ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS August 13, 2019 Scripture: John 13:34 [Jesus said,] “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another…” Thought for the Day: For those of you my age or older, you will probably remember Rodney King and the famous quote, “…can we just get along…” Some mocked his comment, while others longly wished it was as
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS August 12, 2019 Prayer for the Week: There is history to your church, O Spirit who empowered those first followers. There is a history to your church, O Spirit who has called forth preachers and teachers, servants and caregivers, those who exemplify humility and compassion. There is a history to your church, O Spirit, and we are inspired by the sacrifices of those who continued to
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS August 11, 2019 A Prayer As We Gather For Worship: It has been a week since our nation was rocked by a wave of violence that betrayed your holy shalom, O Spirit of Life. A week ago, two events tore at the core of our souls, but the violence and death did not end. Parents grieve uncontrollably; youth find hope ripped from them; children are left
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS August 10, 2019 Prayer for the Fears: As we ache for those whose lives have been forever changed in recent weeks, we must also name our own fears brought on by the ongoing violence in our country. Holy One of All Creation, we know people who could so easily be caught in a similar act of hate. We know those who could easily become the target
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS August 9, 2019 Prayer for God-Inspired Imagination: There are those who look at a large piece of marble and see a human form ready to emerge. There are those who hold a lump of clay and picture a chalice ready to be formed. There are those who have been given the Spiritual Gift of Imagination. Some have been called artists, some dreamers, and others prophets. They
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS August 8, 2019 Prayer for the Grieving: In Christ Jesus, we witnessed the power of your love over death. We join the voices who ask the rhetorical questions, “Where, O death, is your sting? Where, O death, is your victory?” Lord of the Empty Tomb, we are able to speak with confidence as those who have, by faith, walked in the shadow of death and witnessed
NOTE: Throughout this week, I will be offering prayers for my daily devotionals. This is the mechanism I am using to process what occurred this past weekend. ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS August 7, 2019 Prayer of Hope: I refuse to give in! I refuse to give up! The fullness of your life enfleshed chose to reject his own fears to preserve the irrefutable power of love. Great and Merciful God,
Prayer for the Weary: God whose love encircles us, we collapse into your comforting embrace. Breaking news, victims, body count, shattered lives, political speeches, numbness, no real accountability. A mother is gunned down to save a child, and her story is the lead at the top of every hour. The media employs her image for we desperately yearn for a hero in these moments. You were there; you
Prayer for the Week: Where there appears to be so little, O God whose love overflows, teach us to see with the eyes of faith. We make this request as the voices of hope, abundance and joy are lost in a cacophony of fear that portrays this world as a place of insufficiency and inadequacy. Making sure everyone has a place at the table of plenty is demonized,
Scripture: Deuteronomy 23:24-25 If you go into your neighbor’s vineyard, you can eat as many grapes as you like, until full, but don’t carry any away in a basket. If you go into your neighbor’s grain field, you can pluck ears by hand, but you aren’t allowed to cut off any of your neighbor’s grain with a sickle. Thought for the Day: I love this law, though I