ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
April 9, 2024 In May, I will be preaching on Psalm 98, but as I was doing some preliminary work on the passage, I was really struck by this section: Shout triumphantly to the Lord, all the earth! Be happy! Rejoice out loud Sing your praises! There is such joy and gladness radiating from those words. Here in the United States, where the numbers remain pretty high in comparison to other nations, when it comes to people claiming that religion is important to them, you would think that happiness and joy would be very high. Yet with every study that I have seen that looks at people’s happiness, contentment, inner-peace, or joy, the United States is outside the top 15, and some studies have us outside the top 25. There are many interesting attributes associated with those who claim a high level of happiness and contentment, and some might seem a bit counter-intuitive. Wealth is not a major factor, though people need to feel safe when it comes to the most basic needs. With that, generosity is a key factor in determining people's happiness and inner peace, though some might suggest it to be a bit of a chicken & egg thing—the more content one feels, the more generous one will be. What I find discouraging is how those under the age of 30 in the United States are continuing to describe themselves as less happy and content as compared to those ten years ago. I do not believe there is just one thing we could do to change all this, but I have a feeling there are a handful of intentional actions we could choose that would help reverse this decline. As you think about it, what might one of those be? There is complete security in your love, O God, so I pray for the capacity to trust that love and find the peace that comes with that security. Amen.
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ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
April 8, 2024 Prayer for the Week: Sometimes the conviction that life overcame the grave some 2000 years ago is not quite enough. I am looking for resurrection this day, Gracious God, and I need it to make an appearance in that part of my life that feels dead and trapped inside a grave. I am looking for resurrection, not simply a retelling of what occurred outside of Jerusalem around the year 32. Not to sound demanding, but I am looking for a stone to be rolled away today so I can walk out of this tomb that has eclipsed all possibilities for far too long. I am needing this stone removed from the entrance so that, by your grace, I can exit. Amen! ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
April 7, 2024 In Luke 24:21-23, we read of some who are still trying to make sense of the death and possibility of Jesus’ resurrection: But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things took place. Moreover, some women of our group astounded us. They were at the tomb early this morning, and when they did not find his body there, they came back and told us that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive. No proof, just dramatic tales. This is the reality of Christianity. When all is said and done, there is no scientific proof for the idea that a man from Nazareth by the name of Jesus was resurrected from the dead. In recent years, the shelves at bookstores have nearly collapsed under the weight of books that have attempted to give some sort of proof to the idea, but in the end, these books fail to do what they say they will do. If ultimately the proof is in the pudding, then you and I are the pudding. Our lives should make a dramatic enough statement that scientific proof is not necessary. People should be able to look at the lives of Christians and say, “I don’t understand it, but there is something to it. I can see it in the way these people live their lives.” By your spirit, O Heavenly One, make me an intriguing case for your Gospel. Amen. ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
April 6, 2024 The other night, I kept getting cramps in my right foot, specifically my toes. I get leg or foot cramps occasionally, but not very often. But I must have crawled out of bed seven or eight times as they kept on coming back. Nothing I did seemed to alleviate that painful contraction. At some point, I remembered that when cleaning out my mother’s apartment, she had some stuff to rub on for muscle cramps. I knew exactly where it was, and though it did not work immediately (and I can’t say for sure whether it was the actual source of relief or not), after another couple of rounds, including walking around the bedroom and stretching, I finally fell asleep. The next morning, as I was getting ready, I remembered how jarring and discomforting it was. When thinking of the human body as a whole, the toes (actually, it was just the three smallest ones that were really cramping) are a rather insignificant part of the body in terms of weight, size, and source of any sort of daily recognition. Yet when they decided to scream and draw my attention, it was impossible to move on to whatever was next. In my case, it was sleep. It sort of became, for me, a metaphor for life. How often are we plugging along, getting things done, when something small in the whole scheme of things derails our plans? It doesn't matter how much you try to ignore it or tell yourself you’ll deal with it another day; you can’t move forward. Sometimes the best-made plans get interrupted by something small, yet if it is not attended to, those best-made plans will never be realized. In Proverbs 4:25, it speaks of keeping your focus forward and not being distracted, but sometimes whatever is screaming for our attention will keep us from moving forward. Focus is always important until we realize that our focus must be redirected for a period of time if, in the long run, we desire to reach the intended goal. God of Encouragement, in those moments when I am distracted and pulled away from what had been my focus, keep me from discouragement so that when the time is right, I can return to the main task at hand. Amen. ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
