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
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