Category Archives: Daily Bread Devotional

Sacramental Living
Katie Harmon-McLaughlin of Independence, MO, USA

To live, we must daily break the body and shed the blood of Creation. When we do this knowingly, lovingly, skillfully, reverently, it is a sacrament. When we do it ignorantly, greedily, clumsily, destructively, it is a desecration. -Wendell Berry, The Art of the Commonplace: Agrarian Essays

Below are three practices for living sacramentally with God, others, and all creation. How are you invited into attention, awe, and gratitude today?

Attention: Begin by noticing your breath. Pay attention to the movement of each inhale and exhale through your body-filling your lungs with oxygen that you need to survive. Let your breath deepen as you gradually wake up to this moment, to this life, to this world.

Look around you. (It may be helpful to go outside!) Simply observe everything within your gaze. Peer deeper into what or whom you might normally rush by on your way to somewhere else. Tend to the details-the veins of a leaf, the texture of the grass, the color of a flower, the lines in your own hands. It may take some discipline to stay focused on one thing long enough to see it deeply. Opportunities for distraction are unceasing. It is worth it to stay present for a little while, to really see the world you are part of, to awaken to the sacredness resident in everything and everyone.

Awe: Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel writes that, “to be spiritual is to be amazed.” Invite curiosity and wonder into your gaze. Ponder the cycles of life that happen without your effort. Consider the story of a leaf or a twig on the ground. Revel at the aliveness of every plant and creature within your sight and remember your intrinsic connection with all that lives as fellow creature in God’s creation. How old is the ground that holds you? How vast is the sky above you? How is every part of this web of life working together in this moment for the flourishing of all?

Gratitude: Give thanks for the gift of breath, for trees that transform carbon dioxide into oxygen. Give thanks for each bite of food and sip of drink that comes from the earth and has sustained your life this day. Give thanks for the clothes you are wearing that were woven together from materials that come from the land. Give thanks for the smallest creatures that you can see, and those you cannot, that contribute to the biodiversity necessary for each eco-system to thrive. Give thanks for the relationships that support and sustain you. Notice that your very aliveness is dependent on this planet. Let gratitude grow in you a deeper awareness of how you want to live this day-each action in harmony with the world you are part of, each choice a movement toward justice and wholeness for all creation.

Prayer Phrase

My ordinary life is a sacred place.

Spiritual Practice

Sacramental Living

“…our everyday ordinary lives are also sacred places, or put another way, the sacred place of our living. As dwellers within the Sacredness of Creation, there is potential to be aware and appreciate the holy within the ordinary. You may remember times when it felt like you were seeing the world through God’s eyes. That’s a good description for what it means to live sacramentally-to sense divine Spirit amid daily activities.” -Jane M. Gardner, “Sacramental Living,” September/October 2019 Herald, p. 5

How are you invited to live sacramentally today?

Today’s Prayer for Peace

Engage in a daily practice of praying for peace in our world. Click here to read today’s prayer and be part of this practice of peace.

Click here to comment or read online.

Jesus, the Peaceful One
Stephen M. Veazey, president of Community of Christ

If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. -Romans 12:18

The love, message, and embrace of Jesus Christ are broad beyond measure. By their very nature they must be shared widely, or they are not being shared at all. They are not limited to just me, “my kind of people,” or some preferred nation, culture, or race. If we truly are moving toward and with Jesus, then the church community constantly will venture beyond all kinds of perceived boundaries and horizons to invite others to drink deeply of Christ’s life-giving water in loving community.

If we as Community of Christ truly are “on our way to him,” then Jesus’ passions and concerns will visibly be our passions and concerns (Doctrine and Covenants 164:9d). Any gaps between our views and his vision will be resolved as we move toward him! Not by trying to conform him to us. That’s what it means to be “on our way to him”! It is ongoing personal and communal spiritual transformation in Christ as a life-long adventure!

When 2 Corinthians 5:17 NRSV states “…if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away…,” it is talking about much more than personal salvation. It is proclaiming that if we truly are living and moving “in Christ,” we are becoming a new kind of human being within a new kind of humanity. Ephesians 2:15 (NRSV) further illuminates this truth by describing the ultimate work of Christ to “create in himself one new humanity…, thus making peace.”

Some authors conclude Jesus was the prototype or forerunner of a new “peaceful humanity.” They emphasize Jesus’ peaceful manner. Even when he experienced persecution and violence by crucifixion, he stayed true to his peaceful nature without returning violence for violence. His steadfastness on the cross as he suffered horrible violence reveals the truth that our common redemption and calling in Christ is to be “peaceful humanity.”

