ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
March 28, 2024 As we move further into the Holy Week story as told in Matthew’s Gospel, we learn of an unnamed woman who entered the home of Simon the Leper (how would you like to have what sounds like a last name be an illness that you have? I’d be Bruce the Multiple Sclerosis) and opened a jar containing very expensive perfume. She poured it on Jesus’ head as he was reclining at the dinner table. The disciples got all mad, suggesting the perfume could have been sold and the money given to the poor. But Jesus pushed back and suggested the woman had done a great thing in preparing his body for burial. This story spurs my curiosity in regard to the unnamed and even unspoken characters in the stories of Jesus. There are so many things that occurred during this time, and I believe we can comfortably assume there were others involved. Along with the strong reaction by the disciples, were there people, maybe members of Simon’s family, who had helped to prepare and serve the meal? What were their reactions? What did they observe that maybe the disciples, being so close to the situation, were unable to see? It makes me think of the unnamed or unknown people who have crossed our paths and who have blessed us without us knowing who they were or what they did. Generous God, the grace and generosity of so many in life are often under-appreciated. So often, I do not pause long enough to acknowledge or give thanks for the numerous people who have been a part of my journey, in both small and significant ways. Amen.
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ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
March 27, 2024 There are many passages of scripture that leave me scratching my head, and the words from the opening of Matthew 23 are one example. It reads, [Jesus said,] “The Pharisees and the teachers of the Law are experts in the Law of Moses. So obey everything they teach you, but don't do as they do. After all, they say one thing and do something else.” Christians often suggest the teachings of the Pharisees were what Jesus came to confront. In fact, I just heard a minister say, “The message of the Pharisees was the antithesis of what Jesus taught,” but is that necessarily true, at least according to this passage? At the heart of Pharisaic thought was the importance of holding onto certain practices of the faith that kept one connected to the primary teachings, specifically in the context of Rome’s occupation of what we would call the Holy Land. It wasn’t always easy to maintain your faith, especially as the Greco-Roman culture continued to be more and more influential. Certain practices and rituals helped to reinforce the stories of the faith. For Jesus, it sure appears as if his greater concern was hypocrisy—not always matching what one did with what one claimed to be important. Jesus may not have always agreed with the Pharisees and other religious leaders, but in these words, he presents for us a different lens through which we can make some determination about a person’s convictions. The old saying, “I’d rather see a sermon than hear a sermon,” sort of resonates with this teaching. Most of us express our deepest-held convictions in what we do, not necessarily what we say. I know I will never be perfect, O Gracious God, but I pray for the capacity to discern my own life witness and what it is that I am communicating to the world. If it is your limitless love that I preach, I hope my life gives just a glimpse of such beauty and power. Amen. ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
March 26, 2024 In Matthew’s Gospel, a short time after Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem, there are a number of teaching moments. Many of them come from conversations and conflict, including a debate over resurrection (Matthew 22). Of course, it came in a roundabout way, as some of the religious were trying to stir an argument with Jesus. I find it interesting that Jesus, though offering some broad thoughts on the resurrection, really doesn’t take the opportunity for a grand treatise on the subject. You would think that just days before his death, he might offer a bit more detail. But what follows is quite interesting, as Jesus then turns to the Great Commandment, that we are to love God and love our neighbor. Jesus describes it as the greatest commandment, in a sense, overshadowing his teaching on the resurrection. It is interesting to me how some folks want a heated debate on what we can’t fully know while avoiding deeper conversations on what we can know and should be doing. It’s as if they were wanting to fight over the finer points of the afterlife and ignore the most basic expectations that Jesus put before his followers. Though it can be engaging and enlightening to ponder the vastness of heaven, I pray for your help, Lord God, in putting most of my energy toward the single most important purpose you put before me—to love. Amen. ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
