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 Isaiah 43:19 See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. WORDS OF HOPE I love the idea of ordering things from a kiosk, like the ones they have at some McDonalds - Not that I allow myself to eat there too often. It seems virtually trouble free and accurate. You can add extra cheese or pickles, tell it no onions, and the list appears before you on the screen. Oddly enough, I first discovered these kiosks while on vacation one year in Paris at the equivalent of McDonalds they call the Q, I think. The biggest difference is they are actually good burgers without all the added chemicals we allow in the States, and which are outlawed in Europe. I like that. Europeans are smart and they seem to have each other’s backs. In fact, I don’t think we’re too far away from ordering medical services from kiosks. We have telemedicine already. It seems like a natural next step. You could be an A-lister and get premium, but non conflicting treatments while you’re out cold. Think of it! Having your gall bladder out? You could add on cutting of that ingrown toenail while they’re at it. Come to think of it, we already do that with religion and spirituality. So many of us pick and choose our favorite things to either believe or omit out of all the things religious practices offer. Uncomfortable with the dark-skinned Jesus? Make him lighter. Middle Eastern Jesus too Jewish? Make him a protestant televangelist full of the right gospels to fit specific political temperaments. Want a more exciting origin story? Make Jesus’ birth take place in Roswell New Mexico. No limits to the menu. It seems like this kiosk thing is an idea that has been waiting to be born for centuries. If you have one, what does your Jesus look like? If you could order up your own custom afterlife, what would that look like? Is it a big party with all your loved ones with you, or is it lights out, you’re at peace? I don’t have to wonder if I would want Jesus to be there. After all these years of picturing my own image him, I have no doubt I would be surprised. PRAYER Lord Jesus, in our fast-moving world full of changes and distractions, help us to slow down long enough to get to know you better in the assurance that you know us and care for us 100%. Amen. DEVOTION AUTHOR Charlie Rose Order of St. Francis and St. Clare
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Words of Hope Podcast
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SCRIPTURE Isaiah 43:19 See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. WORDS OF HOPE I love the idea of ordering things from a kiosk, like the ones they have at some McDonalds - Not that I allow myself to eat there too often. It seems virtually trouble free and accurate. You can add extra cheese or pickles, tell it no onions, and the list appears before you on the screen. Oddly enough, I first discovered these kiosks while on vacation one year in Paris at the equivalent of McDonalds they call the Q, I think. The biggest difference is they are actually good burgers without all the added chemicals we allow in the States, and which are outlawed in Europe. I like that. Europeans are smart and they seem to have each other’s backs. In fact, I don’t think we’re too far away from ordering medical services from kiosks. We have telemedicine already. It seems like a natural next step. You could be an A-lister and get premium, but non conflicting treatments while you’re out cold. Think of it! Having your gall bladder out? You could add on cutting of that ingrown toenail while they’re at it. Come to think of it, we already do that with religion and spirituality. So many of us pick and choose our favorite things to either believe or omit out of all the things religious practices offer. Uncomfortable with the dark-skinned Jesus? Make him lighter. Middle Eastern Jesus too Jewish? Make him a protestant televangelist full of the right gospels to fit specific political temperaments. Want a more exciting origin story? Make Jesus’ birth take place in Roswell New Mexico. No limits to the menu. It seems like this kiosk thing is an idea that has been waiting to be born for centuries. If you have one, what does your Jesus look like? If you could order up your own custom afterlife, what would that look like? Is it a big party with all your loved ones with you, or is it lights out, you’re at peace? I don’t have to wonder if I would want Jesus to be there. After all these years of picturing my own image him, I have no doubt I would be surprised. PRAYER Lord Jesus, in our fast-moving world full of changes and distractions, help us to slow down long enough to get to know you better in the assurance that you know us and care for us 100%. Amen. DEVOTION AUTHOR Charlie Rose Order of St. Francis and St. Clare
SCRIPTURE Psalm 63:1,3-4 O God, you are my God, I seek you, my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water... Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. So I will bless you as long as I live; I will lift up my hands and call on your name. WORDS OF HOPE In Love I am moved by this love poem from the psalmist to God. If written from one mortal to another, we would say he was “definitely in love". I still say that he was and believe that it is a wonderful thing to be in love with God. Those who know me well will not be shocked. They know that I am a great proponent of being "in love." I confess publicly that love is a risk and I am a compulsive gambler. Some think that love is a feeling that just happens when the right two people get into close proximity. I believe that it is much more easily understood and predictable. "Falling in love happens when we allow ourselves to be authentic and honest, daring to share things about ourselves that we are afraid may not be acceptable to another. When the other person hears our truth, and understands or even celebrates us as we are, something goes zing within. They are inspired to dare sharing a piece of their truth and experience a zing when we accept. On it goes, until we are both feeling known, really known, and zings abound as we finally declare ourselves "in love". I think I understand how the Psalmist got to the place of writing this beautiful poem to God. The writer bared his soul, accepted that God knew the very worst of him and the depth of his longings, even those for which he had no words. And he allowed himself to experience the love of God both in spite of and perhaps even because of who he was. That is how I believe we too can experience the amazing love that inspired this psalm. PRAYER God, my first lover and my greatest love: I come before you, knowing that you see every truth there is to know about me, even those which I have not permitted into my own awareness. I am humbled by the knowledge that you love me, sometimes in the presence of my bad and my ugly parts, sometimes because of the good or even great that is within me that I cannot see. I love you, God. I love to be in your presence. Help me make time to spend alone with you so that our love can grow. Amen. DEVOTION AUTHOR Carole Anne Sarah
SCRIPTURE Matthew 15: 33-38 The disciples said to him, “Where are we to get enough bread in the desert to feed so great a crowd?” Jesus asked them, “How many loaves have you?” They said, “Seven, and a few small fish.” Then ordering the crowd to sit down on the ground, he took the seven loaves and the fish, and after giving thanks he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And all of them ate and were filled, and they took up the broken pieces left over, seven baskets full. Those who had eaten were four thousand men, besides women and children. WORDS OF HOPE This well-known miracle story is one that has been dissected many times, but the phrase that speaks to me is the disciple’s question, “Where are we do get enough bread in the desert to feed so great a crowd?” It’s a question we are still asking today. There are countless people in our own city facing what is referred to now as “food insecurity” but I prefer the term “hunger”. We live in a society that has enough riches to create trillionaires yet so many people go hungry. I think the point of the story is not the miracle Jesus performed, but the question of how to do it. If we ask it of ourselves the answer becomes clear. We must share our riches. Whether through taxation or charity, we can feed everyone. We do it at Cathedral of Hope every week, serving literally millions of meals every year to anyone who needs a meal. We manage to do it and yet we still each have enough for ourselves. It’s a “no-brainer”. If we truly want to follow Jesus’ guidance, we should share our resources. PRAYER Help us to learn the discipline of sharing, whether through tithing or acts of generosity. We have enough to make sure no one goes hungry. Amen DEVOTION AUTHOR Hardy Haberman
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