ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJanuary 31, 2023Today is my mother’s birthday, and though there will be people who will remind her throughout the day, she is at a point in her progression where she won’t really remember. Of course, that is sort of my mom. It wasn’t ever really about her. For years, her main response when asked what she wanted for her birthday was “stamps!” I’m guessing she mailed out
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJanuary 30, 2023A Prayer For The Week: Why are we incapable of ending the violence? Why is it that our egos are so easily bruised, leaving us feeling wounded and in need of retaliation? Where are the alternatives to violence and the capacity for restraint? We often come to you, O Generous God, with questions that appear to have no answer. We speak our frustration, confusion, and
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJanuary 29, 2023A friend of mine is a minister, and his daughter asked one time, “What’s the difference between true stories that tell a truth and untrue stories that tell a truth?” I think about The Butter Battle Book, written by Dr. Seuss. It is a crazy, silly book that can have your tongue all tangled up if you are reading it out loud, as I often
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJanuary 28, 2023Have you ever tried to solve someone else’s problem? Often, we get it in our minds that if they’d just follow our clear instructions, life would be wonderful. How many of you with kids have found that approach to be nothing but a failure? In the Bible, we have the Ten Commandments alongside other lists of what might be viewed as rules or guidelines, but
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJanuary 27, 2023In Shel Silverstein’s book, “The Giving Tree,” we learn at the very beginning of the story how the tree loved the little boy. What if, upon reading those words, you scoffed at the story and tossed it aside because there is no way a tree could love a boy? “That’s foolishness,” you tell yourself. “Why would I want to read such nonsense?” A literal reading
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJanuary 26, 2023As many of you know, I am an expert when it comes to exploring the proverbial rabbit holes. Yes, I can go down the old rabbit hole quicker than just about anyone. Recently, I was reading some old church history in search of something specific, but along the way, I ran across a decree issued by Pope Benedict XII in 1334. I have included the
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJanuary 25, 2023Today, I am reminded of the old axiom that says, “Institutions are created to serve the needs of people, but as time goes by, those people serve the needs of the institution.” This seems to be a part of the lifecycle of every movement, not just religions. You have the dreamers and the builders who create something. Their excitement and passion around their reason for
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJanuary 24, 2023This past weekend, Rev. Sally Azar became the first Palestinian woman ordained into the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Jordan. She was also the first Palestinian woman ordained in the Holy Land. This is a monumental moment for the church universal, but sort of late… extraordinarily late. When you think about the women at the empty tomb who would become the first preachers of the Good
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJanuary 23, 2023Prayer for the Week: Provide me, O God of affirming grace, with x-ray-like vision to see through everything that gets piled on my soul—all the negativity, the voices of doubt, the painful judgments, and the cynicism. You have always seen something in me that you have deemed precious, loving me without condition while never judging my imperfections. In fact, you seem to use what many
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJanuary 22, 2023In worship today, we are going to be talking about the very real possibility of allowing a story that is not of God (or even from someone who loves you and has your best interest in mind) to be a defining story in your life. It can be a simple story, maybe one that doesn’t even impact you on a daily basis, or it can