ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSNovember 22, 2020Scripture: Genesis 40:12-14Then Joseph said to the chief cupbearer, “This is its interpretation: the three branches are three days; within three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your office; and you shall place Pharaoh’s cup in his hand, just as you used to do when you were his cupbearer. But remember me when it is well with you; please do
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSNovember 21, 2020Scripture: Proverbs 12:25Anxiety weighs down the heart, but a kind word cheers it up. Thought for the Day: I don’t often quote Lady Gaga, yet as I have continued to reflect on kindness, I found her words to be exactly what I needed to hear. She wrote: I’ve been searching for ways to heal myself, and I’ve found that kindness is the best way. Lady
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSNovember 20, 2020Scripture: James 4:17Anyone, then, who knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, commits sin. Thought for the Day: I have always been troubled by the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson who wrote: You cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late. There is something about now and not later, something about acting
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSNovember 19, 2020Scripture: Colossians 3:14Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. Thought for the Day: Recently I listened to David Brooks on a podcast where he spoke of tribalism vs. community. Tribalism is when people gather around a common hatred of something, while community is when people gather around a common love for something. Brooks suggested that tribalism can feel like
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSNovember 18, 2020Scripture: Acts 9:36-37aNow in Joppa there was a disciple whose name was Tabitha, which in Greek is Dorcas. She was devoted to good works and acts of charity. At that time she became ill and died. Thought for the Day: We are introduced to Tabitha (Dorcas), told how wonderful she was, and then she died. This all takes place in exactly 1 1/2 verses of
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSNovember 17, 2020Scripture: Ephesians 4:31-32Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice, and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you. Thought for the Day: Can we improve on kindness? It is an important question, because if we answer, “No,” then we are most certainly not going to improve.
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSNovember 16, 2020Prayer for the Week: Is there joy to be found in this moment? Our faith tells us there is. Provide us, O God, the capacity to know the joy that has its origin within you. Provide us the capacity to receive your gift of joy that is never to be confused with happiness or exuberance. Let us recognize its ability to speak the truth of
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSNovember 15, 2020Scripture: Psalm 100:1Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth. Thought for the Day: This is the opening verse of our Call To Worship this morning, and it will be read by Jonah Hickman. Those words have been spoken more times than one can imagine, yet what exactly is a joyful noise. The word noise is not usually used in a positive way.
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSNovember 14, 2020Scripture: John 15:5I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. Thought for the Day: I was watching a PBS Special on the musical, Fiddler on the Roof, and it reminded me of the Match Maker and the arranged marriages. Tevye and Golde talk about how
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSNovember 13, 2020Scripture: Colossians 3:14Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. Thought for the Day: Above everything else – everything else – clothe yourself with love. How many of us clothe ourselves based more on how we are feeling in the moment? We clothe ourselves with hate for no other reason than we are insecure about ourselves; clothe ourselves with arrogance