Daily Devotions and Podcasts

SCRIPTURE Psalm 83.2-4 See how your enemies growl, how your foes rear their heads. With cunning they conspire against your people; they plot against those you cherish. “Come,” they say, “let us destroy them as a nation…” WORDS OF HOPE This is the first day of National Courtesy Month. It’s a celebration we adapted from a Singapore holiday first established in 1979. Some call it National Kindness Month. The great novelist, Henry James, once wrote: “Three things in human life are important. The first is to be kind; the second is to be kind; the third is to be kind.” It is rather ironic that in the Daily Lectionary Reading for today, the Psalmist writes a colorful description of the least kind among us. So many of the Psalms were written in King David’s times when there was no shortage of enemy activities, including the countless tribes and nations that surrounded Israel plus the squabbles and insurrections within his own Kingdom.  Three thousand years later, the names and places have been changed, but the world scene is not that different. In ancient days when I was in school, I memorized Alfred Lord Tennyson's poem: "The Charge of the Light Brigade," “Cannon to right of them, Cannon to left of them, Volleyed and thundered; Stormed at with shot and shell, Boldly they rode and well…” Do you ever feel like a soldier in the Light Brigade or an average citizen in David’s troubled nation? How do we follow Henry James’ advice or Jesus’ Commandment, “Love your neighbor.?” Or his show-stopping blockbuster in Matthew 5.44: “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." The Psalmist is specific and succinct about who those people are and what they do. How do we follow Jesus and include them in National Courtesy Month? I believe most of us know by now that in the social media world, the most courteous response we can give to a potential ranting opponent is no response at all. And Jesus wasn’t being sarcastic or ironic when he told us to pray for them. When we do that, it impacts who we are. What have we gained when we prove to ourselves that we can out-growl our enemies? Common courtesy is not that common anymore. Cultivating kindness within ourselves is not only calming. It’s healing. So, I’m grateful that the people of Singapore established this National Courtesy holiday to last a month instead of a single day. Jesus was inclusive in his instructions about loving our neighbors; all of them. And some of our neighbors are also our enemies. In a month of conscious kindness, I hope to have learned a lot about forgiveness and even more about love. PRAYER Forgiving God, help us to calm our souls and focus on healing our internal angers and external conflicts. May we remember that you are always with us as we are deliberate in practicing the kind of courtesy born from the Love example of Jesus. Amen. DEVOTION AUTHOR Dan Peeler Order of St. Francis and St. Clare

SCRIPTURE Exodus 4:10 “I have never been eloquent. I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.” WORDS OF HOPE When We Say, “I’m Not Enough” In today’s Scripture reading, Moses stands before God with a familiar human response: “I’m not enough.” It is one of the oldest excuses in Scripture, and perhaps one of the most honest. Moses knows his limitations. He knows his fears. He knows the weight of what God is asking. And instead of pretending to be confident, he tells God the truth. How often do we do the same? “I don't know enough.” “I don't have the right words.” “Someone else would be better.” “What difference can I possibly make?” Yet God's response to Moses is not, “You are perfect.” God doesn't suddenly remove every limitation or turn Moses into someone he isn't. Instead, God reminds Moses that he will not have to do this work alone. That is an important lesson for us at Cathedral of Hope. Our faith has never been about becoming perfect people before we are worthy of love or called to serve. It is about discovering that God's Spirit can work through imperfect, complicated, wounded, courageous human beings. That message is especially important as today we remember National Overdose Awareness Day . We remember the people whose lives have been lost, not as statistics, but as beloved children of God. We remember families carrying grief, friends carrying unanswered questions, and communities carrying wounds that are often hidden behind stigma and shame. And we remember those who are still struggling, those in recovery, and those who love someone struggling with addiction. The call to follow Christ calls us to move beyond judgment toward compassion. Addiction is not a moral failure deserving punishment. People who use substances are not disposable. Recovery is not always a straight line. And the church must be a place where people encounter grace before they encounter condemnation. Moses wanted to know who would speak for him. God answered by reminding him that he would have help. Perhaps that is the invitation before us today: we do not have to be enough by ourselves. God's work is always bigger than one person. We become the voice when someone else cannot speak. We become the embrace when someone is grieving. We become hope when someone has lost their own. At Cathedral of Hope, may we be a community brave enough to say: We are here. You are loved. You are not alone. PRAYER When we hear the call to serve a wounded world, may we remember Moses and remember that God does not call perfect people. God calls willing people, and then God walks with them. Amen DEVOTION AUTHOR Rev Dr. Neil G Thomas Senior Pastor Cathedral of Hope United Church of Christ