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 Revelation 2. 9-11 I know your tribulation and your poverty, but you are rich and the slander of those who say that they are Jews and are not but are a synagogue of Satan. Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. To the one who has an ear, hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death. WORDS OF HOPE Every time one of our daily lectionary readings is from the Book of the Revelation, I think about Martin Luther who was a vocal critic of many books of the Bible. He famously detested the Epistle of James, labeling it an "epistle of straw" due to its perceived lack of grace by emphasizing justification by faith. And the Book of Revelation! He just wanted to trash the whole thing. He saw it as a writing that was not Christ-centered at all, no gospel of love anywhere in sight, all about punishment, hatred and revenge. The Book is actually about the Roman Empire’s persecution that believers must endure due to their faith, full of metaphors about outrageous mythical tyrant beasts who finally burn forever in the pit of fire. The words of a brighter future in it, however, come when they are encouraged to remain faithful even to the point of death with the promise of eternal glory as a reward, emphasizing the assurance of security to believers. The “pie in the sky when you die” that was preached so often in some evangelical churches of my youth. Even though Martin Luther knew a lot of persecution himself, he just wasn’t buying it. It wasn’t speaking to his generation. He was right. Whenever we attempt to adapt some of the metaphors and monsters understood by the first century readers into warnings and predictions meant for our era, we have a problem. The bad guys in Revelation were the Roman Emperor and the corrupt leaders of their religious system, not the list of individuals we don’t like today, people we like to call Satan, the devil, or the Anti-Christ in our memes. The stories that keep modern Prophecy Seminars well-attended and profitable. The message I like to take from Revelation is not about the gospels of hatred and revenge, but the importance of faith in the worst of times, the faith that directs us to the gospel missing in the Book: the gospel of Love. PRAYER May love continue to bind us together, regardless of the trials and persecutions of our lives, and regardless of promises of future rewards for our faith, knowing that the true reward, the true comfort, is living that gospel of love this day. Amen DEVOTION AUTHOR Dan Peeler Order of St. Francis and St. Clare
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Words of Hope Podcast
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SCRIPTURE ļ»æ Revelation 2. 9-11 I know your tribulation and your poverty, but you are rich and the slander of those who say that they are Jews and are not but are a synagogue of Satan. Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. To the one who has an ear, hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death. WORDS OF HOPE Every time one of our daily lectionary readings is from the Book of the Revelation, I think about Martin Luther who was a vocal critic of many books of the Bible. He famously detested the Epistle of James, labeling it an "epistle of straw" due to its perceived lack of grace by emphasizing justification by faith. And the Book of Revelation! He just wanted to trash the whole thing. He saw it as a writing that was not Christ-centered at all, no gospel of love anywhere in sight, all about punishment, hatred and revenge. The Book is actually about the Roman Empire’s persecution that believers must endure due to their faith, full of metaphors about outrageous mythical tyrant beasts who finally burn forever in the pit of fire. The words of a brighter future in it, however, come when they are encouraged to remain faithful even to the point of death with the promise of eternal glory as a reward, emphasizing the assurance of security to believers. The “pie in the sky when you die” that was preached so often in some evangelical churches of my youth. Even though Martin Luther knew a lot of persecution himself, he just wasn’t buying it. It wasn’t speaking to his generation. He was right. Whenever we attempt to adapt some of the metaphors and monsters understood by the first century readers into warnings and predictions meant for our era, we have a problem. The bad guys in Revelation were the Roman Emperor and the corrupt leaders of their religious system, not the list of individuals we don’t like today, people we like to call Satan, the devil, or the Anti-Christ in our memes. The stories that keep modern Prophecy Seminars well-attended and profitable. The message I like to take from Revelation is not about the gospels of hatred and revenge, but the importance of faith in the worst of times, the faith that directs us to the gospel missing in the Book: the gospel of Love. PRAYER May love continue to bind us together, regardless of the trials and persecutions of our lives, and regardless of promises of future rewards for our faith, knowing that the true reward, the true comfort, is living that gospel of love this day. Amen DEVOTION AUTHOR Dan Peeler Order of St. Francis and St. Clare
