ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGDecember 31, 2021It is time to begin again all over again. Life is an unending cycle of new beginnings, yet with everyone of those new beginnings comes an ending. As of midnight tonight, 2021 comes to an end. There were plenty of jokes a year ago about staying up until midnight just to make sure 2020 really ended. We were optimistic of the possibility and promise of
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGDecember 30, 2021The amazing singer, Mahalia Jackson, said: “Faith and prayer are the vitamins of the soul; [we] cannot live in health without them.” I might just add to her list another word: music. Years ago, my good friend David Merrick put together a mixtape of all kinds of music. One of those tapes included Mahalia Jackson singing, “Walk in Jerusalem.” The lyrics by themselves might give
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGDecember 29, 2021When I’m needing a little inspiration or push or jolt, I find Anne Lamott is often the right person to read. In her wonderful book: Help, Thanks, Wow: The Three Essential Prayers, she writes: Love pulls people back to their feet.Bodies and souls are fed.Bones and lives heal.New blades of grass grow from charred soil. We must allow our concept of love to expand beyond
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGDecember 28, 2021Bless us that we might be your beloved peacemakers. Holy God, center us in your love so when our little part of the world is broken and at odds with forces inside and out, we are able to find reconciling and mending power. May the Christ Child, your wonderful enfleshing of far-reaching love, be our inspiration and motivation, our template and prototype. It is through
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGDecember 27, 2021On Mondays, I usually offer a prayer for the week, but yesterday one of the great witnesses to the power of transformative love, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, died. While some folks have a hero in the sports world or maybe from the big screen, Desmond Tutu has served as one of my heroes. He was unwavering in his opposition to Apartheid in South Africa. As some
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGDecember 26, 2021For many households, the Christmas decorations are headed back to the attic or closet today. Christmas is done, the radio stations have moved to their usual formats, and we need to remember that Easter is just a few short months away. For many people, Christmas is complete, but in fact, the church doesn’t begin celebrating Christmas until Christmas Eve. The culture and economic system have
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGDecember 25, 2021On that first Christmas, the angel announced: “Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.” We have here an individual gift with an universal application. The Good News is given to a small band of shepherds
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGDecember 24, 2021When I’m on the stationary bike in the mornings, and I’m not in the mood to read, I will watch National Geographic programs. I am a big fan of a guy named Albert Lin. He uses a lot of high tech scanning in his archeological work to uncover what might be hidden by trees or thick underbrush. One of the things that has caught my
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGDecember 23, 2021One of the great characters of old TV was Barney Fife. Just recently I was watching an old episode of the Andy Griffith Show. In it, Barney was the only tenor in the choir, and by default, he was given the tenor solo. Barney’s ego was pretty puffed up, especially because of the encouragement from his voice teacher, Miss Poulitice. The choir director was looking
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGDecember 22, 2021I guess I missed the announcement prior to the first Sunday of Advent. The Regional Ministers of our Denomination, including our General Minister and President, put together a devotional (https://cdn.disciplesmissionfund.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/19104910/College-of-Regional-Ministers-Advent-Devotional-2021.pdf). I have been playing catch-up since last week when I first came across these writing. In one devotional written by our General Minister and President, Rev. Terri Hord Owens, I was drawn to these words: