ECCLESIOGICAL ETCHINGS
March 31, 2026
So yesterday, I was driving on Strack, between Louetta and Cypresswood, and as I came to the School Zone (20 mph), I slowed down to about 21, maybe 22 mph. I am a pretty good rule follower, but I noticed the car behind me not slowing down. He tailgated me about as close as I have ever had someone tailgate me. In fact, he was so close, I could tell his frustration in regard to my speed. Here’s what really surprised me, though — as we got to the entrance to the Preschool, the car turned in. I think we can logically assume the individual driving the car had a child in that school, a child that was technically being kept safe by the School Zone. Into the emptiness of the car, I said out loud, “You’d think you would want people to drive slow if your kid was at that school!” But as the words spilled out of my mouth, I felt the need to revise what I had just said because it violated one of my most basic convictions—they are all my responsibility, every single child at the preschool and anywhere in the world is my responsibility. 

In one of my favorite TV series, West Wing, President Bartlet asked the question, “Why is a Kundunese life worth less than an American life” (Kundu is a fictional country in the Middle East according to the TV series)? Will Bailey, a speechwriter for the president, responded, “I don’t know, sir, but it is.” It is a powerful moment as the President is Catholic, and his faith is extraordinarily important, yet at times, it challenges him, and even leaves him verbally sparring with God. The question is important, and I think it challenges us today, especially as those who seek to follow in the ways of Jesus. From our faith, is there any way someone could argue that one human life, based on nationality, ethnicity, race, gender, etc., is worth less than another? I see Christians doing it all the time, yet I find great fault with their logic. I also do not believe we can agree with the premise of equal value in the theoretical and then explain it away when it comes to Gaza, Iran, Sudan, El Salvador, China, Israel, Alabama, Utah, or any other part of this planet. We either believe it or we do not.

Jesus made this tough, Merciful God, and so I guess that means that you made it tough. Continue to challenge us for the purpose of expanding our notion of love, value, worthiness, and what it means to be a beloved member of your family. Amen.

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
March 30, 2026
Prayer for the Week: Rev. Gerlyn Henry - she is the incumbent of the Church of the Holy Wisdom in the Anglican Diocese of Toronto. This prayer was written as part of an interview with Sojourners Magazine. She was asked to offer a prayer for 2026…

Gracious and living God, break open what has hardened in us and awaken what has grown callous, that we may see one another again as neighbors and kin. When false gospels of power and exclusion rise, root us in your truth and make us a people who hunger for justice, embody beloved community, and widen your table without fear. Draw us into the holy work of liberation, that we might walk alongside those who seek freedom and refuse every crown or occupation that denies their dignity. Give us courage to hear your voice in dissent, receive the prophets in our midst, and be unsettled where we have grown too comfortable. Send us by your Spirit to live as witnesses to your love: unafraid, unbound, and faithful. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
March 29, 2026
Today is Youth Sunday, a wonderful tradition here at Cypress Creek Christian Church. As I always say, it is about the youth having a good experience in planning and leading the worship service. Many of the youth are given their first glimpse behind the curtain, and just yesterday, one of the youth said, “There’s a lot of work that goes into planning worship, and you (referring to me) have to do this every week.” It’s not exactly like seeing how the sausage is made, but there are a lot of logistics. Or as my colleague Susan used to say, “It takes a lot of effort to make something look effortless.” Today, the youth will offer a gift to the congregation, and our high school seniors will give what we call the Senior Testimonies. When there is nervousness, and as you can imagine, there is plenty among our youth who are getting ready, I have reminded them of the Prophet Jeremiah who felt as if he had nothing to say because he was a youth. God responded by saying, “Don’t say, ‘I’m only a youth.’ Where I send you, you must go; what I tell you, you must say” (1:7).  I really believe those words!

Give us ears to hear what our youth have to say and share this day. O Lord who promises to go with us and provide us with the right words, we are so thankful as sometimes we don’t believe in ourselves as much as you believe in us. Amen.

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
March 28, 2026
Church signs, and specifically the thoughts congregations put on the signs, can be thoughtful, inspiring, and even a bit edgy at times. Some churches spin cultural references, make puns, or some even use language that invites a little fear. Of course, my favorite things are the mistakes, misspellings, or not taking a close look at how the sign is going to be perceived by people. I laugh, though I must confess my own number oopses. As you can imagine, people send me funny church signs all the time, but one that I had not seen before read:

We Love
Hurting People

I’m pretty sure the intention was to suggest that they love people who currently find themselves hurting, but that’s not the way it reads. And even more concerning is that a lot of people who have left church altogether would suggest it is entirely accurate to read it as a church that really enjoys hurting people. 