SCRIPTURE ļ»æ You are the God who sees me. Genesis 16:13 WORDS OF HOPE In Genesis 16, Abram and Sarai wrestle with the tension between God's promise and their present reality. As they wait for the child God has promised—a descendant whose family would one day outnumber the stars—they pursue a human solution to accomplish what God had pledged to do. And as the waiting became painful, Sarai proposed a solution that seemed practical: Abram would have a child through Hagar, her servant. What followed was a cascade of hurt, jealousy, conflict, and regret. It is tempting to read this chapter as a story about impatient adults making poor decisions. Adults caught in their own struggles, fears, and retribution. Hagar fleeing into the wilderness, feeling used and discarded. Racism, agism, jealousy, faithlessness, ambition, and disappointment run rampant through the narrative. This story of Abram, Sarai, and Hagar is that—but it is also about a child. While adults often focus on their own selfish desires, displeasures, motivations, or conflicts, God sees the children who are affected by those choices. He sees the child caught in family tension. She sees the child impacted by broken relationships. They see the child whose future may be shaped by decisions made long before they have a voice. God sees the children in Gaza who are helpless victims of a conflict not of their making. God sits with the 1 in 5 children who live in a food-insecure household in America. God can count the 14 million children worldwide who have lost access to nutrition services, vaccination campaigns, clean water initiatives, and disease prevention efforts because of global aid funding cuts. God sees them all. And implores us to see them too. When Hagar was in the wilderness, the angel of the Lord met her there. God’s message to her included a promise not only to her, but to her child. Ishmael mattered to God. This reminds us of an important truth: whenever a child is involved, God is paying attention. God still sees every child. While adults wage war, withhold resources, and raise family tension, God sees the children who are affected by those choices. She sees the child impacted by broken relationships and developmentally stunted by hunger. He sees the child whose future may be shaped by decisions made long before they have a voice. God's compassion extends beyond the main characters we tend to focus on. Hagar, a servant woman with little social standing, was seen by God. Ishmael, an unborn child whose existence resulted from human failure and dysfunction, was seen by God. Neither was forgotten. Genesis 16 assures us that God's eyes are not limited to the powerful, the successful, or the central figures in the story. She sees those on the margins. God sees the children. And in a world where children suffer, God implores us to see them too. PRAYER Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the realm of heaven belongs to such as these.” Matthew 19:14 DEVOTION AUTHOR Thomas Riggs
SCRIPTURE ļ»æ Paul’s Letter to the Church at Ephesus, Chapter 2, verses 8-9 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God— not the result of works, so that no one may boast. WORDS OF HOPE Saint, Sinner, or Both? Since the days of the Garden of Eden, humans have been fascinated by the idea of good and evil. Too often, our understanding of good and evil has led us to mistakenly believe that people are either good OR evil. In truth, we can be both. Perfectly imperfect humans, we are claimed for the precious gift that we are by the Creator of the greatest gift that there is—Divine Grace. Such Grace was demonstrated through the life and ministry of Jesus. But following Jesus’ teachings can be challenging, to say the least. The Hebrew word for “sin” can mean “missing the mark,” as when a marksman misses the target. But like it’s Greek counterpart, “sin” can also mean “moral failure.” It can be a sin to fail to act or to squander our gifts and abilities. Mortal rebellion can take the form of wasting our talent, failing to act in love, refusing to be kind. It is not difficult to manifest the evil and the selfishness that lies within. It is more challenging to grow our innate goodness into a lifestyle of Grace. We are not perfect, but we are good and precious. We are not solely evil, but we are often sinful and selfish. Sometimes, we are just lazy or afraid to do the right thing—whatever that may be. Sin, which is a part of humanity, need not dominate us. Overcoming it requires a relationship with the One who calls us to live into our gifts and live up to our greatest potential. It is a call to save us from ourselves. Love is the greatest gift. Love is the reason for life. Love is the source of the Christ we seek to follow and the Christ who lives within us. Grace is what we are called to both receive and to share. If our concept of God, our understanding and practice of religion, is not rooted in love then it is useless. Today is “Juneteenth,” the date we commemorate the message of Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation finally being received by those bound in slavery in and around Galveston and the Texas Gulf Coast. May we choose to accept the gifts of freedom: Freedom to love, to serve, to be real, to be kind. PRAYER Loving God, may we grow in love and acceptance of ourselves and each other. Grant us the courage to be real, to be kind, to show compassion, to be bearers of your Grace. Amen. DEVOTION AUTHOR Rev. Dr. Gary G. Kindley, LPC Pastoral Psychotherapist DrGK.org
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