ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSAugust 19, 2023Yesterday was my mother’s memorial service at First Christian Church in Lincoln, NE. Rev. Kara Hillhouse, the Interim Minister of the church, presided, and she was brilliant. As I often tell others, the funeral/memorial service is only part of the grief process, but there are comforting rituals woven into the experience through which great truths are proclaimed. And of course, there are the people who
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSAugust 18, 2023Guest Writer: Rev. Paula Gembala This Sunday, we will be talking about the story of Joseph in the Old Testament. His brothers were jealous of him as their father favored him. They threw him in an empty well, and later sold him as a slave. They told their father he had been killed by wild animals. From there, Joseph was taken to Egypt and sold as
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSAugust 17, 2023Just the other day, I had someone say to me, “Why all this talk about the needy and poor? Jesus told us that they would be with us always.” The individual was referencing Mark 14:7, as Jesus was moving closer to his arrest and crucifixion. Like always, it is important to read scripture within its context, especially when Jesus followed up by telling his listeners
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSAugust 16, 2023In the sermon on Sunday, I spent only a few moments on three different ways Superheroes became Super. As was our focus with the Spider-Man analogue, it was gettin bitten. But there were others, like Wonder Woman and Superman, who were Super because of where they had come. Wonder Woman was from the island of Themyscira, where she was a Princess and had certain powers
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSAugust 15, 2023In Sunday’s sermon, I used the whole superhero idea of backstories (the journey of the superhero) and how they communicate the HOW—how they became super; how they gained their special powers; how they got those really cool outfits. And though I quickly described three different ways in which folks became super, I focused on gettin bitten. Of course, I was drawing upon the Spider-Man story
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSAugust 14, 2023Prayer for the Week: Where people gather in and through the power of love, there is a belief that you are present. Eternal One, guide us into those places where love is real and unmistakable; where love affirms us and challenges us; where love allows us to feel safe being who we are while encouraging us to stretch toward what is truly possible; where love
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSAugust 13, 2023I am up early on Sunday mornings, usually sitting at our dining room table by 4:10am, where I do some morning reflections and then spend time specifically praying for those who will be providing leadership throughout the morning. From worship leaders to musicians, Sunday School teachers to greeters, Holy Grounds hospitality to those who prepare and serve communion. So much happens on Sunday morning, and
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSAugust 12, 2023I know we all say stuff that, if we were to think through the words a bit more carefully, we would have to admit that we really didn’t mean what we said. Like all of you, I have been overwhelmed by the images from Maui. The part I want to lift up comes from a couple of casual conversations over the last few days. In
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSAugust 11, 2023I want to ask you a couple of questions. First, what part of the Jesus story speaks to your current life experience? What in that story is truly good news? Now I ask that second question recognizing that what is good news doesn’t always feel like good news. There are plenty of folks who have gone through a struggle with addiction, including the addiction of
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSAugust 10, 2023Among the many things we discussed at the General Assembly was Christian Nationalism, sometimes referred to as White Christian Nationalism. Now, none of those words are necessarily bad by themselves, but Christian Nationalism is a very specific ideology that really has nothing to do with religion in general or Christianity specifically. It is a fear-based response to change. We’ve seen this same storyline play itself