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 1 Samuel 16:7 The Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart. ļ»æ WORDS OF HOPE This scripture from Samuel reminds me of a story: A priest at a church elementary school was speaking to a group of third- & fourth-graders when a young girl approached him to strike up a conversation. A few minutes into their discussion, a look of astonishment crossed her face. "You are blind!" Which was true. "That's not news to me," the priest replied. But before he could say anything more, she blurted out, "You don't know what you look like!" The remark caught him off guard. Then, after a brief pause, she softly added, "You are beautiful!" Her words have stayed with me because, in a symbolic sense, most of us experience a kind of blindness that keeps us from seeing ourselves as we truly are. For the past twelve years, I have been studying the Enneagram. More than anything else I have encountered, it has helped me see myself more clearly. It exposes the stories and assumptions I tell myself about who I am. It challenges me to recognize how much there is still to learn about myself and who I might become. I attend the Cathedral of Hope because I believe its ministers, sermons, music, ministries, and congregation best helps reveal the goodness, truth, and beauty that God has placed within each of us. Yet many of us struggle to see ourselves as God sees us. What are the false stories that cloud our vision? Henri Nouwen identified three powerful lies about identity: I am what I have. I am what I do. I am what other people say or think about me. Whenever I feel unsettled, anxious, or disconnected from myself and from God, I often discover that I have begun to believe one—or sometimes all three—of these lies. They quietly pull me away from the deeper truth of who I am. We have just celebrated Pride Month together. It offered a meaningful opportunity to reflect on our identity and worth. It invited us to look beyond the labels, expectations, and judgments of the world and to consider what God sees when God looks into our hearts. There, we may rediscover the truth that our value is not earned, achieved, or granted by others, but rooted in being beloved children of God. RECEIVE THIS BLESSING Loving God, throughout Pride Month, you helped me look beyond the labels, expectations, and judgments of the world and to see myself as you see me. When I feel disconnected from myself and from you, help me recognize the lies that pull me away from the truth. When I measure my worth, remind me that my true identity is not something I earn or achieve. Call me back to the deeper truth that I am your beloved child, created in your image and held securely in your grace. AMEN DEVOTION AUTHOR David Sims, Deacon
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Words of Hope Podcast
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SCRIPTURE 1 Samuel 16:7 The Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart. ļ»æ WORDS OF HOPE This scripture from Samuel reminds me of a story: A priest at a church elementary school was speaking to a group of third- & fourth-graders when a young girl approached him to strike up a conversation. A few minutes into their discussion, a look of astonishment crossed her face. "You are blind!" Which was true. "That's not news to me," the priest replied. But before he could say anything more, she blurted out, "You don't know what you look like!" The remark caught him off guard. Then, after a brief pause, she softly added, "You are beautiful!" Her words have stayed with me because, in a symbolic sense, most of us experience a kind of blindness that keeps us from seeing ourselves as we truly are. For the past twelve years, I have been studying the Enneagram. More than anything else I have encountered, it has helped me see myself more clearly. It exposes the stories and assumptions I tell myself about who I am. It challenges me to recognize how much there is still to learn about myself and who I might become. I attend the Cathedral of Hope because I believe its ministers, sermons, music, ministries, and congregation best helps reveal the goodness, truth, and beauty that God has placed within each of us. Yet many of us struggle to see ourselves as God sees us. What are the false stories that cloud our vision? Henri Nouwen identified three powerful lies about identity: I am what I have. I am what I do. I am what other people say or think about me. Whenever I feel unsettled, anxious, or disconnected from myself and from God, I often discover that I have begun to believe one—or sometimes all three—of these lies. They quietly pull me away from the deeper truth of who I am. We have just celebrated Pride Month together. It offered a meaningful opportunity to reflect on our identity and worth. It invited us to look beyond the labels, expectations, and judgments of the world and to consider what God sees when God looks into our hearts. There, we may rediscover the truth that our value is not earned, achieved, or granted by others, but rooted in being beloved children of God. RECEIVE THIS BLESSING Loving God, throughout Pride Month, you helped me look beyond the labels, expectations, and judgments of the world and to see myself as you see me. When I feel disconnected from myself and from you, help me recognize the lies that pull me away from the truth. When I measure my worth, remind me that my true identity is not something I earn or achieve. Call me back to the deeper truth that I am your beloved child, created in your image and held securely in your grace. AMEN DEVOTION AUTHOR David Sims, Deacon