What if baptisms, confirmations, and observances of the Lord’s Supper in Community of Christ emphasized that calling in addition to conventional meanings? How might we think, speak, and interact differently as disciples of the peaceful One?

Scripture testifies that all creation waits “with eager longing” (Romans 8:19 NRSV) for peaceful humanity to appear on the world stage to turn the tide of hate, agony, and destruction. With that in mind, the central question raised by our text looms even larger. Are we moving toward Jesus, the peaceful One? Or are we retreating from Jesus by reverting to our old humanity and its destructive ways of interacting with others and creation?

(Excerpt from “Discover Your Future,” World Conference 2019 Sermon)

Prayer Phrase

My ordinary life is a sacred place.

Spiritual Practice

Sacramental Living

“…our everyday ordinary lives are also sacred places, or put another way, the sacred place of our living. As dwellers within the Sacredness of Creation, there is potential to be aware and appreciate the holy within the ordinary. You may remember times when it felt like you were seeing the world through God’s eyes. That’s a good description for what it means to live sacramentally-to sense divine Spirit amid daily activities.” -Jane M. Gardner, “Sacramental Living,” September/October 2019 Herald, p. 5

How are you invited to live sacramentally today?

Today’s Prayer for Peace

Engage in a daily practice of praying for peace in our world. Click here to read today’s prayer and be part of this practice of peace.

Click here to comment or read online.

Grace and Generosity
Lorne and Dianne Soehner of Fonthill, Ontario, Canada

By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace. -Luke 1:78-79

We went to one of our favorite local restaurants for our anniversary dinner. We were talking to our server about our anniversary. She was really sweet and said she couldn’t believe we had been married for 48 years. She said that we look young. (We told you she was sweet!)

A couple sitting across from us that we did not know left the restaurant before us, and on their way out they stopped at our table. They had heard us mention our anniversary and wished us a very happy anniversary. We thanked them and they left.

Later our server, who had also been serving them, came over to us and said the couple had paid for our dinner. We were caught completely off guard that complete strangers would think to do such a lovely gesture. We told our server that if she sees them in the restaurant again to tell them how thoughtful and sweet it was for them to do that.

There really are very wonderful people out there and we experienced that firsthand.

Prayer Phrase

My ordinary life is a sacred place.

Spiritual Practice

Sacramental Living

“…our everyday ordinary lives are also sacred places, or put another way, the sacred place of our living. As dwellers within the Sacredness of Creation, there is potential to be aware and appreciate the holy within the ordinary. You may remember times when it felt like you were seeing the world through God’s eyes. That’s a good description for what it means to live sacramentally-to sense divine Spirit amid daily activities.” -Jane M. Gardner, “Sacramental Living,” September/October 2019 Herald, p. 5

How are you invited to live sacramentally today?

Today’s Prayer for Peace

Engage in a daily practice of praying for peace in our world. Click here to read today’s prayer and be part of this practice of peace.

Click here to comment or read online.

Changed
Kenton Cowick of Cary, NC, USA

Let mutual love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it. Remember those who are in prison, as though you were in prison with them; those who are being tortured, as though you yourselves were being tortured. Keep your lives free from the love of money, and be content with what you have; for he has said, “I will never leave you or forsake you.” So we can say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.” -Hebrews 13:1-3, 5-6a

At the age of 12 I was one of five attending the pre-baptism class of the small Wakenda Congregation. At the end of the classes everyone except me agreed to be baptized. The pastor, wanting 100%, invited himself to our home for Sunday dinner. Our small home had no space for privacy so the pastor asked me to join him in his car. He talked and talked. Wanting to hear the St. Louis Cardinals baseball game I told him “YES.”

When I was 14, I told my mom I could not go to church Sunday morning because I needed to help prepare the baseball field for our game that afternoon. That was the end of my church attendance for five years.

After graduating from high school, I was given the chance to attend Rolla School of Engineering and Metallurgy for eight weeks. I started working on a survey party for the highway department. I began to observe the actions of my coworkers. One person in particular was very selfish and self-serving. He felt the world circled around him. The Sunday school teachers who had dedicated their lives to others came to mind. What was I going to do with my life?

I knew what I had to do. I made a date with God for 30 days later. During that 30 days I prepared by study and prayer. I even read from the Book of Mormon which I had never done.

The thirtieth day was a Saturday. Since I went home on the weekends, I was at my parents’ small farm. I went to a secluded area and knelt to pray. My eyes were closed but I felt a tremendous darkness come over me, creating fear I had never felt before. I continued to pray. The darkness was replaced by amazing light with two brighter lights, one more brilliant then the other. These words were impressed on my mind: I love you. Your sins are forgiven. Follow the teachings of my Son.

