All in the Temple Cry Glory
Joe Albright

All in the Temple Cry Glory

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Psalm 29 is a hymn of praise. I invite you to take a few moments today to read it.

Reflecting on this psalm, scholar Eugene Peterson wrote:

“…the imagination of this praying poet takes off: the voice of the Lord splits huge trees into kindling for bonfires and turns immense mountains into a carnival of dancing animals… We [find ourselves] in a world of play to the glory of God, in the beauty of holiness… oceans roaring, mountains playing, lightning flashing, wilderness skipping and tumbling, oak forests dancing… Every time God speaks, there is more life. The energy and exuberance in place and people accumulate, and then we hear them: in his temple all cry, ‘Glory!’”

Peterson continues, “If our eyes and ears are open, this is going on all the time. Mostly all we need to do is look and listen, touch and taste.”

I think about those moments that I’ve had—and I know you’ve had—when we realize there is far more to life than mere survival. There is far more going on in the world than first meets the eye. It might be on a mountaintop, at the birth of a child, in the loss of a loved one, or during a stirring piece of music—we catch glimpses of the intricate connections between everything we see and everything we can’t see. We get these hints of transcendence, these perceptions that there is more happening here than we can account for.

If our hearts are open, these moments have something to teach us; they allow our perspectives to widen. And it’s almost as if they compel us to respond.

All in the temple cry: Glory!

This psalm calls us—invites us—to stop and sit in awe and wonder; to marvel at the beauty and wonder of the gifts God has given us; to notice the holy and the sacred in the everyday, and to respond with open hearts and our deepest praise.

Let us pray: Ever-Creating God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—when we consider our place in this vast universe, it is humbling. When we begin to imagine the details of DNA, or the nuclear reactions needed to birth a star, or the delicacies of a blooming flower, it gives us perspective and pause. Thank you for your magnificent creation—and for creating us along with all that is. Above all, we thank you for the love and compassion you have for us, through Jesus Christ. Amen.

What Are You For?
Joe Albright

What Are You For?

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Friend of Dial Hope, one of the common mistakes in religion is made by people who try to live on negatives, people who are whiners. They are against that but do not seem to be emphatically for something of their own allegiance. They can tell you with deep emotion what they are against, but if you ask them what they are really for, they have no clear answers. To be a Christian is not to be against things; we must be positive in our faith and action. We must be filled with joy and hope. We must be for Christ and his truth and his way of life. Life is never boring, never ho-hum…it is always TA-DA! 

Oliver Wendell Holmes once said, “I find the great thing in this world is not so much where we stand, as in what direction we are moving! To reach the port of heaven we must sail sometimes with the wind and sometimes against it – but we must sail, not drift, nor lie at anchor.” 

In the New Testament, Paul wrote in Il Corinthians, Chapter 1:20, “For in Jesus Christ, every one of God’s promises is a YES.” 

Let us pray: O God of china-blue skies and dazzling sunrises, we thank you that this day is filled with promise and possibility. Grant us boldness to move beyond security to the risk of faith, the joy of service, the laughter of love. So often we are like Jonah. We hear your call, then resist your Word, running from you as far as we can. We think that you cannot possibly use us. But we forget that where we see no way, you can create one; that when you call someone, you also provide gifts of service. Forgive our resistance and excuses. Enable each of us to see where our call lies, and to serve you with contagious enthusiasm, spontaneous emotion, and unrestrained joy. Reshape our hearts until every fiber within us yearns to do your will. Through the grace of Jesus.

Heaven on Earth
Joe Albright

Heaven on Earth

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There’s an old story about a young woman about to get married. She is sitting with her mother and says, “I can’t marry him, Mother. He’s an atheist and he doesn’t believe there is a hell.” Her mother replied, “That’s all right, dear. Marry him, and between the two of us, I’m sure we can convince him.”

Hell is not just a place people go when they die, is it? No, we can experience hell here on earth—when we feel lonely, worried, heartbroken, or stressed out.

On the other hand, I believe we experience a taste of heaven in community—around dinner tables or other places where we share deeply with others: with family, friends, and even strangers. We all have an inner need to be heard, known, and loved.

This is exactly why my 20-year-old daughter talks on the phone with her friends for hours. And when she hangs up, she starts instant messaging them. It’s why places like coffee shops and corner bars are so popular. It’s why we all need a friend. It’s why we crave someone to share our deepest joys and most profound heartaches with. When that is missing, we hurt even more.

Whenever people come together and feel connected, they begin to feel whole. Heaven, in this sense, is the antidote to hell.

My prayer for each of you today is that you would cultivate a healthy community in your own life. Make it a priority. Be willing to be vulnerable, challenged, loved, and known.

