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.
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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. ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
March 30, 2024 On what is often called Dark Saturday, I am looking a little further into Matthew’s telling of Holy Week, specifically after the arrest and torture of Jesus. In Matthew 26:71-72, we read of what is often called Peter’s Denial: “When Peter had gone out to the gate, another servant girl saw him and said to some people there, ‘This man was with Jesus from Nazareth.’ Again, Peter denied it, and this time he swore, ‘I don't even know that man!’” By the time Saturday rolled around and Jesus was dead and buried, I wonder what Peter was thinking about in regard to his blatant denial of Jesus, bending over backwards to refute any connection to the Nazarene. Was he feeling an overwhelming sense of guilt? Was there anger toward Jesus for putting him in that predicament? Was he finding ways of justifying his actions? At the end of chapter 26, it says that Peter cried bitterly, so I sense some remorse in that moment, but the grief Peter must have experienced had to have played itself out in some pretty strange ways. I do not believe Peter is alone in this experience, and though our moments of denial may not be as dramatic or written into scripture, we need to acknowledge how the denial of our core convictions plays itself out. Do we play a blame-game? Do we make excuses? Or is there space for honesty, remorse, and repentance that can lead us to something new? On this Dark Saturday, I believe those are some important questions to ask ourselves. Whether today resembles faithfulness or failure or something in between, I pray for the capacity to reflect on my actions through the lens of your grace, O God. If tomorrow is to be a better, more faithful day, I cannot ignore what I have done today. Amen. ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
March 29, 2024 As we take another step in this Holy Week experience, I am drawn to the words immediately before the arrest of Jesus, as he was praying in the garden, and you can feel his anguish. There we read, “Again Jesus went to pray and said, ‘My Father, if there is no other way, and I must suffer, I will still do what you want’" (Matthew 26:42). I am struck by the words chosen here, as Jesus desperately searched for another way but then conceded to do what God wanted him to do. In the never-ending debates over the concept of the Trinity, it sure doesn’t feel as if God the Father and Jesus are fully aligned in this moment. I find the reaction of Jesus and his hesitant capitulation to be helpful in my own understanding of these disturbing and uncomfortable days in the Jesus story. There is an unexpected power found in weakness, in the acknowledgement of one’s fear and frailty. And though I do not believe God sent Jesus to die, I believe the calling of the Spirit described in Luke 4 (…appointed to bring Good News…) offers us a picture of someone who was going to be pushing the buttons of the power structures in such a way that death might have been sort of inevitable. Whatever the case, I hear a Jesus who is neither excited nor fully committed to the idea of continuing down the path of arrest and death, yet he chose to remain faithful to the pathway of love and justice. There are days when my faith is a mess, yet I trust that your love remains faithful in spite of my fearfulness at the first sign of potential discomfort. Thank you, God, for a love that leads me forward, even when that forward movement includes a lot of hesitant stumbling. Amen. ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
March 28, 2024 As we move further into the Holy Week story as told in Matthew’s Gospel, we learn of an unnamed woman who entered the home of Simon the Leper (how would you like to have what sounds like a last name be an illness that you have? I’d be Bruce the Multiple Sclerosis) and opened a jar containing very expensive perfume. She poured it on Jesus’ head as he was reclining at the dinner table. The disciples got all mad, suggesting the perfume could have been sold and the money given to the poor. But Jesus pushed back and suggested the woman had done a great thing in preparing his body for burial. This story spurs my curiosity in regard to the unnamed and even unspoken characters in the stories of Jesus. There are so many things that occurred during this time, and I believe we can comfortably assume there were others involved. Along with the strong reaction by the disciples, were there people, maybe members of Simon’s family, who had helped to prepare and serve the meal? What were their reactions? What did they observe that maybe the disciples, being so close to the situation, were unable to see? It makes me think of the unnamed or unknown people who have crossed our paths and who have blessed us without us knowing who they were or what they did. Generous God, the grace and generosity of so many in life are often under-appreciated. So often, I do not pause long enough to acknowledge or give thanks for the numerous people who have been a part of my journey, in both small and significant ways. Amen. ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
March 27, 2024 There are many passages of scripture that leave me scratching my head, and the words from the opening of Matthew 23 are one example. It reads, [Jesus said,] “The Pharisees and the teachers of the Law are experts in the Law of Moses. So obey everything they teach you, but don't do as they do. After all, they say one thing and do something else.” Christians often suggest the teachings of the Pharisees were what Jesus came to confront. In fact, I just heard a minister say, “The message of the Pharisees was the antithesis of what Jesus taught,” but is that necessarily true, at least according to this passage? At the heart of Pharisaic thought was the importance of holding onto certain practices of the faith that kept one connected to the primary teachings, specifically in the context of Rome’s occupation of what we would call the Holy Land. It wasn’t always easy to maintain your faith, especially as the Greco-Roman culture continued to be more and more influential. Certain practices and rituals helped to reinforce the stories of the faith. For Jesus, it sure appears as if his greater concern was hypocrisy—not always matching what one did with what one claimed to be important. Jesus may not have always agreed with the Pharisees and other religious leaders, but in these words, he presents for us a different lens through which we can make some determination about a person’s convictions. The old saying, “I’d rather see a sermon than hear a sermon,” sort of resonates with this teaching. Most of us express our deepest-held convictions in what we do, not necessarily what we say. I know I will never be perfect, O Gracious God, but I pray for the capacity to discern my own life witness and what it is that I am communicating to the world. If it is your limitless love that I preach, I hope my life gives just a glimpse of such beauty and power. Amen. |
AuthorRev. Bruce Frogge Archives
April 2024
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