My life was completely changed!

Prayer Phrase

My ordinary life is a sacred place.

Spiritual Practice

Sacramental Living

“…our everyday ordinary lives are also sacred places, or put another way, the sacred place of our living. As dwellers within the Sacredness of Creation, there is potential to be aware and appreciate the holy within the ordinary. You may remember times when it felt like you were seeing the world through God’s eyes. That’s a good description for what it means to live sacramentally-to sense divine Spirit amid daily activities.” -Jane M. Gardner, “Sacramental Living,” September/October 2019 Herald, p. 5

How are you invited to live sacramentally today?

Today’s Prayer for Peace

Engage in a daily practice of praying for peace in our world. Click here to read today’s prayer and be part of this practice of peace.

Click here to comment or read online.

Christ the King
Art Smith, Council of Twelve Apostles

One of the criminals who were hanged there kept deriding him and saying, “Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed have been condemned justly, for we are getting what we deserve for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong.” -Luke 23:39-41

What kind of King is this anyway? Kings, after all, sit in palaces, wear fine clothing, and wield all sorts of power. But here is Jesus, in the place of public execution with the criminals.

I’ve read about how much trouble the early church had coming to terms with what had happened. Scriptures said that people who had been put to death this way were cursed. Good things happened to good people and bad things to bad. They had thought that He was the One, but clearly they had been mistaken. The crucifixion was a conundrum.

I grew up in French Canada, where Roman Catholicism was the cultural backdrop. Every day on the bus going home, I rode past a giant crucifix just across the Ottawa River bridge. In the boulevard in the center of the highway, for all to see, hung Jesus on the cross.

I remember my father telling me that in our church we didn’t emphasize Jesus on the cross. Christ was risen! But I’m glad I grew up in a place that wasn’t too quick to gloss over that Jesus on the boulevard. The Christ I read about in scripture isn’t like those kings in palaces with fine clothes and power. My Christ, my King, understands suffering, was put to death, was a victim of the Empire, of hatred and bigotry. My Christ, my King, reigns in an upside-down world where the least are lifted up and the powerful are made low.

To this day, if someone asks me to tell them about my king, I’m inclined to start with explaining that it’s him, over there on the cross in the boulevard-in the poorer, flood-prone neighborhood down by the river. That’s Christ, my King.

Prayer Phrase

My ordinary life is a sacred place.

Spiritual Practice

Sacramental Living

“…our everyday ordinary lives are also sacred places, or put another way, the sacred place of our living. As dwellers within the Sacredness of Creation, there is potential to be aware and appreciate the holy within the ordinary. You may remember times when it felt like you were seeing the world through God’s eyes. That’s a good description for what it means to live sacramentally-to sense divine Spirit amid daily activities.” -Jane M. Gardner, “Sacramental Living,” September/October 2019 Herald, p. 5

How are you invited to live sacramentally today?

Today’s Prayer for Peace

Engage in a daily practice of praying for peace in our world. Click here to read today’s prayer and be part of this practice of peace.

Click here to comment or read online.

Seasons
Katie Harmon-McLaughlin of Independence, MO, USA

The Spirit of the One you follow is the spirit of love and peace. That Spirit  seeks to abide in the hearts of those who would embrace its call and live its message. The path will not always be easy, the choices will not always be clear, but the cause is sure and the Spirit will bear witness to the truth, and those who live the truth will know the hope and the joy of discipleship in the community of Christ. Amen. -Doctrine and Covenants161:7

It has been a while since I have lived with seasons. Settling into our new Missouri home, I am learning the rhythms of a new landscape. I delighted in the transition from winter to the first buds of spring. Living in a new yard, each day green shoots of unknown plants and flowers would emerge from the thawing ground. In a yard that appeared desolate and dreary at the end of winter when we arrived, we soon discovered a vibrant rose bush, a family of hostas circling the oak tree, peonies and lilies blooming along the stairs.

Now that fall has arrived, the landscape is shifting again. What was once thriving and brimming with life will be dormant. Buds of promise give way to crisp red leaves crunching underfoot, decaying into soil for the long rest of winter. The seasons are a constant spiritual guide. They remind me that life moves in cycles and that each season brings gifts that are necessary for the health of the whole.

The seasons mirror our spiritual lives-drawing our attention to cycles of soul-budding potential, thriving abundance, letting go, dormant resting, and hope of renewal. As winter arrives, I know that I will soon be longing for spring, but I also anticipate the first snowfall, warm cups of tea, and growing darkness to encompass the days with the promise of deeper rest.

This is a lesson that never wears out. It is wisdom enduring. I find hope in the steadfast assurance of creation’s deep patterns.

