ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHING
June 30, 2021
Scripture: James 1:2
My brothers and sisters, think of the various tests you encounter as occasions for joy.

Thought for the Day: I read these words and immediately thought about the building collapse in Florida. It is horrifying and heartbreaking, but once again, all the major networks are asking absolutely ridiculous questions when they interview residents who survived or folks who lived close by. With that in mind, I want to ask James a question in regard to what sounds like a ridiculous comment. Right at the beginning of James, we read how we are to think of tests, trials and tribulations as opportunities for joy. How exactly are we to move from tragedy to joy? Actually, it doesn’t even sound like a process. It sounds more like an assumption or expectation, or maybe even a point of view we are to have. I think this is where people of faith must make the distinction between happiness and joy. Joy never dismisses the pain, yet it is the capacity to continue to see the good God is doing in the moments of great suffering. I remember a colleague of mine whose spouse died just three weeks before a new grandchild was born. My colleague, who had just retired after many years in ministry, was able to hold together both the grieve brought about by her death and celebrate the gift of new life. In fact, it is in those moments of great pain when an experience of joy can give us reason to continue the process. Maybe it is the work of grief or maybe the hard work with a counselor to move to the other side of anger. Whatever the case, joy does not erase the affliction, but gives us inspiration to continue to move forward.

Prayer: I know you are with me, God of Grace, even in my darkest moments. May the faithful conviction of your presence be for me a source of joy, a hope-filled encouragement as I struggle with the trials and tribulations that come with life. Amen.

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ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHING
June 29, 2021
Scripture: 1 Corinthians 13:1-3
If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away all my possessions, and if I hand over my body so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

Thought for the Day: Paul was watching other followers of Jesus, specifically those in the Corinthian Church, get a little arrogant about their spiritual gifts. Have you ever been impressed by someone’s talent or expertise, but the only thing more impressive was their capacity to toot their own horn. Now there is something very exciting when people first discover their spiritual gift or gifts. Suddenly, who they are seems to align with God’s vision. There is new found purpose to one’s life. In those moments, the excitement can appear to be haughtiness. That’s ok for a few days, but as Paul celebrated these gifts, he also wanted folks to keep their eyes upon the prize – love. In just a few verses, Paul will remind his readers how “Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude.” If love is to resemble the self-giving love of Jesus Christ, then humility must always be very present. If anything, it reminds us of how the gift ultimately belongs to God. I am only the instrument God has chosen. And since everyone else has a gift that is equally important to the fulfilling of God’s dream in this world, then it sounds rather silly to parade our gifts around. Think of all the energy that is lost in the parade; energy that could be utilized by the gift and for the sake of God’s dream.

Prayer: Thank you for the gift you have embedded within me, Holy God. May it find energy through your Spirit, and then be put to use in the place where it will best serve you. Amen.

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ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHING
June 28, 2021
Prayer for the Week: Provide me a gracious curiosity that seeks to know those who I will encounter this day. You call us to live for the sake of the other, yet if I do not know the other, how can I live for the other. Creator of All, there is so much beauty and life to be found in those around me, for your image rests upon every single human being. Allow me time and a heart filled with humility so I am able to pause long enough from my own self-absorbed thoughts. It is then, and only then, that I am able to listen and observe carefully your beloved, those with whom I journey in this life. It is in Christ’s name that I pray. Amen.

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ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHING
June 27, 2021
Scripture: Ephesians 2:14
For Jesus is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us.

Thought for the Day: In “Mending Walls,” Robert Frost is searching for something, specifically “something.” He writes, “Something there is that doesn’t love a wall,” yet as I read the poem, the “something” remains elusive. It’s as if everyone has convinced themselves that “Good fences make good neighbors,” but unsure of exactly how and why? I hear Frost challenging what he believes to be an absurd premise. In fact, the narrator seems to point us toward the power of nature to bring down the wall every year, while human beings rebuild it over and over and over again. Here is found an uncomfortable connection to the Ephesians passage. Jesus has brought down the dividing walls, doing so with his very life. We speak passionately about this gift as we collect rocks to rebuild the wall. We shed tears for his sacrifice while mending the very wall his broken body brought down. Why are we so obsessed with a fence? As followers of Jesus, we need to ask ourselves: Are the things we seek to hide or protect of more value than the sacrifice of Jesus? I ask that question as one who sort of likes my fence.

