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5910 Cedar Springs Road | Dallas, TX 75235
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Community

Rev Dr. Neil G. Thomas

Friends,



Time seems to pass so quickly these days and we are into the Summer here in Dallas. With soaring temperatures and not much of a reprieve at night, I do hope that you are keeping hydrated, safe and taking care of you.


That is the theme of our current sermon series at Cathedral of Hope, “Sustaining the Soul.” We are hearing the words of Howard Washington Thurman, author, philosopher theologian and civil rights leader and, of course Jesus who remind us of the importance of taking care of ourselves to be of service in the work of Jesus in our world today. 


This Sunday we will focus on the strength that we find in community, that we are bound together in love – that we are one in Christ Jesus. 

Join me again this Sunday and let us sustain our soul through the strength that we find, together.



Previous Posts

By Thomas Riggs 18 Mar, 2024
SCRIPTURE 2 Corinthians 3:4-6 Such confidence we have through Christ before God. Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. WORDS OF HOPE When someone compliments me, I have a tendency not to believe the hype. They’ll say: “Oh, you’re such a good husband” or “you take such good care of the people around you” or, my personal favorite: “You’re such a good writer”. It’s not that I don’t believe what a friend or colleague or loved one is saying, I just don’t believe that I am as amazing as I am being told. I believe there’s also some value in not getting too hyped on oneself. So, I have a comeback line that speaks to this. When someone says, “You’re so nice and kind” or “you’re a good caregiver”, I respond with: “I have moments”. I do believe that “I have moments” where I am selfless, forgiving, competent, and insightful. But I also believe that I have many moments where I’m selfish, vindictive, a fake, and clueless. So, I have moments where I am good and moments where I’m not so much. Impostor-ism, perhaps better known as Imposter Syndrome, is a life struggle where people believe that they are underserving of their achievements and high esteem in which they are held. They can’t acknowledge their capabilities and their effort and attribute their accomplishments to external causes. Paul writes in his second letter to the church in Corinth that when it comes to being a “minister of the new promise”, we might not want to believe our own hype and think too highly of ourselves. We might believe that we have studied the scriptures, followed all the right rules, and can argue our theology flawlessly. But Paul asserts that our ministry to the world won’t be done solely, or even mainly, by our own doing. Give all credit to the Spirit. So, maybe there’s something to the idea of a healthy acknowledgement that when it comes to being a minister and good steward. We should humbly recognize that any credit belongs not solely to ourselves, but to the Spirit who inspires, strengthens, and leads us. We can confess that we’re the vessel of the Spirit and come equipped with all good gifts, but we also should give glory to God for the work of Christ through us, given to us not by our own merits, but by God’s good grace. PRAYER -from the Episcopal Book of Common Prayer: Almighty and eternal God, so draw our hearts to you, so guide our minds, so fill our imaginations, so control our wills, that we may be wholly yours, utterly dedicated unto you; and then use us, we pray you, as you will, and always to your glory and the welfare of your people; through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. DEVOTION AUTHOR Thomas Riggs
By Dr. Pat Saxon 14 Mar, 2024
READING “At the table of grace, the cup’s never empty, and the plate’s always full and it’s never too late to come and be filled with love never ending. You’re always welcome at the table of grace.” Connie Rae Harrington and Anna Hutto. WORDS OF HOPE The following devotion is an editorial piece I wrote for a small spiritual journal in the winter of 2013 after a morning serving at BACH. I reprint it here in dedication to all the faithful volunteers of the Breakfast at Cathedral of Hope program, past and present, and in memory of “Bam Bam,” one of our former guests, a veteran with Stage IV cancer, who loved nothing more than to meet Jesus at the table for communion and prayer. He now abides in the embrace of Love forever. The Hunger! Oh, the Hunger! Mother Moses came to breakfast Saturday morning. Rising from the round table where she shared a full meal with her sisters and brothers, she looked at me and spoke with conviction: “Sister Pat, THIS is the kingdom of God!” Five years ago, our church began serving breakfast to the homeless, the underserved, the poor, the veteran, the mentally ill, the wandering stranger, the aging on a fixed income, and those on disability. It is here that I regularly see the faces of hunger. The physical hunger is only the most obvious. Some people come to stretch their sub-minimum wage earnings a little further for children’s clothes, for medicine, for electricity payments. Some guests eat until they almost founder—as if trying to stave off the gnawing ache of the night. Some eat to sober up, to diminish the dread hold of alcohol or drugs. For many, the companionship of the table is a meal in itself. As dire as the physical hunger is, the hunger of the heart and spirit cries out all around. Angel hungers for a taste of the American Dream for his son, a promise that his life will hold more than breading chicken in a restaurant shift after shift. Guarded and protective of his mother, ten-year-old Joshua yearns for stability—for a home where he is not caught between his parents’ hostilities. Sarah, sexually abused by her father and living with a possessive and sometimes violent man, hungers for safety, to know she is not “dirty,” to know the embrace of a loving God. Each week the hunger for hope is palpable. What nourishes my own hope is the compassion of the communities who serve with our gay and straight church members: volunteers from the Ismaeli Muslim community, from an African-American Methodist Church, from the National Honor Society of a predominately Hispanic high school, from a recovery house for teen addicts. Surely, our best hope is in Jesus, the one who meets us again and again—no matter our condition—at the table of grace. In this sacred encounter, we learn to be held, lifted up, blessed, broken open and offered. Bread for the world. PRAYER Fountain of Life, Pour your sustaining love into us as we meet you at the table of grace. Fit us for the work of your kin-dom, that no one is turned away hungry in body or spirit. Amen.  DEVOTION AUTHOR Dr. Pat Saxon
