ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHING Thought for the Day: I have been thinking a lot about humble service recently. Today, we will once again gather for in-person worship (LiveStream will also be available), and though the sanctuary is not finished, it will be good to be in there for a second Sunday. I’m guessing some folks might look around and notice the dust, the taped off area under the stairwells that remains quite dirty or the rough and uncarpeted aisles. What I want to talk about is all the hard work on Saturday by a handful of people to make sure the sanctuary was useable… maybe not perfect, but very useable. This group of people did not ask for anyone to take their picture and post it. They just got to work and made it happen. Wisdom is not necessarily academic brilliance. It is more awareness that comes from experience. For those involved in getting the sanctuary ready, their experience told them what needed to happen and they got to it… making it happen without seeking accolades. Today, I give thanks for all those who left the sanctuary a bit sweaty and dusty from doing some good work. God knows their names! Prayer: Holy and Gracious God, you call us all to serve with a spirit of humility. Provide us the wisdom so as to recognize where we can best serve you. Amen. IN-PERSON WORSHIP via WordPress https://ift.tt/3wM59QU
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ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHING Thought for the Day: Phil Driscoll is a trumpet player and a songwriter. He has a song entitled, “Don’t Dance With The Devil,” and the chorus has the line: “Don’t dance with the devil. He’ll make a fool out of you.” Well King Ahab danced, maybe not with the devil, but with a not so good person by the name of Jezebel. Ahab not only danced with her, but married her. Whenever people choose to get married, there is some give and take. There will probably be some changes required for both folks, but any relationship that requires a person to give up their values should be questioned. My spouse has made me a better person. My values have not changed. Instead, she has helped me to understand those values on a deeper level, to see the implications of those values in so many new ways. This isn’t suggesting that certain values and beliefs should go unchanged forever. There are times when someone helps us to see how our so-called values are unhealthy or destructive, but changing on a whim for the sake of a relationship should always be done with caution. King Ahab was willing to go all in at the expense of everything he had previously claimed to believe. This rarely ends well. Prayer: Help me to remain faithful to you, Lord God, and to the values and ideals you call me to live. I seek your assistance when I am distracted or find myself chasing something that undercuts the basics of a life that honors you. Amen. via WordPress https://ift.tt/321Z0BV ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHING Thought for the Day: As I was preparing for this Sunday’s sermon, I did a quick search to see how others might answer the question, “What does the Bible say about the meaning of life”? Of course, there was stuff all over the place, but one website gave a list of a dozen of the most important passages in the Bible for learning the meaning of life. Number four on the list was this passage from Luke’s Gospel. Now I would be among the first to join the voices of those who say that greed is a significant problem in our world, and the followers of Jesus need to make sure we are not overly obsessed with possessions. But for me, this passage from Luke’s Gospel (along with some others that were mentioned in the list) attempts to describe the meaning of life by telling folks what they should not do. There is a time and place for that, but I would think the “Good News” – with emphasis on the word “Good” – would want to begin with what we promote and encourage, not what we oppose. I would think it would be helpful to point people in the direction of where we want to go, not what we want to avoid… at least as a starting place. I am going to say something that others might disagree with, but I believe a lot of what has hindered the Christian message in the last hundred years is our obsession with telling people what not to do instead of sharing what is possible in life through love. Prayer: Connect me anew, Lord God, to the beauty of your life-giving message. Let me hear it again; embrace it once more; share it with new fervor. There are some things I do need to be cautious about, but they most often fall inline when I focus myself on your unconditional love. Amen. SIGN-UP via WordPress https://ift.tt/39Wqmh3 ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHING Thought for the Day: This coming Sunday we will be reflecting on what it means to be human, and the specific question, “Why am I here?” In the language of philosophy, these are existential questions. Of course, it wasn’t just big names like Lao Tzu and Socrates who were pondering such things. In fact, there appears to be something within human nature that has always been searching for meaning, searching for purpose. And of course, such questions are not only taught in philosophy books, but expressed in poetry. Some people have described the first chapter of Genesis to be one of the great existential poems, seeking to provide meaning and purpose for a small tribe wondering a land in and around the Jordan River. This single verse presents a rather over the top idea of what it means to be human. The human ethos and purpose are inescapably tied to God whose image we bear. And thus, the more we know about God, the more we know how to live into the essence of our being. Prayer: Gracious God, I know you guide my search for meaning and purpose, for it ultimately begins and ends with you. Let me never venture too far away from you or from the enfleshing of your presence in Jesus. It is in his name that I pray. Amen. via WordPress https://ift.tt/3wAGBdv ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHING To Listen via WordPress https://ift.tt/3rXzaJY ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHING Thought for the Day: As you know, Sunday was Easter. We were in the Centrum for Worship. The sound system was not