Wednesday - January 31, 2024

The Reverend Dr. Neil G. Thomas

SCRIPTURE


Mark 5. 1-20


Jesus Restores a Demon-Possessed Man


They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes. When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an impure spirit came from the tombs to meet him. This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain. For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones.


When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him. He shouted at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In God’s name don’t torture me!” For Jesus had said to him, “Come out of this man, you impure spirit!”


Then Jesus asked him, “What is your name?”


“My name is Legion,” he replied, “for we are many.” And he begged Jesus again and again not to send them out of the area.


A large herd of pigs was feeding on the nearby hillside. The demons begged Jesus, “Send us among the pigs; allow us to go into them.” He gave them permission, and the impure spirits came out and went into the pigs. The herd, about two thousand in number, rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned.


Those tending the pigs ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, and the people went out to see what had happened. When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. Those who had seen it told the people what had happened to the demon-possessed man—and told about the pigs as well. Then the people began to plead with Jesus to leave their region.


As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him. Jesus did not let him, but said, “Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed.


WORDS OF HOPE


At first glance, this scripture seems a little weird. Jesus arrives on the other side of the sea and is confronted by a man who has made his home among the tombs, among the dead. This is his environment and his expectation based of his circumstances and Jesus meets him. Mark says that the man fell to his knees at the sight of Jesus and is confronted by his own question, “What do you want from me?” In the ensuing conversation Jesus offers him freedom from the impure spirits that had tormented him and sends them into surrounding pigs who run off, rushing down a steep bank and into a lake where they are drowned.


Those who witnessed these events, those who saw the impact of Jesus’ encounter with the man were both confused and perhaps frightened, asking Jesus to leave their region. The man is left to witness to his own people just what Jesus had done for him and, with his testimony, the people were amazed.


Of course, as with all Scripture you must be able to contextualize them within the times that they are written. Pigs are not kosher and the book of Deuteronomy states that the Israelites shall not eat their flesh or touch their dead carcass. In their tradition they are unclean, and it is understandable why pigs are used in this miracle.


The bigger story, for me, in this miracle is in the question that the man asks of Jesus, ““What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?” While this is a question from within him, from the “legion”, this is a question that is vital for us all.


We are so often taught a theology of asking God for things. This is not a bad thing. In my daily prayers I often find myself asking God for things, for answers, for other people to be blessed. However, it is less regular that I sit in my own life and ask God to tell me what God wants from me. Is this your story as well?


The more I thought about this today, the more I realized that perhaps, if I spent more time asking God this question, perhaps I would have more clarity for my life and my vocational work.


Believe me, I am grateful to a God who has often rescued me from numerous situations that could lead me on a destructive path or a path that is not beneficial. I am grateful to God who has offered me ways to follow the call that I believe that God has placed in front of me. I am grateful to God who reminds me every day that my everyday actions can make a difference. Today, I am convicted by the question what more can I do for God and what does God want from me.


The conclusion of this story is a testimony to what happens when you are listening to God’s response to our question. For the man in the story, he found wholeness and healing. He found a new life that bore testimony to others, leading them to belief in Jesus.


Friends, our story is a testimony for others and Jesus calls us to live our story – a story that is still evolving and not yet finished. However, this story has an impact and will help others to see your changed life. This is the miracle.


In the words of one of my favorite hymns, Amazing Grace, “I once was lost but now I’m found.”


May we take a moment, amid our asking God for blessings, to also ask God, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?”


PRAYER


God, thank you for your faithfulness toward me, hearing my prayers and responding to my needs. Hear me today, O God, as I ask You – What do you want from me? Amen.


