ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS October 12, 2019 Scripture: Isaiah 32:17-20 The fruit of righteousness will be peace, and the outcome of righteousness, calm and security forever. Then my people will live in a peaceful dwelling, in secure homes, in carefree resting places. Even if the forest falls and the humbled city is laid low, those who sow beside any stream will be happy, sending out ox and donkey to graze. Thought for the Day: As I am writing this devotional, I am thinking about tomorrow morning (Saturday). I will be getting up around 3:15am to drive to Omaha, Nebraska, to catch a flight back to Houston. The temperature has gone from 50’s and 60’s to below freezing. I don’t believe there will be any problem driving to Omaha, but there is always a little concern when you drive unfamiliar roads before sunrise and it is below freezing. As I write, my expectation is that you will be reading this after I am already on the plane or even back to Houston. But I write these things to provide an example of life for most of us, a life that can be a bit chaotic, with unforeseen happenings that cause anxiety and some good old fashion fretting. It is not “End of the World” stuff, but since I have an important event on Saturday evening, I feel some apprehension about timing in regard to my flight. The Prophet speaks of righteousness, or some will translate it as the right-ness of God or right-living according to God. Those who live a certain way, in the ways of God, will know calm and security. Even if the world around them appears to be falling apart, they can live righteousness. I don’t know if the Prophet would agree with me or not, but it’s as if we are being told to choose the right things (the God way of living) when we have a choice. A lot of stuff just happens, and there is nothing we can do. But when life offers us the opportunity to do something, we need to do so with right-ness. It may not appear big, but when we make the decision to do something resembling God when every other factor in life would suggest a different decision, it brings with it a sense of connection to God. I will not let all the chaos, or the unforeseen troubles, dictate the choices I can make. Other stuff will happen that is beyond my control, and in those cases, I will claim even more passionately what I can do…and do so with a spirit of righteousness. Prayer: Giver of Rightness and Right-Living, continue to guide me to those places and moments when I can choose to embody you to the world. And please make your presence known when the stuff of life happens and anxiety shows up. Amen. – via WordPress https://ift.tt/2MxBBAk
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ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS October 11, 2019 Scripture: Joel 2:28-29 After that I will pour out my spirit upon everyone; your sons and your daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, and your young men will see visions. In those days, I will also pour out my spirit on the male and female slaves. Thought for the Day: After what? According Joel, a vision of transition from despair to life is presented, and then after this period of transition, the Lord will pour out the Spirit upon everyone. Throughout my life, I have heard people describe the current moment as the moment of the Spirit’s arrival. Whatever the events or period of transition might be, this is the designated moment for whatever happens after. In fact, I’m pretty sure I have done that very thing more than once in a sermon. It fits with the text, except to say that technically this is no longer a future moment being described. As followers of Jesus, the Spirit came on Pentecost and started a whole process of dreaming and visioning and transformation. It sure appears as if the church lives in an uninspiring attitude of waiting instead of naming the fact that we are the living proof of the Spirit’s arrival. Using a track metaphor, we should not be sitting in the starting blocks, but fully into the race. Using a car racing metaphor, we should not be at the starting line revving our engines, but going full speed down the straightaway. We are living in the after and we need to own it. Otherwise, we might just spend an eternity waiting for the arrival of the moment after. Prayer: May the Spirit that has come and continues to move be the gift that I allow to enfold me and fill me. O God whose breath has come upon us in the after, let me be fully available to the life that is lived through this gift. Amen. – via WordPress https://ift.tt/2OF7VDO ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS October 10, 2019 Scripture: Proverbs 17:22 A joyful heart helps healing, but a broken spirit dries up the bones. Thought for the Day: Maya Angelou wrote, “My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.” I’m not suggesting those are all the boxes we want to check in life, but it’s a pretty good starting place. My question for you this day is simply this, “Do you believe the people around you are able to check a majority of those boxes?” If not, how might your way of living the faith help them to find a life that is thriving with some passion, some compassion, some humor and some style? We can never live someone else’s life, even though we might want to once in a while. But there are certain things we can do to provide a vision for life that is enticing and life-giving. What’s one thing you can do today to provide a living witness to a life that others find, not only attractive, but worth emulating. Prayer: Even though negative things happen around me, Gracious God, I pray for your Spirit to help keep my life an ongoing representation of your abundant joy and merciful kindness. Amen. – via WordPress https://ift.tt/2Mux15F ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS October 9, 2019 Scripture: Psalm 107:28-31 So they cried out to the LORD in their distress, and God brought them out safe from their desperate circumstances. God quieted the storm to a whisper; the sea’s waves were hushed. So they rejoiced because the waves had calmed down; then God led them to the harbor they were hoping for. Let them thank the LORD for his faithful love and his wondrous works for all people. Thought for the Day: I don’t know about you, but I have found the time between my cry and the moment when God brought me to a safe place was a bit longer than it takes to read the above passage. In fact, there are some people who spend their entire lives in the storm. Like you, I’ve read stories of human beings who lived their entire lives in war, individuals who were trafficked from an early age, or those who have suffered from an untreated mental illness. The chaos of the storm continued to beat them, even amidst the cries. Some will try to make sense of it by claiming such people deserved it because of an unconfessed sin. But how do we align that with Jesus who spoke of forgiving always. Others will suggest that God is using those in the storm as a teaching moment. That’s all well and good, unless you are the teaching moment that lasts a life time. I don’t pretend to know all things about God, but I cannot believe that God leaves people in the storm when God could do something about it. I tend to believe that God is the One who respects human freedom and then uses that free will to bring about God’s will on earth as it is in heaven. As I think about Living the