ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS November 23, 2019 Scripture: 1st Corinthians 1:4 I thank my God always for you, because of God’s grace that was given to you in Christ Jesus. Thought for the Day: Is Paul suggesting that he gives thanks for these other human beings because of God’s grace given to them? Is that a prerequisite for gratitude to God? Do I need some sort of confirmation of God’s
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS November 22, 2019 Scripture:Leviticus 7:15 The flesh of your communal thanksgiving sacrifice of well-being must be eaten on the day you offer it; you cannot save any of it until morning. Thought for the Day: As we think toward Thanksgiving, and our Thanksgiving Meals, it is good to know that the Bible discourages leftovers. We need to clean up every dish, making sure there is not
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS November 21, 2019 Mid-Week Prayer: Turkey and stuffing, creamy casseroles and sweet potatoes, pumpkin pie and apple crisp – so many many marvelous traditions and memories expressed in the food we share at this time of the year. O God of the Harvest, I desire for the food that passes over my lips to be tied to the gratitude that is expressed by my lips. You
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS November 20, 2019 Scripture: Psalm 7:17 But I will thank the LORD for his righteousness; I will sing praises to the name of the LORD Most High. Thought for the Day: Take note – the name of God is in all caps: LORD. Most translations, when translating the Hebrew name of God, Yahweh, do so with the designation: LORD. Righteousness is the characteristic associated with the
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS November 19, 2019 Scripture: Mark 7:24-26 Jesus left that place and went into the region of Tyre. He didn’t want anyone to know that he had entered a house, but he couldn’t hide. In fact, a woman whose young daughter was possessed by an unclean spirit heard about him right away. She came and fell at his feet. The woman was Greek, Syrophoenician by birth. She
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS November 18, 2019 Prayer for the Week: In the single most impactful moment of human history, when all hope appeared to be lost, you did not send a Rambo figure or even call upon the elite Roman Infantry. The cross was the reversal of every hero adventure; the upending of every story of courage; the dismantling of every myth on which Empires had been built. Your
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS November 17, 2019 Scripture: John 14:16-17 I will ask the Father, and he will send another Companion, who will be with you forever. This Companion is the Spirit of Truth, whom the world can’t receive because it neither sees him nor recognizes him. You know him, because he lives with you and will be with you. Thought for the Day: Jesus announced how the Parakletos would
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS November 16, 2019 Scripture: Romans 5:8 But God shows his love for us, because while we were still sinners Christ died for us. Thought for the Day: On this day in 1940, the Nazis closed off the Warsaw Ghetto from all outside contact. I’ve read a great deal of history, and watched plenty of History Specials on the Holocaust, but it remains impossible for me to
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS November 15, 2019 Scripture: Numbers 6:24-26 The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace. Thought for the Day: These words may sound familiar to you. They have been said, and continue to be said, as a benediction in many churches and
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS November 14, 2019 Mid-Week Prayer: O Prince of Peace, continue to teach me the ways of peace. Assist me as I do what is necessary for my life to resemble the vision of faithfulness, holiness and shalom revealed throughout scripture. Allow for your Spirit of Peace to reside within me so thoroughly that not only am I at peace, but those around me find both their