ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
September 20, 2023 As I shared yesterday, we will begin a new series on the importance of the "one." This Sunday, I will focus on Luke’s Gospel, and the three parables about the lost — the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son (15:1-32). Many people read the first of the three parables and throw the sheep under the bus for getting lost. "Thank goodness," people will say, "for a shepherd who was willing to go and find the lost one." Yet that may not be entirely accurate, as vs. 4 says, "Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it?" The word "losing" does more than imply the shepherd’s failure in keeping the sheep together, but Jesus, in telling the parable, outright throws the shepherd under the bus. That is not the way I have read this parable. I have pictured the sheep wondering off or getting distracted and not noticing how the flock has moved on. I have never pondered the shepherd as the one to blame, and I think it is because I have always thought of Jesus as the shepherd character in this parable. But maybe in Luke’s Gospel, Jesus is not depicted as the "Good Shepherd" (John’s Gospel), but understands the shepherd to be someone else or something else. What are your thoughts? The stories of scripture are not always as straight-forward as I wish they were, Merciful God, and there are times when I am caught off guard by the unexpected. So often, I try to read into the words what I assume is in the words, but there are times when what I thought was there is not there. Continue to walk alongside me as I learn and grow and rethink and find you anew. Amen.
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ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
September 19, 2023 This coming Sunday, we will begin a new series where we will talk about the importance of the "one." In our culture, we have a strange game we play based on where we believe someone falls on our "worthiness" scale. A lot of folks pretend they don’t have such a scale, but a whole host of things play into our opinions on someone’s worth, and a lot of that happens without us even realizing it. If we read about someone who is lazy, rude, or dangerous, we might find ourselves making generalizations for everyone who fits the category based on similarity of age, race, social hierarchy, family name, kind of car s/he drives, etc. It takes a lot of intentional effort and self-awareness not to do so. For that reason, simply saying, "I don’t judge people," and thinking the statement puts you in a neutral place is wishful thinking. Jesus taught us about the importance of not being consumed by the speck in someone else’s eye without taking note of the log in our own eye. I wonder if we become so fixated on the thought of the speck that others who look, speak, act, or come from the same part of town as that one person with the speck are all assumed to be speck people… even though the darn log in our own eye does not allow us to actually get a good enough view to see. Just this past weekend, without going into a lot of details, I made a generalization about someone without knowing them and without even realizing I had done so. About twelve hours later, my assumption was totally obliterated. Since then, I have spent some time in prayer reflecting on why, in some sort of unconscious way, I formed an opinion that was entirely baseless. I hope the experience has challenged me and continues to push me to think more deeply about why the pesky speck was so bothersome in the first place and why I attached other opinions to it. For your goodness and kindness, O God, that I claim are extended to all, I beg for a bit more of that goodness and kindness to reside within me. I can make assumptions about assumptions without even realizing I’m doing it, yet what is forming in my subconscious is not Christ-like. Keep me working on myself as I seek to be the best person I can be. Amen. ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
September 18, 2023 Prayer for the Week: I seek to make this a week that honors you, Gracious God. May the words I choose honor you. May the decisions I make honor you. May the use of my physical energy honor you. May the quiet and prayerful moments honor you. Despite my best efforts, I know there will be moments this week when something will not honor you. In those moments, may my honest confession and commitment to improve honor you. Amen. ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
September 17, 2023 In Jonah 2, we read the words: "Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the fish, saying, ‘I called to the Lord out of my distress, and he answered me; out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice.’" I don’t know about you, but I sure have never found myself in the belly of a large fish. But many of us know what it is like to feel trapped, alone, and afraid. It was Mahatma Gandhi who said, "Prayer is not asking. It is a longing of the soul. It is a daily admission of one's weakness. It is better in prayer to have a heart without words than words without a heart." There is nothing more deeply troubling to the heart of God than the cries of humanity, yet God does not leave those cries unanswered. I believe God’s spirit responds with a love that stretches out even to those who feel as if they have fallen beyond the divine reach. Know that your cries will never fall on indifferent ears. O Lord, who heard the voice of Jonah, we give you thanks for the way you continue to hear us and respond without condition. May your unwavering presence and unyielding love give us strength wherever we might find ourselves. Amen. ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
September 16, 2023 Have you ever come across an idea that initially catches your attention and then, as time passes, it gnaws on your soul like a dog gnaws on a bone? This happened to me recently when I read some words belonging to George Bernard Shaw. He wrote, "We are made wise not by the recollection of our past but by the responsibility for our future." I can’t say for sure if I know exactly what Shaw meant by those words, but as they have gnawed on me for a few weeks, I find within them a good reminder. The past can teach us great things, but wisdom is not found in the ability to recite the happenings of the past. Wisdom is seen when we take those learnings from the past and put them to work for the sake of the future—a future that more clearly resembles God’s vision and hope. In Proverbs 3:13-14, we read: Happy are those who find wisdom, and those who get understanding, for her income is better than silver, and her revenue better than gold. Assist me, Holy Creator, as I take what the past has taught me and implement these learnings for the building of your future. Amen. ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
