ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGDecember 2, 2021In 1st Corinthians 14:34-35-, we read: “…women should be silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be subordinate, as the law also says. If there is anything they desire to know, let them ask their husbands at home. For it is shameful for a woman to speak in church.” I am thankful for all the women who, in faith,
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGDecember 1, 2021From Marcia McFee – Worship Design Studio Breath Prayer Make of my heart a stable,a house for the holy,a warm and sturdy placefor hope to live and grow. In this moment we open the doors of our hearts,letting go of all we do not need.Take a deep breath in…and then breathe out regret…and breathe in forgiveness…and out again, inviting peace. In this moment we open
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGNovember 30, 2021This past Sunday was the First Sunday of Advent, Hope Sunday. Here are some reflections for you as you continue to ponder Hope and our theme: The Inn – Housing the Holy. An Ancient Prayer: Psalm 25: 4-5Make your ways known to me, Lord; teach me your paths.Lead me in your truth—teach it to me— because you are the God who saves me. I put
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGNovember 29, 2021Prayer for the Week:In the distance, you guide the eyes of my heart to a stable behind an Inn. From where I am in this first week of Advent, the child enfleshing your dream remains a faraway thought. Attend to my journey, Gracious One, as I attend to what needs to be prepared within me. There is time, holy time between now and Christmas. I
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGNovember 28, 2021I can’t express how excited I am as we begin Advent. At the same time, I will confess a hint of anxiousness as I read the news stories about a variant that has emerged in Africa. This only reinforces the need for all folks to be vaccinated and for us to think globally in our approach to vaccines. With that in mind, today is Hope
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGNovember 27, 2021People who immerse themselves in the Christian story, participating in the yearly cycle beginning with Advent, are shaped dramatically in the Jesus life. People can convince themselves that they know the Jesus life, but so often it is more like the knowledge most of us had of 9th grade chemistry. We sort of memorized what we could of the Periodic Table and shuffled enough other
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGNovember 26, 2021Spoiler Alert!! This Sunday (just a couple days away) is the first Sunday of Advent. Advent, for those asking, is the four week period before Christmas. It is a recognition of how the story of Christmas is more than just Bethlehem and a baby whose birth is celebrated on December 25. There is a backstory, a sort of necessary backstory. It also pushes the point
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGNovember 25, 2021During the first half of the 18th century, a Jesuit Priest by the name of Jean-Pierre de Caussde wrote, “There is no peace more wonderful than the peace we enjoy when faith shows us God in all created things.” I love the idea of faith showing us God. We too often think of it in reverse. We think of faith as a response to a
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGNovember 24, 2021It is Thanksgiving Eve. That doesn’t carry with it the same excitement as Christmas Eve, at least for most folks. In recent years, I have tried to take time during this Thanksgiving week to educate myself about the Indigenous people who lived where I now live and work. I remain only a novice, but it is a fascinating and painfully troubling exploration. And like so
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGNovember 23, 2021For most pastors, we pause momentarily for Thanksgiving with most of our energy focused on Advent. I sort of like Thanksgiving, and it’s not just because I am granted permission to make a lot of sweet potatoes and a real good dessert I can eat. Thanksgiving has looked different almost every year in the last twenty years, but there has always been good food and