ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
October 31, 2022
May the scares of this day be met with laughter, and any fears be turned into joy. O God of the Unexpected, today we experience a strange happening within our culture. Children request a sweet while dressed as a hero, a monster, or some combination of the two. With a knock and a “trick-or-treat,” wandering hordes expect a gift to be placed in handheld candy containers without even the necessity of a thank you. May the silliness and excitement, storytelling and imagination, as well as those bright eyes hidden behind masks and makeup, become a chance for all of us to meet neighbors and enjoy one another in ways that our regular lives rarely allow. This is a prayer — maybe an odd prayer — on this Halloween. Amen.
Month: October 2022
10-30-22
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
October 30, 2022
What does it mean to be community? As followers of Jesus, the answer is both simple and complex. Whenever someone says something is simple and complex, I usually roll my eyes and give a sigh of dissatisfaction. Yet, in this case, I hold strong to the paradox. In Paul’s Letter to the Romans, he suggests we need to be cautious and not do things that might upset those who are new to the faith. In the same letter, he suggests that we not conform to this world, but be transformed by the act of renewal, changing to what is good, acceptable and perfect. There are times when these two things come into conflict. How do we remain compassionate to those who are still young in their faith, while also remaining faithful to the expectation that we will continue to evolve, grow and become something new. The two ideas tug on each other. There are times in the history of the church where we rolled over those who were still learning the basics of the faith, and there have been many times when the church has refused to be renewed and transformed for a new moment of time out of concern for those who were not quite ready. Do you hear the challenge? As a pastor, this is one of the great tensions I deal with every single day. Sadly, it is hard to measure in the moment whether a decision was good or not, and exactly what do you measure? I think about the church in Nazi Germany, and the small community of Jesus followers who stood against the hatred. Many of them died in concentration camps. A lot more Christians made the decision to stay with the state sanctioned church that gave its blessing to the Nazi ideology. Now, I understand that Nazi Germany is an extreme example, but if the measure of success was the number of people who attended church, it was the state-sanctioned church that supported the Nazis. But who was faithful? Was the pastor who decided to keep his job, keep quiet, and preach a watered-down Gospel faithful to God in that moment? How about the one who was hung with a handful of others who refused to give their allegiance to Hitler?
Let us listen and discern, O Gracious God. And even when we feel discomfort deep within our spirits, let us not assume it is your voice telling us to sit still. Maybe it is you telling us it is time to take a step, take a risk, and become something we have yet to determine. Whatever it is you need us to do, we make ourselves available to you at this moment. Amen.
10-29-22
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
October 29, 2022
Coretta Scott King wrote, “When the heart is right, the mind and the body will follow…” Though the quote will not be included in my sermon tomorrow, it almost was. I like the quote, even though I don’t know if it is necessarily true every day. There are those times when no matter how right the heart is, if the body is in bad shape, the pain or discomfort of the body overshadows the right heart. I know there are many of you who quite well understand that kind of physical pain. I also believe it is true with the mind. There are times when mental anguish eclipses anything positive in other aspects of our lives.
So you’re thinking to yourself, “Why did Bruce even include this quote?” Despite my two rather significant reservations in regard to King’s words, I still sort of believe them. Is that odd? Maybe… yet I find these moments of grace where everything is alright even when it is not. It’s as if something is righting those parts of me that are not currently right by affirming that there is, even when certain aspects of life are not good, something right about me. Whatever it is—maybe the whisper of God—I think it is true for all of us. So maybe Coretta Scott King was right.
Whatever else is happening in my life, Lord God, I believe you to be the One who speaks words of affirmation through which I am gently brought into that holy rightness. Amen.
