08-24-25

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
August 24, 2025
It’s Sunday! Bring an attitude of expectation this day, for the God who invites us together for worship plans to make it worth our while. I’m not suggesting that what God has in store for you or for me is going to blow us away, but it might just be what we are needing. Though a single worship experience can change someone’s life, I tend to think that worship week after week, month after month, and year after year is what helps God shape us into the people God created us to be. Trust me when I say that many things in the world around us are doing an exceptional job of trying to shape us into people who do not model the life and teachings of Jesus. Actually, a number of things are trying to shape us into jerks who don’t have any capacity for empathy and definitely have no interest in humility and kindness. I hope you come with an attitude of expectation, for the God of unconditional and unrelenting love will utilize music, ritual, fellowship, the spoken word, and prayer to strengthen our capacity to live as Jesus followers beyond the hour or two we will spend together this day.

You are good and gracious, O God of promises fulfilled. You called us into being, and you continue to call us into the fullness of what it means to be a human being. Bless us as we seek to model our lives around Jesus, celebrating your Spirit’s guidance and support in that work. May our worship, infused with your Spirit, be one of the key tools you use. Amen.