ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
November 10, 2023 One of the more challenging experiences in ministry is when someone who is grieving the death of a loved one or dealing with the diagnosis of a loved one asks the question, “Why didn’t God protect this very special person?" I do not have a specific answer, but more of a general one. I’m not going to suggest it is THE answer, but it is an answer rooted in the belief that the God of love would never be the source of someone’s pain or suffering. I just can’t fathom the God revealed to me in Jesus inflicting painful diseases on the very creation declared to be good, and then in John’s Gospel we are reminded that this same creation is the one God so loves. So what do we do with passages like the one from II Thessalonians 3:3 that tell us how “the Lord can be trusted to make you strong and protect you from harm?" I see a lot of faithful, good, and deserving people experience immense challenges and unimaginable affliction. So what does “protection” mean in the mind of God? Let me answer that by saying that I have no special insight into the mind of God, except for Jesus, who is described as the visible sign of the invisible God. So I sort of believe the life and teachings of Jesus point us in the right direction when it comes to understanding the mind of God. The word translated as “protect” is the Greek word ὑμᾶς (hymas), which means something more like keeping watch. That particular word is only found just one other place, John 12:25: “Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.” Maybe it means less protection, like the Secret Service keeping the President safe, and more, like staying inescapably close no matter what occurs. There are days when we want a God who acts like Wonder Woman’s Bracelets, deflecting every source of injury that might come our way. But in this life, things happen, and sometimes they are not good. In those moments, I believe faith tells us that God is not going anywhere, and even when things get really bad, God finds ways of telling us that we are not alone. When life is good, Amazing God, let me continue to strengthen my relationship with you so that when things become tough, I will be able to more clearly recognize you as the One whose presence is everlasting and whose love knows no boundaries. Amen.
0 Comments
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
November 9, 2023 In her book, “Everything Happens for a Reason: And Other Lies I’ve Loved,” she wrote: What would it mean for Christians to give up that little piece of the American Dream that says, "You are limitless"? Everything is not possible. The mighty kingdom of God is not yet here. What if 'rich' did not have to mean 'wealthy', and 'whole' did not have to mean 'healed'? What if being the people of "the gospel" meant that we are simply people with good news? God is here. We are loved. It is enough. It makes me wonder how the myths and pithy sayings we toss around are in fact harmful to our health and success as human beings. Instead of trusting the Spirit and faithful friends to help us discern our gifts and how those gifts could honor God and help change the world for the better, do we become obsessed with the notion of becoming something we are not? Do we convince ourselves that all things are possible, when maybe not quite all things are. I am never going to play quarterback for any professional football team, even though I always wanted to and sometimes allowed my dreams to cloud reality. It’s not a bad thing to have some crazy dreams, but how many opportunities to do great things are missed because we didn’t seek the sweet spot between our gifts and the greatest need that could be touched by those gifts? Good and Gracious God, I always want to stretch myself and become the best version of myself possible, but help me to be joyfully thrilled with the person that I am. Create within me the confidence to embrace my unique giftedness and put those gifts to work for the mission of Jesus. Amen. ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
November 8, 2023 On Monday, I shared a quote from the Book of Sirach, a Jewish book (originally written in Hebrew) that is contained within the Catholic, most Orthodox, and some other traditions’ canons (official list of recognized books of the Bible). Most Protestants recognize it for its historic importance, as early Christian writers often referenced it, but it’s not included in our canon. It was written between 210 - 175 B.C. The quote I referenced had a line that read, Trustworthy friends are life’s medicine, and those who fear the Lord will find them. But in my sermon on Sunday, I retranslated the words “fear of the Lord” to “those who are humbled before the Lord.” The word “fear,” in religion, has been extraordinarily damaging as it has been a tool of abuse and control. If God is to be feared, and I am the only one who has the truth on how to placate God and reduce (never wanting to completely rid people of fear) the fear, then I can do almost anything I want to do. You can see how this has and continues to be done in Christianity today. I remind people often that wherever we come across the word “fear” in scripture, we probably should think of it more as “awe” or “dumb-struck wonderment as you stand before the Majesty of God.” It’s the feeling you get when you go to the edge of a cliff overlooking a magnificent canyon and curl your toes over the edge. Your stomach flips just a bit, but what you see takes your breath away. The astronaut, Ken Mattingly, died a week ago. He was played by Gary Sinise in the movie Apollo 13. He was the astronaut who was pulled at the last minute from the mission because of potential exposure to German Measles. He later commanded Apollo 16 and the Space Shuttle. In reflecting on his experiences in space, he said, “I had this very palpable fear that if I saw too much, I couldn’t remember. It was just so impressive.” In some ways, I think that speaks for us what it is like to brush up against the One who is Eternal and whose love is limitless. We have no words as we stand before the divine in breath-taking awe. Draw me ever so close, Gracious God, to your eternal and loving presence. Even when my knees are rattling before the radiance of your glory, I know there is nothing to fear, for perfect love casts out all fear. Thank you! Amen. ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
