ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSOctober 3, 2020Scripture: Isaiah 25:4-6For you have been a refuge to the poor, a refuge to the needy in their distress, a shelter from the rainstorm and a shade from the heat. When the blast of the ruthless was like a winter rainstorm, the noise of aliens like heat in a dry place, you subdued the heat with the shade of clouds; the song of the ruthless
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSOctober 2, 2020Scripture: 1 Corinthians 10:21You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons. Thought for the Day: I did not choose this passage because we are in the month of October and Halloween is on its way. Though in the Haunted Mansion at Disney, there is a ballroom
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSOctober 1, 2020Scripture: Matthew 13:10-11Then the disciples came and asked Jesus, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” He answered,” To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.” Thought for the Day: The answer(s) we have to this question here in Matthew’s Gospel is a little different from Mark’s Gospel, and
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSSeptember 29, 2020Scripture: Matthew 4:23Jesus traveled throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues. He announced the good news of the kingdom and healed every disease and sickness among the people. Thought for the Day: The word Kingdom is one of those words that is a bit dated, while also remaining somewhat relevant. We all have watched enough movies where the setting is some sort of kingdom. For that
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSSeptember 29, 2020Scripture: Job 6:14 (the Message)When desperate people give up on God Almighty, their friends, at least, should stick with them. Thought for the Day: I have received a number of emails and letters from Hyundai recently. My car is going on 18 months old, and they have been contacting me for all kinds of reasons. What’s interesting is they somehow switched my middle name and
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSSeptember 27, 2020Scripture: John 14:2In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? Thought for the Day: As I mentioned yesterday, I am preaching from John 14 today. There are a handful of images in scripture that seize the imagination of my spirit, and this would be one
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSSeptember 26, 2020Scripture: John 14:3And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. Thought for the Day: Tomorrow, I will reference these beautiful words from John’s Gospel, yet I learned that a single space can significantly change the meaning. I was typing this verse very quickly
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSSeptember 25, 2020Scripture: Romans 12:13Contribute to the needs of God’s people, and welcome strangers into your home. Thought for the Day: What will it mean to be the church in a post-pandemic world? I have done some reading, though not a lot, on what life was like after the Spanish Flu (1918-1920) as things returned to normal. Actually, from what I have read, it was a bit
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSSeptember 24, 2020Scripture: 1 Corinthians 3:9We are God’s coworkers, and you are God’s field, God’s building. Thought for the Day: Have you ever had a coworker who might have better been described as a couch potato observer? When I was in high school, one of the dreaded lines was, “Your grade is going to be a team grade. You will do the project together.” Occasionally, depending on