ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS Thought for the Day: This is the opening of our text for tomorrow. Scholars have debated over the language of “bishops and deacons,” as that was not terminology used in the life of the church at the time of the Apostle Paul. So was it a later addition to Paul’s letter? Maybe, but the Greek words we translate as bishop and deacon are not necessarily church-specific terms. The word we translate as bishop was a common word in the culture, used to describe someone who had oversight (overseer). The word deacon was also a common term in the culture, used to describe someone who served food at a table. We might call this person a waiter. Maybe we should read it as Paul simply describing himself as a servant of Christ Jesus, along side all the many good people who, using whatever gifts they had, were serving the church in Philippi. I don’t believe Paul was real interested in institutional structure and bureaucratic systems where people were fighting their way up the organizational ladder. Jesus did not react well when a few of his disciples were arguing over special placement in the Kingdom. They were missing the point. As a paid employee of the church, this is a real point of tension for me. The church should never be for my purpose, but God’s purpose. Yet as one who depends on the church for a salary, I am always trying to be mindful of who I am wanting the church to serve. This is probably why Paul never gave up his job as one who worked with leather (tent maker). Prayer: Your Spirit called forth the church, O Lord, and its mission was so much greater than any one person. Let us bring our gifts, not to jockey for special placement within the institution, but to continue the work of transforming the world. Amen. via WordPress https://ift.tt/3iUe3VF
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ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS Thought for the Day: Paul was still in Philippi when his jailer asked the question, “What must I do to be saved?” Or it could be translated, “What must I do to be made whole?” Now those who have been following my writings for a while will recognize these next comments as I repeat them often, but the word “believe,” which was the answer Paul and Silas gave to the jailer, is a complicated word. We asked, “Do you believe the Texans have a chance of going to the Super Bowl?” We might believe it, and they have some good players, but is the NFL going to even play games this year? And even the most knowledgeable sports commentators are rarely correct in their predictions. At times, we use the word in place of wishful thinking. It can also be used in place of “knowing” something factual, as in the case of saying, “I believe in gravity.” Yet believing or not believing has no impact on you or gravity. The Greek word translated as believe is Pisteuo, which carries with it a sense of fidelity, trust and love. This is why I tend to translate the word as belove instead of believe, which is closer to how some have translated it over the years. Western Christianity has tended to make believing into an intellectual exercise from which it made rules and created required doctrine. To belove something is to be driven by that which is greater than rules and requirements. You cannot force or indoctrinate someone into beloving Jesus. It happens as we are wooed by the beauty of God’s love, and at some point there is a vulnerability to that love and to the ways of love. I don’t intend to be rude here, but I hear a lot of people claim to believe in Jesus, but there lives sure do not appear to belove him or what he taught. Prayer: Provide me a few intentional moments with your love, O Lord, so that I am reminded of its magnificence and unconditional nature. Allow it to seize me and fill me. It is my desire to fall in love with you all over again this day, to do so in such a way that the bond of trust and the spirit of fidelity shape how I live and interact with those around me. Amen. via WordPress https://ift.tt/3feXIbS ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS Thought for the Day: What does it say that when given the opportunity to run to freedom, Paul and Silas chose to honor their jailer’s life? When given the choice between liberty or saving your captor, what would be your choice? Paul and Silas wanted to take everyone with them, not simply those who were like them. It is a rather startling image of redemption as it is not selfish or narrowly defined. It’s one thing to speak in ways that are wonderfully inclusive and theoretically gracious. It is something very different to risk your own deliverance for the sake of another. Has anyone ever risked anything close to that for you? If so, what did that mean? Prayer: Holy God, in Christ Jesus, we see one who did not choose an easy and painless path for the sake of his own deliverance. Instead, we gain a glimpse of your far-reaching and sacrificial love put on display as Jesus risked everything for our deliverance. Amen. via WordPress https://ift.tt/38HjQJo ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS Thought for the Day: Lydia’s chapel was one of the highlights of my trip to Greece last summer, a beautiful sanctuary with floor to ceiling mosaics of the first baptisms officiated by Paul in Greece. Just a hundred yards away from the chapel is the river in which Lydia and her family were baptized. I invite you to watch this video (CLICK HERE), one that I recorded while standing in the river (very chilly waters). As you watch and listen, reflect on what it must have been like to hear Paul speak and to have your heart opened in such a way that a response had to be given. Recently I heard someone say that we, as a society, have deceived ourselves into believing that a well worded social media post is a significant and risky act of faith. It might sound good, but we are living in a world that needs something a bit more dramatic and tangible – we need more folks like Lydia who not only chose to be baptized, but embodied her new found faith with an act of hospitality for a couple of sojourners who would soon be arrested for an act of faith. It is a bit more challenging right now to demonstrate that kind of outward compassion and kindness, but we must continue to seek tangible ways of responding to the Good News of God’s relentless and reconciling love. Prayer: Merciful God, as your Good News continues to meet us as it did Lydia, may its power spark a response within us that resembles the depth and beauty of your love. We make this request as those who desire to be a bit more like the first followers of Jesus. Amen. STUDY AND PRAYER TIME via WordPress https://ift.tt/3e8bD1V ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS Thought for the Day: It was about this time last year that I was returning from Greece, one of the most faith stirring experiences of my life. We started our trip in the northern part of Greece where Paul first arrived in Macedonia (Europe). You may remember how excited I was upon my return to tell about Philippi, one