ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS Thought for the Day: The church is currently collecting winter clothing and other items for the Hope Center of Houston. In the last seven months, most people have thought a lot less each morning about how they dress. “Should I actually put on pants or not,” has probably been asked in many households. Yet for those sharing in this devotional thought, the choice is not just between wearing pants or not, but also trying to choose from the multitude of pants we could wear. Yet our sisters and brothers who live on the streets of our city do not have such a luxury. Having even one pair of long pants might be considered lucky. We should be both thankful and mindful when we dress ourselves each morning. And if we are intentional in how we clothe ourselves in Christ Jesus, we will discover certain expectations for how we are to live our lives. Today is Veterans Day, and though I don’t know a specific number, I imagine many of those who the Hope Center of Houston serves are Veterans. I do not want to suggest that any group of people deserves homelessness less than another group. No human being should be living on the streets. Period! With that said, a couple of homeless veterans I have worked with over the years have been dealing with mental health issues, brokenness within their lives that was rooted in their military service. Houston, along with many other cities in our country, has done some really good work on confronting this problem. We cannot go backwards, and in fact, we need to take what has been learned and begin applying it on a much larger scale. For those who have been clothed in Christ, we are concerned about the daily needs of others, but also about finding more systemic change where everyone has shelter and clothing. Prayer: Strip away what is not of you so that I might clothe myself with you, O Living Christ. Not only do I need your presence woven into my life, but so does the world around me. Amen. via WordPress https://ift.tt/3kkdN1D
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ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS Thought for the Day: I hope it is ok if I spend a few days on the third chapter of Colossians. It has been where I’ve been doing some personal study the last week or so. First, I need to get to the point where I do not type “Colossians” incorrectly as it keeps on spellchecking it to Collisions which would be very confusing to the reader. Second, Paul likes a lot of dualistic language – above and below, dark and light, spirit and flesh, Jew and Gentile, etc. He likes categories, and who can blame him. Categories give structure, and structure gives a sense of peace. Of course, is it genuine peace if the categories are not necessarily accurate? What happens when the world tries to make us fit in a certain category, but we do not feel comfortable in either one of the options? Dualism has some real danger to it, and we have too often ignored those who are sitting on the sidelines. Even more concerning are those, and I would suggest it is a majority of people, who have forced themselves into a category because they were made to feel as if they had no other option. With all of that said, I do appreciate Paul’s imagery of striving toward a more God-like perspective of life. We might refer to this as a heavenly perspective (above), but of course the incarnation is the story of God coming close to get a more hands-on perspective. So which is it? Are we to have a more lofty and pure perspective, or are we to have one that is fully involved in the flesh, sweat, fun, mess, questions, sex, beauty and uncertainty of daily life? Could it be a mixture of both? Could having our feet firmly on the ground and our lives fully entangled in the muddle of daily life actually provide a heavenly perspective? I don’t know, except to say that I do not feel comfortable in committing to one over the other. Prayer: As the world might try to shoehorn me into a specific category, I trust that you, Gracious God, will love me even when I do not fit. Call your church to display a love of all those who have never fit. In doing so, we might just discover your kingdom on earth. Amen. via WordPress https://ift.tt/3li5xR3 ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS via WordPress https://ift.tt/35eoWge ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS Thought for the Day: In a post from Richard Rohr some four years ago, there was a single line that caught my attention. He wrote, “When I don’t love, the negative voices immediately get the upper hand.” I have those words written in a few different places, and no matter when I come across them it’s as if they are pointing at something very specific in my life at that moment. When we take the risk and choose to put love first, it not only changes our lives and circumstances, it begins to change the world. Despite what some will say, love remains the answer… the best answer. Prayer: Plenty of negative voices, some of them have even come from me, O Lord. Don’t let them get the upper hand. Reintroduce me to your love, give me a minute to let it soak in, and then set me loose upon the world where it needs to be shared. Amen. TODAY’S WORSHIP via WordPress https://ift.tt/3k9eY3K ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS Thought for the Day: Jesus spoke of this peace he was leaving, a peace he was giving to his disciples. It’s interesting how Jesus spoke of giving, but not as the world would give. How does the world give? As I reflect on that question, I believe the world gives with strings attached. There is always fine print in the contract, and a lot of expectations of receiving something in return. If the world suggests it is giving peace, but that worldly peace comes with a lot of baggage, is that really going to offer any sense of genuine peace? It sounds more anxiety producing. When Jesus gave, he was not expecting anything in return. He gave as one who is full of grace, and he continues to give with grace. When we are on the receiving end of a gift given in grace there is a desire to respond in gratitude, yet the gift itself never required it. That’s the kind of gift that actually can produce peace. Prayer: Let me soak in your gift of peace, Merciful God, a gift freely given. As I receive it and embrace