DEVOTION AUTHOR


The Reverend Dr. Neil G. Thomas

Senior Pastor

Pronouns: he/his/him

Need Some Inspiration? Read our Daily Devotions

Wednesday - February 18, 2026

By Hardy Haberman • February 18, 2026
SCRIPTURE  Isaiah 51:1 Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness, you who seek the Lord. Look to the rock from which you were hewn and to the quarry from which you were dug. WORDS OF HOPE Knowing where I came from is important, especially in my faith journey. Isaiah speaks of the “rock from which we were hewn” and in my case I feel that is my history being raised as a Jew. My family were Reform Jews. We didn’t keep Kosher and our brand of Judaism was what we would call Progressive today. My mother was raised Christian and she converted when she married my father. She did her best to become a Jewish Mother, sometimes almost stereotypically so. But, the unique blending of faiths gave me a surprisingly strong foundation to build on. What I tell people now is that since converting to Christianity and joining Cathedral of Hope I have become a better Jew. What I mean is, Jesus was teaching Judaism. He was a Jew. He is often referred to as “rabbi” in scripture if you are looking for proof. Jesus was the first progressive Jew, and that’s why his teachings resonate with me so strongly. As I head into the Lenten season, the ashes on my forehead remind me of the quarry from which I was dug and the dust which someday I will again become. It is not a bad thing to know our impermanence. It reminds us of that which is eternal and something that transcends all divisions and descriptions. PRAYER May we build our faith on a strong foundation and understand that God’s grace will support us in whatever we do. DEVOTION AUTHOR Hardy Haberman

Tuesday - February 17, 2026

By Jonathon McClellan • February 17, 2026
SCRIPTURE Galatians 3.28 There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. WORDS OF HOPE Understanding On this Black History Month, we see a lot of division in our country, but we also are experiencing a time of quest for unity. If humanity is to come together, then it will be with the effort of humble people who try to understand one another. When you try to understand others, those same people will try to understand you. Most friendships that last happen because of the effort that was put into the relationships. Whatever you give is what you eventually get back. Someone who seeks to understand you is that much more likely to get your understanding than someone who shows little interest in your thoughts and feelings. The many who spend their lifetime trying to be understood often never get anywhere because if everyone is speaking at the same time, then there is no one listening. Wanting to be understood is not bad, but if your happiness depends on another’s approval, then what will you do when they criticize you? There are great people who are never understood in their own lifetime, and after they are re-discovered by the next generation, are spoken very highly of. The more you are able to understand others, the more you’ll be able to speak to your generation. Being understanding is not about what you know as much as it is about your attitude. By listening often, you show that you value others and teach others to do the same. It is extremely lonely when no one around you understands you, but it is not something you can force. If you never listen to others, then who will listen to you? Listening is not just about being silent; listening in making an effort to see what the other person is seeing. It does not mean that you must always agree or never have something to say. Instead, show that you care. This may mean that you have to wait a while to be understood, but don’t give up hoping that you will be one day. You may find only one person who truly understands you and you’ll be doing better than some great people who never found anyone who was able to. Always remember, God understands you, and you never have to go far to find God. PRAYER All knowing One, You are not understood by many, and yet, You love us. Help us to be as patient. When we are overlooked and criticized falsely, please remind us of our own worth. Bless You Spirit, because You know who we are. May we feel the love You have for us, and may we be at peace within ourselves. Bless You Jesus, the One who knows what it means to be misunderstood. Amen. DEVOTION AUTHOR  Jonathon McClellan Order of St. Francis and St. Clare

Monday - February 16, 2026

By Thomas Riggs • February 16, 2026
SCRIPTURE  Acts 7:33-34 Then the Lord said to him, ‘Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground. I have indeed seen the oppression of my people in Egypt. I have heard their groaning and have come down to set them free. Now come, I will send you back to Egypt. – WORDS OF HOPE In the seventh chapter of the book of Acts, the disciple known as Stephen is brought before the Sanhedrin and made to testify. For the length of the chapter, Stephen tells God’s story of salvation from Abraham to Joseph to Moses, including Moses encounter with God on Mount Sinai. It’s a familiar story to us, especially if you’ve seen Cecil B. DeMille’s Ten Commandments or sang the song We Are Standing on Holy Ground while holding hands at the end of Cathedral of Hope’s worship service. For Black theologians, the concept of Standing on Holy Ground isn’t necessarily reverential or worshipful. For Howard Thurman, James Cone, and other Black theologians, “standing on holy ground” is not a call to retreat from the world, but it is an awakening to God’s presence in the midst of struggle, suffering, and resistance. God says to Moses that she has seen the oppression of Her people in Egypt. He has heard their groaning. They have come down to set the people free. The burning bush appears while Israel groans under Egypt’s whip. For the disinherited, standing on holy ground means reclaiming dignity when the world says you have none. The ground becomes holy, says Howard Thurman, when a person refuses to accept degradation and listens for the divine underneath the noise of oppression. For James Cone, Black suffering in a racist society is precisely where God speaks and acts. Holy ground is slave quarters, jails, protest marches, and halls where truth is spoken to power. The ground is holy because God shows up where pain is real. It’s where God identifies with the oppressed. I have seen them. I have heard them. I am coming to set them free. In the Black church tradition, holy ground is communal and embodied. And you don’t go tippy-toe on it; you testify on it. Shoes come off to acknowledge that God has already claimed this space. God is already present where liberation is being demanded. In these days where Minnesotans toes are freezing, that ice covered sidewalk is holy ground. Wherever Black men and women have stood before the baton and the dogs, that street is holy ground. The question is this: When and where are we being called to stand in solidarity with God, remove our shoes, and stand on holy ground. PRAYER Holy God, you see the suffering of your people and hear every groan, and you make holy the ground where courage, resistance, and hope take root. Open our eyes to recognize your presence in places of struggle, and give us the courage to stand in solidarity, to remove our shoes, and to refuse the lie that any person lacks dignity. Send us, as you sent Moses, to stand where liberation is needed, to testify to your justice, and to walk with you until all your people are free. Amen. DEVOTION AUTHOR Thomas Riggs