March 25, 2024 Prayer for the Week: Holy Week A journey from incomplete joy to the fullness of joy A journey that ended for many when the parade concluded A journey seeking to bind together the fullness of the human experience A journey immersed in pain betrayal, taunting, false allegations A journey to the instrument of Rome’s torturous insanity A journey with words of unimaginable mercy and kindness A journey to death, darkness, lostness, an apparent victory of hopelessness A journey where even God appeared to have turned away A journey that is set before us… A journey that should not be ignored… Holy God, journey with us this is our request Amen ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
March 24, 2024 In today’s sermon, an idea I originally planned to use but time constraints required that it be left on the floor of my editing room had to do with Roman Citizenship. If someone was not a citizen of Rome, there were ways of gaining citizenship, but it was something that had to be earned. Keeping that in mind, as the Apostle Paul (a Roman citizen himself) talked about our citizenship in heaven or how we have had a change in our status before God and been brought into the Kingdom of God, And, of course, Paul also talks about adoption into the family of God. All these metaphors for our relationship to God and our place in God’s holy welcome have nothing to do with us earning it. We are in a relationship with God simply because God is love, and the very nature of that essential essence does not know how to exclude. It only seeks to embrace, heal, make whole, and create a life-giving relationship. You are who you are, O Generous One, and we continue to strive toward a life that embraces, enjoys, and lives forth from the premise that we are loved and members of your holy realm of grace. Amen. ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
March 23, 2024 Today is Palm Sunday Eve, an important day in the life of the church. Not really, but I like to think of it in those terms. In Matthew’s telling of the story, Jesus sends two disciples into Jerusalem to find a donkey and a colt that he will ride. At the time of this request, it says that they were in Bethphage, about a two-hour walk from Jerusalem. Because of the round trip, I am going to guess that Jesus sent them on Palm Sunday Eve, the day before the Palm Parade. I can’t prove that; it's just a guess. But of course, Matthew tells us that Jesus requested not just a donkey but also a colt. Why both? And when it comes time for the parade, it sounds as if Jesus rides both of them. I just picture the circus act where the person is standing with one foot on one horse and the other foot on the second horse. This is a case where the author of the Gospel probably did not understand Hebrew Poetry which sometimes has two lines that say basically the same thing but with a slight change. It is not suggesting two different ideas, but a way of poetically placing emphasis on the one idea. From the Prophet Zechariah, we read: Lo, your king comes to you; triumphant and victorious is he: humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. The king is not riding on two animals. Instead, the poet is simply communicating an idea using a well-known poetic technique—parallelism. To be honest, I kind of like the image of Jesus riding two animals side by side. Whatever the case, it all started on Palm Sunday Eve, or at least that’s my story, and I’m sticking with it. Whatever the day, however he might choose to enter. Keep me close to Jesus so that I might witness all he has to teach me. Amen. ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
March 22, 2024 On Sunday, which happens to be Palm Sunday, we will conclude the series on Pressing The Reset Button. As we continue to push the metaphor of the reset, we will focus on the necessity of anyone seeking to live like Jesus needing a reset from one perspective to another. There is one world where the humble are crushed and the last are defined as losers, yet Jesus spoke of how those who humble themselves shall be lifted up and those who are last shall find themselves first. Those who claim to be Christian offer a lot of sanctimonious rhetoric to these ideas, but they remain very much citizens of a world that does not have time for those defined as weak, failures, worthless, and nobodies. Very rarely do we see the Jesus reversal embodied, let alone the defining value. This might be the single most difficult reset for us to make, simply because there are very few examples we can turn to and use as a model. In James 4, the question is asked: “What good is it if people say they have faith but do nothing to show it?” The faith spoken of in James is not some nebulous feel-good sentimentality, but a specific belief in a specific worldview. There are numerous resets that I probably need, Lord God, but a reset with how I see the world and how I choose to interact with the world needs to be a priority each day. By your grace, may it be so. Amen. ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