Let us pray:  Loving God, we remember today that you created us for community. Give us the grace and courage we need to invest ourselves in the lives of others—for we remember that it is always in giving that we receive. Amen.

The Next Small Step
Joe Albright

The Next Small Step

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My friends Wayne and Susan Letizia once shared a story with me.

A sparrow once asked a dove to tell him the weight of a single flake of snow. “Nothing,” was the answer. But then the sparrow told the dove a story:

“I sat on the branch of a fir tree, just as it began to snow—not heavily, not in a raging blizzard, but just like in a dream,” he said. “Since I didn’t have anything better to do, I counted the snowflakes settling on the twigs and needles. The number reached exactly 3,741,952. When the next flake dropped onto the branch—the next weightless snowflake—the branch snapped and broke off.”

The dove, since Noah’s time an authority on such matters, thought about the story for a while and finally said to herself, “If that is true, if the accumulated weight of a small thing is that significant, perhaps only one person’s voice is lacking for peace to come to the world.”

Sometimes we might wonder, Is my small gift going to make a difference? Does my contribution mean anything? Can what I offer really make any difference?

In some of his parables, Jesus told us that the kingdom of God is like a seed scattered on the ground. It is small, inconspicuous.

Which I think raises the question: What is one small step I can take right now—however small? What is one small step I can take this week to grow in my faith… one small step I can take to share Christ’s love… one small step I can take to help our church? What is one small step I can take that might be a blessing to someone else? What is one thing—just one thing—this week?

Let us pray:  God of Grace, I pray today especially for those carrying heavy burdens, weighed down with anxiety or worry. Be near to those who need you near. Help each of us, no matter where we are on this journey, to take one small step toward you. In our stepping, in our giving, may we find grace upon grace. We ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.

The Legendary Town of Paradise
Joe Albright

The Legendary Town of Paradise

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Today, I am deeply grateful for those of you who have supported the Dial Hope Foundation with a financial donation. So many people benefit from your giving!

Once, in a classic Jewish tale, a restless, unhappy man from Warsaw wakes up one morning determined to find the legendary town of Paradise. He travels deep into the night until he finds himself on the side of a mountain. There, he decides to get some rest. To be sure he remembers which way he was traveling, he points his boots in the direction of Paradise.

However, in the middle of the night, a good (or maybe evil) spirit turns his shoes around.

When the man wakes up, he resumes his journey—headed in the direction of his shoes. He ends up in a city that looks very much like Warsaw. He even finds a house that looks just like his, and a woman who looks just like his wife. Convinced he’s now living in Paradise, he moves in… and somehow, his life seems so much better.

Sometimes we think, “My life would be so much better if…”

If I could only land that job…

If I could just get that next promotion…

If my son would finish college…

If my health would improve…

And maybe it would. But sometimes we get so caught up in living in the “what if,” that we miss much of the good of life right here, right now.

I’m certainly as guilty of this as anyone! But when I pause even for a few moments, I don’t have to look far to see much good and beauty in my life.

My spiritual director once gave me this assignment: Write out the words to Philippians 4:8–9. Memorize the verse. And then—do it!

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”

Our prayer today was written by Rev. Roger Kunkel, founder of Dial Hope.

Let us pray:  O God of sunrise and sunset, let this day be a day of sunrise in our hearts, when all things are made bright and new. We thank you that you have chosen to make your home in our hearts. Help us now to make this day a masterpiece. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Because You Were…
Roger Kunkel

Because You Were…

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

When I was a student at Princeton Theological Seminary, I had the privilege of attending a concert by the great singer Marian Anderson. The evening’s program closed with three songs sung by Leontyne Price. Before performing them, Ms. Price offered a personal tribute to Mrs. Anderson: “My dear beloved Marian Anderson,” she said, “Because you were, I am.” In other words, because Marian Anderson had broken the racial barrier years before, it made it easier for Leontyne Price to be accepted as a Black artist. In the same way, Black athletes today can say of the pioneer baseball player Jackie Robinson, “Because you were, I am.”

Think of all the people to whom we are indebted for being who we are today. Of course, we can say to our parents, “Because you were, I am.” But think of the teachers to whom we can say, “Because you were, I am a better-educated person,” or the doctors and nurses to whom we can say, “Because you were, I am well.” Think of the many people who opened doors for us, to whom we can say, “Because of you, I was able to move ahead.”

Most of all, we can say to Jesus, “Because you were—and are—I am able to turn to God with new confidence in his forgiveness and acceptance. Because of you, I can face life with a new purpose, and I can face death with a new hope.”