it, I believe I can also live it. May it be so! Amen. via WordPress https://ift.tt/2JDwPDm ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS Thought for the Day: Does God really hate our festivals and gatherings? I don’t know if God necessarily “hates” in the way we think of the word, but when a religious festival or holy gathering is used for unrighteous purposes, I tend to think it frustrates God. Of course, the Prophet Amos was seeing things that raised within him some righteous indignation. In this passage, the Prophet is spitting mad, and he doesn’t want anyone to misunderstand what he thinks. Prophets speak their minds without much concern for their audience, and that is the reason that pastors are not prophets. Oh sure, a pastor can preach a prophetic message, but the pastor has other responsibilities. We need both. Prophets tell us how it should be, and pastors come alongside folks and walk with them as they try to get to that place the prophet described. We all have different roles, and I am thankful for the Prophets who have made me feel uncomfortable at times. They’ve told me the truth even when I wasn’t asking for it. Prayer: Let me hear what needs to be heard, O Lord. A little discomfort might be necessary if I am to see where I am not aligning with you. While at the same time, give me a few folks who reinforce your love and walk with me as I try to do better. Amen. via WordPress https://ift.tt/2TYMIWZ ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS Thought for the Day: I bought a few peaches last month. They looked really good, and I was hoping for a little peach juice dripping down my chin. You know those really good peaches that are often hard to find. I won’t say that I was disappointed, but they were mediocre at best. Do you ever feel like you don’t quite fit in the bad fruit category, but you don’t fit in the good fruit category? It would have been nice to have Jesus expound on the mediocre fruit that strives toward the good category. Jesus was often using hyperbole to make a point, and with that in mind, I don’t believe he was ready to toss us in the fire for being less than the best and producing less than the best. Don’t you imagine that he is actually pleased with those in the mediocre category who are finding ways of becoming even better for the sake of the world. Prayer: Continue to work with us, Gracious God. Continue to show us those places in our own lives where we can be more than what we were yesterday. You’re not demanding perfection, but you willingly journey with us as we strive to do better. Thank you! Amen. via WordPress https://ift.tt/2IaA9oH ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS Thought for the Day: It is hard to remember what it was like to be in a crowd, but most of us know what it is like to feel stuck, painted into a corner or whatever best describes the experience brought about by quarantine. The author of the Psalm cries out from such a place. It is cramped, confining and restrictive. You can sense the discomfort and anxiousness, yet I love how the poetry of the Psalm renders God’s response with the image of wide-open spaces. This wide-open space is conceived in God’s love, a love described in the Psalm as faithful and lasting forever. The divine love existed before there was a beginning and shall exist long after there is an end. For such a love to be given to us, and to dwell within us, is to provide access to wide-open spaces. Anything described as everlasting is going to push away whatever obstacles or restrictions that attempt to encroach upon our personal space. In the wide-open space of sacred love, it is easier to breathe, to calm one’s anxiousness and to find a sense of peace. When you’re feeling a little trapped, spend some time with stories that reveal God’s love, as those stories can become an entry point into an experience of the everlasting gift of God. Prayer: O Lord, I aspire to have more than an academic definition of your love. I yearn for an experience of that love and to find release from all that attempts to hold me back. Even if I only glimpse your love, it will allow me to know the vastness of your care, your kindness, your mercy, your grace. Such an experience is what I seek at this time. Amen. via WordPress https://ift.tt/2JthHbC ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS Thought for the Day: Sunday afternoon our Elders had their monthly meeting, and during the closing time the question was asked, “Any last thoughts about the coming week?” One of our Elders, next year’s Vice Chair, Robert Neunkirch, made two suggestions. First, based upon our current study of the Sermon on the Mount, we need to remember how the peacemakers are described as blessed. Let’s make sure we are among the blessed. Second, during our Elder training last year we discussed how leaders are called to be the non-anxious presence in a time of upheaval. Robert is right, and I would extend the call to be peacemakers and the non-anxious presence to every follower of Jesus. We do not play into the nonsense or fan the flames of uncertainty. We speak the truth with grace. We take the time to listen to people’s concerns, for many are frightened. We pray enough so that we ourselves are centered and able to respond from a healthy mindset and not react from our own fears. We have responsibilities as citizens of this nation, and I hope you have voted or soon will vote, but you also have a responsibility to your faith. The love he showed us is a love we are called to live, and not just when things are simple and going well. In fact, our love in times of heighten concern can become some of the most important moments for Christ-like witness. Trust me when I say: The world is watching. Prayer: Holy God, may I do more than yearn for peace. Yearning very rarely brought about anything that resembles your kingdom. Hard work is required, and it begins within my own heart and mind. Bring me your peace that passes all understanding, and then show me how to help make peace wherever I go. This I pray in the name of the one they called the Prince of Peace. Amen. via WordPress https://ift.tt/2Govorj ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS via WordPress https://ift.tt/2TMgVIE |
AuthorRev. Bruce Frogge Archives
April 2024
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