ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHING
July 31, 2021
Scripture: Colossians 1:3-5a
In our prayers for you we always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven.

Thought for the Day: During my Sabbatical, I have been making a conscious effort to give thanks for little things. It is one thing to notice them and something very different to pause and give thanks. I’m early in this little experiment, but the intentional pause and word of gratitude (even if it is just in my head) often changes my perception of the moment. Before, I thought I was being grateful when in fact it was more of a “that’s nice.” Gratitude view something as a gift, a true unmerited gift. For instance, a few days ago I watched a little girl laugh with complete disregard for how she might be perceived. It was delightful and life-giving to see her so tickled. Suddenly, she was more than a laughing girl, but this momentary gift of life and delight that I took the time to receive. I walked away from that moment smiling as the sound of her laughter continued to echo inside my head.

Prayer: Encourage me, Gracious God, to look around and see the multitude of gifts for which I should be grateful. Allow for the generosity of joy and life and beauty to spill over me and change me. Amen.

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ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHING
July 30, 2021
Scripture: Colossians 1:1-2
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the saints and faithful brothers and sisters in Christ in Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father.

Thought for the Day: Paul begins this letter as any letter should start – he greets the recipients. He gets personal. This is helpful for us in a couple of ways (probably more than a couple). First, it is good to remember that Paul was writing to specific people in a very specific situation. There are times when we know the backstory, and other times when our best guess is nothing but a guess. The reason I find this helpful comes in those moments when we do not understand exactly what is being said. In some situations, even the brightest scholars have very diverse opinions as they are uncertain of Paul’s concern or reason for writing. For that reason, don’t be too hard on yourself if something seems random or strange. Second, I believe it is helpful to remember how the Gospel is personal, and not simply for those who lived 2000 years ago. It is personal for you and for me, as the grace and peace spoken of by Paul are very personal. They are gifts from God given to you wherever you are in life. You can be at a high point or in a time of grief. You can feel completely lost or passionately focused on what you feel to be God’s purpose for your life. Whatever your situation, the Gospel is personal – the gifts of grace and peace are individualized for you.

Prayer: As I pray of your grace and peace, O Lord, let me recognize how they come to life in this moment of time and find creative ways of meeting me right where I am. Amen.

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PREACHING THIS SUNDAY

The Rev. Marilyn Fiddmont

Don’t miss her…

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ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHING
July 29, 2021
Scripture: Exodus 16:26
Six days you will gather it. But on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will be nothing to gather.

Thought for the Day: The actress, songwriter and author, Jada Pickett Smith, wrote, “When I’m tired, I rest. I say, ‘I can’t be superwoman today.’” How many of us never really give ourselves permission to pause, to say to ourselves, “Maybe I can hang up my cape for the day.” In their defining story, the Exodus, the Jewish people learned the importance of rest. In fact, the story of manna feeding the Israelites in the wilderness emphasized how they collected food for six days, but rested on the seventh. And those who did go in search of food on the seventh day found none to gather. It is as if the very creation was saying, “Take a break!”

Prayer: Let me take a break now and then to breathe and refocus my life on what is important. Be the reminder I need, Lord God. Be the One who finds different ways of encouraging my needed rest. Amen.

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ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHING
July 28, 2021
Scripture: Leviticus 25:1-2
The LORD said to Moses on Mount Sinai, Speak to the Israelites and say to them: Once you enter the land that I am giving you, the land must celebrate a sabbath rest to the LORD.

Thought for the Day: As I am currently on my Sabbatical, I have been pondering some of the passages that reference sabbath rest. The idea of a necessary cycle of rest was birthed out of the first creation story found in Genesis 1. It was thought sabbath was found coded into the rhythm of creation. From people to the land to the animals to God, rest is expected. As one who is on the receiving end of a Sabbatical, it does not go unnoticed that many of you who granted me a Sabbatical never received a Sabbatical. Many of you worked too many hours out of necessity. That alone makes what I am receiving a gift. At the same time, I celebrate a growing number of companies that are offering Sabbaticals to their employees as they have come to recognize the benefit. My nephew and his wife work for a software company, and they just received a five week Sabbatical, but the rule is one week must be used in service to the community… so technically, just four weeks of Sabbatical. With all of that said, let me reinforce just how much I appreciate this gift.

