Get in touch
214-351-1901
info@cathedralofhope.com
5910 Cedar Springs Road | Dallas, TX 75235
Local: 214-351-1901
Daily Devotions
The Cathedral of Hope Devotion Ministry began as an answer to Progressive Christians who wanted to start their days with a little insight, observation, or wisdom about the Christian faith from their own point of view. Conservative internet devotions were abundant, but there was not much out there for liberal thinkers. The need was clear.
Being a large church, we had a generous amount of writing talent available and also a large number of congregants with theological training who were not on the pulpit. In the early days of the ministry, most of the writing was done by the clergy, but gradually the majority of the writers emerged from those lay volunteers.
That dynamic is still in place as new authors are always joining in to keep the ideas fresh. It’s a fitting structure for any center of progressive thought. This particular Body of Christ has many voices and each one has a unique and important story to tell.
SCRIPTURE Jeremiah 29.12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. WORDS OF HOPE On the National Day of Prayer Since 1952, the National Day of Prayer has been officially held on the first Thursday of May, inviting us to pray for the nation in accordance with our own religious traditions, although it was Judeo-Christian in its origins. Its roots were planted in 1775 when the first Continental Congress called for a National Day of Prayer. In 1808, Thomas Jefferson, who was instrumental in the establish of the majority of this country’s founding documents, said, "Fasting and prayer are religious exercises; the enjoining them an act of discipline. Every religious society has a right to determine for itself the time for these exercises, and the objects proper for them, according to their own particular tenets.” Jefferson, who was not a Christian in the formal sense of his day, was a follower of the teachings of Jesus regarding God’s unconditional love for all and was an aggressive opponent of our government ever imposing a National Religion on its citizens. He said, “I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should 'make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,' thus building a wall of separation between Church & State." That’s why it’s important to remember that today, those of us who practice prayer and meditation, in any religious tradition, or personal belief, are encouraged to unite in centering that energy regarding the spiritual health of our nation. It is by no means Nationalism Day of Prayer, which is defined as identification with our own nation’s interest to the exclusion or detriment of all other nations. It is not a day for imposing and requiring one particular belief system’s doctrines on the whole nation to the exclusion of all others. It is simply, and powerfully, a day of prayer, accomplished by whatever means each of us honors and defines that tradition. For those of us who include times of prayer in our daily lives, today may not be that different than many others. But it’s a good day to channel that positive energy, combining it with the hearts and minds of our sisters and brothers of all the faiths and philosophies that are practiced freely in our Nation. PRAYER Thank you for the wisdom of our founders who protected our freedom to worship from all other freedoms enumerated in our Nation’s Constitution. May we reflect that wisdom as we pray today for your tolerance and inclusive love to be understood and practiced by all. DEVOTION AUTHOR Dan Peeler Order of St. Francis and St. Clare
Send us a Message
Have a question?We’re here to help. Send us a message and we’ll be in touch.