finished and there was no carpeting. We could not use the vineyards because we do not yet have railings. The center section of seating was out because they will still need to bring back in the lift for the speakers. And then I wore a brand new Easter mask that I had not tried before Sunday, and it would not stay up. I was on a corded microphone which I have not used in probably 20 years. There were a number of other unknowns that caused some anxiousness. Yet with all that said, it did not change the truth of the Easter message. The Good News of Christ’s resurrection is not impacted by a lack of carpeting, a minister bugged by a sliding mask or the occasional problem with the corded microphone. The verb for ‘raised’ in the original Greek of Matthew’s Gospel is passive to indicate how God did the raising. Even Jesus was not in control. This is an important reminder to us all that it is Good News in spite of anything we might do or fail to do. It is Good News whether worship is a little different than the pre-pandemic worship. It is Good News whether or not we recognize all the songs. It is Good News even if we take our communion outside. There were so many good things about Sunday, and though I will need to reflect on it a bit more, my greatest take away might be the power of new life to break through all the little stuff that some might have used to downplay the experience. God wins again! Prayer: With gratitude in our hearts, O Lord, we praise you for the way your gifts of life and love always find a way. Amen. via WordPress https://ift.tt/3rW28tD ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHING via WordPress https://ift.tt/3a0avyn ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHING Thought for the Day: The women had just returned from the tomb where they found it empty and heard a glorious message from “two men in dazzling clothes” (presumably some sort of divine messengers). And though I can only imagine their enthusiasm to be over the top, the disciples did not believe them. How often in human history, and even in recent months, have women not been believed? How many times have the voices of women been ignored, whether declaring the Gospel, sharing a scientific discovery or telling their story in a courtroom? Yet it was women who were ordained that day to be the first preachers of the resurrection, perhaps the greatest news ever shared. On this Easter Sunday, let us learn to listen to every voice, and never to dismiss someone based upon an ill-conceived notion of worthiness or some absurd tradition. Today, God will once again invite someone to announce the Gospel in a new and fresh way. But if we have already written that person off because of something ridiculous, we could miss the message that will forever change our lives. It is Easter, and for that reason we should all be prepared for God to do something out of the ordinary. It seems to be what God does. Prayer: What a glorious Easter morning! Made glorious by your gifts of life and love and new life, O Lord. May our hearts be forever open to your message of resurrection coming to us in unexpected ways. Amen. via WordPress https://ift.tt/2OkvNit ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHING Thought for the Day: The name, Joseph of Arimathea, played a prominent role in the movie, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, because the name was associated with some legends around the Holy Grail. But according to scripture, Joseph of Arimathea was responsible for providing a burial place for the body of Jesus. Now when it comes to my own burial, I have explained very clearly to family my desire to be cremated and interred in the least expensive way. I’ll be done with this body, yet at the same time I always add, “It will be whatever is needed by the living. Just make sure nothing is done out of guilt.” Sadly, I have seen some elaborate spending on a funeral out of a deep felt guilt. Equally sad is the fact that spending a ton of money won’t eliminate the guilt. I don’t think Jospeh of Arimathea acted out of guilt. His desire, and this is mostly a Bruce guess, was to show respect for a teacher whose life witness had somehow changed him in a profound way. When I am working on a funeral, there is a heavy responsibility felt. I often think of it as the last gift I can give to the deceased. And maybe Joseph of Arimathea believed a well cut tomb could be that gift. Prayer: Merciful God, help us to follow Joseph of Arimathea as he seeks to share a gift of grace. Though he did not see that tomb ever being emptied, there was a faith in what the life of Jesus had meant. Amen. via WordPress https://ift.tt/3dzgScP ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHING Thought for the Day: “…obedient to the point of death…” Those are some powerful and dynamic words. Not trying to be funny, but I think about our “obedience” to our most recent diet or exercise program. We are obedient to the point of a little discomfort or the first piece of chocolate cake. As followers of Jesus, just how far are we willing to be obedient? In today’s devotional, I won’t pretend to answer that question for you, but it has made me think about the outer limits of my own obedience, and sadly they get no where near that of Jesus. In that knowledge, do I shrug my shoulders and say, “Oh well!” Or do I explore how I might, in faith (and by the grace of God), begin stretching the capacity of my obedience. Maybe not to the point of death on my first day of pushing the old boundaries, but genuinely stretching just how far my obedience might go. Remember, Paul calls us to have the same mind (or attitude) that is found in Christ, and if that is the case, then most all of us have some work to do in regard to our obedience. On this Good Friday when we remember the death of Jesus, let us reacquaint ourselves with how far his obedience was willing to go. Prayer: I have work to do, Lord God, and I trust you will help me recognize the opportunities for growth. Discipleship is never stagnant. You not only invite us to grow in our obedience, but you need our obedience for the sake of your work in the world. Amen. GOOD FRIDAY SERVICE via WordPress https://ift.tt/2Psg5SU |
AuthorRev. Bruce Frogge Archives
April 2024
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