ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSApril 26, 2024This Sunday, I am preaching on the second half of Psalm 22, though it is difficult to understand the second half without knowing the opening words. Of course, those were words Jesus borrowed as he hung upon the cross, “‘Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?’ that is, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’” It is a statement of utter despair. Actually, despair seems to
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSApril 25, 2024I have been thinking a lot about forgiveness lately, specifically reflecting on the back and forth between Peter and Jesus found in Matthew 18:21-22, “Then Peter came and said to him, ‘Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?’ Jesus said to him, ‘Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times.’” Peter
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSApril 24, 2024Fred Rogers from Mr. Rogers fame said, “I don’t think that the basics that kids need have changed in 10,000 years.” In a world where new scientific discoveries are happening on a daily basis and new technology is coming into our lives as fast as we are willing to spend the money, Mr. Rogers is once again correct in his analysis. Children need the essentials
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSApril 23, 2024This one is a long one… my apologies. Have you ever noticed that when someone summarizes what they’ve heard, what they offer as a summary is what they heard through their personal filters? Like many of you, I have gone to hear a speaker with some friends, and then afterward, we grabbed some dinner or coffee. The conversation around the table has often been fascinating
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSApril 22, 2024A Sort of Prayer Based on Psalm 23:The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. I’ve never technically had a shepherd, but the image is comforting to my soul. He makes me lie down in green pastures;he leads me beside still waters;he restores my soul. The amount of exhaustion and spiritual fatigue leaves me yearning for just such a place. He leads me in
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSApril 21, 2024In yesterday’s Etching, I referenced the opening words of Psalm 19, but many people know the closing words much better: Let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be pleasing to you, Lord, my rock and my redeemer. This section speaks of our words and thoughts as being “pleasing” or “acceptable” to God, though I also like another translation that suggests it is not
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSApril 20, 2024Psalm 19 has an extraordinary opening, Heaven is declaring God’s glory;the sky is proclaiming his handiwork. Like many of you, I have witnessed an explosion of colors in the sky that has left me overwhelmed with awe, but I’m pretty sure no matter how spectacular a sunrise or a sunset, it does not even begin to declare God’s glory or proclaim God’s handiwork. We try
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSApril 19, 2024Sometimes choosing to set a healthy boundary can look to others like you are holding a grudge. Though the two could not be further apart, I can understand how smart boundary setting could be mistaken for a mean-spirited grudge. Part of this has to do with our poor understanding of forgiveness, along with the belief that self-care is selfish. Jesus said, “Love your neighbor as
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSApril 18, 2024James Seymour, the Chair of our Elders, will see a book at a used book sale and send me a text asking if I would be interested. One of those books is written by David Gushee, entitled Still Christian: Following Jesus Out of American Evangelicalism. It has been an interesting read, basically an autobiography within the historical takeover of the Southern Baptist Convention and Seminaries
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSApril 17, 2024In their book, Becoming The Answer To Our Prayers, Shane Claiborne and Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove write, Throughout the history of the church, Christians have recognized that we cannot pray “Our Father” together on Sunday and deny bread to our brothers and sisters on Monday. But we live in difficult days. The hungry are not just hungry. Often they are also our enemies. Drug addiction and mental