ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS September 6, 2026 In worship today, we will let the Prophet Jeremiah speak to us on behalf of God. I’m not one to suggest that the prophets were dummies, like in ventriloquism, where the voice we hear is really the voice of God. However, they were, in my opinion, discerning of the Spirit’s message of mercy, kindness, love, and justice. They were not foretelling the future,
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS September 5, 2026 I am amazed at nature’s capacity to rebound. Despite trying to water my lawn, there were sections that were looking pretty brown. In the past week, we’ve experienced some rainfall. Some of it was intense and didn’t have enough time to absorb into the soil. However, a few other rain showers were steady and prolonged, allowing the water to soak in effectively. Surprisingly,
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS September 4, 2026 Labor Day, which we will celebrate this coming Monday, became a federal holiday in the late 1800s (many states recognized it much earlier), during a time of unrest. Unions were gaining strength, and there were a growing number of smaller celebrations, but after the deaths of 13 workers during the Pullman Strike in 1894, President Cleveland tried to find ways of calming the
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS September 3, 2026 It was Mark Twain who wrote, “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts.” We have many people in the congregation who have traveled the world, and what I find fascinating is how often the comments, upon returning, are less about the attractions and more about the people. It’s not to say
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS September 2, 2026 For those of you who can actually get four servings out of a pint of ice cream, we applaud you. In fact, we honor and envy your restraint, while at the same time wondering what sort of mastery of willpower has brought you to such an astonishing ability. I’m sure there are some who are reading this who are confused, for they get
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS September 1, 2026 I absolutely love my plug-in hybrid, especially these days with higher gas prices. I like to track how many miles I put on the car, and in the last two months, I used six gallons of gas and drove almost 1700 miles. It is a bit of a game for me, but I like doing something small for the environment, especially because our
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS August 31, 2026 Prayer for the Week: We have been told that we must survive on a thin diet of hope. You provide a feast, Merciful God, yet like vultures to a carcass, there are those who seek to devour your generous gifts, leaving so many feeling as if they need to scramble and fight for even a morsel of your good and grace-filled sustenance. That
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS August 30, 2026 Today, in worship, we are going to be looking at the Book of Exodus, and specifically the call of Moses. Like those who have not only received an unexpected call, but one that is going to be quite demanding, Moses got a little nervous. At the beginning of the fourth chapter, Moses said to the divine voice in the burning bush, “But look,
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS August 29, 2026 On Thursday morning, I went for an early morning walk, trying to get it in before the temps rose too high. I often walk on the streets in my neighborhood as the sidewalks are not great. At one point, I could hear a car approaching from behind. It was not loud, and when I glanced over my shoulder, I knew why it was
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS August 28, 2026 Some good news around Cypress Creek Christian Church. Now when we use the phrase, good news, we are usually talking about the Gospel of Jesus Christ; the Gospel of God’s unconditional and unrelenting love. But I want to share a couple of somewhat related pieces of good news, though let’s not pretend that they rise to the same level as the Gospel. First,