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ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS via WordPress https://ift.tt/39wfp6z
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ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS Thought for the Day: These words are part of today’s worship service. They present an almost mythical vision of some world unrecognizable for those of us who live in this current world. It appears so far-fetched that the scriptural image is pushed off and assumed to be otherworldly. Maybe that is part of our problem. Just because something is so wildly and radically different, why do we assume it belongs to another realm. Advent is the time when the church hunkers down and recommits itself to otherworldly living in the only world we have been given. The scriptures don’t depict an amazing world, and then tell folks to wait until they die. Just the opposite. We are told to make it so before we die. Prayer: This is an amazing time of the year, and the message is equally amazing. In word and action, O Lord, empower us to live the amazing life you believe we are capable of living. Amen. FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT via WordPress https://ift.tt/37hy6bl ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS Thought for the Day: The people of God had walked away from God through idolatry, showing a complete lack of compassion and kindness. The divine complaints against the people made it sound as if they had moved beyond God’s ability to rescue them with the words, “…you who are far from deliverance.” There are times when it might appear as if humanity has moved an immeasurable distance from God, yet we hear the amazing news that God will bring near the gift of deliverance, and this gift is coming soon. That is the promise of Advent, the Christian season we officially begin tomorrow. We may stumble and feel as if we are no longer within the reach of God, but the message of Advent is that God came close in Jesus and God will continue to seek us out no matter how far we might think we’ve wandered. Of course, there is no place we can go where God is not already present. Prayer: Gracious God, let me trust in your saving presence that comes again this Advent season. Amen. via WordPress https://ift.tt/3mikJOn ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS Thought for the Day: With a feeling of discomfort in the gut after that enormous Thanksgiving meal yesterday, it is a bit of a shock to realize that a seismic shift just occurred. We moved from a Thanksgiving focus to an Advent focus in a matter of hours. We turned from joyful gratitude to a more contemplative preparation. The church year, if you’re not paying attention, can have you left in the dust. Joking aside, we do need to readjust our spirits in regard to where we are and what should be our focal point. Christmas is less than one month away, and we need to do some work. And of course, much of that work will look different this year. We cannot necessarily draw from our usual bag of traditions. Of course, the story hasn’t changed. The characters have remained the same. It is mostly the stuff we have used in our celebration of this season, and much of it is really good and helpful. With that said, I do believe a year of change might have us appreciating some of the things that might have felt old while also encouraging us to ask some questions in regard to why we celebrate in certain ways. I like patterns and consistency, yet there are times when I might be going through the motions without much appreciation of what it all points toward. This Sunday is the First Sunday of Advent – Hope Sunday – and I’ve been asking some new questions about what it means. I “hope” you will join me. Prayer: Let us turn our eyes and hearts to this new season in the church year. Guide us, O Wonderful Counselor and Mighty God, into the good work needed as one makes ready for the coming of the Christ Child. Amen. THE SEASON OF ADVENT via WordPress https://ift.tt/2V5bxB6 ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS Thought for the Day: This Thanksgiving is hard for many reason, but for most of us, we are not welcoming many of the people we would like to welcome into our homes or we are not able to be welcomed into the homes we would like to visit. There are many experiences through which joy and gratitude are brought into our lives, and I don’t want to pretend that I can rank them or suggest one is more impactful than another. Though speaking for myself, hugs at the front door and a prayer around a table overflowing with good food, surrounded by family and friends, ranks pretty high. I know this time is tough on all of us, but we are making hard decisions in the present to help reduce the transmission of this deadly virus. I do not believe God is ever the source of our suffering, but God is capable of taking this moment and shaping it into a lens through which we will glimpse a radically different perspective on things for which we had not shown very much appreciation in the past. Though it will only be Donna, Zach and I at the Thanksgiving table today, my mind is full of simple things I don’t believe I have ever thought of as worthy of gratitude. Today, they will be spoken out loud in a spirit of true thankfulness. Prayer: Though not the Thanksgiving of my choice, Generous God, I will find and name the many blessings of this day. I will not allow what I cannot do to eclipse all that is good in this moment. Amen. via WordPress https://ift.tt/3m8ptGh ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS Thought for the Day: What is enough? That is one of the great questions that human beings have tried to answer ever since we started walking upright. As human beings started collecting more stuff, the line between need and want became much more gray. We argued and fought over those things that we perceived as needs, but were nothing more than selfish wants. The old adage remains true, ‘We should live simply so others may simply live.’ During this time of Thanksgiving, let us be mindful of how understanding the difference between our wants and needs will give rise to others having the basic necessities of life. Prayer: Continue to work on my spirit of generosity, O God, so I might sow bountifully and see a world able to reap the benefits. Amen. via WordPress https://ift.tt/2J0TiKS ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS Thought for the Day: What is enough? That is one of the great questions that human beings have tried to answer ever since we started walking upright. As human beings started collecting more stuff, the line between need and want became much more gray. We argued and fought over those things that we perceived as needs, but were nothing more than selfish wants. The old adage remains true, ‘We should live simply so others may simply live.’ During this time of Thanksgiving, let us be mindful of how understanding the difference between our wants and needs will give rise to others having the basic necessities of life. Prayer: Continue to work on my spirit of generosity, O God, so I might sow bountifully and see a world able to reap the benefits. Amen. via WordPress https://ift.tt/2J0TiKS ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS Thought for the Day: It is said that a true optimist is a person who starts a new diet on Thanksgiving Day. I’m generally an optimist, though I probably would not take the leap into a new diet this Thursday. Though because I am an optimist, I believe in a day when we will see justice and righteousness all the time. Notice how the author of this prayerful Psalm ties together thankfulness and living of justice and righteousness. Praise of God is never a bad thing, but it should never be seen as an end in and of itself. Instead, we are asked to express our gratitude in acts of justice and righteousness. During this Thanksgiving week, I express true gratitude for all those who are doing the real work of justice as expressed by the prophets and embodied in the life of Jesus. Let us make sure our words of gratitude make their way into a tangible witness that clearly speaks to God’s dream for the world. Prayer: Happy are those, O God, who give bread to the hungry today while working to bring an end to hunger everywhere. Amen. via WordPress https://ift.tt/399tOp0 ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS Thought for the Day: Joseph interpreted a couple of dreams while in prison. One brought good news and the other brought the news of death. For the cupbearer, the news was good, and Joseph made a request. The hope was for the cupbearer, once he was out of prison and before the Pharaoh, would mention Joseph’s name (and maybe his dream interpreting skills). Can you imagine finding yourself in the cupbearer’s shoes (sandals)? You’re lucky to be out of prison and back in the good graces of the court. Should you really push your luck, or just keep quiet? I think a lot of folks would choose silence, choosing to look out for self alone. Could you blame them? Yet the cupbearer showed kindness and spoke a good word about Joseph, and it was his willingness to speak to Pharaoh that moved forward God’s redemptive work of Joseph’s life? It was just a small act of kindness, but without it I wonder if we’d even know the story of Joseph. Maybe we would only know that some wild animals had killed him. Remember, that was the story his brothers made up before selling him into slavery. Prayer: My little act of kindness, even when it may cause some potential concern for my life, could be exactly what you, O Lord, are requesting. Encourage me; give me a spirit of boldness; allow me to speak with confidence. Amen. TODAY’S WORSHIP SERVICE via WordPress https://ift.tt/3fmR6ZA |
AuthorRev. Bruce Frogge Archives
March 2023
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