ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSNovember 1, 2022On Sunday, we celebrated All Saints’ Sunday. Today is the official All Saints’ Day, the day after All Hallows’ Eve (Halloween). Yes, for those who are unaware, the origins of Halloween are rooted in Christian tradition. It’s a good reminder of the dance between the sacred and the secular, and how often the secular comes to overshadow and redefine the sacred. Of course, where is
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSOctober 31, 2022May the scares of this day be met with laughter, and any fears be turned into joy. O God of the Unexpected, today we experience a strange happening within our culture. Children request a sweet while dressed as a hero, a monster, or some combination of the two. With a knock and a “trick-or-treat,” wandering hordes expect a gift to be placed in handheld candy
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSOctober 30, 2022What does it mean to be community? As followers of Jesus, the answer is both simple and complex. Whenever someone says something is simple and complex, I usually roll my eyes and give a sigh of dissatisfaction. Yet, in this case, I hold strong to the paradox. In Paul’s Letter to the Romans, he suggests we need to be cautious and not do things that
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSOctober 29, 2022Coretta Scott King wrote, “When the heart is right, the mind and the body will follow…” Though the quote will not be included in my sermon tomorrow, it almost was. I like the quote, even though I don’t know if it is necessarily true every day. There are those times when no matter how right the heart is, if the body is in bad shape,
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSOctober 28, 2022I find myself writing Etchings very similar to previous Etchings. Quite often, I have written on a specific topic only to see the same situation arise again and again. Please understand that I am not suggesting my Etchings should make any dramatic change in the world, but there is that deep-seated hope within me that sort of wants to believe that we can do better.
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSOctober 27, 2022“When was the last time your heart was broken?” That was a question I remember a youth minister asking when I was a youth. He then added something like, “I’m not talking about that special someone you were dating or wanting to date, but a situation outside of your romantic desires that truly broke your heart.” I’m guessing, at least for many of you, answering
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSOctober 26, 2022In recent weeks, in part because of my class on Signs and Wonders (miracles), I have been thinking about the word healing. In Mark 10, Jesus asks a blind man the question, “What do you want me to do for you?” My first reaction as I read those words is to laugh. “He’s blind,” I think to myself. “It’s pretty obvious what he would want.”
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSOctober 25, 2022Over the years, I have referenced and quoted Father Richard Rohr many, many times. He is brilliant, insightful, funny and often painfully revealing. If you have not heard, Richard Rohr stepped down from his position at the Center for Action and Contemplation because he has cancer. This breaks my heart. Recently, in one of his daily writings, he wrote: “Part of the genius of Martin
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSOctober 24, 2022The simple things of faith-Love, Mercy, Justice,Kindness, Truth, PeacefulnessHow are we doing, God?So many in the worldneed to see a sermonnot hear a sermonHow are we doing, God?Too many people feelinglost and aloneafraid and shakenHow are we doing, God?We know perfectionis found only in youbut today is our dayto do a little betterreaching out with a bit more graceshowing a bit more compassionrevealing a bit
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSOctober 23, 2022David Kinnaman discusses his extensive research on those “outside” the Christian faith in his book “UnChristian.” He writes, “Deep down I hoped my intuition would be wrong about how negative the views of my generation were toward Christians. I was unprepared for how resistant, entrenched, and pessimistic the response would be” (p.222). Many Christians have known firsthand the negative opinions some people have held against