ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
November 30, 2023
As you have heard, this Sunday is the first Sunday of Advent. Often, by November 30, we are already into the Season of Advent, but the way the calendar fell this year, it is actually the latest possible start date for Advent. With tomorrow being the first day of December and with every store in full Christmas mode, I feel as if we should already be well into Advent. It sort of feels as if we are in uncharted territory. And since Advent is the time of preparation for Christmas, let’s call these days leading us to the first Sunday of Advent a time to prepare for the time of preparation. Even though I sort of chuckle at the thought, I wonder how many of us need some intentional preparation just so we can enter the time of preparation well prepared. Call it pre-prep. We can laugh, but the Bible is filled with stories about people preparing. Whether it was Israel in the Wilderness, one of the prophets in the desert, or someone visiting the mountaintop, getting ready for the next thing was never an afterthought. So for this almost ready-to-get-ready time, I hope you will ask yourself, “What do I need to be doing to make the next thing (which happens to be Advent and then Christmas) the best expression of my faith that is possible?”

Today is an excellent day to get ready for whatever it is that you might be inviting me to do, Gracious God. I don’t want to feel rushed or unprepared, so help me to put in place whatever is necessary so that my convictions are able to come alongside the greatest need. Amen.

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
November 29, 2023
Today is the feast day of St. Illuminata, a 4th-century woman who was executed after taking the name of Christ. It is interesting that we know very little about her, though there is a church with her name in Todi, Italy, the presumed site of her burial plot. As I think of all the churches named after someone, I realize how almost all of these individuals were killed because of their faith. I don’t know of an example of some average Joe whose name is now etched on the stone sign out front of a church simply because he had pretty good attendance on Sunday morning (well, unless he had a lot of money and paid for the church building). Is it shallow to hope that I never have a church named after me? With that said, I doubt St. Illuminata set out to have a church named after her. Since we know very little about her, I’m only guessing—but I’d guess she was only loving her God as best she knew how. In the Season of Advent, as we remember God humbling the divine nature and choosing to take on flesh, we realize God wasn’t looking for naming rights. Instead, God was seeking to make the unconditional love of God real in hopes of changing the world.

Continue to undergird my faith, O Lord, so I might find new ways of showing your love through humility and mercy. Amen.

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
November 28, 2023
So what is this Advent thing? Simply put, Advent is the four weeks of preparation that help make the church ready to receive the Christ Child anew. And like the word suggests, it is a time when the church waits with great expectation for the “arrival” of a baby in Bethlehem. Even nonliturgical churches have found themselves practicing the Season of Advent in recent years. For those of us in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), we have been doing Advent in most of our churches for more than a hundred years. Of course, Advent is one of the oldest liturgical traditions in Christianity. After the Western Church designated December 25 as Christmas, we find references to the idea of Advent. Some of the earliest written evidence comes from the end of the 4th century, with the month of December defined as a time of fasting. It’s sort of funny how fasting was central to Advent, yet today, most of us are not thinking of fasting until after the first of the year when we try to get rid of those pounds we gained during December. Maybe it’s just me. Of course, Advent requires some deliberate actions for those who wish to take full advantage of the season. I don’t believe I have missed a single Sunday of Advent in 31 years, yet I have found myself waking up on Christmas Day on more than one occasion and thinking to myself, “Where did it go? Did I do any of the things I intended to do?” I can’t guarantee it won’t happen again, but I am already planning out some of my practices for this marvelous season we call Advent.

Do whatever you can to get my mind and spirit in a place where I am the most available to all this season offers. I make this request of you, Gracious God, as I believe there is much for me to learn and experience these next four weeks. Amen.

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
November 27, 2023
Prayer for the Week: As we pause between Thanksgiving and Advent, we acknowledge a growing gratitude that anticipates the gift of the Christ Child. Holy God, O Wonderful Counselor, we give you thanks for this time of the year. In ever-so-small ways, peace and hope appear to be more resilient and pervasive. When we pause and pay attention, you seem to be made real in places we least expected. Everlasting Father, you evoke within us a gratitude that seeks to gift others with a reason to be grateful as well. We do not wish to get too far ahead of ourselves or to be caught in the chaos that clouds our capacity to see the destination, a manger with a child. Clear our minds, open our eyes, and make us available to you and all the gifts you seek to give this world. With gratitude and hope, we offer this prayer. Amen.

