ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSMay 16, 2024This Sunday is Pentecost Sunday, and as we ponder the power of the Holy Spirit, I think about the promise of Jesus that we read about in John’s Gospel, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever” (vs.14:15-16). Jesus spoke of “another Advocate.” The Greek word
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSMay 15, 2024As a young kid, I remember hearing the song, Turn! Turn! Turn! The song is based upon the well-known words from the Book of Ecclesiastes: To every thing there is a season… The song actually hit Number One on the Billboard Charts before I was born, but one Sunday evening, after an earlier Sunday School lesson from Ecclesiastes, there was this aha moment as I
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSMay 14, 2024In the 9th chapter of Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus was approached by a leader of the synagogue, fell to his knees, and begged Jesus to come and resurrect his daughter, who had died. In reading scripture, we tend to stereotype the religious leaders, viewing them as hypocritical and out to get Jesus, but that wasn’t necessarily true of everyone. Our tendency as human beings is to
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSMay 13, 2024 A Prayer For The WeekWritten by Carolina Fuentes, Cypress Creek Elder)Loving God who cares for us as a loving parent. We acknowledge that we all have had different life experiences and bring different feelings and expectations today. But we give you thanks for the opportunity to gather to be with one another and worship. We thank you for the gift of letting us show up
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSMay 11, 2024Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, “I am many things to many people: civil rights leader, agitator, trouble-maker and orator, but in the quiet recesses of my heart, I am fundamentally a clergyman, a Baptist preacher… The church is my life and I have given my life to the church.” When Dr. King wrote those words, I do not believe he was suggesting that
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSMay 12, 2024Yesterday, Cypress Creek Christian Church had the funeral service for one of our longtime members, Lewis Crossley. He and his family joined the church back in the 70’s when it was meeting at Bammel Middle School. I had a couple of strange incidents, one during the funeral and the other at the graveside. When I stood up to speak, something in the flower arrangement close
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSMay 10, 2024Mercy Amba Oduyoy is a theologian from Ghana. According to Christian Century, Oduyoy “consistently raises her voice to insist on men and women’s equality in a culture that endorses values of communal care and wholeness but fails to demonstrate them toward its own women. At the same time, her theological voice asserts the full value of all people in the church.” Christianity was not born
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSMay 9, 2024I have always resonated with Matthew 10:11-14, where Jesus sent his disciples on a short mission, but in case they ran into some not-so-welcoming people, the disciples were told, “…shake off the dust from your feet as you leave that house or town.” It almost sounds as if Jesus is telling them to be like ducks—to let stuff roll off them like rain off the
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSMay 8, 2024What’s important to you? I’m sure the answer might change depending on one’s current circumstance or maybe a recent life event that has suddenly consumed one’s attention. I saw a little snippet online recently that suggested that fewer and fewer people have conversations with other people about what they believe to be important. As a society, we tend to sit in front of the TV,
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSMay 7, 2024Tony Campolo tells the story of a small town church that got a new minister. Everyone loved the new preacher, praising his preaching. The town skeptic asked one of the church leaders, “Why is this preacher so much better than the last one?” The church leader answered, “The last one told us we were sinners, and unless we changed our ways, we would all go