ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
December 31, 2025
In Ephesians 4:32, we read, “…and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you.” Some will suggest that the words of the Apostle Paul are a bit idealistic. Yet I appreciate the words of Wendell Berry, who included in his book of poetry, “Leavings,” a wonderful piece simply entitled “A Letter to My Brother.”  It begins, 


Dear John, 
You said “Treat your worst enemies
as if they could become your best friends.”
You were not the first to perpetrate
such an outrage, but you were right.
Try as we might, we cannot 
unspring that trap.  We can either
befriend our enemies or we can die
with them, in the absolute triumph
of the absolute horror constructed
by us to save us from them.

As we prepare to begin a new year, let us name the animosity and ill feelings we carry. And in doing so, let us recognize how they are more destructive to those of us who carry them than they are to the one to whom they are directed.

Teach us the way of forgiveness, O God of Mercy. We know its importance, but the how is where we often struggle. Amen.

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
December 30, 2025
A strange thing happened yesterday—Donna and I drove north, and it got cold! As we look at our travels over the next few days, it’s going to get even colder. Though without going into details, I was gifted with a new coat. It was a perfect timing thing, and it has received an excellent initial day of testing. And let’s just say that it passed the test with flying colors. 

Shortly after the birth narrative of Jesus, at least according to Luke’s Gospel, we turn to John the Baptist early in his ministry. In Luke 3, we read:

And the crowds asked him, “What, then, should we do?” In reply he said to them, “Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none, and whoever has food must do likewise” (vs. 10-11). 

Let’s be clear, I had a coat, but it’s still nice to receive a gift. Acts of generosity often inspire generosity. And this gift has left me asking the question, “Where do I need to share a gift?” I know those who gifted me with the coat didn’t give it with any strings attached, including that I would demonstrate generosity toward someone else. But there is still something that touches the soul in those moments when we realize that we have been given a gift that we did not earn or deserve. Our gratitude is often best expressed when we gift someone else.

Holy God, you are the initiator of all generosity, and we give thanks to you and all those who have been blessed by your generosity in such a way that they too desire to be generous. Amen.

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
December 29, 2025
Prayer for the Week: Wherever I can be useful in this world, and in whatever way my gifts can make an impact for the sake of the Gospel, I pray for both awareness and willingness. In a world where the needs are immense, I turn to you, O God of Sacred Vision, for I claim by faith that your witness in the gift of Jesus provides lenses to see with compassion, while also the necessary hope to see what is possible. When others shrink and choose to remain quiet, I seek boldness through the Holy Spirit, my companion and advocate in this work to which you have called me. Amen.

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
December 28, 2025
At the Travelers’ Service last Monday, we handed out small battery-operated candles. It was outside, so regular candles are a bit of a challenge. But even more so, the request I made of those in attendance was to take the candle home but leave it on, day and night. From the picture below, you can see my candle still burning on our dining room table. Amber’s sermon was a retelling of how the hymn Silent Night came into existence, and how we often don’t notice the new and beautiful thing happening in front of us because something is hindering our vision. The candle, which of course will run out of battery juice at some point, serves as a reminder that light continues to burn brightly even after Christmas Day. And this light remains persistent in its desire to be seen, experienced, and shared. Remember, according to John’s Gospel, the light shines in the darkness, yet despite every effort, the darkness could not overcome the light. What little reminders do you have as we make our way through the Twelve Days of Christmas, on our way to Epiphany? What will continue to keep you looking and listening for all the ways the Good News of the Christ Child seeks to make its way into our lives?

May the vision of my spirit catch a glimpse of what your Spirit is doing in this moment. Come, O Christ Child, as I am wanting to encounter you anew this day. Amen.

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
December 27, 2025
One of the significant failures of Christianity (some of us would say it was an intentional process) was making faith all about “me and Jesus.” Don’t get me wrong. Faith is very much about having a relationship, but a relationship that is transformative and enlightening. Ultimately, this relationship calls the individual to join God in the fulfillment of God’s dream for this world. But in a lot of Christian circles, they double down on “personal savior” language at the expense of any sort of personal responsibility. Remember, almost every single time the Apostle Paul used the word “you” in one of his letters, it was a plural you. In ancient Greek, there is both a single and plural you, and though many would like to make it a private affair, that is to ignore that Paul was not only writing to different communities, but he believed in the power of community. 

