ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGJune 30, 2021Scripture: James 1:2My brothers and sisters, think of the various tests you encounter as occasions for joy. Thought for the Day: I read these words and immediately thought about the building collapse in Florida. It is horrifying and heartbreaking, but once again, all the major networks are asking absolutely ridiculous questions when they interview residents who survived or folks who lived close by. With that
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGJune 29, 2021Scripture: 1 Corinthians 13:1-3If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away all
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGJune 28, 2021Prayer for the Week: Provide me a gracious curiosity that seeks to know those who I will encounter this day. You call us to live for the sake of the other, yet if I do not know the other, how can I live for the other. Creator of All, there is so much beauty and life to be found in those around me, for your
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGJune 27, 2021Scripture: Ephesians 2:14For Jesus is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us. Thought for the Day: In “Mending Walls,” Robert Frost is searching for something, specifically “something.” He writes, “Something there is that doesn’t love a wall,” yet as I read the poem, the “something” remains elusive.
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGJune 26, 2021Scripture: Luke 14:16-18aThen Jesus said to him, “Someone gave a great dinner and invited many. At the time for the dinner he sent his slave to say to those who had been invited, “Come; for everything is ready now.’ But they all alike began to make excuses. Thought for the Day: The great dinner is a metaphor for the divine banquet, the fullness of God
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGJune 25, 2021Scripture: Matthew 20:30-31There were two blind men sitting by the roadside. When they heard that Jesus was passing by, they shouted, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” The crowd sternly ordered them to be quiet; but they shouted even more loudly, “Have mercy on us, Lord, Son of David!” Thought for the Day: Have you ever felt ignored? Have you ever received the
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGJune 24, 2021Scripture: Hebrews 12:1-2Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGJune 23, 2021Scripture: Hebrews 10:23Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful. Thought for the Day: Imagine receiving an invitation to what sounds like an extravagant party at the home of an individual you do not know. When you arrive, you are told by the person who answers the door that you cannot enter because the
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGJune 22, 2021Scripture: Psalm 94:18-19When I thought, “My foot is slipping,” your steadfast love, O Lord, held me up. When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul. Thought for the Day: Based upon some comments I received, yesterday’s prayer seem to resonate with some folks. I’m guessing a few of you are not as proficient as you would like when it comes
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGJune 21, 2021Prayer for the Week: I wake this day with many things on my mind. I open my eyes and find so many of the concerns from yesterday have joined me today. Allow all the apprehension and worry that has greeted me this day to be drawn into this prayer. Merciful God, you understand these worries and the reason I do not easily release them. You