ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSDecember 23, 2022When the church celebrates Christmas, it is celebrating an absurdity. Some people are quite excited about the way our culture has “embraced” Christmas. I would suggest it has, instead, squeezed the absurdity out of Christmas in hopes of making it sweet and conventional. Yet the story, if given the freedom to speak its truth, will be as shocking and rebellious as it was in the
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSDecember 22, 2022In the 5th chapter of the Prophet Micah, we read: “And he shall stand and feed his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they shall live secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth; and he shall be the one of peace…” In earlier words from that
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSDecember 21, 2022Rev. Bob Hill, a colleague from years ago, wrote the words, “Love is the ultimate spiritual currency for those who follow in the ways of the Nazarene carpenter.” I came across those words recently and have allowed them to tease my theological imagination: Love, Spiritual, Currency and Jesus. The love we share is the currency we use, not to acquire more physical possessions, but to
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSDecember 20, 2022Willa Cather, the famous Nebraska author, said, “Where there is great love, there are always miracles.” Willa Cather understood the power of love to not only produce miraculous happenings but to be a miracle itself. As we read in 1 John, the act of loving one another is the means by which we pass from death to life — a miracle! At the same time,
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSDecember 19, 2022Prayer for the Week:There is hope within us, a peace that is changing us, a joy that is bringing life to us, and a love that is liberating us. O Gracious God, we have learned a great deal in this Advent Season, but most importantly, we have intentionally prepared ourselves by making space for your presence to dwell more deeply. We are different because Christmas
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSDecember 18, 2022Today is love Sunday, but I was typing those words a few days ago for something else, and I was struck by the unintended implication. As followers of Jesus, shouldn’t every Sunday be love Sunday? Or let’s take it a step further. Shouldn’t every day be filled with love? I’m guessing you’d agree with me in saying YES to both of those questions. Yet with
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSDecember 17, 2022Christmas Eve is one week away from today. There are many reasons for those words to create excitement and giddiness in the hearts of many. On the other hand, those words are a potential source of concern and anxiety for others. Clergy are among that latter group, and we tend to think of Christmas Eve as a sort of Super Bowl of religious services (alongside
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSDecember 16, 2022The prophets foretold it, the Psalmist sang of it, Messengers proclaimed it, Joseph dreamed it, yet it was Mary who allowed for it to fully dwell and be birthed through her. Many of us can relate well to one of the first four mentioned, but I must believe that we are all called to be those who take the risk, allowing the Living Word to
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSDecember 15, 2022I had lunch with someone yesterday at a place I had never been. The food was fabulous, the staff amazing, and the lunch conversation was exceptional. On my drive home, I listened to part of a podcast in which there was a passing comment about the gifts we miss in life. For whatever reason, we simply might miss them, or maybe we have convinced ourselves
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSDecember 14, 2022Imagine someone visiting a church four times, and as this individual is leaving for the fourth and final time, the comment to the pastor is, “You all don’t seem to understand the meaning of joy and kindness, or even how to smile.” This was the experience of a pastor friend of mine who was initially hurt by the visitor’s words, but reflecting on them later