Love First Life, I believe I am called by God to be the Jim-buoy Ring thrown to the person who is going under in the storm. Prayer: Wherever you need me, Lord, I am ready. If I must go into the storm for the sake of another, I shall believe your eternal love will be present to me always. Amen. _ via WordPress https://ift.tt/2Ox9vI0 ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS Thought for the Day: This is a passage I have referenced a few times in the last couple years, and it reappeared in my sermon on Sunday. It is a powerful passage, and there are dozens of ways one might reflect on it. Today, I am drawn to the words, “This is how we know love…” In the scientific world, rigorous research and well designed experiments can produce observable evidence that allows for a strong conclusion. Some will look at spouses hugging each other and say, “Oh, that’s love!” Or maybe they’ll see a grandparent holding a newborn grandchild for the first time, and based upon the look on the face of the grandparent they will declare, “That’s love!” In my opinion, those are observable evidence of love. But for the author of 1st John, love is known in the laying down of one’s life for another. Of course, it is important to know that the Greek language has three different words that we translate as love. Agape is the Greek word used here, and it usually describes the unconditional love of God made real in Jesus. It is not romantic love or familial love, but a love that is made real in sacrifice. Science calls it observable evidence, but Christianity would call it witness. If we wish for the world to know love (Agape), then we need to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. This is a great challenge to all of us if we are serious about providing a witness to the love of God. Prayer: For the love you made real for me, O Lord, I give you thanks. Continue to encourage me in my work of learning to live Agape toward my brothers and sisters. Amen. DON’T FORGETPrayer Time via WordPress https://ift.tt/2IxBrYq ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS October 7, 2019 Prayer for the Week: Jesus broke bread with every kind of despised, hated and mistrusted individual. He broke bread, and created a new world where love upended the sentiment that had left so many on the outside looking in. O Bread of Heaven, you once again create a feast where the story of your reconciling and healing gift is put on display. You make a way; you set a place; you invite us; you welcome us. In the gathering, there may be some who recognize the words of the 23rd Psalm playing out before them – a table has been set before them in the presence of their enemies. There may be discomfort and uncertainty, yet for those who allow your Spirit to be both host and sustenance of the gathering, the apprehension and suspicion begin to fade. In the gracious meal you provide, those who once were enemies make room for forgiveness and friendship to be served. Holy God, use us to set tables where needed, to make room for those who would not usually sit together. Call us as servants of your hospitality and healing, and may the grace we have enjoyed be the grace we serve at the table. This is the pray we offer in the name of Jesus. Amen. via WordPress https://ift.tt/30P7N7b ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS October 6, 2019 Scripture: Proverbs 24:6 Strategic planning is the key to warfare; to win, you need a lot of good counsel. Thought for the Day: Whether the author was talking about real military battles or using the language more figuratively, the basic idea of the Proverb remains relevant. Planning and good counsel are critical tools in seeing a vision take shape and move toward realization. What happens when you are the one providing the good counsel and the recipient chooses not to take it? What happens when everything falls apart after the person does not utilize the strategies and advice offered? Have you ever said, “If only s/he would have followed my suggestions, then…” It is frustrating and disappointing, especially when you have given a great deal of time and energy to an individual who remains stuck in the pattern of poor choices. I raise these questions, impart, because the Love First Life will not always have the success stories we’d like to see. Too often the positive results we wish to see do not materialize on our schedule. Even the disciples struggled to understand and embrace the message of Jesus in the three years they walked alongside him. Often, the good counsel they received was set aside so they could take hold of their own selfish pursuits. If you think about it, the disciples required a death, a period in the tomb, a resurrection and an indwelling of the Spirit before they really began the new journey. And even then, there was some initial caution and confusion and a need to poke the resurrect Christ who stood before them. People are going to disappoint us, but the disappointment is magnified when some simple steps that we suggested could have minimized or even prevented the future pain. In the Love First Life, these are the risks we take. We believe in freedom, and respect the freedom of people to choose. Love is not love if it is not freely chosen, but it can only be freely chosen if it is first offered. So that’s what we do because that is what we have been asked to do. It is ok to feel disappointed and sad, but these emotions should not be because we think we’ve failed. If we have loved, then we have succeeded. Prayer: Continue to give me a reason to believe in your love, O Generous God. Continue to cultivate my trust in its power to change lives. Continue to keep me focused on my work which is to be an agent of your unconditional and unrelenting love. Continue to be my encourager, especially in those moments when I feel disappointed and sad. Amen. TODAYISWORLD COMMUNION SUNDAYvia WordPress https://ift.tt/2AOHzHv ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS Thought for the Day: Today is an exciting day around Cypress Creek Christian Church. It is the Blessing of the Animals and Stuffed Animals. We’ve created this event for the community, but it is also part of the Christian tradition. This is the Saturday closest to the Feast Day of St. Francis, and St. Francis was known for his graciousness to the creation, specifically the animals. In fact, there are many stories told about his kindness including the day he first preached to the birds. His friends thought it a bit strange, but he went before a group of birds who did not appear afraid of Francis. According to the story, Francis said to the birds, “My brother and sister birds, you should praise your Creator and always love him…” In the end, he encouraged them with a blessing, and with that, they all flew away allowing their beauty to be their praise and worship. From that day on, Francis took every opportunity to preach to the animals. May all the creatures who join us today help us give thanks and praise to God. Prayer: Joyful Creator, we give you thanks for all that is beautiful and amazing and joy-giving. The world around us provides so many gifts, and too often we do not perceive them, and for that reason, we do not appreciate them. Let our eyes see and our hearts treasure all the living creatures. Amen. TODAY IS THE DAYBlessing of |
AuthorRev. Bruce Frogge Archives
April 2024
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