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
November 26, 2023
Today, we conclude our series on Gratitude. Let me be clear—it is ONLY this worship series that is concluding. My expectation is that your gratitude not only continues, but maybe you’ve found some different ways of thinking about it and approaching it. Let me offer you some thoughts from Psalm 30, specifically the first few verses:

I will bless the Lord at all times;
    his praise will always be in my mouth.
I praise the Lord--
    let the suffering listen and rejoice.

You can read those words in at least two ways. Some have suggested that our rejoicing is a way of rubbing the faces of those suffering more deeply in their suffering. It’s almost as if those praising God are uninterested or oblivious to the hurt and anguish of others, singing at the top of their lungs to drown out the cries of pain. That is a sort of gloomy interpretation. A more optimistic reading might be to think of those who are overwhelmed with the joy of God’s blessings as the ones who will desire above everything else to make sure those who are suffering experience firsthand the blessings of God. Songs of celebrative praise move the thankful into self-giving acts of kindness and compassion. Maybe it’s just because I’m an optimist, but I’m going with the second interpretation of the passage.

Each time I pause to give you praise and thanksgiving, Lord God, I hope the next action is for my faithful convictions to become faithful actions that resemble your grace and goodness. May the blessings I sing about with my lips become the blessings I share with my life. Amen.

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
November 25, 2023
Tomorrow, we will spend an additional day focusing on gratitude, specifically its connection to grace. But before we jump there, I am drawn to some words I read in a recent Sojourner Email Blast, where they quoted Diana Butler Bass (from her book Grateful: The Transformative Power of Giving). There, we find the words:

Gratitude is, however, more than just an emotion. It is also a disposition that can be chosen and cultivated, an outlook toward life that manifests itself in actions—it is an ethic. 

Notice how she uses the words ‘chosen’ and ‘cultivated’ when speaking of finding this disposition of gratitude. Those who truly choose it and cultivate it on a regular basis will find a disposition—might we even call it a holy temperament—taking hold of our way of seeing the world and living in the world. As Diana Butler Bass suggests, this way of living can become an “ethic,” which I believe will honor God and the ways of Jesus.

​If it can be chosen, Lord God, I pray for the strength to choose the way of gratitude. And if, in my choosing, I can grow even more deeply committed to the idea of giving thanks in all circumstances, I will do so with your help. May it be so! Amen.

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
November 24, 2023
On this post-Turkey Day, I want to double down on my need for an attitude of gratitude. I’m not suggesting that people believe Thanksgiving is the only day for us to express gratitude. Far from it! But I wonder if we need to look at societal rituals, such as a day of gratitude, as an intense training session. I think about Lamentations 3:22–23: “Certainly the faithful love of the Lord hasn’t ended; certainly God’s compassion isn’t through! They are renewed every morning. Great is your faithfulness.” Is the author of those words suggesting that God renews them every morning, or is it that we are to be about the work of renewing our capacity to see, embrace, and make real for others such blessings? Maybe it is a combination of both. God is, of course, faithful to the work every single moment of every single day, yet alongside such faithfulness, taking a moment like yesterday and recommitting ourselves to the work is essential. Now, a day of recommitment could happen on an annual holiday like yesterday, or it could occur on a Monday in August. It doesn’t necessarily matter. Yet, when the world is pausing alongside us for the purpose of naming the importance of gratitude, it sort of feels as if humanity’s energy is focused in such a way that our personal renewal and recommitment are much more likely.

Your faithful love, Lord God, has not and will not end, for it is eternal. What a gift! What a blessing! Today, I name it and express my deepest gratitude, even though I am coming to this thanksgiving one day past what the calendars suggest. Yet, I believe each day is a good day to grow my capacity for gratitude. Amen.

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
November 23, 2023
In my research preparing for this current two-week series on gratitude, one of my takeaways was the connection between gratitude and self-esteem. It came up often, and though it appears as if the studies have been relatively small on this subject, the connection seems rather obvious. For instance, when we take the time to give thanks to someone who has been kind to us or demonstrated love for us, it takes us from a mindset of entitlement or even arrogance to an appreciative mindset that names how someone else felt we were worthy of kindness and love. This does not occur with the socially expected “thank you,” which is often spoken without any real feeling of gratitude. It’s just what you say.

