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ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS Thought for the Day: I had never really thought of this passage in the context of the Christmas Season, yet the example Jesus has given us reveals how our giving is more full of blessing than our receiving. God gave the fullness of the divine self to the world expecting nothing in return. In doing so, the blessings of divine giving continue to reverberate into the world. Let use this model, bringing our own giving alongside the giving of God. In doing so, we will discern exactly why there are more blessings in giving than in receiving. Prayer: Lord Jesus, born into this world, let us look to you and the template put on display in your life. There we shall see the transformative power of giving. Amen. SUNDAY MORNING via WordPress https://ift.tt/3mD5IGp ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS Thought for the Day: I always laugh when I read this passage because it is too often read literally, and folks are trying to determine how the king is riding a donkey, a colt and a foal of a colt. People picture a trick rider, leaping from one animal to the next. It is a spectacular image and would have drawn plenty of attention, but the Prophet is using a poetic parallelism. You repeat the same thing as a way of emphasizing and offering slightly different perspective. What should be noticed is how the king is riding victoriously, yet with humility – riding, not on some majestic stallion associated with royalty, but on a small donkey. It appears to me as if Zechariah is telling his readers that the one you have been waiting for is coming, yet not quite the way you were expecting. Don’t impose upon God’s gift to the world your preconceived ideas that might limit what you will be able to see and receive. Prayer: Encourage me to be humble, Lord God, so as to not impose what might be misguided expectations that would hinder my ability to see your glorious presence revealed. Amen. via WordPress https://ift.tt/2Wt9AiL ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS Thought for the Day: Have you ever felt like you were doing some new thing that was in fact very old? The word radical, which is often thought of as something completely out of the norm, is related to the word radish. It means root, and so this new radical thing that is often being done is in fact getting to the “root,” going back to where things started. Too often we get so far astray that we lose sight of where we started. And any attempt to return appears revolutionary, even outlandish. The Prophet Micah is suggesting something new is about ready to emerge that is rooted in what is very old. May our Christmas experience be a splendid rebirth of love that is never far from the love that has existed in creation from the very beginning. Prayer: You are about ready to do a new thing. Give us eyes to perceive it, Merciful Creator. We trust that your new thing is never detached from what you have always been doing in and among us. Amen. via WordPress https://ift.tt/3r4ny8R ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS Thought for the Day: It is one thing to have a revelation and something very different to act upon it. I don’t care how clear it is in a dream, there is always that part of us that begins to second-guess it. “Was it something I ate last night?” I remember my old Youth Minister, John, who told us that even if it was caused by something you ate last night, if it aligns with the love of God revealed in Jesus, then go ahead and do whatever was suggested. You can never go wrong. I’ve always appreciated that, and even though Joseph was probably scratching his head, staying committed to his fiancé demonstrated the love of God. Prayer: Awaken me, Lord God, to all the ways I may serve you and your way of love. Amen. CHRISTMAS EVE SERVICES via WordPress https://ift.tt/2Kt8Rex ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS via WordPress https://ift.tt/2WlQkna ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS Thought for the Day: The human heart has forever noticed a longing, a deep spiritual yearning to draw close to the holy, the sacred, the divine. Many cultures throughout history have used different language to describe, not only what we might call God, but the hunger of the soul. When crisis occurred, different religions attempted to describe the involvement of their deity, trying to determine if they had to placate some holy anger or change their ways. Some even pondered whether their deity had been defeated and killed by another culture’s deity. Some of those beliefs and discussions are found even within the Old and New Testaments, but in times of lostness and despair, we find language of Immanuel (Emmanuel), God with us. Time and time again, no matter how bleak the predicament, someone announced Emmanuel. It wasn’t some far off wishful thinking, but a declaration of God’s everlasting presence. God has found and continues to find ways of showing up. That is the Good News we announce in this season of the year. Prayer: Come again, Emmanuel! Show up, especially where darkness and fear have hindered our vision. Allow us to know of your presence that is not sitting somewhere else, but forever present to us…whether we recognize it or not. Glory be to you, O God! Amen. via WordPress https://ift.tt/34eFT9i ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS via WordPress https://ift.tt/2WcQ61x ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS Thought for the Day: I would have, if given the opportunity, expanded this Proverb just a bit. The author suggests that when justice is done, the righteous have joy. I’m sure they do, but I also believe those who were suffering under injustice also have joy when justice arrives. It sounds a little overly prideful, boastful. It just doesn’t seem right for people who are doing what they are supposed to do should write about it while others still suffer injustice. Maybe I’m being a little harsh, yet when we act justly and show kindness we are doing what faithful people are called to do. This might not be the best illustration, but I always get cracked up when a parent enthusiastically says to a newborn child who just pooped, “Oh look what you did. You made a poopy! You are so good. Yes you are.” The kid didn’t do anything out of the ordinary. Shouldn’t we be praising the parent who just cleaned up what the EPA nearly declared to be a toxic spill, yet that is exactly what a parent does – with no expectation of praise. Now please understand that I probably said something equally ridiculous to Zach. With that said, I do not believe we should get too overly excited when we do the very things God expects of us. Let’s lift up those who we helped, celebrating the joy they are feeling. More importantly, let’s not forget those who are still waiting for that justice to roll down like an ever flowing stream. Prayer: Thank you, Gracious God, for all those who have done the work of justice without recognition or fanfare. It is their relentless work that continues to help form and shape this world in your likeness. Amen. TODAY’S WORSHIP SERVICE via WordPress https://ift.tt/3ngvJwf ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS Thought for the Day: Ok! Christmas can officially start. I watched my favorite movie of all time, as I do every Christmas – It’s A Wonderful Life. Toward the end of the movie, there is the wonderful scene on the bridge where Bert the cop approaches George and says, “Hey, your mouth is bleeding. Are you sure you’re alright?” With excitement, George says, “My mouth’s bleeding, Bert! My mouth’s bleeding… Zuzu’s petals, Zuzu’s… There they are! Bert! What do you know about that! Merry Christmas!” On what had been the worst day of his life, compounded by the heavenly opportunity of seeing what life would be like had he never been born, George is provided a whole new perspective on life. His desperation and hopelessness were overcome by the sheer joy of rediscovering love. And yes, everything turned out beyond perfect in the end which is not always the case for most of us. Yet love, especially when we are able to see its depth and raw power, can draw us from the depths of darkness. Let this Christmas Season provide you an opportunity to receive a whole new perspective on life, on a life lived in the knowledge of God’s relentless and redemptive love. Prayer: Even in the darker moments of life, remind me of your love, O Lord, a love from which true joy shall emerge. Amen. via WordPress https://ift.tt/3gJ6n82 |
AuthorRev. Bruce Frogge Archives
April 2024
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