10-28-22
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
October 28, 2022
I find myself writing Etchings very similar to previous Etchings. Quite often, I have written on a specific topic only to see the same situation arise again and again. Please understand that I am not suggesting my Etchings should make any dramatic change in the world, but there is that deep-seated hope within me that sort of wants to believe that we can do better. Antisemitism has been on the rise for a number of years now. Throughout history, the Jewish people have often found themselves misunderstood, feared and scapegoated. For instance, during the plague of the 14th century that killed somewhere between 40-65% of the population of Europe, people desperately looked for an explanation. Without an understanding of disease, people pointed to the Jews as the cause. Rumors spread, specifically accusing the Jews of poisoning the water wells in different communities. The first massacre of Jews occurred in the spring of 1348, but other massacres would follow. Though Rome’s policy was to tolerate the Jews, fear has a troubling capacity of ignoring reason and rules. People made up all kinds of nonsense, and others believed it and acted upon it. You’d think nearly 700 years would provide humanity enough time to gain some perspective and notice the shameful ways people used stereotypes to create a narrative by which permission for violence was given. Yet here we are in 2022, and though the communication tools are a bit more sophisticated, the allegations and shameful falsehoods are basically the same. We’ve got to do better, and one of the simplest ways is to fact check those stories we share on social media. You might be surprised at how many of them, in subtle ways, reinforce hateful stereotypes, provide permission to mistrust, and make baseless accusations. We’ve got to do better. Lives are depending on it.
God whose holy and grace-filled vision was put forth in Jesus, we come before you hoping to share, in whatever small ways we can, the fulfillment of that vision. However, by promoting even what may appear to be a humorous stereotype, we are actually delaying the consummation of that very mission. Amen.
10-27-22
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
October 27, 2022
“When was the last time your heart was broken?” That was a question I remember a youth minister asking when I was a youth. He then added something like, “I’m not talking about that special someone you were dating or wanting to date, but a situation outside of your romantic desires that truly broke your heart.” I’m guessing, at least for many of you, answering the question is not challenging. In fact, you probably have multiple categories of things that break your heart. There are things close to you and things you only observe on the news. There are some things you only see as you drive by, and others you walk with every day. The Greek word in the New Testament that we translate as compassion or pity is splagchnizomai, and it is one of my favorite words. Yes, it could be translated as pity or compassion, but the literal Greek is to be moved in one’s entrails. The center of emotion in the ancient world was, not the heart, but the intestines. We might speak of a broken heart, but where do you usually feel it. You see someone’s pain, or you know the hurt of a good friend, and it feels like a punch in the gut. Not only does that language convey the experience most of us know in those moments, it compels us to do something. Pity is a real emotion, but it sort of feels passive. Even compassion leaves me thinking of someone sending a teardrop emoji, but nothing more. For those who seek to emulate Jesus, splagchnizomai is sort of important—a feeling as if something is gnawing on your entrails until you do something about it.
Let me have a heart or intestine, O God, willing to feel the hurt and suffering of others. May it be felt deep within my inner being so as to be compelled to do something real and Jesus-like. Amen.
10-26-22
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
October 26, 2022
In recent weeks, in part because of my class on Signs and Wonders (miracles), I have been thinking about the word healing. In Mark 10, Jesus asks a blind man the question, “What do you want me to do for you?” My first reaction as I read those words is to laugh. “He’s blind,” I think to myself. “It’s pretty obvious what he would want.” Despite some people believing Jesus was omniscient (knew every thought), I hear Jesus asking the question sincerely and out of a desire to know. What we might perceive as an injury in need of healing might not even make the top ten on someone else’s list. We might notice a physical limp, but it is the feelings of being buried under the to-do list at the office that are really causing injury to one’s mind and soul. It’s as if Jesus is giving us a little advice–don’t assume or read your own concerns into someone else’s life situation. Give others the space to tell you what is hurting or in need of attention, and only then are you able to respond with whatever gift you might have to offer. And in many cases, it might just be a nonjudgmental listening ear.
Grant me grace and patience to listen, O Merciful God. In the same way that I wish to be seen beyond a single attribute, assist me in providing a safe space for others to speak their truth, their hurts, their questions, their fears. Amen.
10-25-22
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
October 25, 2022
Over the years, I have referenced and quoted Father Richard Rohr many, many times. He is brilliant, insightful, funny and often painfully revealing. If you have not heard, Richard Rohr stepped down from his position at the Center for Action and Contemplation because he has cancer. This breaks my heart.
Recently, in one of his daily writings, he wrote:
“Part of the genius of Martin Luther King Jr. (1929–1968), inspired by the teachings of Jesus and Gandhi, was that he was able to show people that violence was not only immoral but also impractical and, finally, futile.”