November 7, 2023 Like many of you, I feel my heart breaking each day as I awaken to the violence between Israel and Palestine. It is a historic and complicated situation, yet nothing could justify the brutal attack back in early October. Yesterday, I came across a story about two men who were once very involved in the violence between Palestinians and Jews, yet both of them had dramatic transformations. They started an organization called Combatants for Peace, and it includes Jews, Muslims, Christians, and people of no faith. In an interview, one of the founders, Cheo Alon, said, “I feel such a deep sense of responsibility to hold on to humanity and hope.” I find those words to be so uplifting in what feels like an utterly hopeless situation. My prayer is that this organization and so many others seeking to find a way forward, even when many (understandably) have claimed it to be impossible, continue to do their faithful work. God, this world needs your help, probably a little more than usual, yet I am thankful for those who refuse to give up on hope and humanity. Wherever I can join in your sacred work of reconciliation, peacemaking, and true transformation, I surrender myself to your call. Amen. ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
November 6, 2023 A Prayer from the Book of Sirach Trustworthy friends are a strong shelter; whoever finds one has found a treasure. Trustworthy friends have no price, and no one can estimate their worth. Trustworthy friends are life’s medicine, and those who fear the Lord will find them. ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
November 5, 2023 Today, we continue our look at self-care, and as you can imagine, I have been doing a lot of preparation to convince people of the importance of self-care. With that said, I chuckle just a bit, as I have never met anyone who argued against it. I think all of us will give at least good lip service to the importance of taking care of ourselves. Yet, as we will discuss today, there is a necessity when it comes to being deliberate, purposeful, and even forward-thinking. I talk with people quite often about the importance of funeral arrangements, even though it can feel a bit odd to discuss and plan what other people are going to do with what remains of you after you are done with this body. Not only does it help to prepay, but being very specific helps to eliminate the possibilities of fighting and guilt-driven overspending by those who are grieving. It is a gift that we can give to our families while also being an act of self-care, as there won’t be questions or worry in regard to your wishes as you approach the end. But again, it cannot be done theoretically or vaguely. There needs to be clarity and intentionality and specificity. Thinking ahead, even when something appears far into the future and procrastination feels ok, we need to pause and ask how we can care for others, and in doing so, care for ourselves. Sometimes denial feeds our procrastination, which provides cover for our denial. Give us both the courage and resilience, Generous God, as we think about how best to prepare for a future we only sort of know. Thank you for all that is accomplished today and helps bring peace tomorrow. Amen. ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
November 4, 2023 I have spent the last three days pondering a quote from a Lutheran minister named Michael Foss. I have known of Rev. Foss for a number of years, as I used a book he wrote with some leadership groups. In an interview with patheos.com, he said the following: The biggest challenge churches have is casting a vision for ministry that is compelling. By compelling I mean one that can create enough energy and hope to overcome our addiction to the past. For those of you in the corporate world, I believe this quote operates equally well. Sadly, in the church, the addiction to the past is caused primarily by a fear of an unknown future and/or an insecurity that seeks power and control. Both the fear and the insecurity do not align with the Jesus of Scripture. He echoed the prophets of old when he told his disciples not to fear, and of course, his life witness taught us the power of humility and self-giving service. I’m going to suggest that part of the reason we allow fear and insecurity to grip us and define our approach to the Gospel, is a lack of self-care. Again, this is not an attempt to guilt people into self-care. That never works. But those of us (and I include myself here) who are not always doing the necessary self-care are very susceptible to the sway of fear and insecurity. And when that happens, the church becomes addicted to the past, where we are serving our own needs and not the gracious beckoning of a God who is calling into a more faithful and Christ-life future. I know I’ve got work to do, and so, Holy One of Heaven, I turn to you for guidance along the journey toward health and well-being. My essence is love, as I was created in your image, and so I seek to love myself into greater and greater health. I draw upon the wisdom of others who can counsel and encourage, while always allowing for your liberating love to free me from all that hinders me from becoming the person who created me to be. Amen. ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