March 21, 2024 Yesterday, my sister Stephanie and I had an email exchange. It became a bit comical as I completely misunderstood the first email she sent, and from that initial misunderstanding, it sort of spiraled into utter chaos. Ok, that might be a bit overstated, but had it been something significant, I believe the outcome could have been unhelpful, even leaving two people or two groups at odds with one another. As our world creates new and astonishing ways of communicating, it seems that new doesn’t always mean better. I sort of wonder if our arrogance in regard to the sophistication of communication has left us a bit lethargic when it comes to clarity and purpose. Proverbs 10:13 says, “Wisdom is found on the lips of those who have understanding…” Of course, understanding is not simply an understanding of the topic that one is seeking to communicate, but an understanding of the audience, the unspoken expectations, the potential obstacles that exist between the parties communicating, and the humility to realize when one’s current method is not working. We all need to work on communication and not make the assumption that with more sophisticated or expeditious communication, everything will be better. O Living Word, O Gentle Breath of the Divine, I need every bit of help I can get when it comes to the words I seek to speak into the world. Amen. ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
March 20, 2024 In yesterday’s devotional, I shared an experience from Sunday evening when outside of a grocery store, a woman (I assumed referencing my dark purple dress shirt) smiled and said to me, “You must be a Lent Boy.” I’ll confess to you some internal back and forth on whether to tell the story or even to do so with a slight change of language. In the end, I decided to tell it as it happened, but I still feel a little uneasy. Though I do not believe there was any negative or hurtful intent in her choice of words, the word “boy” said to a man carries a very demeaning intent in some circles. At a Men’s Retreat last year, I was talking with two African American men, both 10+ years older than I am, and both of them told me multiple stories from the previous 12 months when someone half their age referred to them as a boy. It was intended to demean and devalue, language rooted in racism. I only share this because I think it is important to think about the language we use and how often our understanding of a word’s meaning is entirely tied to our experiences. When that word was spoken to me, I didn’t think twice about it, though I did chuckle a bit. In a different setting, with someone who has experienced life very differently than I have, that same word brings with it pain and an attempt to suggest power over another. In no way am I suggesting that we get rid of the word, and I don’t want people to be walking on eggshells, yet we need to be mindful of how we are heard. Language is a tool of communication, and if I remember one thing from my basic communications class, it was the importance of asking, “How might my audience hear what I am saying?” Holy One of Grace, continue to make me aware of those who are my siblings in the human family, especially those whose life experience is very different than mine. As one called to love my neighbor, help expand my appreciation of what I do not know. Amen. ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
March 19, 2024 Sunday evening, after the Board Meeting and a couple of hospital visits, I ran to the grocery store. I was still dressed in my dark purple dress shirt from Sunday morning, and as I was walking out, an older woman smiled at me and said, “You must be a Lent Boy.” “Why yes,” I told her, “and I was in worship this morning for the fifth Sunday of Lent” (dark purple is the color associated with the Season of Lent). She smiled and went on her way. Later, I wondered if I understood her correctly. I think so, but is “Lent Boy” slang for something? Was there a bunch of drier lint hanging from my pants leg? I was standing near the herb plants just outside the door. Was she making a request, “Mint! Boy,” asking if I’d bring her some mint? All joking aside, I think she was speaking about the Season of Lent, and purple is part of the symbolism of the Season. In Joshua 4, the Israelites crossed the Jordan and entered the Promised Land. God invited the people to take rocks from the Jordan, making a pile along the shore as a reminder of what God had done. On one level, it was just a pile of rocks. But symbols point beyond themselves, serving as both a reminder and a catalyst. Dark purple was just such a symbol on Sunday night for a woman entering the grocery store, and as people of faith, we need to surround ourselves with the symbols that will remind us of who we are and serve as a catalyst for what we have been called to do. For every little symbol or source of encouragement, I give you thanks, O God, who invites us all to the way of faithfulness. We need all the help we can get, so we do appreciate the little hints and nudges along the way. Amen. |
AuthorRev. Bruce Frogge Archives
March 2024
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