Devotion

Reading

Once in the village of Gubbio, a wolf was terrorizing both animals and people, the danger so severe that people took to arming themselves for protection.  St. Francis, in compassion for all, offered to meet the feral creature on the road. When the wolf lunged to attack him, he raised a prayer, made the sign of the cross, and the wolf laid down at his feet, meek as a lamb. In the following weeks, Francis fashioned a peacekeeping pact between brother wolf and the community—providing food for the animal and safety for the people. (summarized from fisheaters.com blog)

A Word of Hope

I didn’t see it at first. The displaced board and the rip in the sturdy wire mesh beneath the gable vent. The scat on the roof, the size of the hole –and the force it took to rip it open—all indicated a raccoon invasion, a hunch confirmed the night I saw two eyes shining above me when I let the dogs out.

For some East Texas folks, a rifle offers a quick fix to the problem—and, truth be told, the destruction from raccoons can be considerable. But all created nature is of God, blessed as “good,” so one tenet of my spiritual discipline is “first, do no harm.”

I borrowed my neighbors’ humane trap, baiting it with tasty food, and set it out next to the house, planning to relocate the masked marauder with the help of a man in the neighborhood.

 “Rocky” eluded us the first night, but we caught him on the second try, transporting him to a dense, forested area with a good fishing source on the lake. Then it was repair time, another morning’s work, another trip to “town” to get supplies. And that might have been the end of the story. But about bedtime that evening, a ruckus startled us—bumping, scratching, tearing. Inadvertently, we had imprisoned another raccoon who had been hiding in the attic. Though I was weary from the daily challenges and short on sleep, the next morning I called Will, my cohort, and told him we had to open the hole again. I could not be the cause of this death.

I have more work to do with my raccoon boarders and will continue my peace-keeping pact, remembering, as Thomas Berry says: “The natural world is the larger sacred community to which we belong. To be alienated from this community is to become destitute in all that makes us human. To damage this community is to diminish our own existence.”

Prayer 

God of earth and sea and sky, forgive us our shoddy stewardship of your creation. May we walk gently in the woods, hearts filled with care for all that is yours. Amen.

Devotion Author

Dr. Pat Saxon

Scripture

“A legal expert stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he said, “what must I do to gain eternal life?” Jesus replied, “What is written in the Law? How do you interpret it?” He responded, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and love your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus said to him, “You have answered correctly. Do this and you will live.” But the legal expert wanted to prove that he was right, so he said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus replied, “A man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho. He encountered thieves, who stripped him naked, beat him up, and left him near death. Now it just so happened that a priest was also going down the same road. When he saw the injured man, he crossed over to the other side of the road and went on his way. Likewise, a Levite came by that spot, saw the injured man, and crossed over to the other side of the road and went on his way. A Samaritan, who was on a journey, came to where the man was. But when he saw him, he was moved with compassion. The Samaritan went to him and bandaged his wounds, tending them with oil and wine. Then he placed the wounded man on his own donkey, took him to an inn, and took care of him. The next day, he took two full days’ worth of wages and gave them to the innkeeper. He said, ‘Take care of him, and when I return, I will pay you back for any additional costs.’ What do you think? Which one of these three was a neighbor to the man who encountered thieves?” Then the legal expert said, “The one who demonstrated mercy toward him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”” Luke 10.25-37 CEB

A Word of Hope

Caring about others

In today’s society just like in the biblical text, the pastors, the lawyers, and people with power are passing by the people that are victimized like immigrants and homeless. There are more than 550K people sleeping in the streets of the United States on any given night. The government gives private companies money to assist and aid the people in the homeless shelters including housing, medical treatment, food provisions; however, the total sum of monies provided never make it to the homeless shelters. There are many times that privileged people, businesses look for loopholes in systems and processes to increase their profits without regard to the poor, the immigrants, or the homeless; however, in John 12:8 Jesus said “You will always have the poor among you…” 