November 3, 2023 I learned recently that the World Health Organization has a specific definition of “self-care.” It is “our ability and personal agency to promote health, maintain well-being, prevent disease, and cope with illness.” I am drawn to the phrase “ability and personal agency” as it seems to imply that simply having the ability does not mean a person will actually seek to make it happen. Though absolutely true, it is important for us to name it. I sort of wonder if we confuse thinking about self-care with actually doing the work of self-care. Amit Ray is a spiritual guru of sorts, focusing on inner-peace, meditation, compassion, and mindfulness. He wrote, “Beautify your inner dialogue. Beautify your inner world with love, light, and compassion.” What a wonderful image to challenge us, but for many people, beautifying that inner dialogue is hard. Too many voices speak loudly and authoritatively, conveying a message that is neither beautiful nor healthy. When Jesus invited his disciples to love God, love neighbor, and love themselves, it has been viewed as a specific sequence, but as we learn in I John 4, we are capable of love ONLY because God first loved us (our identity statement as a church). In that moment of faithful realization that we are loved unconditionally and immeasurably by God, we begin to have a dialogue with our inner-self that is beautiful, healthy, and life-giving. From there comes a joyful love of God that is birthed from gratitude. This gives rise to our ability to love the neighbor who we realize is loved by God equally to us. But without allowing God to speak affirming words into us and then being able to have a beautifying inner dialogue, we will always fall short of loving ourselves, our neighbors (spouse, children, friends, enemies, irritating co-workers, etc.), and God. Continue to speak a good word into my head and heart, Gracious God, for there are other voices, both past and present, that are offering an alternative opinion to your loving affirmation. Only then will I find the strength to reaffirm for myself what you have been claiming all along. Amen. ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
November 2, 2023 Since my sermon on Sunday, I have received three emails from church folks who had something to share about one aspect of self-care. They all, in their own way, talked about those who give a lot of energy to self-improvement, specifically in regard to their professional lives. Their drive is focused on their career and being the best _______ (fill in the blank) possible. This is admirable and should be respected, yet for some people, this drive toward professional success comes at the expense of their emotional, spiritual, and physical health. In our culture, what we do is often our identity, and thus, we sacrifice other aspects of life to make sure our professional life shines. Even when someone’s profession feels like a true calling, it should not be done at the detriment of one’s self. Remember, you are valued just because you are, and that value is not increased or decreased based upon your success in your career. And since God values you immensely, that includes all of who you are. Whatever drives me, Merciful Creator, I pray for balance in my understanding of myself, my purpose on this earth, and my value to the people around me. Help me to focus on self-care while also doing my best to live my purpose and bring value to the world around me. Amen. ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
November 1, 2023 Though we as a church will be celebrating All Saints’ Day this coming Sunday, technically today is All Saints' Day... the first day of November. A few months ago, as I was pondering my sermon for this Sunday, I was doing some research on how different traditions have understood and celebrated this special day in the life of the church. There were two websites that were, at least initially, a bit perplexing to me, specifically some of the scriptural passages that were used. The strangest recommended scripture for All Saints’ Day was, “You shall not permit a female sorcerer to live” (Exodus 22:18). To be honest, I’m not even too sure what to do with that reference. And to confess, I let a number of female and male sorcerers live last night. In fact, I thought some of them were rather cute. Many of the other scriptures were lists of sins and unrighteous behavior, and so I began to determine that both websites were defining a Saint by what a Saint did NOT do, yet at no point was there a single passage that portrayed what a Saint might actually do. In today’s world, I believe people have become exceptionally good at explaining what they oppose without a very good sense of what they believe or favor. I have left many conversations knowing who the person hates, but not having a clue who they support or admire, and why. And what I find interesting is how the Saints throughout Christian history are remembered, at least if my memory serves me correctly, by their acts of compassion, kindness, self-giving love, and even unimaginable sacrifice. It was what they did that caught the attention of the world, not what they were able to refrain from doing. Lord God, I know what many of the Saints sacrificed, and I do not believe I am quite ready to do exactly what many of them did, but I hope the world around me knows me by what I value because the way I choose to live my life clearly portrays those values. In faith, I believe you will help me in this endeavor. Amen. |
AuthorRev. Bruce Frogge Archives
May 2024
|