ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS Thought for the Day: I just came across these words from John Lennon: If everyone demanded peace In today’s world, I don’t know if it would be another television set. Instead, it might be a new phone, video game system or some other tech device. The point, though, is well taken. We need to make an effort equal to the effort we give to all kinds of frivolous stuff. For Paul, there was an expectation that the individual members of the community would utilize peace to hold fast to unity. How does Paul visualize peace? I believe it is something very real that exists within both the individual and the body, the community. It is a contentment within oneself that exists with love. So much that stands in opposition to peace is birthed out of discontentment and fear. So many people (and communities) put forth a good facade, but deep down there is no love of self. That pain is manifest in everything that is not the peace of God. If everyone demanded peace with the same passion as they did many other things in life, we would make some progress. But we really need to work on sharing a love that is healing and reconciling, a love that will build a sense of self and bring contentment. Prayer: You’ve been working on it since the beginning, Lord God, but I’d like to join your good work in bringing peace to this world as I teach and share your love. Amen. TODAY’S SERVICE via WordPress https://ift.tt/32MBmuv
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ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS Thought for the Day: Earlier in chapter 1, the writer uses a different verb, to make. It is a different word all together in the original Hebrew language from the word we translate in this verse as created. Here, created, is Bara’. It means to shape or fashion, but it also means: to make yourself fat. I don’t know Biblical Hebrew well at all, and here is an example of why I am so confused when it comes to Hebrew. Maybe, and just maybe, it is how an idea becomes reality, how it becomes three dimensional. In the previous verse, God appears to be speaking to the Heavenly Host as we read, “Let us make humanity in our image…” It was just an idea that God was floating, a brainstorming session with a handful of angels and the Divine Complexity. But then they decided to put some meat on that idea, to plump it up. This is where many of us fall short as we do some of our own dreaming. Too many ideas are never brought to the dinner table to be fattened up. Ok, did I just take the metaphor a step too far? Prayer: Thank you, Creator God, for taking the idea of humanity and giving us some weight. Amen. via WordPress https://ift.tt/3iLf0yN ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS Thought for the Day: You might remember as I do a Sunday School teacher saying when we were young, “God knows you inside and out. God knows every thought in your head and heart.” That might have sounded, in theory, like a wonderful thing. It might have been thought of, by the teacher, as Good News. But as a young kid, if you were like me, there were some thoughts in my head and heart that were not very nice. Actually, there were some thoughts that were not kind at all, some that were not very pure, and then a lot of strange stuff as well. Most all of it was kept inside because we assumed that we were the only ones who ever had such thoughts. And then there was the panic that all our hiding, all our creative concealing might not work with God. Now I think the Holy Other of the Universe, God, must know all there is to know, but I also do not believe that God is shocked or disappointed or pondering whether a lightening strike might be the best response for that one really bad thought. The word KNOW is a rich word in scripture that has less to do with knowing statistics and lists and trivia. It is about relationship, and to be known is to be in relationship with God. God is always seeking the relationship, yet when we choose to love, we are making ourselves vulnerable and available to God. It is there that real faith begins to take shape. Prayer: As Paul worked to have a community focus on love above all other things, we seek your assistance as we too easily become concerned with stuff other than love. Lord God, we desire for our love to grow, and in that growth, discover new and life-giving aspects of our relationship with you. Amen. via WordPress https://ift.tt/35LEo3Q ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS Thought for the Day: It is important to remember that righteousness is not some sort of self-righteousness or pietistic religiosity, but the rightness of God. That is what we believe will emerge from the soil of peace, the well cultivated land of shalom. This is not to confused with some orderly armistice. It is the arduous work of learning who our neighbor is, turning the other cheek, praying for the enemy and working through forgiveness and reconciliation. I’ve always thought that the word Peacekeepers was an oxymoron, as true peace is not something that can be kept or forced. It is something that is chosen and lived. If we want to see any righteousness emerge in our world, then we’ve got some serious work to do when it comes to peace. Prayer: Let me know the peace of Christ Jesus. Allow for your peace envisioned in the life and ministry of Jesus to reside in my heart and mind. I ask for this, Generous God, as I want my life to be the good soil from which righteousness can grow. Amen. UPCOMING STUDY: Sermon on the Mount Come by the church for… A Book & A Prayer via WordPress https://ift.tt/33AdoSl ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS Thought for the Day: I pray that you have known someone whose works were done with a gentleness born of wisdom. I’ve known some people whose gentleness was born of foolishness. It was a gentleness without purpose or direction. There are some who would point to Jesus and suggest his gentleness was foolishness as it got him killed. But it was foolishness only from the standpoint of those who had no appreciation of self-giving love. Could Jesus have raised an army, used intimidation and threats of violence and smear campaigns to achieve his goal? Some would say, “Sure!” But their wrong! The goal Jesus was seeking, the Kingdom of God, had to be fully manifest in the methods and tools utilized. Acts of gentleness, born out of wisdom and done for the sake of God’s Kingdom, are some of the most beautiful and life-changing experiences. Years ago, I spent some time at Koinoina Farms, a wonderful ministry in Georgia. At the time, the world was in a heightened state of anxiousness and fear. One of the people living at Koinonia Farms was a man who specialized in conflict resolution, and he walked us through some exercises that made me, not only aware of his gentle spirit, but an experience of Shalom – that wonderful Biblical word that means peace, harmony and wholeness. His gentleness was full of wisdom, for he was seeking