ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
May 7, 2025
Yesterday, I wrote about knowing context. A few months back, I was teaching the Youth Sunday School Class, and I had offered an off-the-cuff illustration, only to realize that none of them had been born even a decade after what I had referenced. In a worship setting with a rather diverse group of folks in regard to age, I shared the first line of a famous song and then invited them to complete it. I chose songs between the 50s and early 2000s. And as you can imagine, there were those who had never heard certain songs, while for others, it was a favorite. Being a preacher, and offering a sermon every Sunday for people between the ages of 12 (most under that age go out to Children’s Church) and 104 (our oldest member) is a bit of a challenge, especially when it comes to illustrations. And of course, in a sermon, the preacher doesn’t have a lot of time to give a backstory to put the illustration into context. Within ancient Israel, storytelling, alongside ritual, made sure the next generation understood the story and its context. What we do in worship each Sunday is an attempt to continue a story, a very ancient story, with some context. Yet at the same time, we hope to find places where the ancient story is relevant for today. And as you can imagine, when you are speaking to a diverse group of people, the questions being asked by someone who is 17 might be a bit different than someone who is 77. This is where we have to remember that we are community, a wonderfully diverse group who understands that the Gospel can speak to everyone, and for that reason, there are times when a single message may not speak to us with the same power as another. And that’s ok.
For the power of your love woven into the tapestry of the Gospel, I give you thanks, Amazing God. In its magnificence, there is something that catches the attention and provides good news for everyone. Amen.