Prayer Phrase

My ordinary life is a sacred place.

Spiritual Practice

Sacramental Living

“…our everyday ordinary lives are also sacred places, or put another way, the sacred place of our living. As dwellers within the Sacredness of Creation, there is potential to be aware and appreciate the holy within the ordinary. You may remember times when it felt like you were seeing the world through God’s eyes. That’s a good description for what it means to live sacramentally-to sense divine Spirit amid daily activities.” -Jane M. Gardner, “Sacramental Living,” September/October 2019 Herald, p. 5

How are you invited to live sacramentally today?

Today’s Prayer for Peace

Engage in a daily practice of praying for peace in our world. Click here to read today’s prayer and be part of this practice of peace.

Click here to comment or read online.

Open Doors
Elena Barbre of Huntsville, AL, USA

The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace. -Numbers 6:24-26

My son ran into the kitchen. “Mom! There’s a hummingbird in the garage!” I followed him out and, sure enough, the tiniest of creatures was buzzing in frantic circles around the ceiling of our garage. Both doors were wide open, but she was in too much of a frenzy to see the freedom that lay right before her.

I sprang into action. I got the mop and tried to guide her out, but she persisted in her desperate circuit, too high to see the exit. I whistled to her. I reasoned with her. I tucked a small purple flower into the door machinery, hoping to lure her low enough to show her the way. But she remained panicked, unable to stray from her path. I could hear the vibration of her tiny wings as she darted around, stopping to perch on a wire, then taking off again.

I went inside to make dinner, and when I came back she was still circling. Later, when I returned from an errand, the garage was dark and quiet. I finally found the bird roosted in a tangle of wires. She was so still. I gently nudged her with a broom, and she gave a pitiful shriek and took flight. I knew she was terrified, and so tired of the fight. So tired of moving in circles and getting nowhere.

Finally, she perched again. With a whispered prayer, I told her not to be afraid and asked her to sit on my broom. I held it very still and gave the tiniest nudge, and she did it! Either out of trust or sheer exhaustion, she sat on my broom and let me take her outside, where she flew into the night.

We are sometimes like the hummingbird-so caught up in our own problems that we can’t see the open doors right in front of us. We wear ourselves out. We wait until we are despondent, and then finally we trust that nudging of the Holy Spirit to guide us and set us free.

Prayer Phrase

My ordinary life is a sacred place.

Spiritual Practice

Sacramental Living

“…our everyday ordinary lives are also sacred places, or put another way, the sacred place of our living. As dwellers within the Sacredness of Creation, there is potential to be aware and appreciate the holy within the ordinary. You may remember times when it felt like you were seeing the world through God’s eyes. That’s a good description for what it means to live sacramentally-to sense divine Spirit amid daily activities.” -Jane M. Gardner, “Sacramental Living,” September/October 2019 Herald, p. 5

How are you invited to live sacramentally today?

Today’s Prayer for Peace

Engage in a daily practice of praying for peace in our world. Click here to read today’s prayer and be part of this practice of peace.

Click here to comment or read online.

This Is Our Song
Sara Beth Meierotto of Iowa City, IA, USA

For I am about to create new heavens and a new earth; the former things shall not be remembered or come to mind. The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, the lion shall eat straw like the ox; but the serpent-its food shall be dust! They shall not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain, says the Lord. -Isaiah 65:17, 25

During worship and singing the hymn “Now in This Moment” CCS 96, it occurred to me what a beautiful mantra “This is our story, this is our song” truly is.

The way we’re living right now is our living message. This we know, but imagine it embodied in the song you sing in your daily life. What we do each day and each moment offers a chance to be a part of the body of Christ. We have the ability to praise God all day by living our story and singing our song.

Let it be a song that spreads joy and hope.
Let it be the song of a peacemaker.
Let it be the narrator for the hard story that needs to be told.
Let it tell of compassion, and speak to the ways it is possible to create a caring community.

“Now in this moment, now in this day” find ways to sing God’s song every day in every way.

Prayer Phrase

My ordinary life is a sacred place.

Spiritual Practice

Sacramental Living

“…our everyday ordinary lives are also sacred places, or put another way, the sacred place of our living. As dwellers within the Sacredness of Creation, there is potential to be aware and appreciate the holy within the ordinary. You may remember times when it felt like you were seeing the world through God’s eyes. That’s a good description for what it means to live sacramentally-to sense divine Spirit amid daily activities.” -Jane M. Gardner, “Sacramental Living,” September/October 2019 Herald, p. 5

How are you invited to live sacramentally today?

