ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSDecember 15, 2023I ran to grab some lunch yesterday, and of course, the radio was blasting some Christmas music so that I could sing along with equal enthusiasm. The hymn, Hark! the Herald Angels Sing, was playing, and a certain section caught my attention: …mild he lays his glory by, born that we no more may die, born to raise us from the earth, born to give us second birth.”
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSDecember 14, 2023Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941) was an Indian poet, philosopher, and all-around gifted human being. At age 16, he released his first book of poetry under a pseudonym, and it immediately gained great attention. Some believed it was a collection of ancient poems that had been lost for centuries. One of Tagore’s great quotes that I am continually drawn to is: “I slept and dreamt that life
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSDecember 13, 2023Do not fear! Those words are found frequently in scripture, often coming to us through divine messengers whose very presence causes some anxiousness, for as we learn, wherever angelic voices speak, the expectations of faithfulness will be intensified. Something is going to be expected of us, and we are not always certain whether we are ready to take the leap. Yet fear is more a
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSDecember 12, 2023In Sunday’s sermon, I talked about the language of Isaiah the Prophet, specifically the Prince of Peace. In the original Hebrew, the word for Prince could also be translated as ruler, magistrate, or captain. It describes a position of authority, holding sway over a group or geographic area. What if the Prince of Peace seeks to have whatever area under his authority be a place
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSDecember 11, 2023Context: Yesterday, I talked about carving out more space where we acknowledge and embrace God’s presence. Faith tells us God is everywhere, and though at times we might create an expectation that God will not make an appearance in a certain place or time, Advent is about recognizing how God sneaks into those places and times we least expect. This is a prayer to offer
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSDecember 10, 2023In the last month or so, I have obligated Cypress Creek Christian Church on a few occasions without actually asking the church. No, I did not buy a new piano for the church with an IOU. But in a note I sent to the Rabbi at Jewish Community North, I expressed my concern for his congregation and also for him. There is growing hate, including
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