Scripture

Matthew 13.58

And he did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith.

A Word of Hope

Some of the miracles of Jesus were almost “drive-by” events in which Jesus’ walkabout was spontaneously interrupted by those seeking healing. Some miracles actually interrupted purposeful activity or the progression of Jesus through a village. (John 9:1, Luke 5:12-16, Mark 2:4) Each occasion demonstrated Jesus’ compassion. He immediately recognized the value of the individual and her personal need as he reached out to restore her to whole living. Each occasion reveals to the modern reader that the Divine One continues to actively reach forth in loving, nonjudgmental compassion to restore individual humanity.

Generally, Jesus did not offer to explain to the onlooking crowd how they, as individuals, should interpret or experience the miraculous action. It simply happened within their sight or hearing. How they received the experience or what more they learned about God from the event; that was left to their decision. The contextual experience of the observer formed a basis to understand the miracle; however, it also would depend on the degree that they allow their inner self, their intangible spirit, to interpret what they had experienced.

Would they take the physical experience, the sights and sounds, and merge these with the sensation derived within their Homo spiritus, or would they rely only on what their physical eyes had seen? Their response to the miracle depended on all of these variables. Understandably, there would be a diversity of responses immediately after the event and much later; when in their memory, they reconstructed the event and responded to it.

We modern readers of these miracle stories are not different from those first observers. We must read (see) the event with our eyes, but elect whether or not to use our inner spirit to help interpret what the miracle story tells us about the Divine One. It is then, that we make the miracle come alive in our own lives. Truly, then we become part of that larger crowd which surrounded Jesus to watch, experience and learn from each miracle.

Prayer

Teach us to make the miracles come alive in our own lives. Amen

Devotion Author

Donald (Luke) Day
Order of St. Francis and St. Clare

Scripture

2 Timothy 2.15

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.

A Word of Hope

Happy New Years Day!

My resolution this year is to be Authentic. When you want a certain something, when is it ever acceptable to have the artificial something, rather than the real thing? I have the annual opportunity helping some old friends by delivering flowers during the Valentine season. There is a great deal of joy in knowing 100% of the recipients will be elated to receive a beautiful bouquet of flowers. One thing about this job is a constant. Everything that is delivered is completely real.

Yeah, and I’ve noticed another truth from their reactions. Even though the thought was there, it was a bit lackluster to receive a half dozen roses compared to a full dozen. You can imagine what it’s also like to receive three roses in a tiny vase. The expressions were almost as surprised as if to say ‘why did they even bother?’

Delivering half of something or a quarter of something simply just doesn’t cut it. In this case, the expectation is if you’re going to go something, do it right. Nobody wants half a birthday cake, half a car, half of a gift… You get the point. So when Jesus offered his love to all of humanity by the very symbol of his sacrifice, He didn’t do it halfway. He didn’t sacrifice for us half his life. God’s love is given to us in the most full and authentic way. It’s the greatest symbol of love and sacrifice we could ever have because it is unconditional. It means that we are free. Free to love. Free to live. Free to forgive.

There is nothing artificial about the Greatest love. So you are invited today to not just contain this great joy within ourselves, You and I can express it by living it out with each person we encounter. I’m not talking about evangelism or the selling of God. God doesn’t need to be sold.

Realize in the imperfection of our lives this New Year, there are times when we will struggle to be as unconditional as humanly possible, but that isn’t our job. Our job is to do our best; our best changes within from hour to hour, day to day, and minute to minute. Give the best you can give. Practice silence when you want to scream. Practice humility when you’d like to boast. And forgive more often than you are forgiven. One last thing; forgive yourself when you’re not your best. That’s the best ‘authentic you’ anyone should expect.

Prayer

Help me to be the authentic me in this New Year

Devotion Author

Charlie Rose
Order of St. Francis and St. Clare

Scripture

Matthew 25:31-46 The Message (MSG)

 “Then the Sovereign One will say to those on the right, ‘Enter, you who are blessed! Take what’s coming to you in this new realm. It’s been ready for you since the world’s foundation. And here’s why:

I was hungry and you fed me,
I was thirsty and you gave me a drink,
I was homeless and you gave me a room,
I was shivering and you gave me clothes,
I was sick and you stopped to visit,
I was in prison and you came to me.’

“Then they are going to say, ‘What are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?’ Then the Holy One will say, ‘I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.’

 “Then he will turn to those on the left, and say, ‘Get out, worthless! You’re good for nothing but the fires of hell. And why? Because—

I was hungry and you gave me no meal,
I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,
I was homeless and you gave me no bed,
I was shivering and you gave me no clothes,
Sick and in prison, and you never visited.’

“Then they are going to say, ‘What are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or homeless or shivering or sick or in prison and didn’t help?’

“The Sovereign One will answer them, ‘I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you failed to do one of these things to someone who was being overlooked or ignored, that was me—you failed to do it to me.’

A Word of Hope

Tomorrow is New Year’s Day and we will begin yet another cycle around the planet!  I have heard this before, and quite honestly didn’t believe it to be true, but the older I get the quicker time goes.  Can I get an Amen!

For us, at Cathedral of Hope United Church of Christ, 2020 begins our 50^th year as a congregation and we have much to look forward to as we celebrate this milestone.  We are planning moments throughout the year to honor and mark this achievement and I know that there will plenty of opportunity to look back in order that we might look forward.