Those words have been resonating with me in recent days. I’m thinking of more than physical violence (though it is real and prevalent), for there are many ways in which violence manifests itself: the power of manipulation; those with resources who use those resources to get their way at the expense of those without resources; those who play on the insecurities and fears of others; those with a platform from which they tell lies and use the tactic of scapegoating; those who play the victim card as a way of turning attention away from the real victims. These are only a few ways in which violence plays itself out emotionally and spiritually.
In Proverbs 3:31, it says: “Do not envy the violent or choose any of their ways.” The sad thing is that violence works, or at least it appears to in the short term. And too many people are only interested in immediate results. As a follower of Jesus, I believe, as Richard Rohr suggested, that all violence is immoral, impractical and ultimately futile. Though they are risky, Jesus offered alternatives to violence. Yet the vision for the life that Jesus embodied a sort of required risk taken in faith.
Give me courage, O God, and when that is not enough, provide me an additional infusion of the vision lived and revealed in Jesus. There is such beauty and hope and joy found in this vision, and it is not relegated to those with resources, power or privilege. It is a vision that includes all and uplifts all. May I be a full participant, even if it is risky, in such a life. Amen.
10-24-22
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
October 24, 2022
The simple things of faith-
Love, Mercy, Justice,
Kindness, Truth, Peacefulness
How are we doing, God?
So many in the world
need to see a sermon
not hear a sermon
How are we doing, God?
Too many people feeling
lost and alone
afraid and shaken
How are we doing, God?
We know perfection
is found only in you
but today is our day
to do a little better
reaching out with a bit more grace
showing a bit more compassion
revealing a bit more Jesus
Amen.
10-23-22
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
October 23, 2022
David Kinnaman discusses his extensive research on those “outside” the Christian faith in his book “UnChristian.” He writes, “Deep down I hoped my intuition would be wrong about how negative the views of my generation were toward Christians. I was unprepared for how resistant, entrenched, and pessimistic the response would be” (p.222). Many Christians have known firsthand the negative opinions some people have held against them. The early Christian teachers, Paul and Silas, felt that negativity as they were brought to the center of town and beaten. Yet the negative opinion of Paul and Silas was because the two of them pointed to the amazing love of God for all people, and the powerful did not like it. Today, the culture has a negative opinion of Christianity because it uses the word “love,” but then acts in some of the most unloving and non-gracious ways imaginable. Cypress Creek Christian Church is working hard to present a very different vision of Christ-like living. We won’t be perfect, but there are a handful of those who have been pessimistic and unenthusiastic about the religion called Christianity, who have caught a glimpse of Cypress Creek Christian Church and found some hope. They may not be quite ready to enter our space, but they are curious. Keep living that love with such recklessness that even the most skeptical might be intrigued.
Be the power and inspiration, O God, behind every attempt I make at embodying your limitless love for all. Amen.
10-22-22
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
October 22, 2022
In Matthew 10:38-39, Jesus said, “…and whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.” What does it mean to take up the cross when there is no longer a government sanctioned crucifixion?
Dr. Amy-Jill Levine writes in her thought-provoking book, The Misunderstood Jew, “Whenever a new religious movement, political view, or social practice emerges, some resistance is to be expected, usually from the representatives of the status quo. As long as Peter and his colleagues lived in relative obscurity… they would not have come to the attention of Rome’s local allies, the Jerusalem establishment. But as the movement began to spread, danger followed. To proclaim the resurrection of an individual is one thing; to proclaim that the Messiah was a man crucified by Rome was something else entirely… To proclaim oneself a follower of Jesus consequently meant to risk ridicule, ostracism, and even persecution” (Harper One ©2006, p. 55).
In reading Levine’s comments, I am left wondering once again, what does it mean to take up the cross in the 21st century here in the United States? I’m not entirely sure, yet I would suggest cross-carrying today will include a life that runs contrary to popular beliefs and politics, including ideologies sanctimoniously supporting greed, hatred and violence. Our lives should be unmistakably different, and by different, we are suggesting a love, mercy and kindness that most of the status quo will find offensive, if not dangerous.
O Lord whose ways are those of the cross, provide strength within my convictions so my life is never confused with cultural values masquerading as good religion. Amen.
pastorfrogge 