Wednesday - January 31, 2024

SCRIPTURE Psalm 25:1-5 (New English Translation) O LORD, I come before you in prayer. My God, I trust in you. Please do not let me be humiliated; do not let my enemies triumphantly rejoice over me. Certainly none who rely on you will be humiliated. Those who deal in treachery will be thwarted and humiliated. Make me understand your ways, O LORD. Teach me your paths. Guide me into your truth and teach me. For you are the God who delivers me; on you I rely all day long. WORDS OF HOPE “Which One Are You?” It was simply a loving mother and her teenage daughter who were taking a drive to the big city, but it was a trip that would be life changing. They lived in a small, East Texas town, and were driving to Dallas so that the daughter could participate in a group for transgender youth sponsored by Resource Center Dallas. The Resource Center supports LGBTQIA+ people with safe places, friendly faces, supportive programs, healthcare, and housing. The daughter was transgender. Transgender persons are our neighbors, siblings, teachers, athletes, first responders, clergy, physicians, soldiers, artists, laborers and other everyday people whose physical gender differs from their own gender identity and experience. They live, laugh, dream and cry as do most any human. And like most human beings, they long for acceptance, understanding, respect, and to be treated equally and fairly. Bullies and closed-minded people are their greatest threat. Rev. Dr. Walter Brueggemann was a beloved pastor, esteemed Bible scholar, prolific author, and a prophetic voice. He wrote the devotional book, “Celebrating Abundance,” that we read for Advent last year here at Cathedral of Hope. In it he quoted from Psalm 25 and observed that there are three kinds of people: Those who know too much. Those who expect nothing. And those who know what to expect but do not know when. Those who know too much are consumed with shaping the world in their preferred image. For them, things should be according to their narrow norm and in compliance with their religious beliefs. Anyone who looks, thinks, behaves or believes differently than their definition of “normal” is to be stifled, suppressed or, better yet, considered invisible and eliminated. Brueggemann writes: “They know too much and reduce God’s freedom to the timetable of their ideology.” [p. 36] Those who expect nothing are comfortable in their own ideas and affluence. They do not expect the Gospel to be made real and are simply annoyed by those spouting timetables or rigid expectations and requirements for salvation. Then there are those who know what to expect but do not know when. They know from the teachings of Jesus that love of neighbor is the core of the Gospel, and apart from that we cannot truly love God or follow in the path of Christ to bring about a just society (the realm of God). They know this is true, but don’t know when it will be realized. So, this Advent, we live and act with the abundance of God’s Grace, the mercy of God’s love, and the hopeful expectancy that Christ brought into the world. Christmas is coming and it is more than a day to be celebrated, but a reality to model and live into for all the world to see. PRAYER Come, Holy Spirit, and so touch the hearts and lives of both doubters and believers that justice may roll down like waters, and abundant grace might wash away our scarcity of thinking, living, loving and sharing. Amen. DEVOTION AUTHOR Rev. Dr. Gary Kindley Pastoral Psychotherapist drgk.org