Words of Hope Podcast
SCRIPTURE Jeremiah 29.12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. WORDS OF HOPE On the National Day of Prayer Since 1952, the National Day of Prayer has been officially held on the first Thursday of May, inviting us to pray for the nation in accordance with our own religious traditions, although it was Judeo-Christian in its origins. Its roots were planted in 1775 when the first Continental Congress called for a National Day of Prayer. In 1808, Thomas Jefferson, who was instrumental in the establish of the majority of this country’s founding documents, said, "Fasting and prayer are religious exercises; the enjoining them an act of discipline. Every religious society has a right to determine for itself the time for these exercises, and the objects proper for them, according to their own particular tenets.” Jefferson, who was not a Christian in the formal sense of his day, was a follower of the teachings of Jesus regarding God’s unconditional love for all and was an aggressive opponent of our government ever imposing a National Religion on its citizens. He said, “I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should 'make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,' thus building a wall of separation between Church & State." That’s why it’s important to remember that today, those of us who practice prayer and meditation, in any religious tradition, or personal belief, are encouraged to unite in centering that energy regarding the spiritual health of our nation. It is by no means Nationalism Day of Prayer, which is defined as identification with our own nation’s interest to the exclusion or detriment of all other nations. It is not a day for imposing and requiring one particular belief system’s doctrines on the whole nation to the exclusion of all others. It is simply, and powerfully, a day of prayer, accomplished by whatever means each of us honors and defines that tradition. For those of us who include times of prayer in our daily lives, today may not be that different than many others. But it’s a good day to channel that positive energy, combining it with the hearts and minds of our sisters and brothers of all the faiths and philosophies that are practiced freely in our Nation. PRAYER Thank you for the wisdom of our founders who protected our freedom to worship from all other freedoms enumerated in our Nation’s Constitution. May we reflect that wisdom as we pray today for your tolerance and inclusive love to be understood and practiced by all. DEVOTION AUTHOR Dan Peeler Order of St. Francis and St. Clare
SCR IPTURE John 14:22-24 Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, “Lord, how is it that you will reveal yourself to us and not to the world?” Jesus answered him, “Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words, and the word that you hear is not mine but is from the Father who sent me.” WORDS OF HOPE This passage paints a very different vision than the one often pictured by some hymns and sermons. It implies that Jesus’ return will be through his followers. Those who keep his word. No mention of people flying into the air or Jesus floating on a cloud. He states that his home will be with those who love him. Later, in another verse he states that the Holy Spirit will remind his followers of what he said. To me this passage and the ones that follow let me know that if I am expecting Jesus to appear again and rescue the world from its troubles, I am missing the message. His words can live within me, and I can go out into the world and change it for the better. The Gospel of John is filed with mystic signs and miracles, yet this simple passage gives a direct answer to the question of “When will we see Jesus again?” If we keep his word and continue his mission, we will see Jesus in each person we touch. It is our job to reveal Jesus in our words and deeds. PRAYER Great mystery, I give thanks for the life and words of Jesus who brought clarity and simplicity to your message. May I seek to live out those words each precious day of my life. Amen DEVOTION AUTHOR Hardy Haberman
SCRIPTUR E Job 12.7-10 And, “You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of your hands. WORDS OF HOPE For years, we looked forward to the completion of the James Webb Telescope. Finally, that has come to pass, and the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) or just Webb , is already sending us some spectacular images that allows us to look billions of years into the past. The idea in building the Webb’s predecessor, the Hubble Telescope, was to look further and deeper into space so that we can begin to learn the origin of everything. With the Webb, we’re movin’ now! I believe we are on the brink of discovering something thrilling, life-changing, and truths that will no doubt rock our individual core beliefs. Yike! Please don’t take my blanket away while I’m sleeping in my own beliefs. I’m so happy and content with familiar, manufactured conceptions and suspicions about the world I live in! My sense of security mostly comes from the world in my head which I have created for myself. Do you do that? I’m an artist co-creating my world and existence both with and without my external surroundings. I have the same thinking tools common to all of us, gifted from the source we call the Creator, the God of many names, who is to some the security construct manufactured by us, to others the eternal ground of being in spite of our beliefs. I personally believe that God created us to share in the delight of the Creation. The images we have seen from space so far are giving us just a hint of how much greater that Creation is than we could ever have dreamed. The lesson here to me is that we should never be afraid to dream bigger. Definitely things to ponder, right? What do you think? Do you want to see our destiny in a big telescope? In your own mind? What do you want to see? What do you want to avoid? What truth do you want the Eternal God of the Universe to reveal to you? PRAYER Thanks be to God, we have now seen billions of years into the past. May we be brave enough to take the next step to open pandora’s box; open enough to allow the hidden secrets of the Universe to inform us, so that we may build a better future for all. Amen DEVOTION AUTHOR Charlie C. Rose Order of St. Francis and St. Clare
Useful Links
Cathedral of Hope
Proclaiming Christ Through Faith, Hope and Love
5910 Cedar Springs Road | Dallas, TX | 75235
214-351-1901
info@cathedralofhope.com