In Proverbs 18:21, we read: “Death and life are in the power of the tongue; those who love it will eat its fruit.” Even though the author is referencing the spoken word, it is important to remember that 95%+ of people who were the original audience did not read, so congregations would have heard this read out loud. So as we modernize this Proverb, maybe an option would be: “Death and life are in the power of what goes on the church sign, and those who find it loving and life-giving will eat it like fruit.” 

In general, those of us seeking to follow Jesus need to be very mindful of our language. None of us will be perfect, but when we are a little uneasy about how something might be perceived, choosing silence and a smile might be the best option.

Give me a whole of wisdom along with an awareness of when to be silent, whether spoken or written. Come, Holy Spirit, and help me so that I don’t make a mess of your Gospel message. Amen.

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
March 27, 2026
From where I am seated, I can see Holy Week. Actually, some of the Maundy Thursday Service is pulled up alongside where I am currently typing. So yes, I can see part of Holy Week. If this phrase is new to you, don’t worry. There is a wonderful tradition within Christianity, a way of teaching the story of Jesus, while also creating a rhythm to the Christian life. The week prior to Easter, to the story of resurrection, is a whole journey centered around the Jewish Passover Meal, a ritual that itself tells the story of the Israelites as slaves in Egypt, and of course, God hearing their cries and liberating them. There is preparation that is required for the Passover Meal, and there was no DoorDash to bring you all the needed food and symbols. Finally, on Thursday of that week, as the meal was made ready in what is often called the Upper Room, but it might more accurately be called a guest room, Jesus celebrated Passover and then took the experience another step. Yet when you think about it, what becomes the Last Supper is not a dramatically different story from its original context. Jesus is a reminder of God’s faithfulness, and how God hears the cries of the people and responds. Jesus is that response as savior, redeemer, and liberator.  His story of love shifts the narrative in the same way the angel of death’s Passover changed Israel’s narrative. Both are stories of God finding victory when those who made the odds were betting against God. And though the Passover liberation is focused exclusively on Israel, Jesus takes the story and applies it to everyone.

Thank you, Holy One of Liberation and Transformation. You continue to find a way, even when the bookies are betting against you. Amen.

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
March 26, 2026
I am blessed beyond measure! I’m not saying it to sound all religious or because I feel it necessary to exude some gratitude. I feel blessed because yesterday was one of those days in which the blessings refused to remain contained in the blessing bucket. Someone knocked into it, and it spilled forth, drenching me in joy-filled goodness. And I am equally grateful that I found myself in the right frame of mind to notice. In a conversation over lunch yesterday, I pondered all the times that I did not notice the blessings sitting right in front of me. There have been numerous times when I have been so consumed with something vying for my attention that I could not pause, even for a moment, and name the blessing. I want to thank Earl, Steve, Graham, Monica, and so many others who were a source or conduit of blessing, and I’m thankful I saw each one of those gifts. Of course, it is important to remember that the plethora of blessings never eclipses the challenges or pain, but it reminds us how we are not alone and there is life-giving sustenance for even the most difficult parts of our journey.

Give me eyes to see and a spirit made fully available to all the blessings of grace and goodness being poured forth from heaven, along with those who choose to be an instrument of heaven here on Earth. This is my prayer, O Merciful God. Amen.

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
March 25, 2026
As we move toward the end of Jesus’ earthly ministry, the Gospels don’t really provide us with a specific timeline until we reach the Passover (what would become the Last Supper), and even then, there are some differences in exactly how things played themselves out depending on which Gospel you are reading. According to Luke’s Gospel, sometime before Jesus gathered with his disciples for the Passover, he pointed out a widow who put her last two coins in the Temple’s collection box. There were actually thirteen trumpet-shaped collection containers in the Court of the Women, an outer court in the vast Temple complex. Jesus then turned to his disciples and says,

“I assure you that this poor widow has put in more than them all. All of them are giving out of their spare change. But she from her hopeless poverty has given everything she had to live on” (Luke 21:3-4). 

There is no question that this story could be used as an example of generosity, but I think it is so much more. Remembering that chapter and verse numbers were not added until 1,200 years after Jesus, we often assume that where a chapter ends and another begins, a new idea is being expressed. That’s not always the case. And in this case, I don’t think you can read this story apart from the teaching Jesus offers at the end of chapter 20. In talking about the religious leadership, including those associated with the Temple, Jesus pointed to their arrogance and how they “are the ones who cheat widows out of their homes” (Luke 20:47). 

