ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSSeptember 11, 2020Scripture: James 2:21Was not our ancestor Abraham justified by works when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? Thought for the Day: Does anyone else find James’ use of the Isaac Sacrifice story a less than stellar illustration for his point? When I think of the word “work” in scripture, I tend to think of something positive, life-giving. Abraham was going to sacrifice a
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSSeptember 10, 2020Scripture: James 2:17So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead. Thought for the Day: Some of the great moments in my ministry have been on Youth Mission Trips. There is always a need for caution – that we don’t get too much of a Messiah Complex – showing up as if we are there to rescue those in need. Mission Trips have
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSSeptember 9, 2020Scripture: James 2:14What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? Thought for the Day: Can faith save you? This is one of the great questions of Christian history, specifically emerging from The Protestant Reformation. As you may know, there was quite the battle between salvation by faith and salvation by
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSSeptember 8, 2020Scripture: James 2:9-11But if you show partiality, you commit sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it. For the one who said, “You shall not commit adultery,” also said, “You shall not murder.” Now if you do not commit adultery but if you murder, you have
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSSeptember 7, 2020Prayer for the Week: Bolt our feet in place for a moment or two. Put a pin in the chaos for just a few short minutes. Let there be some space carved out for us to be present to your presence, O Holy One of Peace. There are no excuses that will surprise you. There are no smokescreens you haven’t seen past. There are no
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSSeptember 6, 2020Scripture: James 2:2Imagine two people coming into your meeting. One has a gold ring and fine clothes, while the other is poor, dressed in filthy rags. Thought for the Day: This verse of scripture is referenced in today’s sermon. I like this translation (CEB), and the use of the word Imagine. I can almost hear Rod Serling from The Twilight Zone. In the TV series,
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSSeptember 5, 2020Scripture: James 1:27Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world. Thought for the Day: As you may know, the 16th century reformer, Martin Luther, wanted to exclude The Book of James from the Bible, though it was for a very specific theological reason. Over
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSSeptember 4, 2020Scripture: James 1:19-20You must understand this, my beloved: let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger; for your anger does not produce God’s righteousness. Thought for the Day: Let that soak in for a moment, especially the second half: “…anger does not produce God’s righteousness.” Now I don’t wish to suggest that James was wrong, and in fact, I won’t. At
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSSeptember 3, 2020Scripture: James 1:9-10Brothers and sisters who are poor should find satisfaction in their high status. Those who are wealthy should find satisfaction in their low status, because they will die off like wildflowers. Thought for the Day: I have never fully known what to do with this passage of scripture. Over the years, I have listened to clergy use it to begin their sermon, only
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSSeptember 2, 2020Scripture: James 1:4Let this endurance complete its work so that you may be fully mature, complete, and lacking in nothing. Thought for the Day: When faith helps you hold your own against despair, loneliness, lostness, fear and grief, an endurance begins to build. Part of it is an endurance of memory, remembering how you got through a previous challenge. It does not take away the