ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJanuary 9, 2024Last week, Donna and I saw The Tina Turner Musical. It wasn’t my favorite, but the lead was amazing. There was important truth-telling in the musical, specifically the naming of the physical abuse Tina Turner experienced in her marriage to Ike Turner. They did not try to hide it or leave it to the imagination. Toward the end, when Tina decided to fight back, the
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJanuary 8, 2024Prayer for the Week: I seek an epiphany of your life-changing grace, O Lord. As I enter this new year, I desire to be transformed by the renewal of my mind, spirit, and body. All that I am, I wish to be aligned with you and the ways of Jesus. May this prayer be a confirmation of my commitment to this sacred task. Amen.
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJanuary 7, 2024Epiphany SundayThe day has arrived! Yes, it is Camel Parade Day. I hope to see as many of you as possible at Meyer Park (10am). Not only is it a fun experience for Cypress Creek folks, and not only does it teach the difference between Epiphany and Christmas, but it is also an opportunity to share who we are with our neighbors, who we don’t
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJanuary 6, 2024Today, on what is officially Epiphany (we will celebrate it tomorrow in worship and with the Camel Walk), I am mindful of the Magi, or what some believe might better be described as astrologers or Zoroastrians. Over the years, some people have told me that after their visit with the Holy Family, the Magi became Christians. First of all, there was no Christianity at that
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJanuary 5, 2024The poet and 17th-century social influencer John Milton wrote, “Gratitude bestows reverence, allowing us to encounter everyday epiphanies.” I wonder how many people go through life waiting for some over-the-top extravaganza of an epiphany, only to miss hundreds and hundreds of what Milton called “everyday epiphanies”? There is something to the notion of gratitude providing us a lens through which we are able to see
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJanuary 4, 2024In Genesis 12, we find Abram and Sarai (they will have their names changed to Abraham and Sarah) on the move, choosing to leave behind everything they had known and go to the place where God would lead. The purpose of this journey is announced by God in vs. 3 where we read: “…all the families of the earth will be blessed because of you”
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJanuary 3, 2024During Advent, I facilitated a conversation around the book: An Unlikely Advent by Rachel Billups. It was enjoyable and thought-provoking. One of the chapters was about the Magi (Matthew 2), and Rachel wrote the following: These magi are not religious insiders. They are not church peeps. The magi have no political power in Judea, and they certainly do not have religious ties to the people…
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJanuary 2, 2024In Luke 2:48-49, we find one of the few stories about Jesus as a young boy. The scripture says, “When Jesus’ parents saw him they were astonished; and his mother said to him, ‘Child, why have you treated us like this? Look, your father and I have been searching for you in great anxiety.’ He said to them, ‘Why were you searching for me? Did
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJanuary 1, 2024Prayer for the Week: Holy God, as we cross this threshold, standing on the edge between one year lived and one yet waiting to be lived, we acknowledge missed opportunities and some outright disasters in our attempts to embody the ways of Jesus. We are thankful for mercy that meets the sins of omission and commission with kindness and hope. We are also thankful for
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSDecember 31, 2023If all religions want peace, then why are we having such a difficult time achieving it? I would like to suggest that religions do not want peace. Almost all of the people who inspired the major religions of the world wanted peace, but once they became religions, they also became institutions. Institutions are wired to protect themselves at any cost, and whatever the original values