Friday - February 13, 2026

By Rev. Dr. Gary Kindley • February 13, 2026
SCRIPTURE  Mark 12:28-31 One of the scribes came near…and asked Jesus, “Which commandment is the first of all?” Jesus answered, “The first is, ‘Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” WORDS OF HOPE If You Want to Love Others, Love Yourself Very Well Empathy—the ability to understand and to share the feelings of others—is essential to the development of the human condition. Respected anthropologist Margaret Mead knew this. When Dr. Mead was once asked what she considered to be the signs of the beginning of civilization, she pointed to a healed femur, the large thigh bone. It had been uncovered at an ancient archeological site. Someone had broken their femur, which meant certain death. They couldn’t run away from predators, forage for food, or go to water for drink. Someone had to care for them for the many weeks it took the femur to heal. Compassion, empathy, steadfast care are marks of civilization—humanity at its finest. Various spiritual traditions have known that too. For both Judaism and followers of Jesus, the greatest commandment is to love God and to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. The healthy child that has been nurtured and loved has an innate gift of self-love, compassion, strength and empathy. Sometimes, childhood wounds can cause us to shrink under the weight of shame. When we are burdened by childhood experiences of doing wrong or being deeply wounded by others, this weight can be carried well into our adult life. This requires mindful self-compassion. Our intentional focus of healing ourselves through grounding, connection, seeking help, and letting go. When we are consciously caring for ourselves, both physically and emotionally, we strengthen our connection with our Higher Power and with others. From there, empathy, compassion and love can grow and flourish and we become healthier, attractive and more fulfilled human beings. Such work can transform a community, a nation, a world. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. uplifted the identity and value of people of color as equally worthy of respect and dignity. His wisdom was not merely about lifting the lives of black people. Dr. King aimed at liberating society and culture from oppressive beliefs and systems that kept civilization from flourishing. It is an ongoing journey and each of us plays a role we dare not forget. If you want to love God and others, love yourself very well. PRAYER Holy One, may I love myself well enough today so that my self-acceptance spills over to uplift the life of someone I know or meet. May it be so. Amen. DEVOTION AUTHOR Rev. Dr. Gary Kindley, LPC Pastoral Psychotherapist drgk.org

