Daily Devotions and Podcasts

SCRIPTURE Mark 6.47-51 Later that night, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and Jesus was alone on land. He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. Shortly before dawn he went out to them, walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them, but when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out, because they all saw him and were terrified. Immediately, he spoke to them and said, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” Then he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. They were completely amazed, for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened. WORDS OF HOPE Following the life of Jesus, Mark continually reports the most remarkable of events in the most casual of ways. He writes in succinct news reporter terms, sharing only the facts without commentary. He would never be able to find a job on the legacy networks today. His favorite word is “immediately”, never troubling us with superfluous details. Mark just reports the news. In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus notices the disciples’ difficulty with the oars. Later, he casually walks on the water to check out the situation and is about to stroll on by when he hears cries of fear from the boat. We are informed that the men are believers in ghosts, which heightens their fear, so “immediately” Jesus calms the situation down, first his friends and then the storm. Mark concludes that the astounded boat crew does not have any spiritual understanding of who Jesus was or what had happened. Earlier that day, they had witnessed Jesus feeding thousands of hungry people from a basket of bread and fish. They readily believed that the apparition on the lake was a ghost but, were unable to accept the conspicuous fact that they were in the presence of God. Their hearts were hardened. Are our hearts hardened these days? Are we so numbed by sensationalized news or political partisan rhetoric that it will take a storm to wake us up to the presence of God in our lives? If this story teaches us anything, it is that God is ever present, always aware, hears our cries, and then moves as God moves. Mark, in his succinct accounts, never gives us a formula for gaining immediate access to God. He simply states that in any situation, God is always there beside us. The rest of the story is up to us. And that’s the way it is. Mark’s news reporting at its best.  PRAYER Ever present God, you have stilled countless storms in our lives. Please help us to remember that you will always be there beside us for the next one. Amen DEVOTION AUTHOR Dan Peeler Order of St. Francis and St. Clare

SCRIPTURE Matthew 19.14 But Jesus said, 'Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.'" WORDS OF HOPE Do you have any favorite Halloween memories? Growing up, I knew from shopping with Mom, when Halloween was approaching. We’d see all the latest costumes fresh on the racks. The big names were Batman and Superman for the boys, then Batgirl and Supergirl for the girls, if you wanted to be a superhero. The littler kids could be Casper the ghost, or maybe a Smurf. Then there were the usual suspects of a witch, gypsy, hobo, or vampire. I remember one year I got the mask for Frankenstein’s monster; no pullover costume that would have been labeled “Universal’s Frankenstein’s Monster” just the mask so we could make the costume at home. A few of my friends grew up in super conservative Christian homes. Their churches had Halloween parties labeled Fall Festivals and they had to dress as their favorite Bible character. No ghosts or witches allowed! They might be sent out as Jesus or maybe Samson. God knows they could have raked in the candy if they thought about calling the mummy costume Lazarus. Then they could also have trick-or-treated in the real world, too. How sad for those kids whose parents weren’t well-versed enough in their Bible knowledge to know the Good Book talks about the Witch of Endor and the Ghost of Samuel. Even Jesus’ disciples believed in ghosts, since they first thought Jesus was one when they saw him walking on water. Then real horror began to strike door to door trick or treaters as sick adults began to put pepper or drugs in candy, and many of the more caring churches, like Cathedral of Hope, began to sponsor Trunk or Treat and supervise the source of the candy. (And no restrictions allowing Bible character costumes only.) Halloween parking lot events are often scheduled in full daylight. Sort of takes a lot of the spooky magic away, but safety is the prime directive. But modern kids will never know what we had back then. Halloween was cool. And most of the neighbors knew each other. There were incentives to creatively dressing up if you wanted to get the best candy! Halloween was earned and every Bit-O-Honey and Tootsie Roll you got were the fair wages of participating in ghoulish delight. Halloween adventures and costumes are still some of my best childhood memories. I hope children now will have wonderful Trunk or Treat memories as well. Anway, Happy Halloween! PRAYER Creator God, thank you for giving us imaginations and the incentive to use them. Thank you for opportunities to enrich the lives of children and be part in creating a few positive childhood memories. Amen. DEVOTION AUTHOR Charlie C. Rose  Order of St. Francis and St. Clare