09-30-24

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
September 30, 2024
O Heavenly Word, speak to me even when you know it will challenge those things I hold dear. I am not necessarily looking to have my feathers ruffled, and I am most certainly not looking forward to finding everything with which I feel comfortable suddenly being flipped upside down. Yet for your message to be Good News to some means that others might find it provocative, even threatening to the comfortable patterns of life. I seek forgiveness now, even if I have not started complaining. I request patience, even if my crankiness is unbecoming someone who claims to be following Jesus. I believe you are gracious and kind, and your mercy is beyond anything I could imagine. This is Good News, at least on paper, but there will be days when the Good News of Jesus will feel like disconcerting news. When you provide me a second chance, or even a thirty-second chance, I reluctantly ask you to not give up. In fact, I ask you to keep on nudging and challenging me where it is necessary. Amen.