Today’s Prayer for Peace

Engage in a daily practice of praying for peace in our world. Click here to read today’s prayer and be part of this practice of peace.

Click here to comment or read online.

Testify!
Michele McGrath of Huntington Beach, CA, USA

When you hear of wars and insurrections…nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom…there will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and plagues…This will give you an opportunity to testify. -Luke 21:9-11, 13

Some days, the news of one daily crisis after another seems to weigh too heavily on my heart. Environmental degradation is causing floods, earthquakes, droughts, and wildfires. Refugee families running from war and violence face dangerous journeys and are refused welcome or safety anywhere. Oppressive governments, rife with corruption, abuse human rights and democratic gains are lost. War, disease, poverty, pollution, extinction…how do we respond?

A quick scan of my Facebook feed shows me the range of human response. Some deal with this barrage out of a mindset of scarcity and fear. Feeling there is not enough to go around, they draw divisions between groups of people and judge sharply, responding in ways that are racist, homophobic, misogynistic, mean, cruel, and hurtful.

This is not God’s way! God speaks to us in the language of abundance and reveals the Worth of All Persons, the Sacredness of Creation, the twin blessings of diversity and community.

I am so grateful when I find prophetic voices on social media that testify that love is the true logic of the universe. They don’t always use those words, of course. They foster conversations about generosity and hope. They highlight the good work that people and communities of faith are doing around the world. They advocate for the vulnerable; they give voice to the voiceless; they are generous with their grace and good humor.

When the news is at its worst, followers of Christ are called to be at our best, pointing to the God of love who is always at work in the world. When the going gets tough, we testify!

Prayer Phrase

My ordinary life is a sacred place.

Spiritual Practice

Sacramental Living

“…our everyday ordinary lives are also sacred places, or put another way, the sacred place of our living. As dwellers within the Sacredness of Creation, there is potential to be aware and appreciate the holy within the ordinary. You may remember times when it felt like you were seeing the world through God’s eyes. That’s a good description for what it means to live sacramentally-to sense divine Spirit amid daily activities.” -Jane M. Gardner, “Sacramental Living,” September/October 2019 Herald, p. 5

How are you invited to live sacramentally today?

Today’s Prayer for Peace

Engage in a daily practice of praying for peace in our world. Click here to read today’s prayer and be part of this practice of peace.

Click here to comment or read online.

What’s in Your Recipe Box?
Grace Andrews of Independence, MO, USA

Make your ear attentive to wisdom, incline your heart to understanding…search for hidden treasures…and wisdom will enter your heart and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul. -Proverbs 2:2-10 paraphrased

As I searched for a particular recipe, one peeked out from the others. Neatly typed on an index card, complete with strike-overs, the title said, “Orange toast – Grace\’s 7th Grade Cooking Class.” It had been safely tucked away in the recipe box for 72+ years and somehow completely forgotten. Intrigued, I checked to see if I had all the ingredients and, wonder of wonders, I did. What followed was a delightfully simple breakfast. My sweet husband jubilantly said, “You can make this anytime!” On a whim, I emailed the recipe to each of our children and they responded happily, saying they were absolutely going to try it. What fun! It had survived all those years hidden from sight and now brought a ray of sunshine.

I began to wonder what else was in, not only my recipe box, but my memory box. Long forgotten memories which might be shared with my children and grandchildren. What special experiences and testimonies are hidden away that could bring delight to this new day? Old Christmas letters providing family history, saved sermons full of remembrances of special happenings and thought-provoking experiences. Thoughtful study which had gone into preparations for classes. Favorite books read and then abandoned on crowded bookshelves to gather dust. They might contain renewed insights. My evangelist blessing begged to be opened one more time to rediscover counsel given so many years ago. Our beautiful scripture books with marked pages, needing to be opened to gather renewed strength and wisdom.

Such a simple thing…What’s in your recipe box? If we gather all those hidden memories and bring them out into the light again, joy will be ours in the morning-as it was mine.

Prayer Phrase

My ordinary life is a sacred place.

Spiritual Practice

Sacramental Living

“…our everyday ordinary lives are also sacred places, or put another way, the sacred place of our living. As dwellers within the Sacredness of Creation, there is potential to be aware and appreciate the holy within the ordinary. You may remember times when it felt like you were seeing the world through God’s eyes. That’s a good description for what it means to live sacramentally-to sense divine Spirit amid daily activities.” -Jane M. Gardner, “Sacramental Living,” September/October 2019 Herald, p. 5

How are you invited to live sacramentally today?

Today’s Prayer for Peace

Engage in a daily practice of praying for peace in our world. Click here to read today’s prayer and be part of this practice of peace.

Click here to comment or read online.