April 5, 2024 There were a lot of confused folks in regard to the resurrected Jesus; at least that’s the implication when I read Jesus saying to his disciples, “Ghosts don't have flesh and bones as you see I have” (Luke 24:39). Those words were probably important a century later, when a group began to push what is called Gnosticism. That is a term used to describe a large swath of ideas, but much of it was based around the words from Mark 4, where it speaks of Jesus taking some time to privately teach his disciples, offering them more information than what he shared publicly (vs.34). Many within the Gnostic movement believed they had special teachings and insights that were not recorded in the four Gospels. These teachings emphasized an internal search, often presenting a sharp dichotomy between the world of matter and the world of spirit, which included the ideal of escaping the world in pursuit of spiritual things. They understood Jesus to be the quintessential example of one who had reached spiritual perfection, and thus he did not have a physical body. That, of course, complicated the crucifixion, as bodiless people do not die. Sorry, but that was a convoluted way of setting the stage for an interesting statement by the resurrected Jesus about having flesh and bones. Gnosticism was not yet around in any sort of formal expression at the time of Jesus, yet there were forms of Greek philosophy that held a strong dualistic thought, even some implying the spirit is the ideal. Could Jesus have been seeking to counter such thinking, or were there those who accused the Jesus followers of seeing what they wanted to see—seeing what was nothing more than a ghost? For me (and let’s emphasize the ‘me’ part), the question presented here: What does it mean to be alive? I appreciate Rob Bell, who has done both a video and a book under the title “Everything Is Spiritual.” It is hard to completely move away from dualism: spirit vs. body, good vs. bad, light vs. dark, but I am trying to live in a mindset that does not immediately jump to strict either/or. Spirit vs. body has given us all kinds of negative thoughts about the human body; it is even the basis of unhealthy perceptions around sex, at least in some circles. What if the spirit/body divide is nothing more than a human construct? What if the human experience is one, like the language we attempt to use to describe the Trinity? We are one, whole, and inseparable, and though we might use language to help us parse and to seek an understanding of what it means to be human, what we describe as different aspects of our humanity cannot be at odds with one another. We are who we are, flesh and spirit woven together in an inseparable tapestry of life. Holy God, O Model of Oneness, we celebrate this thing we call life, allowing our curiosity to explore what it means to be a human being created in your image. In our own journey toward a greater understanding of health, may we strive to know the perfect relationship of love that exists within the divine nature. This we ask in the name of Jesus, the one brought back to life with skin and bone. Amen. ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
April 4, 2024 In Sunday’s sermon, I will look at Luke’s next resurrection account. Yesterday, I mentioned the Road to Emmaus, where two unnamed individuals met the resurrected Christ during a meal. On Sunday, we will be turning to the very next story, where Jesus, fresh from the tomb and a walk along the road between Jerusalem and Emmaus, meets his disciples. Jesus greeted them, and it says they were terrified because they thought they had encountered a ghost. Last Sunday, we were talking about zombies, and today it is ghosts. But I find it quite interesting how the disciples who had heard Jesus talk about both his death and his resurrection are bewildered by his resurrected presence. They denied any thought of his death, and even when it happened, they could not fathom the second part of what he had taught them: resurrection. How often do we talk ourselves out of a God-moment, even when our expectations have been well primed? Why is it that we can read the words of Jesus, who told his followers how they’d do even greater things than he had done (John 14), yet when an opportunity arose to join a radical expression of divine love, we were the first to suggest it was an apparition? I sort of wonder if it might be helpful to the church moving forward if we stopped acting surprised when Jesus and the fullest expression of his character made an appearance. What might happen if we actually welcomed him and what he brought? Though we can often be oblivious to your presence, O Living Christ, we pray this day for the capacity to actually notice, acknowledge and embrace your presence when it arrives. Amen. ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