The immigrants are another set of people whom are voiceless because they cannot speak English and some of the border patrol of which (in some cases are bi-lingual) are acting as though these people are not human. The immigrants are hurting because they have come great distances to reach the border of the United States to be treated like animals that need to be caged and separated from their children or parents. In a lot of cases the immigrants are fleeing to the US to avoid political execution. In fact, flash back in history to the 1600’s that this is not the first time children have been separated from the mothers while breastfeeding their babies. Although they were taken from their home country Africa – they, too, were treated less than 100% human. It is infuriating that we are witnessing history repeat itself. The government, politicians, and big business are not willing to hear their voices through interpreters whom would advocate for their humanity. In the text without the Samaritan the wounded man more than likely would have died.

There are things we could do to help including contacting our Congress and Senators and let them know we disagree with their actions. Additionally, we could give to organizations like Contact organizations like Families Belong Together, Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center, The Samaritan Inn, or Family Promise that are helping in this crisis and give toiletries, soap, toothpaste, as well as money. These steps let them know that we see them. We care about them. By taking these steps we would be doing as Jesus requested us to “Go and do likewise.”  as stated in Luke 10:37.

Prayer

Dear Creator of the Universe: Please help us to give a voice to the voiceless when it is obvious that children and non-English speaking immigrants as well as homeless people need compassion. Enlighten us as listeners and hearers of Your words to hear Your direction, Your wisdom, Your truth so that we might correct the systems of injustice and soften our hearts to be more empathetic to each person’s plight. In Your darling son Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

Devotion Author

Reverend Winner Laws
Cathedral of Hope Minister
TCU Brite Divinity School graduate

Scripture

“For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our savior, Jesus Christ, but we had been eyewitnesses of Christ’s majesty.”

2 Peter 1:16

A Word of Hope

Eyewitnesses of Majesty

In the early days of the Christian community, those who were first-hand witnesses to Jesus’ life, teachings, crucifixion and resurrection, shared their experience with whomever they encountered.  Jesus had told them to go and tell the story (The Great Commission of Matthew 28).  When you have life-changing news you want others to know, so that they might experience the abundant life found in receiving and sharing God’s grace. 

This text is from the second letter that is found in the New Testament which bears the name of Peter—the disciple whom Jesus referred to as “the rock.”  It reflects what was occurring as the distance of time from Jesus’ life grew greater, and people began to question the truth of what seemed an incredulous tale.  When this letter was written, Peter had likely already died and those who had heard his moving and transforming eyewitness account recorded it for other generations.  Above all, they wanted people who heard the story to know the difference between clever story-telling and conveying a legacy of divine Truth.

The pre-school-age granddaughter of a friend of mine was visiting her grandparents last Easter.  She lived in another state and didn’t get to visit very often, so when Sunday came, she excitedly went with them to the church where they worshipped.  Her parents did not attend any church, and this was her first time to experience the glorious celebration of this Christian holy day.  It was a large church with colorful banners, a wonderful orchestra, and an inspiring message about the Easter story presented by the pastor.  She was captivated! 

When she returned to her grandparents’ home after a delicious Easter lunch, she asked if she could write a note to the pastor to thank him for the wonderful time that she had at their church.  Crayon-to-paper, she carefully crafted a self-portrait of a beautifully dressed little girl with an Easter basket in hand.  In her depiction, she was sitting in front of a pulpit that stood beneath a cross with flowers on it.  You could see the pastor in a colorful robe waving his hands and speaking.  At the bottom of the page, with the help of her grandmother, she wrote these words:  “Thank you ‘pasture’ [sic] for telling me the Easter story!  I had never heard it before.”

I want to be a witness who is reminded by children such as this little girl that there are many people who have not heard the story of Jesus’ love.  I hope that wherever we find those who are wandering and wondering: “Is this all there is to life?” we might be able to tell our experience of a powerful story that has changed us, and we can be witnesses, too.

Prayer

God of amazing love, we seek the touch of your grace upon our life today.  May we open our hearts to the transforming power of your Spirit, and in doing so, discover that our life is the best testimony we can offer of your mercy, love, and presence.  Amen.

