Daily Devotions and Podcasts

SCRIPTURE  Acts 5:14-15 And more than ever believers were added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women, so that they even carried out the sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and pallets, that as Peter came by at least his shadow might fall on some of them. WORDS OF HOPE Buried within this story from Acts chapter five is a quiet, extraordinary beauty—a hidden gem of Scripture that invites us to pause, reflect, and discover the deeper wonders often overlooked. The stories of ‘signs and wonders’ being done had made Peter and the other apostles popular among the people. The positivity of their ministry and their miraculous acts not only made them visible but brought others into their community of believers. And so moved by the stories and rumors of healing, people carried out their loved ones to the street, hoping that Peter’s mere shadow would pass over them. In Hebrew thought, the “shadow” can represent the presence of someone powerful and sacred. Just as touching a high priest’s robe or other objects could mediate God’s blessing, so too the shadow symbolized an indirect contact with holiness and healing. Such extraordinary faith in the blessings passed down through human agents gave hope and healing in a hopeless and sick world. The apostles, being the conduits of God’s blessings, confirmed that the message of Jesus was true. It was the combination of God’s power and the faith of the people that brought such blessing to ones who so desperately needed it. All from a mere shadow. As you hear and digest this hidden truth, think about the people around you and even the chance people whom you will pass along the way. People and situations that so much need a shadow to pass by. Just as Peter’s shadow was a conduit for God, our very lives, actions, and witness can channel God’s blessings to others when aligned with Him. A person known to me refuses to let their feet hit the floor before they are done praying for the loved ones in their lives and for the places in which they will find themselves that day. Then, they move gracefully through the day, being ever more keenly aware of how their ‘shadow’ is bringing love, peace, healing, and blessing. How can our shadows bring healing this day? How can we be a channel of blessing today? PRAYER Lord, May our lives, like the Apostles’ shadows, carry Your presence, healing, and blessing to those around us. Help us walk today with faith, bringing comfort, hope, and Your love in every step. Amen. DEVOTION AUTHOR Thomas Riggs

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