hopefully to thrive. Change is sometimes misunderstood as a negative comment about the past. It feels like we have been doing something wrong all along. Innovation is questioned. “Why are we fixing that which is not broken,” some will chant. It really all depends on the mindset with which you grew up or with which you are now growing up. It depends upon your openness to growth, to see things with the eyes of Faith, to remember that if God is for us who can really be against us?

There was a time when the shape of the earth was questioned and then we had to change to the reality. Anything moving faster than a horse was considered dangerous to body and mind until we learned that steam could drive an engine and then car motors even faster. Children today think nothing of astronauts traveling 25,000 MPH. There is more power within an IPhone than was present in Apollo 13!

Change? It is inevitable and how we cope with it, collaborate with it, create with it will determine how the Body of Christ lives successfully in today and tomorrow’s world.

Prayer

[Take a deep breath and exhale slowly….do it again and place yourself the Presence of God.]

O Holy One! Before the virus, I felt safer and more secure in many ways. Now I don’t know much for sure. Help me understand your Plan for us and how I might more successfully embrace the change happening all around me.

We pray these words through your many names, O God!

Amen.

Devotion Author

Bob Shea
Member / Cathedral of Hope: United Church of Christ