Prayer: O Lord, let us all find the rest that you know we need. May there be time to breathe and reflect and be refilled with your spirit of vitality. Amen.

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ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHING
July 27, 2021
Guest Writer for Today’s Etching: Rev. Paula Gembala
When I was a child, I would go to church with my mother and my siblings. I loved to sit and sing the hymns with her and the rest of the congregation. One Sunday when I was around 13, they were singing “Just As I Am.” As I was singing, I felt an urge to go to the front of the church. I wasn’t sure why people were called to come forward, I just knew I was feeling the need to do so.

After walking up the long aisle, when I was standing there in front of everyone, I learned that I would be baptized the next week. I was thrilled as this was something I had been wanting to do. After the service was over my mother talked to the preacher and shared that she wanted all of her children baptized together. So the next week, all 6 of us, one by one walked into the cleansing waters of baptism.

I can remember we met with the preacher before the baptism was to take place. He was explaining that we go into the water wearing our sins, but when we come out of the water, we have been cleansed of those sins, or forgiven.

This was the first, really powerful time in my faith journey. I hadn’t asked if it was alright, I just knew I had the urge to do this and I am so glad I did.

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ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHING
July 26, 2021
Prayer for the Week: As the Psalm suggests – it is right for us to praise you, O God – to lift our voices, no matter the song or the prayer or the proclamation. It is good for us to honor you, yet how often do we fall into the trap of placing ourselves at the center of the universe. It is easy to allow our egos to grow beyond a healthy self-esteem. We follow the voice of this world that offers us permission to push aside whoever is in our way in our search for importance. Yet if Jesus is our model, his importance presented itself in his humility and kindness that always sought to uplift others. By praising you, we place something other than ourselves at the center of the universe. We place you – your love, your values, your generosity, your servant’s heart in the place of honor and prestige. There, we are able to better learn from you. And there, we turn to our mentor, Christ Jesus, for his amazing example. Amen.

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ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHING
July 25, 2021
Scripture: Luke 22:40
When Jesus reached the place, he said to them, “Pray that you may not come into the time of trial.”

Thought for the Day: One more day on this relatively obscure passage from Luke. When Jesus invites his disciples to pray that they not come into a time of trial, I believe he is implying the opposite to be true. Yet what exactly is the opposite of a time of trial. The Greek word we translate as trial is peirasmon, which could also be translated as temptation or even calamity. If we are praying not to find ourselves in a time of peirasmon, then I would think we would also be praying for the opposite of peirasmon. I can’t say for sure, but I believe its opposite would be peace, joy and a sense of holy purpose. I think praying that we not do certain things is appropriate, but never the end of the prayerful road. We’re not just about not doing things (if that makes sense). We should be for something, always striving toward the better as defined by the life of Jesus. At the end of the day, I do not wish to be defined by what I opposed, but what I embraced and the goodness I achieved.

Prayer: Continue to remind me of what I am for and not simply what I oppose. Merciful God, guide me on the prayerful road of discovery by which I will be reconnected to what you have called me to be. Amen.

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ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHING
July 24, 2021
Scripture: Luke 22:40
When Jesus reached the place, he said to them, “Pray that you may not come into the time of trial.”

Thought for the Day: I am back to the same passage as yesterday, but there is more to be found in this relatively short verse. It speaks of Jesus reaching “the place.” In the previous verse, it says that Jesus “went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives…” This must have been, not only “a” place, but “the” place where Jesus went for prayer. It makes it sound as if Jesus had a special setting. My first thought is to find that strange since Jesus seemed to point to a life of prayer, making prayer as common as breathing. At the same time, Jesus was human. Like any of us, he probably had certain settings where his heart felt calm and connected. Always remember, you can pray wherever you are… no matter what. At the same time, most of us will have one or two places where it feels as if we are stepping into that sacred place. Own that place! Visit that place as often as possible. Be thankful for it, while always remembering it is not the only place you can connect with God.

