ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJuly 17, 2023A Prayer for the WeekA prayer for everyone who is tired today—tired from the heat, from the stresses of daily life, from the constant barrage of hostility in politics, and from the stress of caring for someone who requires more and more help. Lord God, we name the weariness of body and soul, and though we take any opportunity for a quick nap, we also
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJuly 16, 2023Yesterday, I started my Etching with a question: Does worship have a purpose? I did not necessarily answer the question directly, though I hope the Etching echoed some of the concerns the Prophet Isaiah had with the way certain worship practices were used to conceal unethical behavior. Let me suggest that I not only believe worship has a purpose, but I also believe it will
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJuly 15, 2023Does worship have a purpose? Tomorrow morning, I will look at a portion of Isaiah 58 in which there is a glimmer of hope after some very challenging words. The discomforting thoughts are found in the first four verses of this chapter, where we read: Shout loudly; don’t hold back; raise your voice like a trumpet!Announce to my people their crime, to the house of Jacob their
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJuly 14, 2023God is often referred to as the Alpha and the Omega (the A and Z in the Greek alphabet), the beginning and the end. In the opening words of scripture, God clearly precedes creation and is understood as something other than creation. Yet this God, who existed prior to the first spark of life, is One who intimately involves the divine self in every aspect
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJuly 13, 2023An author by the name of Solomon Bellow once wrote: “Everyone needs memories. They keep the wolf of insignificance from the door.” When the Israelites found themselves exiled and far from their beloved Jerusalem, they drew from their memories like a person draws nourishing water from a well. Some say that in times of crisis, people cling to their memories, but our memories are so
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJuly 12, 2023How do you deal with hurtful words? How do you, in the words of my wife, let them roll off you like water off a duck? The staff and I talked about this yesterday during staff meeting, and I had before us the words from 1st Peter 5:7, “Throw all your anxiety onto God, for God cares about you.” How do you throw your anxiety
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJuly 11, 2023Last night, I woke up in a bit of a panic. For more than a minute, I thought it was Saturday night. For a minister, that means Sunday is tomorrow. And of course, I didn’t have a sermon. It’s the minister’s version of the kid having a dream that he walks into a final in a class he’s never attended. I had that dream once
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJuly 10, 2023Prayer for the Week (Guest Writer: Dawn Basel, Elder)Father, healer, friend We come before you in need of your healing. We ask for the kind of healing that only you can provide. With your healing comes wholeness. The definition of wholeness is the state of being well in mind, body and soul. Who but you lord can provide such a blessing. Lord make us whole in
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJuly 9, 2023According to what we read in Luke 14, Jesus told a large group of his followers, “…you cannot be my disciple unless you give away everything you own.” I spend a lot of time trying to explain away what Jesus appeared to be commanding his disciples to do and, thus, for me to do. We are quick to point out how Jesus, in another part
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJuly 8, 2023When something quirky and a little unexpected happens, yet the outcome is good, we often say, “God has a sense of humor.” Now there is a part of me that wants to believe that God does have a sense of humor, yet many of the things we attempt to ascribe to God’s sense of humor might just be life happening. In my years of ministry,