Prayer: Have I built many unnecessary walls? Too many! In your mercy, O God of All Creation, I confess my fears, selfishness and unholy pride that too easily builds walls of isolation and division. Let the great gift of Jesus be for all humanity a place where fences fall and friendship is found. Amen.

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ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHING
June 26, 2021
Scripture: Luke 14:16-18a
Then Jesus said to him, “Someone gave a great dinner and invited many. At the time for the dinner he sent his slave to say to those who had been invited, “Come; for everything is ready now.’ But they all alike began to make excuses.

Thought for the Day: The great dinner is a metaphor for the divine banquet, the fullness of God experienced in the Kingdom of God. Yet for Jesus, the Kingdom of God wasn’t entirely about some future world. His focus was on transforming the current world. Every meal where he joined others, he used the experience to give them a taste of the Kingdom. How often have we been invited to taste and experience and share in a Kingdom moment, but we were quick with an excuse – too busy, laundry piling-up, homework assignment overdue, car needs an oil change, new show on Netflix. If we are going to be agents of change in this world on behalf of God, then we need to make sure we have some sense of what the desired outcome might be. When invited into those experiences that point to God’s vision, let’s not ignore them, but join them. Where might God be inviting you to experience the Kingdom of God right now?

Prayer: Allow for the Kingdom moments to shape me as a citizen of your Kingdom, O Lord. Whether it is a meal of welcome and abundance, or an experience of humble service, give me reason to pause, to pay attention and to learn. Amen.

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ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHING
June 25, 2021
Scripture: Matthew 20:30-31
There were two blind men sitting by the roadside. When they heard that Jesus was passing by, they shouted, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” The crowd sternly ordered them to be quiet; but they shouted even more loudly, “Have mercy on us, Lord, Son of David!”

Thought for the Day: Have you ever felt ignored? Have you ever received the old cold shoulder? In this story, we find two blind men sitting alongside the road. They were probably begging those passing by. Yet upon hearing that Jesus was coming close, they shouted, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” These words connect us to an earlier passage in Matthew’s Gospel where Jesus was having a meal with outcasts, and some of the religious leaders were bent out of shape. To them, Jesus said, “Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’” Mercy is what the blind men wanted. The crowd quickly answered their plea with a response often spoken to those who were considered unworthy. The crowd was reinforcing what these two men had probably experienced most of their lives, but Jesus was not going to play into the game of who is worthy and who is not. He never played that game. Instead, he invited the two men to tell him what they wanted. Jesus was giving them power, something they had probably never before experienced. He did not pretend to assume (even though Jesus probably could have in this situation) what they wanted. Instead, he empowered them and then healed them. It had to have been an amazing experience to be heard, to be given an opportunity to speak for oneself, and then to be healed. They not only could see physically, but they were seeing themselves for the first time as God saw them. That’s powerful!

Prayer: We are filled with gratitude, Gracious God, for all the ways you seek to communicate our worthiness. In spite of so many other voices suggesting we have no standing before you, the life of Jesus communicates something very different. Good News! A message of empowerment! Transformation of body, mind and spirit. Amazing! Amen.

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ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHING
June 24, 2021
Scripture: Hebrews 12:1-2
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.

Thought for the Day: Every Sunday we close our services with a common prayer that reconnects us to our mission of Putting Love First In All Things. In the middle of the prayer, we say together, “…may Jesus be our mentor and our model…” Hebrews uses the language of “pioneer and perfecter” to communicate a similar idea. I have been thinking a lot about the attributes of the Jesus-life, specifically those he pioneered and perfected that we should note as exceedingly significant. He did not pioneer and perfect these attributes for us to just applaud and post in a meme. He blazed a trail for us to follow. Hebrews mentions the Great Cloud of Witnesses, those who have gone on before us. If we are having a difficult time determining what those attributes might be, I believe it is helpful to look to the lives of folks like: St. Francis of Assisi, Harriet Tubman, Victoria Mxenge, Dorothy Day, Oscar Romero, Dorothy Height, Rachel Held Evans and the list goes on. These are just a few of the voices in the Great Cloud of Witnesses.

Prayer: We give you thank, Lord God, for Jesus who offered us an understanding of life and love, and how to share in them fully. Continue to provide us enfleshed reminders who will challenge and encourage us to represent Jesus to the world in this moment. Amen.

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ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHING
June 23, 2021
Scripture: Hebrews 10:23
Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful.

