ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGJanuary 8, 2022Do you ever come across of piece of history that you did not previously know (or had forgotten), and it leaves you shaking your head? Recently I learned about the Romanus Pontifex. In the 15th century, the Pope issued a declaration (a Papal Bull) giving the Royal Family of Portugal dominion over an important part of the African Continent. This religious decree gave Portugal the
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGJanuary 7, 2022Do you recognize the word magoi? It is the Greek word appearing in Matthew 2:1, the Greek word we have translated as Magi, Wisemen or even King. Now King is a bad translation of the word as it is mostly shaped by a song we sing at this time of the year: We Three Kings. And our word Magi is the English transliteration of the
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGJanuary 6, 2022Life often brings a convergence of two events on a single day, often two events with very different meanings and emotions. Today is Epiphany. The church usually celebrates Epiphany on the Sunday closest to January 6, so we will be celebrating with the camel this coming Sunday. Epiphany is when the church celebrates the arrival of the Magi (wisemen), a story found in Matthew’s Gospel.
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGJanuary 5, 2022How do we create an attitude of expectation? In the weeks leading to Christmas, there was little effort required. Everything created expectation. Let me date myself – when I was a kid, expectation started to build with the arrival of the Sears Christmas Catalogue. Over the next week or so, I marked pages and circled items. There was a period of time when I spent
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGJanuary 4, 2022Like gruff shepherds and curious magi, God beckons us to a place – a place where the unimaginable is suddenly made visible; a place where love shatters every limitation imposed upon it; a place where unacceptable folks by most standards find welcome and learn of their inherent value. God beckons us to worship each Sunday with an expectation of us embodying God’s kin(g)dom gathering. The
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGJanuary 3, 2022I have been thinking some about a quote from the Headmaster at Hogwarts, Dumbledore, who said to Harry Potter, “Do not pity the dead, Harry. Pity the living, above all, those who live without love.” As we think about those who do not know love, do we truly feel enough ache within our souls to do something about it? Or is the pity we feel
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGJanuary 2, 2022At the end of Psalm 147, there is a statement of exclusionary blessing. After a long list of things the Lord had done for Israel, the author wrote: “God hasn’t done that with any other nation…” There are a number of scriptures communicating elitism or privilege for one group of people, but those passages don’t appear to fit another significant part of scripture. We must
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGJanuary 1, 2022Prayer for the New YearFor some, there is a fear this year will be a replay of the last. For some, there is a heaviness as this new year will be explored alone because of death or loss. For some, there is great uncertainty as change is coming, and with it a cloudy and precarious future. O God of every moment – past, present and
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