By Don (Luke) Day 13 Mar, 2024
SCRIPTURE Psalm 37:8 Refrain from anger, leave rage alone, such only leads to evil. WORDS OF HOPE As we continue our Lenten journey together, I am often reminded of the many words of wisdom from Psalm 37. In our contemplative prayer time, we may recall the words, "be still and wait for God's response". That simple message can serve as an antidote for today's reading about about anger and rage. Our current world is filled with loud and angry voices. They surround us as an unending trap to generate anxiety and intense anger in our lives. It's so easy for us to transfer our strong emotion in words and then to place that same negative emotion on the person who is talking. Suddenly, they become the target of our emotion. Consequently, we find ourselves extremely angry with them as well as their words. At that point, we discount the conduct or value of that other individual. That person suddenly becomes all that is wrong with this world. As we fret about our emotional response (I call it regurgitation), it may be driven into higher gear, even to rage. Rage is anger out of control. It is when anger takes over emotions or actions and leads to a breakdown in possible social interaction with each other. Both of these negative emotional reactions may persist for a long time and poison any potential future interaction with that person. This breakdown of a conversation, perhaps even of a friendship, could have been prevented if we had just remembered the words of the Psalm, "be still and wait for God's response". This doesn’t mean for us to wait for God to whisper a comeback in our ear, but to wait for the godly response within us. When we take a brief moment to be still, we are no longer controlled by irrational anger, but led by the love of God. “Refrain from anger, leave rage alone, such only leads to evil.” PRAYER Lord, in Your Mercy, remind us daily that we cannot walk peacefully through God's garden of life while carrying such anger in our hearts. Amen DEVOTION AUTHOR Donald (Luke) Day Order of St. Francis and St. Clare
By Webber Baker 12 Mar, 2024
SCRIPTURE 1 Corinthians 10.6-33 Now these things occurred as examples for us, so that we might not desire evil as they did. Do not become idolaters as some of them did; as it is written, ‘The people sat down to eat and drink, and they rose up to play.’ We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did, and were destroyed by serpents. And do not complain as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer. These things happened to them to serve as an example, and they were written down to instruct us, on whom the ends of the ages have come. So if you think you are standing, watch out that you do not fall. No testing has overtaken you that is not common to everyone. God is faithful, and will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing God will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it. WORDS OF HOPE This passage deals with the idea of God testing us and our ability to endure. In this day and age, we sometimes think of tests and think of the academic setting where we all had regular tests and a final exam. No doubt we all remember those good test days and those bad test days. There was always that test that came up on a day when you had a headache or weren’t feeling up to snuff. Even if we had well prepared, something stood in the way of success. We might make it through the day-to-day homework and pop quizzes, and classroom questions and then fall flat on the final exam; often for reasons beyond our control. And some of us are just not good test takers, and some of us are. When I was a student, I personally liked tests. I liked the challenge of proving myself to myself. It wasn’t a matter of competition with other students. It was a matter of competition with myself to do better than I had done before. When I was a teacher, I hated giving tests. I understood the idea of a bad day or not being a good test taker. Whenever I had a student who had done well all semester long and suddenly had a bad test, I always did what I could to weigh the long-running success of the year more heavily than the one time shot at a test. I suspect this is what the author of this passage is hinting at in his last couple of lines. God‘s Grace, God’s mercy, means that we can and will be forgiven. It also means as it says whatever test God throws in front of us will be something we can survive through; successful or not. The examples of those in the past who had been punished for their failure, were not able to give up on those things that they knew were not what God wanted. I like to think of them as the student who never studied, never did homework, failed the test, and then wanted extra credit in order to pass. ‘ I also think when the author admonishes people when they are standing to be cautious, they do not fall, what is really being talked about is what we would’ve called a pop quiz. When I was teaching, we were told to stop giving pop quizzes. We were told they were not academically valid. I argued that while they may or may not been academically valid they were valid as a life skill. Life is a pop quiz. When you’re driving down the road and your tire blows out, that’s pop quiz (pardon the pun). When the dog eats a chocolate bar