ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
January 11, 2024 This Sunday, we will look at the scripture from Matthew’s Gospel called the Massacre of the Innocents (Matthew 2:13ff), when Herod, who was the King of Judea, gave orders to execute every child two years old and under living around Bethlehem. Now such an order would have been recorded in Roman history, and since it was not, there is some question about its historical validity. For the Gospel writer Matthew, there is an underlying theme of Jesus as the new Moses, and so there is the connection being made between Pharaoh seeking to kill the children of the Israelites when Moses was only a baby and Herod wanting to kill any threats to him after the Magi announced a new King of the Jews. Throughout the ministry of Jesus, there were those who were threatened by him—those who often had great power, authority, and armies. Why is it that Jesus would have been a threat to them? I believe this is a question not only asked of Herod, but also of people throughout history who should have felt incredibly secure yet not only felt threatened but also acted upon those feelings. Some will say it is because they have more to lose, but I don’t believe that necessarily answers the question. I am going to suggest something for which I have no empirical evidence, but I believe many people in places of power have an unspoken realization of just how truly fragile their power structures are, and things as unexpectedly absurd as love and mercy could not be ignored. These powerful yet threatened people knew how to defeat armies and other traditional dangers, but the love and mercy, gentleness and kindness, made them feel very uneasy. In the end, even killing the individuals who represent these heavenly ideals is not to destroy the true power, as its source is God. Sadly, because these Jesus-like attributes rarely have immediate success, people exchange them rather quickly for more traditional methods that are not as threatening to the powerful. Like a lot of things in the Christian movement, this sort of sounds counterintuitive, but think of people like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. His approach threatened no one, but it was terribly threatening to many. Though it is rarely easy to remain true to the ways of Jesus, Gracious Lord, I pray for both resilience and patience, as those were attributes found in Jesus. May his living spirit continue to be my mentor in this work. Amen.
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ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
January 10, 2024 Over the weekend, I heard an interesting (troubling) conversation about who was deserving of an act of compassion and who was not. I won’t get into the specifics, though you might be able to guess if I gave you three chances. The determination of deservability has been a discussion point since our ancestors began to walk upright. Whether or not someone deserves something often has less to do with measurable criteria and more to do with fear of scarcity. If there is not enough to go around (whatever ‘it’ might be), then the best way of allocating the finite resources is to deem some as undeserving. In Proverbs, we read, “Don’t withhold good from someone who deserves it when it is in your power to do so” (3:27). In a quick reading of that verse, it appears to imply that it’s ok for us to make determinations about whether someone is deserving or not. But the Hebrew word we translate as ‘deserving’ may not be the best translation. It is a word that suggests ownership, and thus it is not only deserved but sort of required. It’s like borrowing the neighbor’s mower and then trying to determine whether or not your neighbor ‘deserves’ the return of his/her own mower. This is where I need to turn to Jesus and his capacity to totally rewrite the definition of deservability. The Apostle Paul would say that none of us are deserving, and thus we all need grace. I don’t know if Jesus would have necessarily said it that way. Instead of setting the bar low like Paul did, the stories of Jesus seem to suggest that we are all of immeasurable and equal value, and since there is enough to go around (no matter what ‘stuff’ we are talking about), then we should not fall into a scarcity mindset. Love, mercy, kindness, and grace are not in limited supply, and thus we should never imply that some are teetering on the edge of deservability. It is a dramatic shift in some people’s understanding of God, yet when you remove the game-playing and manipulation, it unleashes the power of love, mercy, kindness, and grace. Suddenly, lives are truly transformed. I confess my own fears and the way insecurity can sneak in and shape my view of the world around me. God of immeasurable goodness, continue to put before me an alternative vision of life, love, generosity, and goodness. Provide me with lenses through which I can see a world not of limitation and insufficiency but of glorious abundance. This is your vision, a vision to which I have been called. Amen. ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