READING “Let every heart prepare him room.” (“Joy to the World”)  WORDS OF HOPE When someone dear, someone treasured is coming to visit, excitement leaps in my chest. Memories come unbidden--of times we’ve spent showered in nature’s glory, leaning into intimate conversation and laughter across meals or on road trips or settled into couches while stroking well-loved animals, memories too of faithful companionship in sickness and loss. Waves of gratitude wash the shores of my heart. I stock the fridge with food and clean the house, though anyone who knows me is used to being “rolled” for dog hair before leaving. The scent of balsam and cedar fill the air and bright flowers rest in small vases on bedside tables. Now the waiting begins. The tender- hearted waiting. So how can we prepare—especially in this season of frenzied activity-- for the most treasured guest of all, for the Christ who is born in us? The line from “Joy to the World” gives one direction: Let every heart prepare him room. Thomas Merton would invite us into a contemplative spiritual practice which includes solitude and silence, a “prayer of silence, simplicity, contemplative and meditative unity, a deep personal integration in an attentive, watchful listening of the heart.” In a world where we are deluged by words and images, it can be unsettling at first to release our dependence on this input, but, ultimately, it clears the way for the voice of Love. According to Archbishop Oscar Romero (may his memory be a blessing), a certain kind of inner disposition opens us to Advent birth: to experience our poverty, our need and longing for God. If we are so full—of ourselves and/or the world’s privilege—it is difficult to acknowledge our need and therefore make room for Christ. Isolating self-sufficiency, vanity, and pride all inhibit the holy growth.* Perhaps the simplest way of all to prepare him room is to earnestly call out to him, cry out for him--as people have done for centuries: Come, Lord Jesus, Come—or to sing O Come, O Come, Emmanuel. This spiritual “pedagogy” allows us to slow down enough to ponder what is really important and to settle into who deep down we are called to be—the divine Christ-self to be offered in service to the world. PRAYER God of Advent, make our hearts your Bethlehem. DEVOTION AUTHOR Dr Pat Saxon *(From Romero’s homily for his Advent Mass, December, 1978)

SCRIPTURE  Luke 1.75-79 And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the Lord to prepare God’s ways, to give the people knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of their sins. Because of the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us, to shine upon those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace. WORDS OF HOPE These days, there are multiple passionate reviews, both pro and con, being exchanged about the two-part movie version of the Broadway musical, Wicked. Either way, the story takes us to a place beyond ourselves, visiting another incarnation of the marvelous Land of Oz. I think today’s reading from Luke’s Gospel does the same thing. It is classic lyric material that would be an excellent beginning of a classic Broadway musical. These intro lyrics climax with the all-time hit, the Song of Mary (Luke 1:46-55) as she rejoices about the Advent of her own Holy son, followed by the spectacular refrain of glory from the heavenly host (1:14), and reinforced by the Song of Simeon, that declaration of prophesy fulfilled in the infant Jesus (1:29-32). We’ve heard the Overture in the first Chapter of Luke. In his foreshadowing, the priest Zechariah’s solo praises the imminent birth of the Prophet who will introduce Mary’s son to the world. The Prophet will be Zechariah’s and Elizabeth’s own miracle child: John the Baptist. The operetta’s atmospheric theme is the unconditional love the Creator is about to visit upon the earth through the coming of the Christ, the Redeemer of All. In the 1939 movie on which Wicked is based, as the Wizard of Oz is about to present the testimonial heart to the Tin Man, he defines unconditional love as the work of “Good-deed-doers” an attribute the Tin Man has consistently modeled throughout Dorothy’s perils. Luke’s opus, as do most of the greatest of musicals, teaches us a good lesson and makes us want to be like the story’s most positive characters. Like the Oz epic, do we want to be the Tin Man and his two unique companions who were willing to give their lives to save Dorothy? Are we good deed doers? If we read and meditate on today’s words of Luke, contemplating the “tender mercy of our God”, how can we resist humming Luke’s lyrics by following the example of Jesus, especially in the upcoming season? There is a capacity crowd of our neighbors out there in the real world desperate for good deeds. Our unconditional love in practice can be our joyful overture to their world. PRAYER God of Grace, may we be generous good deed doers of your tender mercy and guides along your winding road to peace. Amen DEVOTION AUTHOR Dan Peeler Order of St. Francis and St. Clare

