Daily Devotions and Podcasts
Prayer: Lord, help me to see You in every part of my day, even in the places I least expect. Open my eyes to Your presence in the ordinary and the extraordinary moments of life. Amen.
The Cathedral of Hope Devotion Ministry began as an answer to Progressive Christians who wanted to start their days with a little insight, observation, or wisdom about the Christian faith from their own point of view. Conservative internet devotions were abundant, but there was not much out there for liberal thinkers. The need was clear.
Being a large church, we had a generous amount of writing talent available and also a large number of congregants with theological training who were not on the pulpit. In the early days of the ministry, most of the writing was done by the clergy, but gradually the majority of the writers emerged from those lay volunteers.
That dynamic is still in place as new authors are always joining in to keep the ideas fresh. It’s a fitting structure for any center of progressive thought. This particular Body of Christ has many voices and each one has a unique and important story to tell.
SCRIPTURE 2 Corinthians 5:16-19 So, from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. WORDS OF HOPE The Future Is Peace by Aziz Abu Sarah and Maoz Inon tells the story of two men—one Palestinian and one Israeli—who experienced profound personal loss because of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, yet chose reconciliation instead of revenge. Through their friendship, they offer a powerful message of active hope: peace is not something we simply wait for; it is something we choose and create together. When we have been wronged, whether personally or amid the larger conflicts of our world, our instinct can be anger, defensiveness, or even revenge. We experience this in family disagreements, tension between coworkers, broken friendships, or the pain of being excluded. The need for racial reconciliation can arise in similarly ordinary moments. Someone may feel unheard, stereotyped, excluded, or treated differently. Reconciliation begins when we acknowledge what has happened, listen to one another’s experiences, take responsibility where needed, and work toward healthier relationships. In his second letter to the Corinthians, Paul reminds us that God “reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:18). Reconciliation, then, is not simply something Christians support in principle—it is something we are called to do. Reconciliation is active. It means listening when it would be easier to defend ourselves, crossing divides rather than accepting them, pursuing justice, and recognizing the image of God in those whose experiences may be different from our own. Lasting peace requires empathy, honest dialogue, justice, and the courage to recognize our shared humanity. This Saturday, August 29, Hope for All Colors—a CoH advocacy group that brings together Black people, People of Color, and allies—will host an afternoon of food, fellowship, and meaningful conversation celebrating the richness of our diverse church community. I invite you to join us—to listen, learn, share a meal, and build new relationships. Together, we can practice the ministry of reconciliation: recognizing our shared humanity, pursuing justice and equality, and becoming people who do not simply hope for peace, but actively work to create it. PRAYER God of reconciliation, teach us to listen with humility, pursue justice, cross the divides between us, and recognize your image in every person. Give us the courage not simply to hope for peace, but to work together to create it. Amen. DEVOTION AUTHOR Thomas Riggs
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Words of Hope Podcast
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SCRIPTURE 2 Corinthians 5:16-19 So, from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. WORDS OF HOPE The Future Is Peace by Aziz Abu Sarah and Maoz Inon tells the story of two men—one Palestinian and one Israeli—who experienced profound personal loss because of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, yet chose reconciliation instead of revenge. Through their friendship, they offer a powerful message of active hope: peace is not something we simply wait for; it is something we choose and create together. When we have been wronged, whether personally or amid the larger conflicts of our world, our instinct can be anger, defensiveness, or even revenge. We experience this in family disagreements, tension between coworkers, broken friendships, or the pain of being excluded. The need for racial reconciliation can arise in similarly ordinary moments. Someone may feel unheard, stereotyped, excluded, or treated differently. Reconciliation begins when we acknowledge what has happened, listen to one another’s experiences, take responsibility where needed, and work toward healthier relationships. In his second letter to the Corinthians, Paul reminds us that God “reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:18). Reconciliation, then, is not simply something Christians support in principle—it is something we are called to do. Reconciliation is active. It means listening when it would be easier to defend ourselves, crossing divides rather than accepting them, pursuing justice, and recognizing the image of God in those whose experiences may be different from our own. Lasting peace requires empathy, honest dialogue, justice, and the courage to recognize our shared humanity. This Saturday, August 29, Hope for All Colors—a CoH advocacy group that brings together Black people, People of Color, and allies—will host an afternoon of food, fellowship, and meaningful conversation celebrating the richness of our diverse church community. I invite you to join us—to listen, learn, share a meal, and build new relationships. Together, we can practice the ministry of reconciliation: recognizing our shared humanity, pursuing justice and equality, and becoming people who do not simply hope for peace, but actively work to create it. PRAYER God of reconciliation, teach us to listen with humility, pursue justice, cross the divides between us, and recognize your image in every person. Give us the courage not simply to hope for peace, but to work together to create it. Amen. DEVOTION AUTHOR Thomas Riggs