Devotion Author

Rev. Dr. Gary G. Kindley
Pastoral Counselor
CCIAdallas.org

Scripture

For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. Romans 15.1

A Word of Hope

Although it may not seem very spiritual at first, I sometimes wonder how certain things smelled back in the days of the Bible.  I imagine there were lots of familiar smells such as fires burning while people cooked, anointing oils, wine, or other smells in nature, but for the ancient Bible days, I can pretty much stop there. 

Recently, somebody asked on Facebook about what they remembered of things and places past while living in Arlington, Texas, the city where I grew up in my teen years. I remembered a little country store called Granny and Granddad’s.  Suddenly, I was taken back in time and remembering very specifically how that little store smelled when I first walked in. It was a former house, made of old wood that contained distinct smells of candy, popcorn, and whatever hot foods they may have served. Potato wedges anyone?

My mind then wandered off to other places in my time travels. Another location I remembered was Wyatt’s Cafeteria where I could distinctly pick out the olfactory pleasures of fresh coffee, roast beef, and brown gravy.

If three is a charm, the third place was a toy store in North Dallas called Booth’s Toys.  I really don’t know how to describe those smells that were in the store; there was nothing more than brand new boxes of games and plastic model kits. The smells contributed so much to those treasured few minutes of just walking into a magical place with no intent of doing anything but looking at all those wonderful toys. Those smells created some kind of inspiration deep within me. Maybe it was anticipating my birthday or Christmas or just the idea of living in some kind of mystical fantasy paradise.

I don’t really know how to label those feelings. What matters is all of these things combined created indelible memories. I was inspired. It’s how we tell our stories, share memories, and reminisce about the days that we have delegated as ideal. Yet, all of this gives context to relate my memories to yours. 

When I think of those remote people of history who wrote the texts of what we’ve come to call the Bible, I wonder how their familiar smells and dwelling places may have inspired them to write about the things they did. How would we have been affected by writing in the fresh smelling outdoor sunshine? Would we write a Psalm of praise? How about breathing damp mold smells in a tiny dark cell or a cave? Would we write about social justice?

If they could afford it, did the writers smell burning bee’s wax or favorite foods cooking nearby? Would those fragrances inspire us to write about loving the people we call our families? We’ll never really know, but I’m convinced the smells of their world were as influential to them as ours are to us.

Prayer

Loving Creator I’m thankful for the people you inspired to give us a tiny glimpse of their world. It fascinates us and influences us so much that we are still reading and interpreting their messages thousands of years later. Help me to be aware of the sights and smells of the world around me and to be conscious of my own words. Will what I say or do today be worth remembering in a hundred years, let alone next week? May your world live in my words.

Devotion Author

Charlie Rose
Order of St. Francis and St. Clare

Reading

“In times of stress, the best thing we can do for each other is to listen with our ears and our hearts and to be assured that our questions are just as important as our answers.”
― Fred Rogers, The World According to Mister Rogers: Important Things to Remember

A Word of Hope

I just watched, for the second time, Won’t You be my Neighbor? It’s the biography of Fred Rogers and is a movie worthy of multiple viewings in our turbulent world. Check it out!

I was in my late ‘20’s when I met Fred Rogers at a Puppeteer Convention. He got into a conversation with me about my animation work on Sesame Street and asked me why an animator was at a puppeteer convention. I told him I loved both puppets and animation. He told me, “You know, actually I’m more of a storyteller than a puppeteer. I precociously replied, “I know. I’ve seen your work.” I then saw Mr. Rogers explode into a belly laugh the likes of which we would never see on his gentle PBS show.

I was honored to talk with him several times throughout that week, especially after he learned about our mutual interest in theology; it turned out very progressive theology. He opened the door for me on a world of interpretations I never knew existed. I was enthralled with the wisdom of the man as well as his generosity in spending time talking to an anonymous kid like me!