By connecting those two stories, I believe Jesus was not only pointing out the injustice caused by the wealthy religious leadership robbing the most vulnerable of their homes, but then lifting up the widow’s bold statement as a way of saying, “You took almost everything. Well, here, have the rest!” It was a breathtaking act of rebellion. Even more so, I read it in the larger context of the Gospel. Throughout most of Jesus’ ministry, he helped people by feeding and healing them. There is no question that we are called to care for those who find themselves lost and in need. Yet here, it’s as if Jesus is wanting us to ask the questions, “Why are people hungry? How is that the sick are too often left to fend for themselves on the streets? Why do we scapegoat the most vulnerable as a way of deflecting from the real issues?” I believe Jesus was inviting us to pull back the curtain and ask the bigger and more systemic question: WHY? It is easier to give someone a meal or write a check. It is much harder to demand that the system that creates poverty, illness, and hatred be transformed. According to Luke’s Gospel, that might be one of the very last lessons Jesus gave his disciples before sitting down with them at the Last Supper.

For all the things Jesus invited us to do, Holy God, we pray for compassion that is able to respond to people’s immediate needs, while also having a passion for justice that brings about lasting transformation of the systems we live in. Amen.

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
March 24, 2026
In Sunday’s sermon, I referenced the book If God Is Love, Don’t Be a Jerk by John Pavlovitz. It is a wonderfully edgy book, and I appreciate John’s journey, which is about as crazy a journey as anyone might have. He was the youth pastor at a mega church in North Carolina before being fired as he was no longer asking the soft and acceptable questions that are required in most large churches. The book is very quotable, and in the 8th chapter, he writes, “When your God shrinks, your demons tend to multiply.” I believe he’s onto something. As some people find their God becoming smaller and smaller, the demons of fear and scarcity emerge, and those demons give rise to others that go by the names of hate, greed, and self-serving power. When your God becomes so small that 98% of your Christian arguments come from a narrow reading of the Old Testament—a reading desperately seeking a way of making your clear clash with the most basic teachings of Jesus appear palatable through lots of religious rhetoric—it might be time to pause and allow God, the One revealed in Jesus, to begin stretching the little box holding your well-formed idol. 

​God of gentleness and kindness, whose love passionately seeks out the lost and marginalized, we give thanks for Jesus and his teachings that are often discomforting and demanding. Today, we express gratitude for how your love does not demand perfection, while at the same time is annoyed when we reach too easily for excuses. Help us to grow in our perception of you, using both wisdom and expansive mercy as the lens. You are the One who continues to beckon us toward a deeper vision of the divine mystery, a vision that inspires joy for the journey of faith. Amen.

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
March 23, 2026
Prayer for the Week:
Holy and Sacred Presence, we can so easily feel overwhelmed and our minds left racing with worries. We acknowledge these anxieties in the belief that naming them begins to diminish their power. And as we disempower what seeks to hold sway over our lives, we are able to slow down our breath and be more fully present in the moment. We invite your stillness into our hearts. May your Spirit calm the unsettling troubles that are ever-so-present in our lives, distracting us from the faithfulness to which we are being called. We pray these words in a spirit of hope and trust, for we desire to be Christ-like servants in the world. Amen.

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
March 22, 2026
In today’s sermon verse from the Grab Bag of verses, we find the words, “…those who remain in love remain in God and God remains in them.” The word translated as “remain” can also be translated as “dwell” or “abide.” Does this mean that if we cease to remain in love that we no longer remain in God, and even more concerning to me is whether that means God no longer remains in us? Personally, it’s not how I see God working, yet as we feel disconnected from love in our personal lives, there is often what feels like a void when it comes to God’s presence. The emptiness compounds upon itself, and without tangible experiences of love, it sure appears as if God has chosen to no longer abide with us. With all seriousness, this is where church can be so important. In those challenging moments, when it might be hard to motivate ourselves to even go to church, the presence of others who speak and embody love can inspire our awareness. As a friend once said, “It’s like trying to find your keys. They’re not where you thought you left them, and for that reason, you walk right past them a dozen times because of the expectation you have.” I think God is sometimes screaming and jumping up and down, yet for some reason the emptiness leaves us unaware and maybe even a little callous to the presence of God. That hug, a word of kindness, or even the true spirit of welcome at the Lord’s Supper can soften us just enough to see the God who says, “I’ve been here all along, just waiting for you.” 

Today, I give you thanks, O Abiding Spirit, for the way your unconditional love resides and remains even when I am in a place where I cannot see it. Amen.