ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSAugust 2, 2020Scripture: Philippians 2:19-21I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to see you soon so that I may be encouraged by hearing about you. I have no one like him. He is a person who genuinely cares about your well-being. All the others put their own business ahead of Jesus Christ’s business. Thought for the Day: These words come shortly after this morning’s sermon
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSAugust 1, 2020Scripture: John 4:23But the time is coming—and is here!—when true worshippers will worship in spirit and truth. The Father looks for those who worship him this way. Thought for the Day: Has anyone else noticed that today is August 1? I might say, “Time flies when you’re having fun,” but this hasn’t been a lot of fun. Two days ago, I read these words for
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJuly 31, 2020Scripture: Leviticus 23:40-41On the first day you must take fruit from majestic trees, palm branches, branches of leafy trees, and willows of the streams, and rejoice before the LORD your God for seven days. You will celebrate this festival to the LORD for seven days each year; this is a permanent rule throughout your future generations. You will celebrate it in the seventh month. Thought
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJuly 30, 2020 Scripture: Galatians 5:22-23aBy contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Thought for the Day: Pierre Teilhard de Chardin was a Jesuit Priest and philosopher who wrote: Joy is the infallible sign of the presence of God. Now the Fruit of the Spirt is, collectively, the sign of God’s presence, yet I might agree with
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJuly 29, 2020Scripture: John 16:21-22When a woman gives birth, she has pain because her time has come. But when the child is born, she no longer remembers her distress because of her joy that a child has been born into the world. In the same way, you have sorrow now; but I will see you again, and you will be overjoyed. No one takes away your joy.
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJuly 28, 2020Scripture: 2 Kings 5:14So Naaman went down and bathed in the Jordan seven times, just as the man of God had said. His skin was restored like that of a young boy, and he became clean. Thought for the Day: If you remember the story, Naaman had a skin disease, and when the prophet Elisha told him to go wash himself seven times in the
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS:July 27, 2020Prayer for the Week:Where are we? Here and nowhere!How far have we come? This far and not far enough!Who are we? Beloved and broken!Grandiose rhetoric otherworldly illusions are the technicolor facade of religionInnovative scapegoating shrewd tinkering with anxieties are the well played tools of politiciansSo many expressions of hope, so many teachers of peace, so many prophets of justiceYet Powers and PrincipalitiesUnholy forces of greed
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJuly 26, 2020Scripture: 1st Thessalonians 5:11Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, as indeed you are doing. Thought for the Day: In the sermon this morning, I will reference the word encouragement. Though it is not the central theme of the sermon, it has had me thinking about encouragement, and how we bring encouragement to others. Like so often, we are told to encourage without
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJuly 25, 2020Scripture: Psalm 18:8I always put the LORD in front of me; I will not stumble because he is on my right side. Thought for the Day: In this one verse, did you notice how the Lord is “in front” of the writer and also on the writer’s “right side.” How exactly does that work? In ministry, I have witnessed very faithful people obsess with these
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJuly 24, 2020Scripture: Philippians 4:4Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Thought for the Day: I’m sure there are some sports fans reading this, and if you’re like me, you’ve probably watched a few games when your team was clearly going to lose. No matter how much screaming you did (whether at the game or watching on TV), it wasn’t going to change the