the Kingdom of God. And because his methods embodied the Kingdom of God, he created a Kingdom moment. I pray that you have known such moments. Prayer: Being wise and being gentle are hard enough by themselves, yet you have invited them to be fully present and together within me. Holy God, let your gentleness born of wisdom reside within me for the sake of your Kingdom. Amen. via WordPress https://ift.tt/2E4po5J ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS Thought for the Day: Humanity, including those who follow Jesus, have yet to fully understand that to curse, demean, degrade or injure another human being is to dishonor the very image of God. There is no exception to the rule. Period! Last time I suggested something similar in one of my devotionals, I got hate mail. I wish I had the old AOL, except it would say, “You’ve got hate mail.” That way I would know to skip those emails. Sorry, I digress. The point I’m trying to make is how unbelievably challenging these words are. This is Jesus Loves The Little Children, but on steroids. And just putting all my cards on the table, I don’t find this easy just because I’m clergy. We did not take an upper level class on Loving ALL God’s children. It was kind of assumed, while also spending plenty of time confessing our failures. And let’s be clear, loving people as Jesus did is not to sanction or celebrate their mean-spirited behavior. It doesn’t mean you’ve got to go out for drinks with someone who causes your blood pressure to rise or has injured you. Love is on its own level, and though 99% of us will remain a work in progress, we cannot allow the difficult to become our excuse to jettison love for the purpose of making room for hate. Prayer: Once again, O Lord, I start the day seeking your help. You’ve not made this easy, but I will try my best in the belief that your Spirit will assist me. I will try better than my best in the belief that you will love me even when I fail. Amen. via WordPress https://ift.tt/32vQJqN ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS via WordPress https://ift.tt/33uvsgH ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS Thought for the Day: Can I get an Amen? Not trying to be funny, but especially in this moment, there are plenty of us who should not be public school teachers. We would have failed the first week into this whole new world of teaching last March. I know James was talking specifically about those who were teaching the faith, but teachers in general have an immense responsibility. When I read how teachers will be “judged with greater strictness,” I am quickly reminded that God’s judgement is not the same as human judgment. Divine judgement is holy light, revealing the truth – not for the purpose of belittling or mocking or marginalizing. Divine judgement is always done with grace, providing an opportunity for one to see where there is weakness, concern or the chance for improvement. Right now, I think divine judgement for teachers is in the form of a disco ball, as God is shining a party light on all the amazing teachers and staff who are serving well beyond their calling and contract. Prayer: May your light shine brightly upon all the good and creative work provided by educators, from preschool to college and everything in between. Holy God, Source of strength and encouragement, let the warmth of your light remind all those who serve to educate others know of your everlasting presence. Amen. TODAY’S WORSHIP SERVICE via WordPress https://ift.tt/2DUrGUX ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS Thought for the Day: As much as I agree with James, it almost feels as if he is using a little bit of guilt in referencing Rahab. It’s as if James is saying to his readers, “You know Rahab, who was a foreign prostitute, well she even stepped up and put her faith to work. If she could, with everything she had going against her, why can’t you?” I always want to be very cautious in regard to the use of guilt, yet there are times when the inspirational work of one person challenges the less than excellent work of another. Maybe there is some guilt woven into it somewhere, but the inspiration tends to awaken and empower us. Maybe we had convinced ourselves we couldn’t do it, and then someone comes along who proves our assumption wrong. Some will feel guilt, but I think God is hoping for an Aha Moment that opens possibilities never before perceived. Prayer: Continue to bring before us, O God, those who will encourage, challenge, inspire and motivate us for the good work that gives life to faith. Amen. via WordPress https://ift.tt/3kfqDhN ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS Thought for the Day: Does anyone else find James’ use of the Isaac Sacrifice story a less than stellar illustration for his point? When I think of the word “work” in scripture, I tend to think of something positive, life-giving. Abraham was going to sacrifice a child in the belief that God had told him to do so. I would suggest that Abraham would have actually demonstrated great faith by unequivocally rejecting the idea, suggesting that any god who demands such a thing is unworthy of worship. Of course, this is the difference between reading these words through the lenses of the 21st century and reading them through the lenses of those living in the ancient world. It is thought, by some scholars, that Abraham and his descendants would have known tribes and nations that required human sacrifice, even the sacrifice of children. The story in Genesis seems to suggest that God told Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, but could it be that Abraham was doing what the culture expected him to do, all the while thinking it was God? Of course, God provided a ram for the sacrifice, changing Abraham’s mindset in regard to child sacrifice. The story from Genesis is, for me, a story of a God who wants us to pursue faithfulness, which includes asking tough questions that may push against long held beliefs. As I read the words of James, I don’t believe faithfulness is found in even pondering the prospect of God demanding someone to sacrifice a child. Faithfulness is rooted in the question that we keep before us at every moment – Does this (whatever choice might be before us) reveal the love of God, a love that is relentless and redemptive, a love that never seeks any form of violence to impose itself or shield itself? If a person can answer YES to that question, and then live into that YES, I believe that person is being faithful. Prayer: Call us to faithfulness amidst all the struggles and uncertainties, especially when you are pushing us beyond what has long been held as faithful. O God who is the same yesterday, today and forever, we are the ones who should be ever changing, ever growing into the image of Christ, the image of your boundless and breathtaking love. Amen. via WordPress https://ift.tt/3bKyhxS |
AuthorRev. Bruce Frogge Archives
March 2024
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