ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSNovember 3, 2024Today, in worship, we will celebrate the Saints who have joined the Great Cloud of Witnesses. Last year, my mother’s name was spoken, and in the previous year, the name of Donna’s mother was spoken. Names are important, and there is something about lifting up a name in the context of the worshiping community, specifically on a day like All Saints’ Sunday. It is about
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSNovember 2, 2024The Pumpkin Patch is over! Take a deep breath and relax. Oh wait, the Dickens Market set up begins Sunday immediately after church. Then it’s only a few weeks until Thanksgiving Sunday, and then we are into the Season of Advent and Christmas. I learned a long time ago, as many of you have probably learned, that it’s never good to get into the habit
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSNovember 1, 2024Who are some of the saints in your life? Who are the people, now finding rest among the great cloud of witnesses, that in one way or another immeasurably blessed your life? Some of these saints might be people who walked alongside you in life, while others might be people who had died long ago, but you read something about their life story or were
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGOctober 31, 2024Yes, it is Halloween, but more importantly, it is All Hallow’s Eve. Ok, I think we all know that the kids are much more excited about Halloween, but All Hallow’s Eve is the day before All Saints’ Day, November 1. We always celebrate it the following Sunday, so this year, we will be celebrating All Saints’ Day this Sunday, November 3. We will do so
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGOctober 30, 2024I was sitting in the airport early Monday morning, catching a flight from Amarillo to Phoenix via Denver. The size and amount of luggage that people attempted to bring on as “carry-on” was rather laughable. I understand that business people need to keep their belongings close, often making multiple stops in a span of a couple of days. Others have had a bad experience with
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGOctober 29, 2024During the Regional Assembly in Amarillo, I attended a Workshop on Christian Nationalism. This remains an ongoing threat, not only to democracy but to how people perceive the Christian faith. During the presentation, the convener talked about Motivation and Justification. Often, people are not honest about their motivations when making a decision, and later, when they are forced to own the decision, they create a
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGOctober 28, 2024Prayer for the Week:A step in faithNot always a safe pathA step in faithNot always a known pathA step in faithNot always with confidenceA step in faithNot made aloneA step in faithTrusting you, Holy GodA step in faithTrusting in your dreamA step in faithI will take a step in faithHoping to find the strengthTo take a second stepAmen
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGOctober 27, 2024At the Regional Assembly in Amarillo, which concluded last night, I heard two exceptional sermons. Our General Minister and President, Rev. Dr. Terri Hord Owens, preached Friday night, and her sermon set the tone for our theme: Faithful Steps Forward. Yesterday afternoon, Rev. Dr. Stephen Cady, the new President of Brite Divinity School, offered one of the better sermons I have heard in quite some
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGOctober 26, 2024Yesterday, I wrote about grief and the need for us to hold a very expansive understanding of grief—the necessary and healthy God-given tool for us to use as we move from loss to wholeness. In a recent conversation, I was reminded that the pathway is neither straight nor smooth. And one person’s journey is not going to look like the next person’s. Yesterday, I flew
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGOctober 25, 2024What does it mean when someone says, “It is important to grieve in a healthy way?” When we go through a time of loss, whether that is the death of someone we love, the death of a beloved pet, a dramatic change in a relationship, or even a change in our life circumstances, it is important to know that we need to grieve. So often,