ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSDecember 9, 2023A few years ago, Richard Rohr, the Franciscan Monk, quoted St. Francis of Assisi, “Before you speak of peace, you must first have it in your heart,” And then Rohr went on to write… Generations of Christians seem to have forgotten Jesus’ teachings on nonviolence. We’ve relegated visions of a peaceful kingdom to a far distant heaven. We hardly believed Jesus could have meant for
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSDecember 8, 2023Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you. My peace I give you. I give to you not as the world gives. Don’t be troubled or afraid” (John 14:27). God said to King David, “A son has just been born to you. He’ll be a man of peace, and I’ll give him peace with all his surrounding enemies” (I Chronicles 22:9). Zechariah spoke a prophecy: “Because
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSDecember 7, 2023Today, I want to take a moment in my Etching to thank the 2023 Leadership Team. If you have not ever served on the Church Board or the Elders, you may not realize everything that occurs behind the scenes. Year after year, I have found myself in awe of how God called forth and utilized people for the mission of Putting Love First In All
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSDecember 6, 2023Yesterday, I attended a fabulous, though deeply troubling, lecture on Christian Nationalism, sometimes referred to as White Christian Nationalism. The speaker was Amanda Tyler, the Executive Director of the Baptist Joint Committee For Religious Liberty. It was sponsored by Interfaith Ministries of Greater Houston and was hosted by Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church. My friend Rev. Chad Mattingly and I sat between a Jewish Rabbi and
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSDecember 5, 2023John’s Gospel does not have any of the fun Christmas stories. Instead, it is a more philosophical and heady approach to understanding who Jesus was and is. John begins with the words: In the beginning was the one who is called the Word.The Word was with God and was truly God.From the very beginning the Word was with God. Later, in chapter 1, we learn how this eternal
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSDecember 4, 2023Prayer for the Week:One Advent candle has brought new light into the world, and that gift is from you, O God of Hope. Let it shine into those unseen places within us where despair, anguish, or grief silently reside. Speak to us through the stories, music, and symbols, reminding us how you are not yet done with us or this world in which we live.
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSDecember 3, 2023In today’s sermon, I will quote Dr. Emilie M. Townes, a Professor in Womanist Ethics at Vanderbilt Divinity School. In an article entitled Lament and Hope: Defying this Hot Mess (great title), she writes: With our all-too-human unpredictability, lament can serve as an anchor to help us find our bearings on how to live as people of faith. We learn from biblical laments that it
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSDecember 2, 2023The day before… When something unexpected happens, we often forget about what occurred the day before. When we are waiting with great anticipation for something, the day before it occurs seems to painfully drag. Today is the day before Advent, and it is already a mix of emotions. I love this season of the year, and I am truly excited for tomorrow, but I am
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSDecember 1, 2023I get a chuckle each time I see the post on Facebook that says something like, “There are only two pieces left in my chocolate Advent calendar. I guess that means Christmas is only two days away.” Like many of you, as I was growing up, I dreamed of being able to reduce the number of days until Christmas arrived. It would have been a
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSNovember 30, 2023As you have heard, this Sunday is the first Sunday of Advent. Often, by November 30, we are already into the Season of Advent, but the way the calendar fell this year, it is actually the latest possible start date for Advent. With tomorrow being the first day of December and with every store in full Christmas mode, I feel as if we should already