06-27-23

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
June 27, 2023
Henri Nouwen is one of the great writers I turn to when I need to find a doorway to the spirit. He wrote, "To pray… to listen to the voice of the One who calls us the ‘beloved,’ is to learn that voice excludes no one." On my best days, I can get a little cocky and think of myself a bit too highly. On my less than stellar days, and there are many, I am reminded of my many flaws, too many to name in this Etching. On those days, I am reminded of my arrogance, selfishness, greed, and pettiness (my family would have others to add). Yet I do, more often than I deserve (though that’s the point), hear an ever-so-gentle voice reminding me that I am loved beyond measure, and if I’m in, then so is everyone else. The moment I start drawing lines that will exclude others is the day my judgement, if I’m honest, will exclude me. Yet even in that moment, God—through the Spirit, the Church, the Scriptures, or an unexpected voice—reminds me that I am still one of God’s bumbling beloved.

​For all the many ways you remind me of your limitless and relentless love, O God, I am truly thankful. Amen.