Today’s message was written by the founder of Dial Hope, the Rev. Roger Kunkel

Friend of Dial Hope, I have a small calculator on my desk which I use to figure out my finances and store personal data for ready reference. It’s amazing how much information can be typed into the memory factors of this mechanical brain. On the left side of the keyboard is a powerful button. It is called the clear button. When I make a mistake, a touch of the clear button and it is eliminated immediately. Each time I use this calculator I am reminded of how much it’s like the brain. It has the capacity to store good and bad memories. How often I wish I had a clear button to press to immediately correct my mistakes, or that I had the capacity to bring up old memories that disturb me and have them taken away, never to be thought about again. Then, as I contemplate how wonderful that would be, I am reminded how the Lord has built into us a “clear” button. It’s called forgiveness. When we accept his forgiveness, we can forgive ourselves, and then, out of the assurance of that grace, forgive others. Today, friend of Dial Hope, press the forgiveness button – now! 

Let us pray: Into the clutter of our everyday lives, O Lord, you come with your heavenly order: into the weakness, you come with your strength; into the sin, you come with your holiness. Give us the grace to receive you now, to open the doors of our beings and invite you in, not just over the threshold but into the innermost parts, the upper rooms and lower rooms, the nooks and crannies, and closets. Dwell in us, O Lord, that we may glow this day with your light and pulsate with your presence. Help us to make this day a masterpiece as we rejoice in hope, in Jesus’ name. Amen. 

Pastor James DeLoach tells a story about an old photo that made a tremendous impression on him. It was a picture of a burned-out mountain shack. All that remained was the chimney, the charred debris of what had been that family’s sole possession. In the foreground stood an older grandfatherly-looking man dressed only in his underclothes. Next to him was a small boy clutching a pair of patched overalls. It was evident that the child was crying. Beneath the picture were the words which the artist felt the old man was speaking to the boy. They were simple words, “Hush child, God ain’t dead!”

The pastor wrote, “That vivid picture of that burned-out mountain shack, that old man, the weeping child, and those words, “God ain’t dead” keep returning to my mind. Instead of it being a reminder of the despair of life, it has come to be a reminder of hope. I need reminders that there is hope in the world. In the midst of all of life’s troubles and failures, I need mental pictures to remind me that all is not lost as long as God is alive.”

I think we all need reminders that there is hope in this world. Yet, I would take this pastor’s reflections a step further. Whether it is an act of generosity, a simple smile, or a kind word at the right time, I believe God often uses us to be that hope for each other and for the world.

Let us pray: Yours is the earth and all that is in it; the world and those who live in it. We thank you, gracious God, for the gift of a smile, for the laughter of a child, for the touch of a friend. We thank you for the reminders of life, great and small; and for the wonderful joy that comes from sharing. Give us the courage and strength that we need to reach out to others that our lives might be a catalyst of hope, through Jesus Christ. Amen. 

Today’s message was written by my friend, Rev. Roger Kunkel, founder of Dial Hope.

Today I want to focus on this passage from Galatians 2:20: “It is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me.”

Helen Keller dedicated one of her books: “To Anne Sullivan, whose love is the story of my life.” How many of us would say that of someone who made the greatest difference in life for us? Someone’s love is the story of every life that finds itself in the way God intended that it should. How many might say the same of Jesus Christ! His love is the story of their lives. No day passes that they do not give thanks for him who loved them and gave himself for them. Christ’s love is the story of the best we have ever been or done.

Let us pray. Compassionate God, thank you for your unconditional love through the gift of your son, Jesus, who has made all the difference. Help us today to make a difference by leaving heart prints of love, gentle kindness, and hope. Touch us. Heal us. Transform our sadness, our grief into joy. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Last week we reflected on this passage by the prophet Jeremiah, “Stand at the crossroads and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way lies, and walk in it. And find rest for your souls.” (6:16)

So there is a call to reflection: stand, look and ask…. And then action: walk… and find.

Reflection. And, action. Because a deeper faith, an inner reserve, the peace and light that we crave and that the world craves… It’s not just handed to us, is it? It requires something of us…

What does it require of us?

It requires us to take the journey of faith…to walk the path. It requires us to ask the tough questions, engage in the spiritual practices, see what works and what doesn’t, to have a critical conversation with our traditions.

I know some of you practice meditation. I love the analogy used by Thich Nhat Hanh who makes the analogy: it’s like a glass of apple juice – real apple juice freshly squeezed with pulp in it. When you pour it, it’s all murky. But if you pour the glass and set it on the counter for 20 minutes, the pulp settles to the bottom and it becomes clear. And that’s what happens to your mind when you sit for 20 minutes. You get this clarity. You begin to see what’s going on inside…

Another way of looking at it might be like this: Imagine the surface of the ocean is all restless, with waves crashing, and then you slip down deep below the surface, where it’s still and peaceful…

But meditation is not for everyone. I know some of you journal. Others of you set aside time every day for prayer… For others, it is critical study of the scriptures. And maybe for others of you, it’s intentionally watching the twilight come over the river each evening. And for others of you, it’s more hands-on. It’s in the very midst of helping others, that God’s presence becomes real.

We are at a time when there is just incredible division in our culture. We are at a time when there is an immense need in our neighborhoods, our communities, in our families. There is so much need right here in this room. And sometimes it feels overwhelming. But I’m more and more aware that the one gift we all can offer if we are willing to go deeper, to walk the ancient paths, is the gift of our inner peace and wellbeing, the groundedness which is the well-spring of compassion and generosity and grace which the world so desperately needs.

Let us pray: Loving God, we know that we can’t give what we don’t first have. Help us to draw deep from the great wells of refreshment and healing that our tradition offers. Fill us with your light. Heal us and renew us that we might be channels of your peace. Amen.

A number of years ago now, there was an article in the newspaper about the burial of one of the Boston Marathon’s terrorists. Apparently, authorities had an extremely difficult time finding a location to bury this man. No one would accept the body. A woman named Martha Mullen heard about the dilemma and worked hard to find a burial plot for this man. When she was asked why she would ever do something so kind for this horrible person, her reply was simple: “Jesus told us to love our enemies.”

What a beautiful witness to Jesus’ teaching. 

Jesus did not teach us to join or condone our enemy’s actions. No. But he did say we are to love them. Hate has a way of making the world a little uglier, and it corrodes the soul. But love… love reflects the beauty and nature of Almighty God. 

At the very heart and center of the Gospel are God’s love and forgiveness. When our hearts are open enough to receive and share these gifts, we can be sure we are near to the heart of God. 

Let us pray: Loving God, it is so very difficult to love our enemies. We don’t want to condone terrible acts of violence and hate. But we also know how our own hatred only hardens the soul and darkens the world. Open us again to your undeserved grace, forgiveness, and love. May we recognize these gifts that you have so graciously given to us, and may they be ours to share with this world that is so desperately in need. We ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.