of those cities in the north. For the next four Sundays, I plan to preach from Paul’s Letter to the Church at Philippi (Philippians), specifically focusing on the notion of Joy. For Paul to speak of joy when referencing Philippi seems a bit strange as shortly after arriving he was arrested along with Silas and given a “severe flogging” (Acts 16:23). This is one of the important theological ideas within Paul’s writings, but also throughout scripture. Joy is something so much more than what is found in Webster’s definition. It is not easily swayed by the daily happenings of life. If anything, joy becomes an alternative force that is attempting to sway the happenings of daily life. Paul felt called to go to Macedonia to proclaim the Good News, but he also clearly embody joy for others to see. We’ll continue this conversation in the weeks ahead. Prayer: May the joy given through your Living Word, O Lord, be for us a source of persuasive power against the strong winds of discontent, suffering and injustice. Your joy never ignores our pain. It is your amazing gift that refuses to allow anything but your love to have the final word on our lives. Amen. Study & Prayer Time http://www.cypresscreek.cc/live-stream via WordPress https://ift.tt/2VSuSX9 ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS Study & Prayer Time http://www.cypresscreek.cc/live-stream via WordPress https://ift.tt/2BKH7y3 ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS Thought for the Day: Paul placed a lot of responsibility on the community. There is a tendency to suggest it isn’t our place or it’s not polite to involve ourselves in other people’s business. Of course, there are plenty of people who enjoy getting the good gossip by involving themselves where they should not. But in those cases, there is an unhealthy temptation to spread rumors and create scandal. Paul wanted his community to deal with unhealthiness in a way that was healthy, truly believing that individuals could be restored. Society only seeks to punish as a response to transgression, and Christianity has fallen into that trap often in its own history. Paul, on the other hand, invited his readers to be gentle which would assume a commitment to a lengthy process. Punishment might curb a specific behavior for a while, but it doesn’t change the person in any sort of real and abiding way. I’ve always believed it was and is the church’s calling to walk alongside people, not simply telling them how wrong they are, but gently moving them toward restoration. In my own life, I am thankful for all those who, with a gentleness based in love, were willing to give me the needed time and support that moved me toward confession, repentance and healing…a work that is still happening. Prayer: I do not seek quick changes, but true transformation. Holy God, help us to be community as there is work that can only happen in community. Let the commitment we have to you be the commitment we have to one another – a true willingness to do the necessary and challenging work. Amen. CHECK OUT WORSHIP Click Here via WordPress https://ift.tt/2ZzcPWS ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS Thought for the Day: As we read this verse, let us place the emphasis on the most important word in the passage. It is not the word SPIRIT, but the word IF. If we live by the Spirit, we should also be guided by the Spirit. But is it possible that many who claim a life guided by the Spirit never allowed themselves to first live by the Spirit? And if that’s the case, what exactly is guiding their lives? A few verses earlier, Paul listed the Fruit of the Spirit – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. A life that is first lived by the Spirit, and then guided by the Spirit, will manifest itself in the Fruit of the Spirit. It’s sort of a test. If the Fruit my life is producing resembles bitterness, resentment, anger, bigotry, hostility, greed, negativity or violence, then any claim my life is guided by the Spirit is probably bogus because clearly there is no life being lived by the Spirit. Prayer: Holy God, as one who desires to be guided by your Spirit, I know I must come to know your Spirit and to allow myself to live by that Spirit. My life must be rooted in this Gift if I am ever to produce the Fruit so desperately needed in our world today. Amen. via WordPress https://ift.tt/2C9icnq ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS Thought for the Day: If you were to sit in and listen to Board Meetings from a dozen different churches, how do you think you’d summarize what you heard? Would it be entirely focused on love? Or would the energy and passions give the appearance that round tables are better than rectangle shaped tables; that organ music should be played a bit more softly; that fingerprints all around the light switches are to be blamed on the Boy Scouts? All three of these points come from my own experience, listening to impassioned speeches on the topics. At times, it felt like people were throwing down the theological gauntlet as if these issues were front and center in the ministry of Jesus. Going beyond Board Meetings, how would people summarize your faith based upon your Facebook posts, the spending of your money or how you choose a candidate for political office? I’m not raising these questions because I find them easy. When we understand the command to love our neighbor – when neighbor includes those who don’t like or agree with us – it sure challenges many aspects of our lives. There are plenty of folks who would like to keep Jesus confined to an hour or two each week, but that’s just not the way Jesus works. Prayer: I ask for both strength and wisdom as I strive to love my neighbor as I have been taught through the life of Jesus. O God, keep me just a bit uncomfortable in regard to where I am in allowing love to flourish in every aspect of my life. Amen. via WordPress https://ift.tt/2ZxiPzx ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS Thought for the Day: Do you ever want to scream at the top of your lungs, “You’re missing the point!” I have… often. In fact, I have felt those words forming in my mouth a lot lately. For Paul, the folks in Galatia were getting stuck and obsessing over the wrong stuff. It was not about debating circumcision. Instead, it was the frustration felt over the lost time spent in missing the point. Those who seek the status quo are forever thrilled with arguments like this one. While the real topic should be grace, God’s unconditional and unrelenting love made real in Jesus, arguing over a frivolous side issue, yet doing so with passion, has folks believing that the debate is what counts as faithful. At the end of the day, I don’t think God is looking for the best debater, but those who express their faith in tangible acts of love. Prayer: Help me to keep my eyes on the prize of your love, O Lord. Allow it to guide me and to shape the way I live my life. Amen. via WordPress https://ift.tt/2D5qptH |
AuthorRev. Bruce Frogge Archives
April 2024
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