Thursday - February 12, 2026

By Dr. Pat Saxon • February 12, 2026
READING  “We who believe in freedom cannot rest until it comes.” Ella Baker “Justice cannot be attained until those who are not afflicted are as outraged as those who are.” Ella Baker WORDS OF HOPE Born in 1903 in Norfolk, Virginia, Ella Baker is known as the Mother of the Civil Rights Movement.* Her inspiration to stand strong in the face of oppression came early in life hearing the narratives about her maternal grandmother “Bet” Ross who was born into slavery in Halifax, North Carolina. One impactful story was how her grandmother refused to marry the man her slave owner had chosen as her husband, an act of personal integrity and resistance she would pay for with a beating and a sentence of hard labor in the fields. But it did not break her. She could always rally herself to attend to the celebrations at the plantation and dance until the early hours of the morning--evidence that her spirit was unbowed. Her mother set an early example of activism in her work with the Black Baptist Women’s Missionary movement, women who aspired to the values of strength, humility, piety, and selfless service. The values imprinted themselves in Ella and her siblings traveled with her for meetings. In high school and college at Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina, Baker would distinguish herself, graduating as Valedictorian and already engaging in resistance against unjust policies. In a time when the voices and vision of male leaders overshadowed women, she became a power and presence. In the 1920’s she traveled to New York to engage in social justice work and was swept up in the fervent artistic and intellectual life of the Harlem Renaissance. She held offices in the NAACP whose 117 th anniversary we celebrate today, becoming the highest-ranking woman as National Director of Branches, but she felt the organization was too bureaucratic and out of touch with the lives of ordinary black people. Later she helped organize the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) with Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King. After the Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1955, catalyzed by Rosa Parks’ refusal to give up her seat to a white passenger, Baker co-founded In Friendship to help support activism in the South and provide for the needs of those who had been incarcerated in protests. She did not forget “the nameless cooks and maids who walked endless miles for a year to bring about the breach in the walls of segregation.” Throughout her life she dedicated herself to the economic struggles of ordinary people, securing voting rights, nonviolent resistance, and organizing at the grass roots level. Developing young people’s gifts and skills for leadership was another of Baker’s passions. Rather than encouraging the young black college students who had protested segregated lunch counters in Greensboro, NC, to join SCLC, as Rev. Dr. King envisioned, she invited them to a meeting at her alma mater Shaw University, a gathering which would lead to the formation of The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). Such notables as Diane Nash, Marion Barry, and John Lewis were among these next generation leaders and all found her extraordinarily compelling. Howard Zinn, another of the respected elders of SNCC, remembers that one day as protesters were being released from jail, he saw Baker not exercising her rhetorical skills in the media spotlight, but sitting alone at a table, talking to each person, asking What do you need? Do you need a meal? Medical Care? Funds for being off work? In SNCC they spoke of her as Godmother and Fundi, a Swahili term that translates one who passes along skills from one generation to another. In a time when many political leaders are practicing erasure of the past of people of color and LGBT+ folks, let it be an act of resistance that here we resurrect the memory of this remarkable leader of the Civil Rights movement. PRAYER Grandmother, let your voice and vision come to us today, guiding us in the path of justice and non-violent resistance. Amen. DEVOTION AUTHOR Dr. Pat Saxon

Tuesday - February 10, 2026

By Kris Baker • February 10, 2026
READING … Don't speak of love while practicing hate with tools of fear…. Rev. Gerald Dillenbeck WORDS OF HOPE I looked at the prompt for today’s devotion, “All the News That’s Fit to Print Day,” and thought to myself, “Well, this is going to be a very short reflection.” It is easy to make a list of what I consider “news” that is unfit for print; what do I consider print-worthy news? What do I consider “good news”? My thoughts went immediately to the Good News given to us in the Gospels of Jesus. Perhaps the most important good news that Jesus shares is the words of The Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-10), spoken during his Sermon on the Mount. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Shortly after his baptism and temptation in the wilderness, Jesus spoke the words to a crowd, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” These words mark the beginning of his life as a preacher. The Sermon on the Mount, however, is said to be his first sermon. This led me to try to understand the difference between preaching and sermonizing. The two actions are used synonymously by many. Some say, however, that the distinction is that both are persuasive speaking, sermons are specifically delivered by a clergy person in a religious context. I then found an explanation that seemed to clarify things a little more for me. Preaching is intentionally persuasive and plays to our emotions. Sermons, on the other hand, are intended to convey information, facts, without the specific intention of eliciting an emotional response. I don’t know how accurate this distinction is, but it makes sense to me as to why Jesus’s words in Matthew 5 are called a sermon. They are informative words that Jesus is imparting to the crowd. They are the good news, the news worth printing. In these words of the Sermon on The Mount, or The Beatitudes, Jesus makes eight statements. He doesn’t use “scare tactics.” Jesus doesn’t speak of consequences. He simply makes eight statements. As we read them today, they are eight powerful statements, eight powerful statements that, if you think about it, are the sum of all of Jesus’s teaching throughout his ministry. Would the world perhaps feel a little more gentle and a little more hopeful if those who support public display of the Ten Commandments instead wanted to display, and more importantly to believe and live by, Jesus’s words from the Sermon on the Mount? PRAYER Dear God, let us give thanks for all those who were and are living examples of Jesus’s words and teaching, those who exemplify peace, pureness of heart, those who show mercy and a hunger for righteousness, those who mourn, those whose resilience rises as meekness. Today we remember with gratitude especially Richard Allen, Absalom Jones, James Varick, Harriet Tubman, Booker T. Washington, Mary McLeod Bethune, Marion Anderson, Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, Jr., Ruby Bridges, Fannie Lou Hamer, Barack Obama and all those brothers and sisters of color whose lives have made our world a better place for all of us. Amen. DEVOTION AUTHOR  Kris Baker Order of St. Francis and St. Clare
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