We see a lot of quotes from Fred Rogers these days as memes in the social media and I am so glad of that. Wisdom the likes of his never dies and every time I read one, I think, “My friend said that.” Millions of others of us who grew up with him think the same thing. He was everybody’s friend. Often, after any disaster, natural or otherwise, we will see this quote from our friend:

 “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.”

Every time I am horrified by a news report about what we are capable of doing to each other,  that’s what I’ve been doing; looking for the helpers, and it fills my heart with joy to see that there are millions more of them than the same list of haters attempting to spread their usual venom. They can’t begin to realize that Jesus already has given us the antidote to their toxic actions and Fred Rogers is still our helper, interpreting Christ for yet another generation.

One more thought from Mr. Rogers, in the form of a prayer:

Help us to remember: “Love isn’t a state of perfect caring. It is an active noun like struggle. To love someone is to strive to accept that person exactly the way he or she is, right here and now.”

Devotion Author

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

Scripture

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.                                                                                                                       James 2:14-17

Word of Hope

I love my church. I have been attending the Cathedral of Hope since early in 2008. In my time at COH, I have witnessed the multitude of people who perform various ministries within (and outside of) the church. This is one of the things I find so appealing about COH. I was raised in the Catholic Church. In my personal experience, members of my Catholic Church were not encouraged to become ministers of the church. There was not much talk about church members actually being the church. We occasionally gave money for people in far-away places that were hungry and needy. The experience at COH is so very different than that.

From the first contact with COH, people are encouraged to seek out a ministry that appeals to them, and even to suggest a new ministry if they do not find the right fit. I love singing in the Sanctuary Choir, and I love writing a new devotion each month. My very favorite ministry is The Walk, a three day spiritual retreat which helps participants to experience God’s grace as they grow in their relationship with God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit.

I tried the prison ministry, but that was not a good fit for me. I admire the people who continue to write cards and letters each month to people who are in prison. I served at the Breakfast at Cathedral of Hope once or twice, and found that this was also not a good fit for me, but I do support this ministry and Pack the Pantry with my gifts. These ministries are life changing for some of the participants, and I am proud to be a member of the church that performs these ministries. It takes all of us to make the Cathedral of Hope what it is- a place of extravagant welcome. It’s an exciting environment each time I enter the doors; there are always people actively attending to their various ministries

July 11^th is “Cheer up the lonely” day. This is a great reminder to reach out to someone who might be feeling cut off from everyone else. Do you know someone who is sick, disabled, or depressed? Make it a priority to reach out to them. They will be thrilled to hear from you!

Prayer

Loving God, thank You for leading me to the Cathedral of Hope. I have learned so much from the other church members here about how to serve You. I want my actions to be pleasing to You, and I want to show others the way to become part of the church alive.

Devotion Author

Molly Sutton
Cathedral of Hope Member

Scripture

And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

-Galatians 6:9

A Word of Hope

Sometimes it is all too easy to see the work of the enemy. It feels like being caught in the rain without an umbrella even though you packed one. Sometimes Lord, I just want to give up. I feel the urge to quit, creeping up on me with each temptation Satan brings. As soon as I say, “I’ve had enough,” it is like the ground beneath me starts to tremor and all hopes of peace and balance are lost.                                        

The Sprit answers, “Here I am, I never left. I had to bring you back to me. Without realizing it you got tied up in the cares of the world. If I let you have your way you’d be paying a far greater price. It is out of love that I allow you to suffer.”

I forget who said, “God takes you to rock bottom to discover God still reigns over the bottom.” Trials bring us closer to God because a weary heart makes a greater demand on God. I know that the good I do is not in vain; therefore, though You slay me, yet will I praise You. Even if my body breaks my heart will sing a song of thanksgiving. And if tears shall flow like streams, I shall lift up my voice and cry out to You for help. No devil, thorn in the flesh, or root of bitterness will deceive me for I know who my God is.                                                                                                                      

He is my strength and my defense. She is my Mother. Christ is my Brother. My Lord comforts me when my wounds have become far too many to number. My God is Love, and although there is too much love for me ever to be able to comprehend, I will spend eternity learning Her ways.