April 3, 2024 It wasn’t until four years ago that I first learned that we had lost Emmaus. According to Luke’s Gospel, the first resurrection encounter occurred on the Road to Emmaus when two unnamed individuals encountered the Risen Christ, yet they did not recognize him until he broke the bread with them. According to the story found in Luke 24, Emmaus is a town an hour's walk from Jerusalem, so no more than 5 miles. Modern-day Holy Land tours have a place that they claim to be the Emmaus of scripture, but it is more like a day’s walk. Four years ago, archeologists claimed to have “possibly” found Emmaus, but not the one most people visit on Holy Land tours. Until that moment, I had not realized we had lost it. I find this fascinating, as Emmaus was the setting for such a remarkable event in the life of Christianity. Pilgrims have been walking the Road to Emmaus for centuries, but if the most recent discovery is correct, they were walking the wrong road. What does this mean for Christians? In the whole scheme of things, I would suggest it doesn’t mean much at all. Oh sure, I’d like to know where Emmaus is located, but does not knowing change the heart of the story? I am inclined to say it does not. Yet the history of Christianity includes a lot of death and destruction over borders and physical locations. People not only wanted to be right, but they also wanted to claim ownership. This seems strange as I think fighting over a specific location might undermine the point of the Emmaus Road story. Jesus encountered two men on a rather ordinary journey, following them into their home, and bringing the Good News of life right where they were. Keeping the location of Emmaus mysterious might be a good thing, as it doesn’t have us looking for Jesus on an ancient map, but along the roads we are traveling—the roads where we are not expecting to meet Jesus. I would love to find my own Emmaus Road without traveling to the Holy Land. I have a feeling that you are creating all kinds of Emmaus Roads, Merciful God, including right here in Northwest Harris County. Amen. ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
April 2, 2024 Yesterday, Texas Christian University (TCU) made an important public announcement. They are dropping their historic mascot, the Horned Frog, and going with a Fighting Squirrel. Of course, it was an April Fools’ Joke… and it was good. The TCU Chancellor, Victor Boschini, did a great job presenting the gag on a well-done video. Why do we have an unofficial national holiday where we try to trick people, usually in a whimsical way but occasionally in a not-so-kind way? I have a feeling that many of you can name an April Fools’ Day when someone got you good. And then there are a handful of examples where the joke went terribly wrong. In Proverbs 17:22, we read, “A cheerful heart is a good medicine, but a downcast spirit dries up the bones.” From what I find in scripture, humor that does not seek to injure or debase is something honored, and I would even take it a step further and describe it as a gift from God. But in the end, it should be humorous for everyone. Self-deprecating humor is sometimes the safest humor. I have even taken a joke intended to belittle a person or group and simply switched it up and made me the brunt of the joke. If we can’t laugh at ourselves, then we are probably taking ourselves a bit too seriously. We all, usually unintentionally, do some pretty funny things. Thanks for the capacity to laugh, O Lord, even when I get a good chuckle at my own bloopers. Amen. ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
April 1, 2024 Prayer for the Week: Eternal God, Never-ending Source of Love, we pause on this Monday after Easter with the hope that we did not leave the substance of Easter well packaged and fully preserved within the confines of Easter Day. Since death and a tomb could not contain you, why should we act as if a day on the calendar could even begin to hold the power of the resurrection? If we are to be an Easter People, then let us use this Monday as more than the beginning of another workweek. Help us to make it the beginning of our own journey of resurrection, a journey that shall extend from this day until we shall fully know what it means to be raised into your Kin(g)dom that knows no end. Amen. ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
EASTER SUNDAY March 31, 2024 Good Morning! It is Easter!! For forty days, we have been on a Lenten Journey that culminates today. And though our Lenten Theme of Pressing the Reset Button has come to a conclusion, I pray that you took seriously the notion of the reset in your own life and maybe even found a couple of specific places to start. One of the areas where I have been attempting to hit the reset is with regard to my attitude toward church, specifically the decline of church attendance and even religious interest. The statistics are a bit daunting and could easily leave someone overwhelmed and feeling powerless. Well, first, Cypress Creek is bucking that trend, in part because of a more open and thoughtful approach to scripture, along with a more Jesus-like expression of inclusive love. But the reset in my own life, which is hitting home this morning on Easter, is connected to the conviction that we have what I believe to be Good News to share. At the end of the day, Jesus did not call us to be successful using society’s measurements of success. He called us to be faithful, even when that faithfulness has numerous critics and detractors. Today is a new day, and despite all the news that could carry me into a tomb of despondency, I am choosing to claim resurrection and the amazing God-possibilities that come with such conviction. It is Easter! Let’s see if we can put a little Easter attitude into everything we are doing in the life of the church. What a day! What a glorious day! It is made glorious because of what you have done, Lord God. What was written off and sealed behind a stone has been liberated by the power of love. Today, I claim that idea is more than some past event. It is happening today because your Spirit continues to move stones and bring life where the world has only seen hopelessness and death. Amen. |
AuthorRev. Bruce Frogge Archives
April 2024
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