January 9, 2024 Last week, Donna and I saw The Tina Turner Musical. It wasn’t my favorite, but the lead was amazing. There was important truth-telling in the musical, specifically the naming of the physical abuse Tina Turner experienced in her marriage to Ike Turner. They did not try to hide it or leave it to the imagination. Toward the end, when Tina decided to fight back, the crowd erupted with applause. It was a moment of uneasiness for me—not that I was opposed to a woman doing whatever was necessary to escape the abuse, but applause seemed strange. Maybe it’s my place of sanctimonious privilege, but I dream of a day when we are applauding the end of all physical, emotional, and spiritual abuse. And then doubly strange was when, at the end of the show, the actor who played Ike was greeted with stirring applause. He’s an actor, and he deserved it. I know we were not applauding the character or what he had done, but an individual’s skill at helping tell a story. Maybe my uneasiness with everything is an unspoken desire to pretend such things don’t exist, but could it be that the conflict and the emotional discomfort were exactly what needed to happen and what the musical was seeking to do? God of both compassion and justice, I desire that any naivety or avoidance around the real pain and maltreatment of a human being be removed from me so that my discomfort doesn’t lead to silence. Amen. ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
January 8, 2024 Prayer for the Week: I seek an epiphany of your life-changing grace, O Lord. As I enter this new year, I desire to be transformed by the renewal of my mind, spirit, and body. All that I am, I wish to be aligned with you and the ways of Jesus. May this prayer be a confirmation of my commitment to this sacred task. Amen. ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
January 7, 2024 Epiphany Sunday The day has arrived! Yes, it is Camel Parade Day. I hope to see as many of you as possible at Meyer Park (10am). Not only is it a fun experience for Cypress Creek folks, and not only does it teach the difference between Epiphany and Christmas, but it is also an opportunity to share who we are with our neighbors, who we don’t usually see on Sunday mornings… unless they come to church. We would love it if they did come to church, but more importantly, it is a great opportunity to chat with people, introduce ourselves, and let them know that there is a wonderfully quirky group of people down the road that are pretty serious about Putting Love First. It is not a secret that we live in a very different culture than just 30 years ago. Church attendance is on the decline among every denomination, but even more distressing is the growing uneasiness that a growing number of people have when it comes to the church. As an institution, the church must own 98% of that distrust or outright distain people have for the church. We have failed in many areas, including being late when it comes to the work of justice and compassion. The Jesus story suggests we should have been walking alongside the hurting, rejected, and scapegoated from the beginning, and some in the church were there, whether we are talking about issues of racism, colonialism, women’s suffrage, inequalities around incarceration, violence, human trafficking, marginalizations of the LGBTQ+ community, etc. But the church doesn’t need just a few radicals, but a clear statement about the mission of bringing alive the love and kindness of God for all people in every situation. Awaken us, Gracious God, to follow your way with the kind of commitment reflected in the lives of the Magi. We desire to show up wherever the Gospel needs an unmistakeable pronouncement. Amen. ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
January 6, 2024 Today, on what is officially Epiphany (we will celebrate it tomorrow in worship and with the Camel Walk), I am mindful of the Magi, or what some believe might better be described as astrologers or Zoroastrians. Over the years, some people have told me that after their visit with the Holy Family, the Magi became Christians. First of all, there was no Christianity at that time, plus I don’t necessarily believe that the sharing of gifts and paying the child “homage” suggest a change in religion as there is nothing in scripture that points to some sort of “conversion.” In fact, they returned home after meeting the child. And though it says they “returned home by a different way,” often interpreted as those whose hearts have changed, the alternative road was more practical. They didn’t want to see Herod, whom they knew was not happy with the child. What does it mean to describe the people who were not considered insiders in the Jewish faith and not converts of this new thing that was happening as being central to the story of God’s redeeming love? The scholar and rabbi, Abraham Heschel, wrote, “Any god who is mine but not yours, any god concerned with me but not with you, is an idol.” There is no question in my mind that one of the primary pieces of the Jesus message was the removal of barriers that separated people, including the institutional religions whose real purpose was self-preservation. I am a follower of Jesus, yet if I believe the God I meet in Jesus is only on the side of those who love Jesus and that God desires health and well-being only for those who celebrate the name of Jesus, then I am pretty sure I have dismissed most of the teachings of Jesus. The Magi are only one example of God inviting all kinds of people to participate in the sharing of redemptive love. Help me to stand strong in my convictions, O God, while also remaining open to how you creatively and joyfully utilize those I might least expect. Amen. ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
