ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
July 6, 2026
Prayer for the Week:
In a country still trying to understand how to move from a conceptual understanding of freedom to a lived understanding of freedom, with all of its complexity, we pray for your help, O Life-Sharing and Life-Inspiring Spirit. The Apostle Paul taught his readers that true freedom was not the unchecked ability to do whatever one wants, but the power, given by grace, to live righteously and selflessly. Yet I believe this understanding of freedom is different than a government’s judicial system, especially a system that honors and celebrates freedom of speech for all. As one seeking to be faithful, I pray for wisdom in knowing how to defend someone else’s freedom of speech while also offering a clear alternative, especially when that free speech is expressed in hateful rhetoric by marchers in our nation’s capital. Silence might appear to honor someone else’s right to free speech, but I ache when my silence appears to provide an implied affirmation of what is contrary to the ways of Jesus. Too many people are hurt and demeaned, yet you are clear where your disciples are to be found in such moments—present, loving, vocal, and bold. May it be so! Amen.
