08-02-26

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
August 2, 2026
Where is your starting place? As you think about your faith, what is that one foundational thing on which you build everything else? Maybe it’s a couple of ideas. Now there are some people who will say, “It’s not just one or two things. I believe the Bible as a whole.” It might be what people say and even what they’ve convinced themselves to believe, but at the end of the day, there are one or two markers that serve as a starting point for how we think about faith, our relationship with God, and our purpose as those who desire to follow in the ways of Jesus. Those markers might change over time, and that’s okay. But it is important for us to name these foundational ideas, while also recognizing how our starting place is going to take us somewhere different than a person who has a very different starting place. It’s not even about convincing others why our starting place is better than anyone else’s starting place. When we understand our starting place and understand someone else’s starting place, it becomes much easier to actually have a conversation.

Holy God, there are so many powerful images, stories, and poems in scripture that provide us with a window through which we are better able to see you. Continue to make us aware of those foundational ideas that we have grabbed tightly and serve as our starting place. When it is time for us to grow, it is important for us to know where we begin. Amen.