ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJanuary 2, 2025Donna and I had been traveling to visit family, and unfortunately, I wasn’t feeling well on December 31st. Consequently, we didn’t ring in the new year. Or we did, but from a wonderful deep sleep. I woke up about 4:00 a.m., and though I know it is a bad habit, I grabbed my phone to look at the news. The tragic events unfolding in New
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJanuary 1, 2025Does anyone else feel like the date should be somewhere in mid-November? I can’t help but wonder how many times I’ll mistakenly write down 2024 in the coming weeks. I have a peculiar habit of complaining about how quickly time passes; it feels like something just started, and before I know it, it’s already over. In Colossians 4, Paul tells his readers to “make the
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSDecember 31, 2024We don’t have as much of the birth story in Matthew’s Gospel, but it’s where we find the Epiphany story. Without Matthew, we wouldn’t know anything about the star that led the wise men from the east. Yet before we delve into the significance of Epiphany, let us pause to acknowledge that we are currently immersed in the season of Christmas. In fact, we are
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSDecember 30, 2024Prayer for the WeekThe late President, Jimmy Carter, once wrote, “I have one life and one chance to make it count for something… My faith demands that I do whatever I can, wherever I am, whenever I can, for as long as I can with whatever I have to try to make a difference.” In those moments, Holy God, when I’m standing before the possibilities
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSDecember 29, 2024A good friend and colleague, the late Rev. John Auer, preached a sermon in which he said, “…the illimitable incarnation of God in human form–the Word of Life made flesh of love… in this, God decides to take an insider’s approach, becoming one of us…” (Sermon entitled: “Hail Mary! The Beginning is Near”). John’s idea of God taking an insider’s approach has brought both comfort
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSDecember 28, 20241st John was not written until the late 90’s, maybe even around 100AD—so about 70 years after Jesus. Right at the beginning of the Epistle, we read: “… what existed from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have seen and our hands handled, about the word of life…” The person writing those words probably did not
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSDecember 27, 2024Yesterday, December 26, I was a little slow arriving at the office. Jennifer was already here working. I wasn’t exactly 18 1/2 minutes late, but I was very mindful of the time. If you remember in the classic story A Christmas Carol, Bob Cratchit runs to work knowing that he is late, only to discover that his boss, Ebenezer Scrooge, is waiting for him. Bob
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSDecember 26, 2024Today marks the Feast Day of St. Stephen, remembered as the first deacon of the church and the first martyr. As a deacon, he served those who were poor, including the widows and the orphans. In various cultures, today is celebrated as Boxing Day, a day dedicated to honoring Stephen’s remarkable acts of compassion. The tradition of Boxing Day involves families packing up some of their Christmas presents, food,
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSDecember 25, 2024Christmas DayOh, the best-made plans… It’s not uncommon to read stories about babies being born alongside the road, in a cab, or even on an airplane. However, in today’s world, medical assistance is readily available. In first-century Palestine, being away from one’s family and community was already a daunting prospect, but the thought of giving birth in such a setting would have been terrifying. In
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSDecember 24, 2024Christmas EveWhen the church celebrates Christmas, it’s essentially celebrating an absurdity. Some people are quite thrilled about how our culture has “embraced” Christmas. However, I suggest that instead of amplifying the absurdity, we’ve tried to make it sweet and conventional. With great intentionality, we have extracted absurdity from the narrative. Nevertheless, if we were to allow the story to speak its truth, it would still