A friend hears that I’ve been under a lot of stress and calls me. I can’t answer, but he leaves a message where he talks about his concern, offers a bit of encouragement, and then speaks the words, “Love you, friend!” I only have time to text back, and though it is just a few words, the thank you is genuine. The message meant the world, especially as I know how busy the friend is. It is nice when someone believes you are valuable and takes the time to show it.

As I think about practices of gratitude, one of the things I began working on three or four months ago was catching myself when my mind and mouth went on autopilot to say, “Thank you,” when I knew it was the required thing to say in the moment. I do believe appreciation, whether heartfelt or not, is sort of important in a culture. But one of the places I have caught myself is when someone holds the door for me. I’m quick with a “thank you,” but am I genuinely appreciative? I know the person wasn’t giving up a kidney, but to hold a door for a short period of time for a complete stranger is a small act of kindness that did not need to occur. I have tried to switch my language as a simple reminder to myself. Instead of saying “thank you,” I say, “I really appreciate it” or “that was very kind of you.” The simple change in my language has been a helpful trigger, awakening me to pause for a moment and to name the act of kindness. And when we become more conscious of the act of kindness done for us, it begins to build our sense of self-worth.

Help me, Gracious God, as I seek to offer more than a mechanized and unappreciative “thank you.” My heart and mind need to see and name the acts of kindness around me, no matter how small. Amen.

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
November 22, 2023
When Paul tells us to “give thanks in all circumstances” (I Thessalonians 5:18), it is important to recognize how he did not say for us to give thanks “for” every circumstance. I hope you see the difference—“in” vs. “for.” To be thankful in all circumstances does not mean you like the circumstances. In fact, you can hate them. But like you, I have known some really bad moments in life when the circumstances were not gratitude worthy, but I was still able to offer a word of thanks for one of many things—friends who were checking on me, a spouse whose love was not in question, there was still food in the refrigerator, or maybe the most basic, a God who would be there no matter what. The situation can suck, but if we have been practicing gratitude in the better moments of life, there is a good chance that we will be able to find a little gratitude even in the more difficult times. To be a follower of Jesus, you don’t have to like every moment of life. I don’t hit the “Like” emoji every time I go to Facebook, as there are some posts that deserve a tear or even a little displeasure. Yet so often, for those who have been practicing their awareness, a reason for gratitude comes into focus.

Continue to encourage my practice of gratitude, Merciful God. There is much that I glean from doing some of the intentional training when life is on a little more of an even keel. It doesn’t keep the rough stuff at bay, but I believe that with your help, I am better able to weather the challenges and to give thanks in those circumstances. Amen.

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
November 21, 2023
In Sunday’s worship services, I mentioned how I planned to offer a few more thoughts on gratitude in my Etchings, specifically gratitude practices. It’s interesting to me how we use the word “practice” in describing this. The need for practice assumes that a skill set is not yet at its best. When it comes to the idea of living a life of gratitude, I am guessing a high percentage of us could not honestly say, “I have hit perfection.” If you’re like me, there are days when I need to return to the elementary school of thankfulness. It’s not that I am against appreciation, but there are times when the to-do list is long and saying “thank you” does not squeeze onto the list. Maybe you know what I mean. It’s not a lack of gratitude, but an issue on how we rank gratitude in our daily lives. So let me make a suggestion that gratitude should not be an afterthought or prioritized after everything else gets done. The Apostle Paul writes about being filled with the Spirit and the importance of “giving thanks to God the Father at all times and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:20). Does “all times” and “everything” give you reason for concern? It does for me. But as I reflect a little more, I see gratitude aligning with everything we do. It’s not an afterthought or something that we find time for after everything else is done. It’s a practice that weaves itself into and through everything we do. Whatever it is that you value is not in competition with gratitude but is enjoyed and understood in a more healthy way through gratitude.

Provide me not only time, O Lord, for some practice, but a bit of a nudge to actually do something that could be described as actually practicing. Amen.