In Ephesians 3, Paul was writing about the grace of God at work, “so that through the church the wisdom of God in its rich variety might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places” (3:10). He goes on to say, “For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name (3:14-15). In the ancient world, people were required to pay homage at the Emperor’s Cult, which included bending a knee to the Roman Emperor. Paul was not inviting people to split their allegiance. Instead, he was making it very clear that Rome had absolutely no authority as compared to the Father, from whom every family and heaven and earth takes its name. At a time when the powers and principalities are using the structures of Christianity and the name of Jesus to do the absolutely opposite of the things Jesus taught, it is necessary for the church to become a single body that speaks clearly the story of Jesus that begins with a stable. As Mary stood near the newborn child, I imagine that she sang part of her Magnificat as a sort of lullaby, including how the arrogant would be scattered and the powerful brought down from their high places; the selfish would find themselves feeling empty; and this would occur as the poor and hungry and marginalized among them were being lifted up and fed (Luke 1:51-53). The very things that undermine what the powers and principalities were seeking to do. 

It’s almost as if Jesus heard his mother singing those words, because when he steps onto the stage as an adult and made his first public proclamation, at least according to Luke’s Gospel, he announced how he had been anointed to bring good news to the poor and to proclaim release to the captives. He went on to talk about the blind regaining sight and the oppressed being liberated (Luke 4:18-19). And then he left the synagogue and began to live it, but not alone. He immediately surrounded himself with disciples, the people he would teach, and they would later hear him say that they would do even greater works than he had done (John 14:12). As a pastor, I want everyone to feel as if they know Jesus, and can speak of having a relationship with the Living Christ. But if it is a true relationship, and assuming it is a relationship with the Living Christ, then it will be more than just a “me and Jesus” kind of faith.

There is a world needing your message, Loving Lord, O Living Christ, and I ask for you to dwell more deeply within me so that I do not forget who you are and what you need me to do with my life. There are those perpetrating a fraud in your name, a sort of smoke screen to veil a callous suffering brought upon the innocent, vulnerable, and those too often marginalized—the very people you came to embrace and liberate. Bind us together for the good work to which you are calling us. Amen.

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
December 26, 2025
How many of you remember shopping at a Ben Franklin store? I purchased many comic books at one located at a shopping center in Lincoln, NE. I was recently thinking about it when singing along with Bing Crosby on the song, “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas.” The opening of the song is,

“It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas
Everywhere you go
Take a look at the five and ten, it's glistening once again
With candy canes and silver lanes that glow…”

The words “five and ten” are a poetic modification of the old Five and Dime stores. It was a little like Dollar Stores, but many things were 5 cents or 10 cents. I remember going to a Ben Franklin Five & Dime to buy my mother a Christmas gift when I was quite young. But those words caught my attention because I saw on tv a young singer offering his version of “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas,” and I wondered if he had any clue what the line referred to. How often, and not just with music, does a phrase come off our lips without knowing its origin or even its meaning? In today’s culture, I find a lot of people making an argument, yet it’s clear that they do not know what they are talking about. It is nothing more than a series of talking points, based on generalizations, with the occasional word that is used for no other purpose than fear-mongering. Whatever happened to the words, “I don’t know what that means? I’d like to have some time to educate myself so that I am able to engage in a meaningful conversation.” It almost feels as if we don’t want to have meaningful dialogue where my opinion might even be changed. Proverbs 12:18 says, “…the tongue of the wise brings healing.” It might not always bring healing, but it does seek to speak the truth without arrogance.

When a discussion has become a shouting match of insults and empty rhetoric, provide me some wisdom, Merciful God, even if it is nothing more than stepping away from the nonsense. Amen.

