ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
September 13, 2026
I am about the least superstitious person alive, yet I find it funny that whenever I see the 13th as a day of the month, I wonder whether it’s a Friday. There is no anxiousness or unsettledness at the thought of the number 13, but Friday the 13th has become very much a part of our culture. And growing up, the first Friday the 13th movie hit the big screen. I was too young to see it in the theater, but when it came out on VHS, some of my friends and I rented it. I’m pretty sure I attempted to be brave, but I was scared silly. But again, it had nothing to do with the number 13. From what I understand, 12 was a number that represented completeness, not only within Judaism and Christianity, but also because of the 12 months of the year and the 12 Zodiac signs. 13 was understood to sit just outside the sacred or the perfect balance, so people thought it broke the cycle or represented unpredictability. That uneasiness, even fear, got woven into our culture.
A number of years ago, I heard a parent speak of an adult child who had seen a fair amount of trouble say, “I should have known — he was born on the 13th of the month.” It was said with a bit of humor, yet I detected some reservation, even a search for an explanation. There have been those who suggested that Judas Iscariot was the 13th person at the Last Supper, and in the Book of Esther and Joshua, the number 13 could be associated with things that go against God’s will, but I can’t believe God is thinking, “Had they just waited until the 14th, then everything would have been okay. But they had to choose the 13th.”
Humans tend to project our own fragility, quirkiness, superstitions, and fears onto God, treating God as merely a more powerful and slightly more disciplined version of ourselves. If this is the case, I find God unworthy of my attention and certainly not my worship. My faith tells me that God fully understands our fragility, quirkiness, superstitions, and fears, but remains God apart from such things. God is perfect love, and according to 1 John, perfect love casts out all fear, and then it embraces the fragility and the quirkiness without judgement. Though at the end of the day, I imagine God rolls the divine eyes when it comes to some of the superstitions, yet still loves us.
For a love that transcends boundaries and a kindness that remains unwavering, we express our deepest gratitude to you, the Creator and Redeemer of all. In this profound gratitude, we are also overwhelmed with these blessings as they flow into our lives. Amen.