Many of us will be doing that same thing personally today.  We will look back on the past year and look forward to what the New Year might bring.  We will dream our dreams and hope our hopes.

Our Scripture reading today does something similar.  The Gospel writer speaks of a people who will be divided between doing what is right, showing up for those who are in need, and those who travel through this life either oblivious to others, or, perhaps worse, making life more difficult for others.

Jesus speaks to both groups of people and suggests that those who feed the hungry, visit the sick and those imprisoned – those who do acts of justice will find their eternal reward in heaven, but those who don’t (and call themselves followers of Jesus) will not. 

This might sound harsh, but perhaps Jesus is calling his early followers to understand that the cost of discipleship here sets us up for something more.  Perhaps Jesus is teaching them, and us that faith is not just about a set of beliefs but a set of actions that come as a result of belief.

It is impossible for anyone to claim to be a follower of Jesus and not do acts of justice and peace, it is that simple, to me.

In 2020, we will celebrate the birth of an institution, but more than that we will celebrate the hundreds of thousands of lives that have been transformed because we were born and the hundreds of thousands of lives that have become agents of change in the world because God called this church into being to model and lead in the ways of Christ, Jesus.

As you think about your new year, may I encourage you to put on your list something that will make the difference in the life of someone else, knowing that it will make a difference in yours as well.

Happy New Year!

Prayer

God, as we stand on the eve of yet another journey around the sun, let us be transformed into agents of change and transformation that will be of service to one another as we commit to being the hands, feet, heart and body of Christ in the world today.  Amen.

Devotion Author

Rev. Dr. Neil G. Thomas
Senior Pastor Cathedral of Hope Dallas

Scripture

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Colossians 3.16

A Word of Hope

For all of its faults, the Christian Church is the Way of Jesus, alive and available to humanity. The Spirit of God functions in the world through the faith and actions of those who form the Church. The true Church of Jesus is the faithful followers, not the building or organization.

Historically the Christian Church and other organized faith traditions have been the preservative “salt” which created and conducted many of the humane institutes which educated, nursed the sick and provided for the poor. Social activity, which is on that scale, requires an organized support, which is far greater than that which an individual with a little private spirituality might be able to muster.

The Christian Church has relevance in this postmodern world. Its struggle is how to make its attraction and interaction relevant to the needs of individuals and general society in this age of change, globalism and disruption. The organization will experience changes, shrinkage here, growth there; but it will endure as a beacon light for the Spirit of God to reach humanity.

If Christians focus their attention and effort on “what they feel the church has been”, they will become disillusioned and not recognize the new opportunities available for spiritual attraction and interaction. Jesus did not lay one brick on another to build a dynamic group of followers; nor did he conduct a census count of those who were interested.

It is the God-directed life of a follower and her life example which is the core of Christianity. Greater emphasis should be given to inspiring and guiding the individual follower to journey deeper with God and then to share that experience with others. That was Jesus’ effort as he brought the Good News to anyone who would listen.

Prayer

May we, the church, dedicate ourselves to being a beacon light for the Spirit of God to reach humanity.

Devotion Author

Donald (Luke) Day
Order of St. Francis and St. Clare

Scripture

Proverbs 22.6

Train up your children in the way they should go; even when they are old, they will not depart from it.

A Word of Hope

It is now two days past Christmas; a good time to relax, reflect, and tell a few stories, if those are luxuries your life allows. It is also Howdy Doody Day, one of those bizarre holidays added to our calendars many years ago when most of the country recognized that name. For those of you who do not, Howdy Doody was a marionette character that starred in his own children’s show from 1947-60. He was supported by a cast of costumed humans and assorted supporting puppets. Together, they molded a major portion of the person I am today.

I don’t remember much of what was happening when I was 4 years old, but I still have vivid (black and white) memories of Howdy Doody; his smiling face bursting onto my tiny home screen surrounded by radiating beams for light. He was the symbol of right behavior, loving all our neighbors, treating every person, animal, and indescribable puppet creature with equal courtesy and respect. He was surrounded by a menagerie of dysfunctional and impertinent slapstick comics who routinely made chaos the norm. Mr. Bluster, the Mayor of Doodyville, was an inflexible and incompetent bureaucrat who was motivated solely by greed and self-image. Howdy lived in a world that was not terribly different from our own, but the little marionette’s message was always one of hope.

Looking back, it isn’t difficult to determine that Howdy was the Christ figure in an atmosphere similar not only to ours, but also to first century Palestine. That indelible first image of the character on each show established him as the light of the world. He was a champion of justice, a negotiator of peace, and a civil, compassionate role model who never lost his positive attitude. I can still say that much of what I strive to be today is owed to the attitudes of that little wooden puppet.

The show’s creator and Howdy’s ever-present advisor, Buffalo Bob, perceived the importance of the above Proverb. He truly understood how to “train up a child.” Many years later, when I was producing a multi-media show for the Dallas Morning News, I had the incredibly good fortune to run into (Buffalo) Bob Smith in an elevator. In full costumes, he and Clarabelle the Clown were in the News building doing a nostalgia TV interview. Instantly, becoming a 4-year-old again, all I could manage to say was, “Thanks, Buffalo Bob.” He gave me a kind and understanding smile. I’m sure he had heard that before.

Prayer

Thank you for our role models who come in every age, shape, and size. Remind us to make our own opportunities to tell them what their service to us has always meant in our lives. Amen.

Devotion Author

Dan Peeler
Minister for Children and Families
Order of St. Francis and St. Clare