Prayer

Dear Lord,

I have tried not giving up. I have tried not getting angry or bitter. Yet, I fail time after time. Allow me to be faithful at the bottom so that when I meet You, I will have no regrets. Help me to remember that not everything is the devil; sometimes, it’s just life. Jesus, in Your precious name I pray, Amen. 

Devotion Author

Jonathon McClellan
Order of St. Francis and St. Clare               

Scripture

When they heard this, they were enraged and shouted, ‘Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!’ The city was filled with the confusion; and people rushed together to the theatre, dragging with them Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonians who were Paul’s travelling companions. Paul wished to go into the crowd, but the disciples would not let him; even some officials of the province of Asia, who were friendly to him, sent him a message urging him not to venture into the theatre. Meanwhile, some were shouting one thing, some another; for the assembly was in confusion, and most of them did not know why they had come together. Some of the crowd gave instructions to Alexander, whom the Jews had pushed forward. And Alexander motioned for silence and tried to make a defense before the people. But when they recognized that he was a Jew, for about two hours all of them shouted in unison, ‘Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!’ But when the town clerk had quietened the crowd, he said, ‘Citizens of Ephesus, who is there that does not know that the city of the Ephesians is the temple-keeper of the great Artemis and of the statue that fell from heaven? Since these things cannot be denied, you ought to be quiet and do nothing rash. You have brought these men here who are neither temple-robbers nor blasphemers of our goddess. If therefore Demetrius and the artisans with him have a complaint against anyone, the courts are open, and there are proconsuls; let them bring charges there against one another. If there is anything further you want to know, it must be settled in the regular assembly. For we are in danger of being charged with rioting today, since there is no cause that we can give to justify this commotion.’ When he had said this, he dismissed the assembly. Acts 19.28-41

Word of Hope

One of the great joys of being part of a Progressive congregation is that spiritual growth is not only allowed, but encouraged. In the passage above we see the crowd sticking to their beliefs, “Artemis is great”.  And interestingly, the Greeks believed the goddess Artemis was, for the most part, a defender of women! Not only that, but the town clerk, the local government representative, quiets the crowd who are attacking the Christians. Local officials even urge Paul to stay away for his own safety!

I am not saying that the freedoms of religion and speech as we understand them were at play. The government of Ephesus was no doubt a religious based one. The fact that there are laws in place dealing with blasphemy shows this. But clearly they were not going to allow religion to be the cause of the peace being broken. There is a way to handle this and the actions of the Ephesians are potentially illegal too. There is not cause too justify the commotion.

What then can we learn from this? Even without official religious laws, there are better ways than riots, angry shouting, and creating fear to deal with differences. This does not mean no gatherings. It does not mean no expression of your thoughts. It means being civilized.

Too often in our time we cause commotion without civility. We need to learn from this passage, from St. Francis, from Gandhi, from Martin Luther King Jr., from Nelson Mandela, Thich Nhat Hanh, and of course Jesus, that anger only inflames anger, hate only creates hate, and that peace begets peace. Instead of an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, what if we say a handshake for a handshake, a hug for a hug, a kiss for a kiss?

Prayerful Words

God of peace and love, teach me to love, accept, and to grow in faith, understanding, and civility. Let me hear others and let my actions speak Your love.

Devotion Author

Weber Baker
Order of Saint Francis and Saint Clare

Scripture

The LORD has heard my cry for mercy; the LORD accepts my prayer. Psalm 6.9

Word of Hope

July 4th we celebrated Independence Day. The true meaning of independence builds on the previous “holidays” we have commemorated- Memorial Day and D-Day! Never before has the full impact of the high price paid for my freedom been so obvious as this year.

Over a year ago the opportunity was announced for the UT Alumni Band to participate as the official band for the commemoration of the 75th D-Day remembrances in Normandy France. It was a perfect opportunity for our family. Barb’s Dad was one of the pilots involved in the invasion of Utah Beach. It was a perfect way to honor the memory of his service and all the thousands of soldiers from America and the Allied Nations who purchased our freedom on the beaches of Normandy France. We immediately signed up and started paying for the trip. Barb’s sister and one of our best friends signed on as well.