September 15, 2023 This weekend, I will be keynoting at the Regional Men’s Retreat, and the topic is based on the well-known Ecclesiastes passage: "For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven…," and the question being put before us this weekend will be: "How does one live in a season of change?" A lot of people, at least from my limited experience, appear to be rather dismissive of change when it is more theoretical. They might even say they enjoy change. But then there is a death, a loss of a relationship, a dramatic decline in one’s income, a debilitating medical event, or a certain trusted idea that appears to be crumbling, and suddenly change is very real, and most people are not as excited about the whole notion of change. This is where I believe the Gospel of God’s limitless and unconditional love can be trusted, as it is never changing. With that said, I believe this life-changing gift is always seeking to reshape how it is presented so that it is relevant and purposeful for the moment. Romans 5 speaks of Jesus, and the selfless act of his death, coming "at just the right time." And though I am in no way suggesting any of us think of ourselves as Jesus, I do believe we have been called to reflect and embody his mission and purpose, and if that is true, we need to think about what needs to happen for the next generation to say, "Those people at Cypress Creek Christian Church showed up at just the right time.” Could it be, Gracious God, that you have brought me to this moment for a reason? Are the gifts found in the Body of Christ—your church—exactly what are needed for this moment in time? Something tells me it is true, so whatever I can bring to this moment, I hope to do so with bold conviction. Amen. ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
September 14, 2023 I’ve had a couple of folks share some thoughts on their 53rd Stretching, and though none of them have agreed to write anything for me, I remain hopeful that someone might feel comfortable. I understand that in a faith rooted in humility, it feels strange to tell a story of a time when we allowed ourselves to be stretched in faith. It can almost feel like bragging, and I can appreciate that. At the same time, we are a faith rooted in storytelling, and the faithful witnesses throughout the history of Christianity have inspired another generation to stretch even further than the previous generation—stretching as those who are generous with time, resources, and gifts. I did share some of my own recent stretching, including how I pray for you all who are partners in the vision and mission of this church. And to be fully confessional, I have had days when I have stretched myself and other days when I’ve convinced myself it was not possible because of everything that had to be done. I am generally pleased with the additional time I have found (God has helped me find) early in the morning, but there remains plenty of space for growth in both consistency and trusting that a few extra minutes of prayer might just better focus me for the day and leave me with more time than I expected. I think about Jeremiah 17:7, "Blessed are those who trust in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord." It can be difficult, at times, to trust God in those moments when it appears that God is showing us a part of life where we did not believe stretching was even possible. Wherever there is room for my growth, O Lord, I seek the courage to believe what is possible with your help and strength. Amen. ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
September 13, 2023 Each Tuesday, Rev. Paula Gembala puts together and sends out the Joys and Concerns associated with Cypress Creek Christian Church. There is a lot involved, and often it is just keeping track of who is where and whether someone moved. And since there are privacy laws, we always need permission before including a name or situation in the email. But there is something special about knowing the email has arrived in people’s email boxes on Tuesday afternoon, and this is something so very important to many in the life of the congregation. The names on the prayer list are lifted in prayer by a lot of faithful people, and it’s not just the names they know. There is a strong belief that there is sacred energy found in prayer, and through God, we are connected to one another. I’m not suggesting magical powers or that God is waiting around for the right number of prayers, but I have so often seen the faces of people when I tell them, "You were included on the prayer list." There is joy and humility and gratitude, for there is power in the knowledge that both friends and maybe even some complete strangers are praying for us. I love how the Apostle Paul often writes about praying joyfully for ‘all of you.’ I don’t believe Paul wrote those words in his letter just for brownie points, but even from jail (where he sometimes prayed), there was a connection to both God and the larger faith community. Bring my prayers alongside the prayers of the whole church, Merciful God, as we seek strength and hope for the tasks before us. Amen. ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
September 12, 2023 I have written about this before, but September 11 is a strange day for me. Like many of you, I have vivid memories of that day 22 years ago. There were so many emotions from that Tuesday and the days that followed. The church I was serving at the time had a community worship service that night that we had to put together quickly, and I had to write a sermon in a very short period of time. There was fear, confusion, lostness and so many other emotions that people expressed at that time, but of course, September 11 is also my wife’s birthday. 22 years ago, we had big plans for dinner together, but that had to be delayed. But as the years have come and gone, I find myself focusing on the positive—my gratitude for the amazing human being who continues to call me her spouse. Though I still feel grieve for what occurred on that day, I find my focus elsewhere. As I think about life in general, there is probably a lot of that in a lot of our lives—circumstances where we hold two very different emotions in tension, or maybe we do not emphasize the more common emotions on a certain day of the year. I remember hearing a person talk about despising Christmas, and then she shared her story. When she was done, I realized that had it been my story, I might have despised Christmas as well. It wasn’t the holiday or even the Christian meaning attached to the day, but an experience that one does not erase. In the end, let us be slow to judge people and quick with an invitation for them to tell us the story. I believe James said something about being slow to speak and quick to listen. We live in a complicated world where perception is shaped by experience. Holy God, provide me with the grace to listen and the capacity to respect the experiences of others, especially when those experiences are nothing like my own. It is good to ask questions, but it is never my place to question the experience of another. That is my hope and prayer. Amen. ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
September 11, 2023 A prayer in search of comfort in search of hope in search of grace in search of peace. In faith, I believe this holy pursuit is not void of meaning, as there is One who is listening and was pursuing me before I had even formed and named my deepest needs. It is good to be known by you, Holy God, for you are forever present. In my search, I have learned that my passionate pursuit of you does not compare to your persistent pursuit of me. Thank you. Amen. |
AuthorRev. Bruce Frogge Archives
May 2024
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