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
December 25, 2025
Throughout the Season of Advent, we have talked extensively about expectations. If you are reading this, it might be because you have just taken a break from putting together some toy that had really bad instructions or maybe you got up early and your Christmas plans are much later in the day. Or maybe… (there are about a million possibilities). In the end, my hope and “expectation” for all who are reading this to be reminded that the Good News of Emmanuel is that God is with us. That gift is not because we passed a test, achieved an excellent score on the righteousness scale, or because we purchased some really good gifts. God came into the world in the form of a child to communicate, among other things, the nature of God—past, present, and future. God is forever present to us, seeking ways of showing up to impart the message that we are loved unconditionally by a God whose love is limitless, works outside the pettiness of human beings, and refuses to give up on anyone. In a world that is trying to sell us a very different version of Jesus, especially at this Christmas time, take a moment and allow yourself to be captivated by the beauty and power of the Christmas Story. At no point did an angel announce, “God thinks you’re finally deserving of this gift.” Instead, the angel proclaimed, “Do not be afraid, for see, I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” It is a gift for all people, and as you’ve heard me say many times, all means all. There is no asterisk or footnote with the exceptions. People add those, but God never has and never will. Merry Christmas! You are loved!!

Glory be to you, O God who resides in the highest heaven while also choosing to show up among us. It is an act of awe-inspiring grace, and we cannot believe it is a one-and-done act. If this gift we know as Jesus is the Incarnation, the visible expression of what is not visible to us, then we are only beginning to understand the transformative power and far-reaching character of your love. What an amazing day! May the joy we experience continue to reside within us every single day of the year. Amen.

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
December 24, 2025
It is Christmas Eve, and as we think about our theme from the Season of Advent, my hope is that the joy hasn’t crushed you or left you feeling crushed. We have talked a lot about the expectations we have, alongside the expectations that many people have of us, and of course, there is a very secular version of joy that has us chasing empty expectations that will forever let us down in the end. No sermon series or even four weeks of intentional work will make a person exempt from unhealthy or unnecessary expectations. It is about progress, learning ourselves, learning how to navigate other people, and continuing to strive toward what is healthy for ourselves. In Galatians, the Apostle Paul wrote, “Let’s not get tired of doing good, because in time we’ll have a harvest if we don’t give up.” I have always read those words in regard to expressing goodness toward others. I believe it to be an accurate reading, but I also believe showing ourselves some goodness puts us in a much better place for us to do some good among those around us. If we are chasing an empty version of joy or trying to meet unrealistic expectations that others have placed upon us, it’s going to be hard to do any good. Joy is rooted in the belief that I am one of God’s beloved, and I do not need to play some sort of game to earn God’s favor. I have it. Period! Joy is found in that realization, and from there, we can set healthy expectations for ourselves and work with others as they too set expectations for themselves. It’s sort of what the Christmas Story is all about.

For all the good work that has been done this Advent Season, we give you thanks, Merciful God. And for all the work that remains undone, we trust your immeasurable grace to assist us as we take another step and then another. Amen.

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
December 23, 2025
I had an interesting conversation with someone who knows about our church, but is not a member. He had some wonderful things to say about Cypress Creek Christian Church, and then he thanked me for being “a nice church.” I almost—emphasis on the ‘almost’—started to explain away his comment. I was close to giving him the full rundown on the Love First Life, which would have guided me to a deeper explanation of the theological foundation for our convictions. But I am glad I paused, or maybe it was the Spirit smacking me upside the head. Whatever the case, in a world where many things, people, and organizations are not nice, I am thankful that someone referred to us as “nice.” And though I believe there are many churches that would fall in the category of nice, that was not the experience of the person with whom I was having the conversation. What he found at Cypress Creek Christian Church was, at least in his opinion, unique, and he thanked me a second time for being a “nice church.” I can’t say for sure what all the attributes might be that come together and form a nice church, but for everyone who seeks to be nice in real and tangible ways, I offer you the gratitude I received on your behalf. 

In the struggle for justice and righteousness, especially when the problems seem so immense, I ask for your Spirit’s encouragement as I try to be nice, while also showing some kindness, some mercy, and a whole lot of unconditional love. When I am feeling overwhelmed by it all, trying to be nice is something I should be able to wrap my mind around. Amen.

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
December 22, 2025
Walk with me, Emmanuel
I am wanting to find Christmas
Guide me through the obstacles
I am wanting to find Christmas
Pick me up when I stumble and fall
I am wanting to find Christmas
Invite me to focus when I am distracted
I am wanting to find Christmas
Lift my spirits when I am distraught
I am wanting to find Christmas
Walk me to the manger
I am wanting to find Christmas
Allow me to experienced the child
I believe I will find Christmas
Not simply on December 25
But each day I choose to be available
I have found Christmas
Thanks be to God
Amen