Thursday - December 14, 2023

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

SCRIPTURE  Acts 2.44-47 All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. WORDS OF HOPE Today’s Scripture reading from the Book of Acts paints a picture of an idyllic and serene beginning of the early church with everyone living in a Christian Camelot and we would not be surprised to hear them bursting into a chorus of : “A law was made a distant moon ago here…July and August cannot be too hot...and there’s a legal limit to the snow here…” The Book of Acts of the Apostles was written by the Gospel writer, Luke, and described a blossoming era well before the letters of Paul which spent a lot of time addressing conflicts in the churches and listing rules of appropriate behavior. In Galatians we read about volatile conflicts between Peter and Paul themselves. No one is immune to being human in the Scriptures, even in the remainder of the Book of Acts. I’ve heard sermons a distant moon ago that declared no one could be a good Christian unless they followed this Acts example of selling all their property and giving their money to the poor. Of course, the scripture doesn’t say that. They sold some of their possessions and property, not all of it. They were basically generous with one another, especially regarding those most in need, as they celebrated their new faith together. I’m grateful to the church councils and faith leaders who compiled the writings that we now call the New Testament. They gave us a good cross section of the best and the worst of times. They let future generations know what to expect. The road to following the Way of Jesus was rocky then and it’s rocky now. Camelot had its problems, too. In Texas, we are assured that July and August temperatures cannot be regulated by the law. And we know that churches are imperfect. Yet, these beautiful words Luke left to us in Acts 2 are always there to remind us that the faith which brought the body of believers together then is the same faith that brings us together now. They set the standard that was a natural result of following the Gospel of Love. PRAYER Thank you, God, for the examples set by those who came before us. May we always remember that the same exuberance for your gospel is alive and in our midst every time we have the opportunity to live it together. Thank you for your church. Amen. DEVOTION AUTHOR Dan Peeler Order of St. Francis and St. Clare

SCRIPTURE Matthew 14:16-21 Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand They said to him, “We have only five loaves here and two fish.” And he said, “Bring them here to me.” Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass; and taking the five loaves and the two fish. He looked up to heaven, and blessed, and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over. And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children. WORDS OF HOPE Several years ago, I had the joy of attending a dear friend’s installation as the new priest at an Episcopal church. The Gospel reading for that celebratory service was Matthew 14:13-21, the beloved story of Jesus feeding the five thousand. My friend was both excited and understandably nervous; stepping into a new ministry in front of his congregation, family, and friends who had traveled to support him. He began his sermon with a bold line: “I don’t know if the feeding of the five thousand was a miracle or not.” I cringed inwardly, wondering if this was the ideal opening for his first sermon in a new church. Yet he continued thoughtfully, suggesting that perhaps the true wonder was Jesus’ ability to gather five thousand people to sit, listen, and share. After all, many in the crowd would likely have brought food for their journey. With a spirit of generosity sparked by Christ’s presence, there was suddenly more than enough for everyone. But then my friend landed on the heart of the passage with conviction: everyone was invited to the table. No one was turned away. To me, this remains the most powerful truth in the scripture—not debating the mechanics of the miracle but embracing the radical hospitality it reveals. Jesus takes what little is offered, blesses it, and multiplies it so that all are fed and satisfied. This same open invitation echoes every Sunday at the Cathedral of Hope: “Everyone is welcome at God’s table.” In a world often marked by exclusion, scarcity, and division, Jesus models abundance born from compassion and community. When we bring our small loaves and fish—our limited time, resources, or gifts—and offer them willingly, God multiplies them for the good of all. PRAYER O God, may we, like those gathered on the hillside, accept Christ’s invitation without hesitation. Let us come to the table with open hands and hearts, ready to receive, ready to share, and ready to witness miracles of grace in our own lives. In Jesus’ name, all are fed and all are welcome. Amen. DEVOTION AUTHOR David Sims, Deacon

SCRIPTURE  Romans 9:6 It is not as though the word of God had failed. WORDS OF HOPE There are moments in history when people of faith must decide whether we will merely preserve religion or embody the Gospel. We are living in such a moment now. As Paul writes Romans 9, he is wrestling with questions that continue to haunt the Church today: Who belongs? Who is chosen? Who gets to define the boundaries of God's love? These are not merely theological questions. They are questions with profound consequences for real people, real families, and real communities. Paul's answer begins with a declaration of hope and resistance: "It is not as though the word of God had failed." God's promises have not failed. Human beings have failed one another. Political systems have failed the vulnerable. Religious institutions have too often failed to stand with those whom Jesus embraced. But God's promise to love, to liberate, to heal, and to reconcile remains steadfast. For those of us who have spent our lives ministering alongside LGBTQ+ people, immigrants, people of color, women seeking equality, and all who have been pushed to the margins of society and the Church, this truth is not theoretical. We have seen the damage caused when religion is used as a weapon. We have witnessed the pain inflicted when laws target transgender youth, when immigrants are demonized, when racial justice is dismissed, and when Christian faith is distorted into a tool of exclusion, nationalism, and fear. And yet, we have also witnessed resurrection. We have seen rejected children become beloved adults. We have seen wounded communities become places of healing. We have seen churches once defined by fear transformed into sanctuaries of hope. We have seen God's grace repeatedly break through every boundary humanity has tried to construct. Paul reminds us that God's purposes cannot be confined by our prejudices, our politics, or our anxieties. The God revealed in Jesus Christ consistently disrupts systems of oppression and calls God's people to do the same. Today, on System Administrator Appreciation Day, there is perhaps an unexpected lesson for the Church. So much of what sustains our lives remains unseen. The people who maintain our systems, networks, and infrastructure often labor quietly and faithfully behind the scenes. The same is true of the countless organizers, advocates, pastors, volunteers, caregivers, and justice-seekers who continue the sacred work of building God's beloved community. Their labor may not always be visible, but it is holy work. As followers of Jesus, our calling is not simply to believe that God's promises endure. Our calling is to make those promises visible. This is not a season for silence. It is not a season for respectability politics or cautious neutrality. When vulnerable people are under attack, when truth is distorted, and when fear masquerades as faith, the Church must speak with moral clarity and act with courageous love. The Gospel calls us to defend the dignity of transgender people. The Gospel calls us to welcome the immigrant and refugee. The Gospel calls us to confront racism, poverty, and injustice. The Gospel calls us to reject any theology that diminishes the sacred worth of another human being. God's promise has not failed. The question before us is this: Will we have the courage to live as though we believe it? PRAYER God of justice, compassion, and boundless grace, give us courage for this moment. When fear tempts us to retreat, call us forward. When injustice tempts us to despair, strengthen our resolve. Make us a people who proclaim Your love not only with our words, but with our lives. May we stand where Jesus stood: with the marginalized, the oppressed, the excluded, and the hopeful. And may we never forget that Your promise has not failed, and neither must our witness. Amen. DEVOTION AUTHOR Rev Dr. Neil G Thomas Senior Pastor Cathedral of Hope United Church of Christ