Thought for the Day: Imagine receiving an invitation to what sounds like an extravagant party at the home of an individual you do not know. When you arrive, you are told by the person who answers the door that you cannot enter because the shirt you are wearing is too ugly. You sort of liked the shirt, yet because you wish to attend the party you ask if you can run home and change. You are told that you had one shot and you failed. No party for you! As you are leaving, someone else approaches the house and sees you looking gloomy. When the person learns what has happened, she just shakes her head and says, “I’m the owner the house and that idiot doesn’t even live here.” At that moment, you are not only escorted into the house with great fanfare, but the owner of the house compliments you on your shirt.

Ok, this is Bruce’s oversimplified explanation of the Book of Hebrews, and specifically the hope to which we hold fast. Most every religion has created gatekeepers who have taken it upon themselves to create an explanation for why you are not welcome in God’s house or deserving of God’s love. Gatekeepers are control freaks and spiritual vampires who suck the life from any sort of spiritual experience. They can give all sorts of very religious sounding explanations for why you are unacceptable, quoting the holy and irrefutable book of party etiquette. The only problem with these gatekeepers is they do not own the house and were not even hired by the person who does.

In a sort of fun and wonderful way, the Book of Hebrews seeks to tell the reader that no matter what others might be telling you at the door, the only person who matters is Jesus. His life, death and resurrection are your signed invitation. And he will vouch for you no matter who asks. Don’t let the gatekeepers leave you thinking you are unwelcome. They don’t own the house, and the one who does is thrilled to see you.

Prayer: You have provided us confidence in the gift of Jesus Christ. May his life be for us the perfect counter to anyone who seeks to belittle and exclude in your name. Your message has forever been Good News, and in spite of every gatekeeper, you continue to find new ways of allowing your love to welcome us. Thank you! Amen.

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ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHING
June 22, 2021
Scripture: Psalm 94:18-19
When I thought, “My foot is slipping,” your steadfast love, O Lord, held me up. When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul.

Thought for the Day: Based upon some comments I received, yesterday’s prayer seem to resonate with some folks. I’m guessing a few of you are not as proficient as you would like when it comes to leaving behind the worries of yesterday. You have that one friend who keeps on telling you to just turn it over to the Lord, but when you wake up every morning it appears as if someone stamped your worries, “Return to sender.” When the author of the Psalm speaks of “the cares of the heart,” it is a very nice and poetic way of describing the source of our excess stomach acid. Those of you my age or older will remember the commercial, “Calgon, take me away.” We are looking to the Lord for an escape, or at least a short reprieve. But the Psalmist suggests it is the “consolations” of the Lord that will cheer us up. What are consolations? Is it just another way of saying pity? I don’t think most of us are wanting that. The Hebrew word we translate as consolations comes from a verb that means to ease. It almost gives the impression of the Lord greasing the skids. I can picture myself under the weight of my worries, and I am spending a lot of energy trying to push the weight off. Yet it sounds as if God is less interested in lifting the weight off, and more interested in greasing our backs and trying to slide us out from underneath the weight. Its as if the Lord is saying, “This isn’t the way I want you to spend your energy. This weight will forever exist, so let’s just leave it where it is and we’ll have you move on. You can’t worry about what you can’t change.” Maybe there is a little martyr in all of us, somehow concluding it is our job to bear the weight of something that is not ours to bear. God is trying to pull us out while we continue to cling to it as if we must. In some cases, we need to let go and let God pull us out.

Prayer: There is much to cause us worry, O Lord of Steadfast Love. Much of that worry may not be healthy or even our worry to hold. Draw us out from underneath the weight and provide us a spirit of contentment that release us from any guilt. Amen.

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ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHING
June 21, 2021
Prayer for the Week: I wake this day with many things on my mind. I open my eyes and find so many of the concerns from yesterday have joined me today. Allow all the apprehension and worry that has greeted me this day to be drawn into this prayer. Merciful God, you understand these worries and the reason I do not easily release them. You understand why they have attach themselves so firmly to my life. You understand these struggles, but it is not your desire for my waking hours to be consumed by such things. Allow my heart to know your love, your ever-expanding love. May it enter my life anew this day, taking root and growing and filling every corner of my existence. There is much for me to do, yet it is your love that will provide the tools and strength to do the needed work. There are many things that should concern me, but worry and fretting will never bring the change you are seeking in this world. It is love, and love alone! Amen.

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