ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGJuly 30, 2021Scripture: Colossians 1:1-2Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the saints and faithful brothers and sisters in Christ in Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father. Thought for the Day: Paul begins this letter as any letter should start – he greets the recipients. He gets personal. This is helpful for us in
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGJuly 29, 2021Scripture: Exodus 16:26Six days you will gather it. But on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will be nothing to gather. Thought for the Day: The actress, songwriter and author, Jada Pickett Smith, wrote, “When I’m tired, I rest. I say, ‘I can’t be superwoman today.’” How many of us never really give ourselves permission to pause, to say to ourselves, “Maybe I can hang
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGJuly 28, 2021Scripture: Leviticus 25:1-2The LORD said to Moses on Mount Sinai, Speak to the Israelites and say to them: Once you enter the land that I am giving you, the land must celebrate a sabbath rest to the LORD. Thought for the Day: As I am currently on my Sabbatical, I have been pondering some of the passages that reference sabbath rest. The idea of a
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGJuly 27, 2021Guest Writer for Today’s Etching: Rev. Paula GembalaWhen I was a child, I would go to church with my mother and my siblings. I loved to sit and sing the hymns with her and the rest of the congregation. One Sunday when I was around 13, they were singing “Just As I Am.” As I was singing, I felt an urge to go to the
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGJuly 26, 2021Prayer for the Week: As the Psalm suggests – it is right for us to praise you, O God – to lift our voices, no matter the song or the prayer or the proclamation. It is good for us to honor you, yet how often do we fall into the trap of placing ourselves at the center of the universe. It is easy to allow
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGJuly 25, 2021Scripture: Luke 22:40When Jesus reached the place, he said to them, “Pray that you may not come into the time of trial.” Thought for the Day: One more day on this relatively obscure passage from Luke. When Jesus invites his disciples to pray that they not come into a time of trial, I believe he is implying the opposite to be true. Yet what exactly
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGJuly 24, 2021Scripture: Luke 22:40When Jesus reached the place, he said to them, “Pray that you may not come into the time of trial.” Thought for the Day: I am back to the same passage as yesterday, but there is more to be found in this relatively short verse. It speaks of Jesus reaching “the place.” In the previous verse, it says that Jesus “went, as was
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGJuly 23, 2021Scripture: Luke 22:40When Jesus reached the place, he said to them, “Pray that you may not come into the time of trial.” Thought for the Day: Jesus and his disciples have just left the magnificence of the upper room where they experienced the light of love, but now they’ve entered the darkness of the night. In a loving way as only Jesus could do, he
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGJuly 22, 2021A guest Etching from Dr. Joel PlaagThis is story is an excerpt from his upcoming book: “A Choir Director’s Notes,” by Dr. Joel Plaag, to be released in 2021. Used with permission. Working on a virtual fall event for the church with other staff, we experimented with “breakout rooms” in the virtual meeting space. As we started our conversation, we had all kinds of complicated
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGJuly 21, 2021Scripture: Proverbs 16:24Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body. Thought for the Day: When I lived in Florida, there was a group of pastors I met with every Wednesday morning for breakfast. I was the small fish among some of the big pastoral fishes in town, and I appreciated that time. On more than one occasion, one