READING 1 Thessalonians 4:10-12 And in fact, you do love all of God’s family throughout Macedonia. Yet we urge you, brothers and sisters, to do so more and more, and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody. WORDS OF HOPE I remember a time when much of life was spent working with one’s hands. My mom sewed many of my clothes when I was little; she knit for charity; and, she made nearly all our meals from scratch…except for bread. My dad made the bread. He also tended a large vegetable garden that yielded most of the fresh produce that my family consumed. My recollection, nearly sixty years later, is that those were much simpler times. But how can that be with all those daily “chores?’” Many people today will tell you that they don’t have time to cook a basic meal, let alone cook every day and make homemade bread. Knitting and sewing have become hobbies, primarily for those with disposable income, rather than skills for everyday life. And growing our own food is out of the question for many due to space and cost. The example that my parents gave to me as a child has stuck with me. Today, the majority of my family’s meals are homemade. We make fresh bread and yogurt each week. Like my mom did, I knit. (Sadly, I do not sew my own clothes, but I do occasionally make quilts.). And gardening at our house is a family affair. Admittedly, I enjoy these things, both the process and the final products, but the benefits are far more than a final product. In the above letter to the Thessalonians, Paul says, “make it your ambition to lead a quiet life.” He follows this with, “you should mind your own business and work with your hands.” What I realized as an adult is that spending time working with my hands provides me with a great deal of quiet time, time that I can be in prayer and in communion with God. Minutes spent kneading bread, sewing a button on a shirt, even washing dishes by hand, provide moments that don’t require critical thinking skills but rather just being present to the task at hand. These are moments that occur multiple time each day, moments that we are invited to slow down and be quiet. What a gift, should we choose to accept it. This daily gift of quiet made possible through working with our hands does make a simpler life, and a life where we have more time and space for God. PRAYER Loving God, bless my hands. Help me to feel your presence in all that they touch and all that they do. I pray that the work of my hands leads me to that place of quiet where I can hear your voice and feel your touch. Amen DEVOTION AUTHOR Kris Baker Order of St. Francis and St. Clare
SCRIPTURE ļ»æ 1 Thessalonians 4:10-12 And in fact, you do love all of God’s family throughout Macedonia. Yet we urge you, brothers and sisters, to do so more and more, and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody. WORDS OF HOPE I remember a time when much of life was spent working with one’s hands. My mom sewed many of my clothes when I was little; she knit for charity; and, she made nearly all our meals from scratch…except for bread. My dad made the bread. He also tended a large vegetable garden that yielded most of the fresh produce that my family consumed. My recollection, nearly sixty years later, is that those were much simpler times. But how can that be with all those daily “chores?’” Many people today will tell you that they don’t have time to cook a basic meal, let alone cook every day and make homemade bread. Knitting and sewing have become hobbies, primarily for those with disposable income, rather than skills for everyday life. And growing our own food is out of the question for many due to space and cost. The example that my parents gave to me as a child has stuck with me. Today, the majority of my family’s meals are homemade. We make fresh bread and yogurt each week. Like my mom did, I knit. (Sadly, I do not sew my own clothes, but I do occasionally make quilts.) And gardening at our house is a family affair. Admittedly, I enjoy these things, both the process and the final products, but the benefits are far more than a final product. In the above letter to the Thessalonians, Paul says, “make it your ambition to lead a quiet life.” He follows this with, “you should mind your own business and work with your hands.” What I realized as an adult is that spending time working with my hands provides me with a great deal of quiet time, time that I can be in prayer and in communion with God. Minutes spent kneading bread, sewing a button on a shirt, even washing dishes by hand, provide moments that don’t require critical thinking skills but rather just being present to the task at hand. These are moments that occur multiple times each day, moments that we are invited to slow down and be quiet. What a gift, should we choose to accept it. This daily gift of quiet made possible through working with our hands does make a simpler life, and a life where we have more time and space for God. PRAYER Loving God, bless my hands. Help me to feel your presence in all that they touch and all that they do. I pray that the work of my hands leads me to that place of quiet where I can hear your voice and feel your touch. Amen DEVOTION AUTHOR Kris Baker Order of St. Francis and St. Clare
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