It soon dawned on me that my high school and college history courses left me with little more than an awareness that D-Day was the event that began the process of defeating the German occupation of Europe. If we were going to actually be on that hallowed ground, we needed to know the real details of the magnitude of that endeavor and how it happened and what was involved.

A trip to the World War II Museum in New Orleans gave us a vision of what went into the D-Day attack. We spent an entire day seeing pictures and visual depictions and listening to actual recordings of Eisenhower and others involved in the decision of when to start this huge process.

But seeing that and watching the movies and hearing the numbers of people involved and those who lost their lives, nothing prepares you to actually see the cemeteries! Utah Beach Cemetary has total burials of 9,388. Brittany American Cemetery is the final resting place for 4,405 of our war dead.

Hearing the UT Alumni Band play “Hymn to the Fallen” and the US and France national anthems was beyond touching on these hallowed grounds! Other bands participated as well. Visiting the graves and looking for Texans was touching. I brought poppies to place on some graves.

The enthusiasm of the French people was amazing. At St. Mere Eglise the square was totally filled with grateful French who acknowledged the part the US had in the liberation of their town 75 years ago. Seeing that beautiful burnt orange group of 280 UT Alumni Band participants come down the street for the parade was such a wonderful experience.

All 550 of us involved in this trip (and many of our Facebook friends) have a much better understanding of the cost and the success of the original D-Day.

So I hope you feel grateful for your freedom as you enjoy the rest of your Summer.

Prayer

God of amazing freedom and liberty, we thank you for all those who fought and died for our freedom over the years. We thank you for our freedom to worship you in our own way, as we allow our fellow citizens that same right.

Devotion Author

Jan Nunn
Cathedral of Hope Volunteer

Scripture

“This was totally spontaneous, entirely their own idea, and caught us completely off guard.  What explains it was that they had first given themselves unreservedly to God and to us.  The other giving: simply flowed out of the purposes of God working in their lives.”  2 Corinthians 8:5 (The Message)

A Word of Hope

Today’s assigned reading (be sure to read the whole section to get the full story:  2 Corinthians 8:1 – 7) has me in a snit.  I know Paul’s intentions may be good.  And his purpose and motives are well placed.  But the idea of asking faithful followers facing dire financial “pressure” (the word Paul uses) to give money they can ill afford rubs me the wrong way.

I say that being one of those (maybe rare) church-goers who appreciates a heart-felt offering call.  I am moved to hear how my financial gifts are doing good.  And I really appreciate it when the call makes guests comfortable by letting them know they are not expected to give.  But I cannot remember hearing a supportive word said to those who may be facing tough financial challenges, letting them know they are welcome to not give, that they are full members of the community even if they are not able to put a dime in the offering plate.  Let alone, going further by making sure our siblings know they can call on us if they need financial help.

As followers of Jesus, generosity is not just about money but it is about generosity of spirit.  We can be generous not just with our money but in liberally sharing our understanding and support to those facing tough financial times.  One of Jesus’s life illustrations makes clear in the story of the widow’s offering that we can be financially generous but miserly in giving of ourselves.  Face it, when recognizing donors we tend to downplay those who are not able to give as much.  And for many of us, all we can give is our time and talents – gifts surely as worthy of recognition as cash.

This is a tough discussion to have.  After all, we could not do all we do as a community of faith without the generosity of those able to give financial support and folks who can give sometimes need a little nudge of recognition.  Most of us can give more to help others.  But let’s remember that because all are welcome, some in our midst are struggling financially and may need a reminder that they are cared for too.

In the end, I hope the praise Paul heaps on the church in Corinth applies to us:  “. . . you trust God, you’re articulate, you’re insightful, you’re passionate, you love us . . .” -And I’ll add, “you’re generous with your resources and caring spirit.”

Prayer

Dear God of my being. May I be aware today of those close around me who need my help and are doing the best they can financially.  

Devotion Author

Dennis Bolin