Let us pray:  God of gentle dreams and awesome space, cultivate in our hearts a faith that is tall and sure. Create in us a spirit that overcomes hopelessness, and set us free. Amen.

Messengers
Joe Albright

Messengers

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In 1 Kings 19:7–8, we read:

“Suddenly an angel touched [Elijah] and said to him, ‘Get up and eat.’ [Elijah] looked, and there at his head was a cake baked on hot stones and a jar of water. He ate and drank, and lay down again.”

An angel touched him…

Hmm… I don’t know what you think about when you think about angels. Sometimes I picture Renaissance paintings—little fat cherubs with wings. But the Hebrew word for angel simply means messenger. There is no description of this angel. In fact, in the New Testament book of Hebrews, we are told:

“Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers… for by doing so, some have entertained angels without knowing it.”

In other words, these angels might not be what you expect.

I remember one time locking my keys in the car in a rough part of town in a foreign country. I had my surfboard on the roof, and I was starting to get really anxious. This guy came up out of nowhere. He looked like he might be deranged—his hair was wild, his clothes tattered. He asked me if I needed help. Almost before I could respond, he had the car unlocked and handed me the keys that were sitting on the seat. He smiled, then walked away.

I don’t know whether that was an angel. But I do believe that God often brings people into our lives just when we need them most. I imagine many of you have had the experience of someone coming alongside you at a low point—speaking just the right words, bringing a meal, paying a bill, offering to pray for you…

Sometimes it’s in those little coincidences—or what seems like luck—meeting just the right person at just the right time, that we sense something or someone greater is behind it.

Today, let’s take this a step further. I invite you to be open to God working through you. Maybe you could be a messenger—an angel—to someone else in need.

Let us pray:  We thank you for your grace, O God, and for your providence. We thank you for the people you’ve brought into our lives who have impacted us in large and small ways. Keep us ever open to your Spirit’s leading. As we have been blessed, may we be a blessing. In Christ’s name. Amen.

To Live with Open Hands
Joe Albright

To Live with Open Hands

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One of the most beautiful experiences of my life was living with a local family in Costa Rica during my last semester of college. They had three kids, a modest home, and fairly modest means. They had huge hearts and were some of the happiest people I’ve ever met. They were also some of the most generous—on many levels.

Several years ago, I went back to visit and stayed with them with my daughter Marley. I remember, before I left, the father telling me that there’s a Costa Rican expression they live by: “Si se queda con las manos abiertas, nunca le falta nada.”

If you live with open hands, you’ll never lack for anything.

So true.

When we live with open spirits, open hearts, and open hands—when we share our blessings with others—our lives will be full to overflowing.

Let us pray: Gracious and giving God, keep our eyes attuned to opportunities to give. Help us to be generous as you are generous. We ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.

God’s Management
Roger Kunkel

God’s Management

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

We often see a sign over stores reading “under new management.” Friend of Dial Hope, when God takes over the management of our lives we may still blunder, and we may still present the same old face to the world, but there is hope of a new beat, a new spirit, a new honesty, a new reality. Wherever we are on our spiritual journey, may we put our lives “under new management – God’s management.” And remember, God has blessed us so we may be a blessing to others. Now make this day a masterpiece… With God’s help. 

Let us pray: “Take my life and let it be consecrated Lord to thee. Take my moments and my days; let them flow in ceaseless praise. Let them flow in ceaseless praise. Take my will and make it Thine; It shall be no longer mine. Take my heart, it is Thine own; It shall be Thy royal throne.” Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

All Things
Joe Albright

All Things

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In Amy Hempel’s story “The Man in Bogota,” a wealthy man is kidnapped. He has a heart condition, so his captors make him quit smoking and start exercising to keep him alive. When he’s released, his doctor says it was the best thing that ever happened to him.

The last line of the story asks: “He wondered how we know that what happens to us isn’t good.”

Of course, not everything that happens is good. But I have seen God bring good out of terrible situations—time and again.

I think about how Americans came together so beautifully in the immediate aftermath of 9/11/2001. I think about how during the initial stage of the Covid shutdown, many of us met our neighbors for the first time.  I think about all the wonderful charities that were founded after the sudden loss of a love-one. And, I think about the new appreciation for friends, family, and life that people often feel after a particularly bad illness. 

In the book of Romans, the Apostle Paul wrote, “For we know that all things work together for good for those who love God…”

It’s not that God has promised that things will work out when or how we want. But I do trust that even out of heartbreak God can bring about beauty – even out of our confusing troubling situations, God can bring about good. 

Let us pray: Loving God, we don’t always understand suffering or loss. But we trust that you are good and that you are at work—even in the darkest places. Bring beauty from brokenness. Heal and restore. We ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.