SCRIPTURE Romans 15.14-21 I, myself, am convinced, my brothers and sisters, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with knowledge and competent to instruct one another. Yet I have written you quite boldly on some points to remind you of them again, because of the grace God gave me to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles. He gave me the priestly duty of proclaiming the gospel of God, so that the Gentiles might become an offering acceptable to God, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.  Therefore, I glory in Christ Jesus in my service to God. I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in leading the Gentiles to obey God by what I have said and done— by the power of signs and wonders, through the power of the Spirit of God. So, from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum, I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ. It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else’s foundation. Rather, as it is written: “Those who were not told about him will see, and those who have not heard will understand.” WORDS OF HOPE We’ve all gotten those emails or seen a social media post where we have read some meaning or attitude into them that may not have been intended by the writer. It is sometimes hard to translate words delivered to us in a two-dimensional inanimate form into words that are being spoken from the heart and soul of a feeling human being. Sometimes when I read the words of the apostle Paul, I interpret them as being somewhat boastful …”Yet I have written you quite boldly on some points to remind you of them again…, He gave me the priestly duty of proclaiming the gospel of God.” Why does he think I need to be reminded? And doesn’t each of us who claims to be a Christian have the duty to proclaim the gospel of God? I often wonder how I would respond if I encountered Paul on the street today. And how would he interact with me and other people he’d meet? My trigger response to the above passage comes from my error in reading first century words from a twenty-first century mindset. Today there are all kinds of people out there proclaiming that they have been given THE priestly duty of proclaiming the Gospel and wanting us to believe them to be speaking and doing the work of Jesus while, in reality, only glorifying themselves—not God. Such behavior elicits an immediate negative reaction in me. I have to step back and remind myself that Paul was not like those today that treat their faith as a superficial accessory. He truly believed that everything he was doing was in the service of God. Paul was a successful evangelist, spreading Christianity to the Gentiles and building churches throughout the Roman Empire. He went about his mission with a rare kind of humility. Paul was genuine. Though he lived nearly two centuries ago, Paul’s words and actions are still relevant and serve as an example for us now. As an apostle, Paul was dedicated entirely to a life of service and hard work. In everything he did, Paul strived to reflect his faith through acts of humility and love. This is what we each need to do as well. We too have a duty to proclaim the gospel of Christ throughout our daily lives. When we read the words of Paul in their New Testament, it is important for us to think about the time and place in which they were written. What was their meaning and intent to the original audience? Then, we can think about what their meaning and application are to our daily life. PRAYER Gracious God, help me to see and appreciate your servants who have come before me. May I learn from them to be a faithful example of your peace, hope, joy and love. Amen DEVOTION AUTHOR Kris Baker Order of St. Francis and St. Clare

SCRIPTURE  Ephesians 1:5 He predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will. WORDS OF HOPE Did you celebrate Nation Adoption Day Nov 21, 2025? I was lucky enough to get to celebrate in the most amazing way! There were 22 family members & three firefighters and one lucky baby and a very nice Judge in Tarrant County Court. My granddaughter and her husband have been doing foster parenting for the last couple of years. They had one baby girl for over a year, but her parents did the required things to qualify to regain custody. They also did a rescue foster for another little girl. And then came the call of a "Baby Moses" baby! A tiny baby was left at a fire department! There is no penalty for someone surrendering a child to a fire department! They will secure necessary medical help and alert the necessary authorities to find a new home for the child. Our baby was so tiny she needed immediate treatment at a Neo Natal ICU where she was treated until she was stable! My granddaughter and her husband were spending time bonding with her during her time there! And when her weight reached the magic numbers, they took her with them to their loving home! And everything was done to make her their child. Tarrant County had Disney Princesses and Bluey and even Glinda and Elphaba in attendance for us and other families receiving adoption on this wonderful day. God has been in the process all this time. My granddaughter and her husband were confident that God had a child for them and tried to follow God and trust in God's timing even when the answer to their prayer had been "not now!" They will go back to Foster Parenting children in a few months and see where else God leads them. And I am blessed to be Great Grandmommy to this bundle of joy! God has blessed our whole family. Being Foster Parents is a wonderful, but challenging calling. I adopted my son. I was a Foster Parent two times to young boys when my own daughters were very young. And I was also involved in care of children when I managed two different Boys' Ranches many years ago! I have many friends who are blessed to be adopted. God creates families in many ways. I am thankful for all of them. PRAYER God of all creation, I thank you for Foster Parents, Adoption Parents and the gift of being a parent, a grandmommy and a great grandmommy. I am thankful to you for being my heavenly Parent! DEVOTION AUTHOR Jan Nunn CoH Volunteer