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 Psalm 65:5 Awesome things will you show us in your righteousness, O God of our salvation . WORDS OF HOPE ļ»æ During this reflective time of Lent, whether we rest our trembling soul in God's embrace, or we walk with confidence in God's path; in all things and in all times of life, we can experience new and wonderful revelations of divine care and love. They are like jewels along our path. All that we must do is maintain awareness of God's presence in our every step. Don't be distracted by the noise and confusion of the world around you. Focus your attention on God who will lead you forward and free you from fear of the uncertainty of the unknown. That's the root of the word "salvation" as used in this verse. God is the One who frees you to live your full potential as a human directed by divine love. God frees you to live and see awesome things every day of your life! The Psalmist also says: "Commit your way to the Lord and put your trust in God who will bring it to pass." (Psalm 37:5) This provides us with reassurance. Now, as a Christian it is our responsibility to trust God's Spirit to be fully present and helpful in each of our daily interactions with others. Sometimes, we must walk into a day without springtime blue skies, but we are not alone in the effort to find blessings in each of our human encounters. However, we must make a conscious effort to be aware of the Spirit's presence and guidance in those opportunities. That may sound like a daunting challenge. I would like to suggest some exercises to build up the necessary "spiritual muscles" to begin this task. First, as you encounter someone, acknowledge them. Second, if you start to have a conversation, pause and silently seek God's presence in your words. If the other person asks a question or seeks your opinion, pause (as if giving their question additional thought) and ask God's Spirit to guide your response. You'll be surprised how much better that human interaction progresses. God's Spirit is a fantastic guide and help! PRAYER Lord God, quiet my mind and sharpen my attention to your Spirit's presence in my life. It is my desire to live this day in closer relationship with you and to express your love in each of my interactions with other people. Be it ever so. Amen. DEVOTION AUTHOR Donald (Luke) Day Order of St. Francis and St. Clare
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Words of Hope Podcast
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SCRIPTURE Psalm 65:5 Awesome things will you show us in your righteousness, O God of our salvation . WORDS OF HOPE ļ»æ During this reflective time of Lent, whether we rest our trembling soul in God's embrace, or we walk with confidence in God's path; in all things and in all times of life, we can experience new and wonderful revelations of divine care and love. They are like jewels along our path. All that we must do is maintain awareness of God's presence in our every step. Don't be distracted by the noise and confusion of the world around you. Focus your attention on God who will lead you forward and free you from fear of the uncertainty of the unknown. That's the root of the word "salvation" as used in this verse. God is the One who frees you to live your full potential as a human directed by divine love. God frees you to live and see awesome things every day of your life! The Psalmist also says: "Commit your way to the Lord and put your trust in God who will bring it to pass." (Psalm 37:5) This provides us with reassurance. Now, as a Christian it is our responsibility to trust God's Spirit to be fully present and helpful in each of our daily interactions with others. Sometimes, we must walk into a day without springtime blue skies, but we are not alone in the effort to find blessings in each of our human encounters. However, we must make a conscious effort to be aware of the Spirit's presence and guidance in those opportunities. That may sound like a daunting challenge. I would like to suggest some exercises to build up the necessary "spiritual muscles" to begin this task. First, as you encounter someone, acknowledge them. Second, if you start to have a conversation, pause and silently seek God's presence in your words. If the other person asks a question or seeks your opinion, pause (as if giving their question additional thought) and ask God's Spirit to guide your response. You'll be surprised how much better that human interaction progresses. God's Spirit is a fantastic guide and help! PRAYER Lord God, quiet my mind and sharpen my attention to your Spirit's presence in my life. It is my desire to live this day in closer relationship with you and to express your love in each of my interactions with other people. Be it ever so. Amen. DEVOTION AUTHOR Donald (Luke) Day Order of St. Francis and St. Clare
SCRIPTURE ļ»æ Philippians 2:7,8 [He] emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. WORDS OF HOPE Easter was always a special time for our family. While we were taught to celebrate the resurrection, it was also filled with anticipating egg hunts and special dinners. As a little girl, my mother would wrangle me into some dress for church, insisting I appear pristine for the festive occasion. While I dearly loved my mother and wanted to surrender to her wishes, I recently found a photo where I was all dressed up with an Easter basket in one hand and a baseball glove in the other. Apparenty I wasn’t willing to empty myself completely, but I did try. In the above Scripture, Paul declares the very nature of Jesus Christ, who possesses the image, likeness and glory of God, fulfilling a prophecy by emptying himself to become a servant to all humankind. God did not use nature or divine power to manipulate an advantage over creation but instead became clothed in humility to such a degree that Jesus, God in the flesh, allowed people to spit on him, abuse him, condemn him, deny him, and ultimately kill him. The resurrection was the ultimate servant sacrifice by the very God who was also the Creator of life. Jesus didn’t empty something from himself; instead he emptied himself from something…the very essence of God. I read an article highlighting how the Bible opens with the creation story that describes a loving God who cares for all creation while holding a special love for Adam and Eve. Then the article reflects summations’ of how the rest of the Bible is the story of God orchestrating arrangements through the flesh of the Son, Jesus, to serve the world. From the beginning into eternity, God has always and will always serve the world and all who are in it. PRAYER Creator, Servant, God who devotedly loves ALL creation, fill us with profound humility so we can genuinely reflect your self-giving heart. In Jesus’ name, Amen DEVOTION AUTHOR Donna Jackson
READING Blessed Words Antiphon for the Holy Spirit BY HILDEGARD OF BINGEN TRANSLATED BY BARBARA NEWMAN The Spirit of God is a life that bestows life, root of world-tree and wind in its boughs. Scrubbing out sin, she rubs oil into wounds. She is glistening life alluring all praise, all-awakening, all-resurrecting. WORDS OF HOPE Hildegard of Bingen is one of those people who is on my list of historical figures I would like to have met. She lived in the 1100s, was the Mother Superior in her monastery, was a scientist, a theologian, a composer, and a preacher. She’s also credited with having written the oldest surviving morality play. And as the above quotation shows us, she was a poet. This was a period of time when women were very much treated as inferior as much as in any period of history. For her to have accomplished all the things she did against great odds, is amazing to me. She was known to have visions. And she believes she had been instructed by God in one vision to record her visions. Being a woman in that age, she was hesitant to do so. Eventually, she was given dispensation by the Pope to record her visions as revelations of the Holy Spirit. I can personally say I really love and appreciate this poem of Hildegard. It is for me, one of the best understandings of the spirit of God. It clearly states what the spirit of God is and does in a simple yet deep manner. For me, it is an exceptional piece to read and contemplate in those moments when I need some quiet reflection on the power of God and the power of God’s Spirit. I invite you to take a moment with this inspired work and to consider the working of God’s spirit in your life. PRAYER Spirit of God be with me as I go through me days. Awaken me. Resurrect me. Bring me life and life abundant. DEVOTION AUTHOR Weber Baker Order of Saint Francis and Saint Clare.
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