January 5, 2024 The poet and 17th-century social influencer John Milton wrote, “Gratitude bestows reverence, allowing us to encounter everyday epiphanies.” I wonder how many people go through life waiting for some over-the-top extravaganza of an epiphany, only to miss hundreds and hundreds of what Milton called “everyday epiphanies”? There is something to the notion of gratitude providing us a lens through which we are able to see more clearly these epiphanies, or what some might call God-moments. There are those who suggest it is God breaking into a moment in time, yet I believe God is fully present in every moment. So the breaking that occurs is more of a breakthrough by which we are able to see the God who was and is always beckoning us and inviting us to follow. An epiphany! My expectations and narrow vision need a breakthrough. Holy God, bring whatever tool is necessary to open wide my perspective so as to glimpse the fullness of your love that is forever before me. Amen. ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
January 4, 2024 In Genesis 12, we find Abram and Sarai (they will have their names changed to Abraham and Sarah) on the move, choosing to leave behind everything they had known and go to the place where God would lead. The purpose of this journey is announced by God in vs. 3 where we read: “…all the families of the earth will be blessed because of you” or it could be translated as “…all the families of the earth will find a blessing because of you.” As a side note, the word we translate as “earth” is the word adamah, which comes from the name for the first human adam. This makes sense, as the first human was, according to Genesis 2:7, drawn and formed from the soil, the earth. When Genesis 12 speaks of “all the families of the earth,” it carries with it a double meaning. Yes, we are talking about all the families on the face of the earth, residing on soil/dirt. But it also points to that universal origin. There is no person who comes from a place of superiority, and someone else from a place of less importance. And even though our culture is moving further and further away from the earth, to point to soil as our origin was not a negative in the ancient world. And it shouldn’t be a negative for us. We have forever been connected to the earth, for it is sacred life. Gracious God, provide us with the capacity to see that all the families of the earth are sacred life, and it is our task to help others experience the blessings of life, light and love. Amen. ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
January 3, 2024 During Advent, I facilitated a conversation around the book: An Unlikely Advent by Rachel Billups. It was enjoyable and thought-provoking. One of the chapters was about the Magi (Matthew 2), and Rachel wrote the following: These magi are not religious insiders. They are not church peeps. The magi have no political power in Judea, and they certainly do not have religious ties to the people… [yet, we should never] put boundaries around the places God chooses, the people God uses, and what God chooses to do. Our boundaries keep people out, and on our worst days they discourage folks from coming close to the Savior. It is heartbreaking to experience the religious obstacles that followers of Jesus place in front of so-called outsiders to keep them from experiencing Jesus. Rachel then asked the question, If we were the ones writing God’s story, would we have given the magi a front-row seat to God’s salvation?” If you have spent more than five minutes with the Gospels, then you know the answer to that question. Yet why is it that throughout Christian history, including some not-so-distant history, we have sent away many Magi-like folks? I understand that it is challenging, but signing up as a Jesus follower did not include the easy way. Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote The Cost of Discipleship for a reason. Wherever I might meet the magi of this generation, Generous God, I seek the capacity to welcome and to be made aware of how you might be utilizing them for a Kin(g)dom purpose. Amen. ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
January 2, 2024 In Luke 2:48-49, we find one of the few stories about Jesus as a young boy. The scripture says, “When Jesus’ parents saw him they were astonished; and his mother said to him, ‘Child, why have you treated us like this? Look, your father and I have been searching for you in great anxiety.’ He said to them, ‘Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?’” I don’t know the approach your parents took when it came to discipline, but the response Jesus makes here would have definitely been interpreted as being sassy and disrespectful when I was a child. In the musical The Cotton Patch Gospel, there is a wonderful song entitled “It isn’t easy.” The musical is both delightful and deeply troubling, as it sets the story of Jesus in the Racism of Alabama/Georgia in the 1960s. The premise of the song is that it isn’t easy growing up to be the Son of God. I don’t know that to be true, but I’m guessing it had its unusual challenges. At the same time, I don’t believe it is easy to grow up as a Christian. As Jesus demonstrates here and in many other places, being faithful to God’s call often puts us against family and friends. Whenever a belief system has high standards, it will often put one person against another. O Heavenly Creator, give me the strength to be the person you believe I can be. Amen. |
AuthorRev. Bruce Frogge Archives
May 2024
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