Daily Devotions

SCRIPTURE  I John 3:10-11 This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child, nor is anyone who does not love their brother and sister. For this is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another. WORDS OF HOPE “I no longer listen to what people say” wrote Winston Churchill, “I just watch what they do. Behavior never lies.” “Don’t listen to what people say” writes Doris Gottlieb, “Watch where their feet are going.” “Don’t listen to what they say…watch what they do!” says Rachel Maddow regularly on her TV show. We are in an era of instant and constant communications, where social media makes room for everyone’s thoughts and dozens of forms of media create space for persons of all types to opine. Unless one precipitously and intentionally uses the OFF button on their phones, computers, televisions, streaming services, podcasts, and satellite radios, we are inundated with the thoughts and ideas of thousands of voices. Ironically, you’re listening to or reading another one of those voices right now. Long before mass communication, when ideas and thoughts were readily shared by masses of people, the apostle John knew something that would serve us well now. You can tell the difference between those who mean you well and those who mean you harm. You can discern who is a “child of God” and who is a “child of the devil” by a simple means. Watch what they do. If what they do reflects love, they are a child of God. John goes on to say in verse 16 - This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. This is our calling as the children of God. This is our urgent mission as the family known as Cathedral of Hope. Our calling is to reflect love. Our mission is to lay down or lives for others. It’s to love the unlovable, perhaps even those who would do us harm or to deny us as loving children of God. Our purpose is to do speak the words AND to do the actions. An unbelieving world, overwhelmed with messages of hate and fear, is watching us feed the hungry, lift up those excluded, educate children, and sing for joy. They’re watching us lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. And they know that we are Christians by our love. PRAYER Loving God, I pray that I would be a worthy ambassador for Christ, reflecting His love and truth to all I meet. May I rest in Your love, walk in the truth of Your Word, and finish the work You have for me on the earth before You call me home. In Jesus' name, AMEN. DEVOTION AUTHOR Thomas Riggs

SCRIPTURE John 21.4-5 Early the next morning Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize who he was. Jesus shouted, “Friends, have you caught anything?” WORDS OF HOPE During the Season we call Eastertide, that 40-day period following Resurrection Sunday, Jesus’ disciples could never predict when they might expect to encounter the Risen Christ. They were acutely aware that God was walking among them, but sometimes failed to recognize him, this miracle man who had been born once in a stable and “born again” out of a tomb to his true identity. Jesus no longer had the need to caution his followers to refrain from revealing some of his mysteries to the general public who had not been ready to understand his true nature. Today, we can relate the story of Superman to Jesus’ practice of emphasizing his human nature over his divine nature. After all, Clark Kent is a disguise; KAL-EL's / Superman's alter ego hides himself from the rest of the world aside from a handful of a few of his closest friends, but his super-human abilities are not diminished in the process. How many of us can relate to disguising ourselves to friends and loved ones, even temporarily, as we grow into the comfort of becoming our true selves? Perhaps you are among those who must not speak your truth, in order to not endanger the ones you love, or perhaps in fear of losing your job or other kind of status. Who can blame you? Our world is unstable at times. Persecution exists, and some people seem to make it their business to out others or, sadly, use it as leverage. We live in a divided society on so many levels that we question our safety constantly. We'd like to think we're relatively safe. At this stage of my life, I can't imagine the uncertainty of revealing myself at the cost of losing my life or family. Although it doesn't define all of me, my religion, sexual orientation, friendships, relationships, political views, hobbies, and so on, are a big part of what I'd like to feel as safe enough to share. But we all know the truth. Our nation has been empowered by unpredictable new prejudices and bigotry Over the last several years. I'm sure new ones are around the corner. So much of the news furthers the empowerment of these views with sensational reporting. It's not that we need to ignore the news, but rather the emotional charge that comes with over-concern. One of those ways in which I manage my doubts and fears comes to me when I compare my life to that of the original followers of Christ, who could lose their lives through the accepted acts of government violence of the day. The comparison doesn't remove the modern threats or diminish the need for justice for those who are persecuted. But we must find ways to react appropriately while living a close-to-normal productive life. In this Season, in your resurrected life, do you manage your day with news of violence against humanity? What are the coping skills in which you have come to manage your world so that you can bring hope to others? What is your true identity? PRAYER God, help us find ways to buffer hatred and violence by practicing authentic justice, perhaps by peaceful, non-violent protest, or simply by learning to love our neighbor. May we discover ways to educate our neighbors and forgive the fear in them that manifests itself in hate. Amen DEVOTION AUTHOR Charlie C. Rose Order of St. Francis and St. Clare