and has to be run to the emergency vet, that’s a pop quiz. When the grease in the pan on the stove catches fire, that’s a pop quiz. If you are old enough to remember or have seen the movie about the Apollo 13 mission, that’s a really big pop quiz for all of the people involved. In each case you have to take what you know and apply it. It’s not like a final exam. You know what’s on the final and when it is. These life skill quizzes come up and you never know when, how, or even if they will happen. So, in your devotional time today, think about life’s pop quizzes, and what you do to prepare for them so that if and when they do occur, you are ready. This Lenten season is meant to prepare us to celebrate Jesus‘ death and resurrection. Think about the fact that even though they had pretty much been told what was going to happen, when and where, the apostles were not ready for the pop quiz that came on what we call Good Friday. Think about Peter who draws his sword and slices off the ear of one of those who has come to arrest Jesus, but within a short time is denying Jesus three times in a row. Peter failed the pop test, but in the end, he became the leader that Jesus intended for him to be. His commitment over time outweighed his one bad test day. Through God’s grace and mercy it can be that way for all of us. PRAYER Merciful God, though we ask that you lead us not into the time of trial, we ask that you be with us if and when it comes. Show us your mercy when we fall short. Amen. DEVOTION AUTHOR Weber Baker Order of Saint Francis and Saint Clare
By Thomas Riggs 08 Mar, 2024
SCRIPTURE Daniel 12:13 from The Message. And you? Go about your business without fretting or worrying. Relax. When it’s all over, you will be on your feet to receive your reward. WORDS OF HOPE There’s a sign over the double doors going from the master bedroom to the bathroom in our house. It was a gift from a friend that literally has brought peace to our home. It simply says: Give it to God and go to sleep. When we lay down at night, it’s easily seen. It may be obvious by its simple message to understand how this is a calming reminder to us. But for me, it goes deeper. There are many nights where sleep eludes me when my brain simply refuses to shut down. I replay conversations, think about the next day’s agenda, recall stupid mistakes from my past, etc. etc. etc. It is in those moments that I’ll look at the sign. Give it to God and go to sleep. Sometimes, that works to shut down my intrusive thoughts so I can drift off to sleep. In the twelfth chapter of the book of Daniel, our hero is confronted with three figures by the river, dressed in linen, who talk among each other about apocalyptic events. They speak in cryptic messages and numerology. They warn of tribulation and redemption. As Daniel hears all of this, he is as confused as a person reading Ikea instructions. “I heard all this plainly enough, but I didn’t understand it,” writes Daniel. “So, I asked, ‘Master, can you explain this to me?’” Rather than explaining the message, these linen-clad people near the river continue and speak in even MORE riddles, as if this is going to help Daniel. They speak of banished worship and obscene desecration. They converse about those who will be washed clean and the wicked who will not give up their ways. And then, just as Daniel is about to give up trying to understand, one of them says this: Go about your business without fretting or worrying. Relax. When it’s all over, you will be on your feet to receive your reward. Can you hear God saying that to you? Just keep doing what you do. Don’t get worked up. Worrying gets you nowhere. If you don’t understand the apocalyptic events in your life, know that God is looking after you with tender care. You and what you do are sufficient. Give it to God… …and go to sleep. PRAYER from the Episcopal Book of Common Prayer service of Compline: Keep watch, dear Lord, with those who work, or watch, or weep this night, and give your angels charge over those who sleep. Tend the sick, Lord Christ; give rest to the weary, bless the dying, soothe the suffering, pity the afflicted, shield the joyous; and all for your love's sake. Amen. DEVOTION AUTHOR Thomas Riggs
By Donald (Luke) Day 07 Mar, 2024
SCRIPTURE Psalm 95.8 Oh, that today I will obediently listen to God's voice. WORDS OF HOPE In the Season of Lent, meditation is a common practice, a time when we sit silently and listen to hear God’s voice. This verse of the 95th Psalm is the capstone of wisdom in this scripture passage. How will we respond when we acknowledge that God created us for good purpose? God is constantly present to help us and whose loving presence is like a hand which holds us in safety. How will we respond to such a loving God, even now in this present moment? Will we go about the business of routine life without paying much attention to God's presence and guidance, or will we actively listen to the constant whispers of the divine voice? Whenever we put on ear muffs to silence God's voice, we can be sure poor choices and unhappiness will quickly follow that action. We humans are created to be active and creative beings. However, we are not created to function independently from true words of guidance. And the truest voice of guidance comes from our loving Creator. We Christians often seem to go about life acting as if God has nothing to say to us. However, God can be a real "chatterbox" with a lot to tell us, if we only listen. Throughout this day, ask God to speak to you, guide you and uplift your spirit. You'll find that God is a wonderful partner in life's conversations. PRAYER "Come, let us sing to our God; let us shout for joy to the rock of our salvation... Come, let us bow down and bend the knee and kneel before God. For God is our Maker, in whose presence we live, and in whose hand we are held. Oh, that today I will listen to God's voice." (Psalm 95)  DEVOTION AUTHOR Donald (Luke) Day Order of St. Francis and St. Clare
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