SCRIPTURE Isaiah 30.18-19 Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you and therefore will rise up to show you compassion. For the LORD is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for the Lord! People of Zion, who live in Jerusalem, you will weep no more. How gracious God will be when you cry for help! As soon as God hears, God will answer you. WORDS OF HOPE How do you define the ministry of Social Justice? Who is most in need of social justice in our society? Often, we think about matters of social justice as inequality of opportunity, education, and income among various groups or races of people. Hence, we set out to change the structure of society to better fit these needs. Although emphasis can be on change of policies toward better practices, as Christians we should seek first to become involved in God's concept of justice which has its foundation in the existence of harmony among all humans. We long to live in a harmonious country, one in which we are united for the mutual benefit of all our citizens. The word "harmony" is derived from the concept of things "fitting together, joining in good order". God's desire is that human society will participate in a "seamless process" of receiving, giving, sharing: caring so that everyone experiences the full blessings of God's magnificence. As we give a cup of cold water to those weakened by thirst, we should be grasping their other hand in our loving hands of help. We should be joining our resources and self in harmony with their needs to bring them peace and relief. Harmony is more than "just getting along with others". That's cheap harmony... cheap social justice. We Christians are called to practice divine-style harmony. Justice which results when we interact with all others and share ourselves in peace, love, humility and the full blessings of God. Who is in need of peace, harmony, and the full blessings of God in your life? PRAYER May the days of our lives be filled with God's richest blessings and may we know the joy of sharing God’s harmony of purpose with those most on need of love and social justice among us. Amen DEVOTION AUTHOR Donald (Luke) Day Order of St. Francis and St. Clare
SCRIPTURE 1 Corinthians 6: 1-4 And how dare you take each other to court! When you think you have been wronged, does it make any sense to go before a court that knows nothing of God’s ways instead of a family of Christians? The day is coming when the world is going to stand before a jury made up of followers of Jesus. If someday you are going to rule on the world’s fate, wouldn’t it be a good idea to practice on some of these smaller cases? Why, we’re even going to judge angels! So why not these everyday affairs? As these disagreements and wrongs surface, why would you ever entrust them to the judgment of people you don’t trust in any other way? WORDS OF HOPE This Scripture from Paul highlights the flaw of trying to solve human conflict using the world’s tools of retaliation and legal battles. Albert Einstein said it this way: “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.” When we rely on the world’s methods, we default to a tit-for-tat approach to conflict. On a personal level, this mindset can damage our relationships. On a global scale, it can lead to widespread suffering. A timely example is the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which occurred 81 years ago this month. That US military attack was a direct response to Japan’s surprise attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. Instead of breaking the cycle, we tried to solve bombs with more bombs. Many lives were lost and forever altered on both sides, and we are still living with the consequences. Luckily, God has given us all a priceless gift. We do not have to stay in a state where we’re driven by survival instincts rather than reason, what Buddhism refers to as “the world of animality.” In every moment, we can tap into our higher power to elevate our life condition. The specifics of how to do this are different for everyone, but I believe with my whole heart that the outcome will always be in service of our highest good. When we approach obstacles with a high life condition that’s rooted in faith, we change on a profound level. When we change, our environment changes as well. The next time you’re upset because someone cut you off in traffic or your coworker was rude, remember that you can’t truly solve the problem from a place of negativity. Take a deep breath. Reach for your tools of faith, like prayer and Scripture. Then take action using the wisdom and compassion that is always inside you. This is how we heal ourselves and the world—with one small, good choice after another. PRAYER I activate the power of God that lives in me and use it to transform myself and my circumstances. Amen. DEVOTION AUTHOR Logan Alexander Johnson
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