Prayer: Continue to lead me those place where I feel more connected to you, O Holy One. It may not be the same as others, and I am ok with that. Wherever I am, let me be reminded of your great desire for us to be more deeply connected to you, and prayer is one of the great ways. Amen.

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ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHING
July 23, 2021
Scripture: Luke 22:40
When Jesus reached the place, he said to them, “Pray that you may not come into the time of trial.”

Thought for the Day: Jesus and his disciples have just left the magnificence of the upper room where they experienced the light of love, but now they’ve entered the darkness of the night. In a loving way as only Jesus could do, he spoke about those who would deny him and betray him. There would be the disciple who would pull out a sword during the arrest of Jesus, resorting to violence in the face of fear. And then there will be those who fall asleep while Jesus is praying, which can be read both literally and figuratively. So many moments of trial, so many moments when the very core of our faith is challenged. Jesus invited his disciples to use prayer as a way of keeping oneself from even venturing into the realm where one could be tempted. Maybe that’s a little ideal, but more regular prayer helps to create a mindset a bit more like that of Jesus. And where one’s mindset changes, so does the world around them.

Prayer: Keep me firmly connected to you, Gracious God, as I use this time of focused prayer to more deeply connect with you and to more fully take on the attitude of Jesus. I do not make this request lightly for I know much spiritual consternation will come from it. Amen.

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ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHING
July 22, 2021
A guest Etching from Dr. Joel Plaag
This is story is an excerpt from his upcoming book: “A Choir Director’s Notes,” by Dr. Joel Plaag, to be released in 2021. Used with permission.

Working on a virtual fall event for the church with other staff, we experimented with “breakout rooms” in the virtual meeting space. As we started our conversation, we had all kinds of complicated ideas as to how to define the upcoming online project. We were going to have classes and events and long discussions over the online platform. As we practiced creating these “rooms,” we found a discussion prompt waiting for us.

“What is the thing you like the most in the physical space you are right now?”

Though just a test prompt, one staff member and I, the test subjects in our technological maze, looked around our digital boxes on the screen like some sort of knock-off Brady Bunch group. We found items nearby and shared about them.

We were tired of social distancing, zoom and technology, and it seemed like another terrible exercise of fake human “contact.” Nonetheless, we tried.

Now I had no intention of detailing my insecurities, my fears, or my passions, how I got to this point or my opinion on God. Truthfully, I don’t necessarily like revealing too much of my personal life at work and I am drawn to others who feel this way. Yet here was an innocuous question – talk about an object. Not me, not my emotions, but an object.

So, we started. She showed me a painting that one of the youths had given to her. It was creative, thoughtful, and well-crafted by a youth that I didn’t know had an artistic eye. It reminded me of my favorite character from the animé Avatar: The Last Airbender.

I showed my lamp – built by a pastor friend. It uses a wooden base, light socket with a small tube bulb, and a Hemmingray glass insulator, the green globe used in old telephone and telegraph lines. For a while, the pastor had preached on images of light used in Jesus’ story, and in the process of this, created several lamps as part of the sermon series. I was moved by this gift because the pastor had created it himself, and because it represented a set of sermons. It indicated a level of thought and preparation and is a touching memory of our short time together in ministry.

As I explained this, my co-worker and I shared events in our lives that had meaning for each of us. We found out more about each other because we revealed ourselves just a little bit.

This is the way God works: subtly, gently, creating events and experiences that we have with one another. These events are shared and never occur in a vacuum. We discovered one another’s humanity accidentally, one moment at a time. A little innocuous question about the stuff in our current zoom location and, just by accident, we found a common bond. Together, we returned outside the breakout room. We had our answer as to how to engage our congregation members. Gently and quietly, we provided experiences to reveal more about ourselves.

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