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 ļ»æ Proverbs 22:6 Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it. WORDS OF HOPE On this Friday, January 2nd, the celebrations are still not over for a lot of us since it begins a holiday weekend. But, the holidays are not always a happy time for so many people, but over the years, I have been blessed with the ability to put the bad memories behind me and gravitate toward the things that have warmed the holidays of my life. It’s a New Year, but still Christmastide, and although none of my grandparents are still alive, there are so many “Santa Claus – time” things they did that stick out in my mind. Today we have things like Pinterest to look at all the visuals of what some people call “Vintage Christmas” where we can relive some of our generic favorite memories. But my memories are specific. My maternal grandmother created so many indelible holiday memories, certainly without knowing it. She probably didn’t realize that making granny’s popcorn balls would be a memory that would literally stick with me forever. One year I think she might’ve been behind schedule when she asked all the grandkids to butter up their hands and help her make popcorn balls, which we had enjoyed almost every year when she was alive. It’s amazing what those 15 or 20 minutes did for me as we had been given the honor to help make her famous holiday treat. We felt important, useful! In fact, none of us realizes what a simple smile or friendly gesture does for someone this time of year. We don’t really know what’s going on in somebody else’s world. But my grandmother’s lesson is one that I became very conscious of at this time of my life when I see Sunday school kids I taught years ago, all grown up and out of college, some of them with children of their own. Those kids are the same age their parents were when I had the privilege of being a small part of their lives. I am fortunate to still know many of those kids of yesteryear and hear them reminisce about the good times we had together. My grandmother would never know the warmth she created in my childhood would be my favorite holiday memories today. She taught me, without words, that each of us could be the creators of happy times now that will be the treasures of someone’s future. In this New Year, what is something you or I can do that might forever enhance or change someone else’s life? If we live our lives with Jesus’ love model as our guide, it’s usually not something that we’ll think about ahead of time. That was my grandmother’s way. She loved us. I’m sure sharing those buttery popcorn treat moments we treasure now were her own reward. And she was truly creating many future Happy New Years for the ones she loved. PRAYER May each of us today be someone’s happiest holiday memory tomorrow. Amen. DEVOTION AUTHOR Charlie C. Rose Order of St Francis and St. Clare
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Words of Hope Podcast
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SCRIPTURE ļ»æ Proverbs 22:6 Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it. WORDS OF HOPE On this Friday, January 2nd, the celebrations are still not over for a lot of us since it begins a holiday weekend. But, the holidays are not always a happy time for so many people, but over the years, I have been blessed with the ability to put the bad memories behind me and gravitate toward the things that have warmed the holidays of my life. It’s a New Year, but still Christmastide, and although none of my grandparents are still alive, there are so many “Santa Claus – time” things they did that stick out in my mind. Today we have things like Pinterest to look at all the visuals of what some people call “Vintage Christmas” where we can relive some of our generic favorite memories. But my memories are specific. My maternal grandmother created so many indelible holiday memories, certainly without knowing it. She probably didn’t realize that making granny’s popcorn balls would be a memory that would literally stick with me forever. One year I think she might’ve been behind schedule when she asked all the grandkids to butter up their hands and help her make popcorn balls, which we had enjoyed almost every year when she was alive. It’s amazing what those 15 or 20 minutes did for me as we had been given the honor to help make her famous holiday treat. We felt important, useful! In fact, none of us realizes what a simple smile or friendly gesture does for someone this time of year. We don’t really know what’s going on in somebody else’s world. But my grandmother’s lesson is one that I became very conscious of at this time of my life when I see Sunday school kids I taught years ago, all grown up and out of college, some of them with children of their own. Those kids are the same age their parents were when I had the privilege of being a small part of their lives. I am fortunate to still know many of those kids of yesteryear and hear them reminisce about the good times we had together. My grandmother would never know the warmth she created in my childhood would be my favorite holiday memories today. She taught me, without words, that each of us could be the creators of happy times now that will be the treasures of someone’s future. In this New Year, what is something you or I can do that might forever enhance or change someone else’s life? If we live our lives with Jesus’ love model as our guide, it’s usually not something that we’ll think about ahead of time. That was my grandmother’s way. She loved us. I’m sure sharing those buttery popcorn treat moments we treasure now were her own reward. And she was truly creating many future Happy New Years for the ones she loved. PRAYER May each of us today be someone’s happiest holiday memory tomorrow. Amen. DEVOTION AUTHOR Charlie C. Rose Order of St Francis and St. Clare
SCRIPTURE ļ»æ 2 Corinthians 4.16-18 Therefore, we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So, we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. WORDS OF HOPE A Poem for the New Year We are Eternal My steps in the sand go very deep. And forgive my defiance, But you are not my god to Tell me otherwise. If a house fly lives for two days, Assuming it dies naturally, Then assuming I die naturally, It is as though millennia are passing. And time, Being relative, No longer matters. Though I see that it matters to you. In this known universe, Countless “trees” seem young and old. But the “forests” are really continuums. See the forest from the trees. How many organisms live and die in Milliseconds? How many stars live and die in Millions of years? Don’t ask, “How long is eternity?” Eternity is how many steps Can be taken in a perfect circle. If you can perceive Your agedness, Then tell me, How does a fly measure time? PRAYER From John 17.3 Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. Amen DEVOTION AUTHOR Jonathon McClellan Order of St. Francis and St. Clare
SCRIPTURE Revelation 21.1-2 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. WORDS OF HOPE Today’s Scripture reading is from the Book of Revelation. It’s been called by several longer titles such as the Revelation of Jesus Christ to Saint John the Divine and incorrectly referred to simply as Revelations (plural). The “John” referred to is undoubtedly not the Gospel writer John who wrote the gospel of Love. Most of the book is about the bad guys being defeated and punished by a variety of angry angels and monstrous composite animals. However, the creators of these daily lectionary readings showed mercy in choosing this New Years’ Eve passage. They skipped to the happy ending. This is apocryphal literature, which was almost always directed to the persecuted masses, and spends a lot of time picturing their oppressors suffering a lot, and finally ends with the victims being much richer and more privileged than their rulers ever were. Revelation is specifically directed to the early Christian churches who, along with the Jews of the first century, had suffered through many years of prejudice, ethnic hatred, Totalitarian rule, and an emperor who was literally worshipped as a god. This idea of their world having “passed away” and replaced by an idyllic new world was standard prophetic language used by Isaiah, the Apostle Paul, and even Jesus on occasion to award their depressed audiences with a glimmer of hope. Isn’t that the way a large percentage of people feel this New Year’s Eve? But, I’ve had similar feelings on this occasion in previous years; regrets for failures, big and small, for things I have done, but usually for things I never got around to doing. Add to that the dissatisfaction with the government, the decrease in civility in our interactions with our neighbors; you know the list. The first century Christians’ lists were much longer. In the days Jesus walked among us, God was thought of as an anthropomorphic deity who sat on a throne above the clouds. Jesus preached that this wasn’t the case, that the Spirit of God was always among us available to guide and inspire us, to forgive us for our shortcomings and teach us to forgive others and ourselves. God would not be seated on a throne descending from above in a golden cloud city. Jesus made that concept archaic. God was beside them then and is beside us now. That knowledge gives us hope for every New Year. PRAYER Forever-present God, thank you on this New Years’ Eve when we can reflect on the state we have made of the world and our lives. May this ending of an old year remind us that there is never an ending to your love and guidance for us as we precede with hope to a better new one. Amen DEVOTION AUTHOR Dan Peeler Order of St. Francis and St. Clare
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