The Ethiopian Church Journal Blog

 The Curtain of Jesus’ Body  By Mitiku Adisu credit: pinterest.at I grew up viewing beauty in Ethiopic and Byzantine architecture and icons; in sweet-smelling incense; lit yellow beeswax candles; bright multi-colored priestly robes; and in chants and a dedicated community sharing after-service meals.  As you stand facing a curtained area where only assigned priests are allowed, you sense a certain distantness, even holy terror. You are warned not to take a peek or ask too many questions. That is a hard sell when you are a teen-ager! Regardless, the running prayers, psalms, and prostrations are too engaging for such thoughts.  So did God reside behind those curtains? Why do I walk around with an anxious heart? Am I on my own upon exiting the sanctuary? How do I relate to an unapproachable God? How many angelic intercessions and gifts did it take to ease my fear of life?  Now see Jesus on the cross, crying out in a loud voice. Do you not hear the gospel? At that ...

  The Church JESUS Built in Santiago    By Pastor Jerry Cross I had never seen my father weep uncontrollably before. He came to visit me my first year of seminary, he a pastor, missionary, theology professor, came for one purpose, to try and convince me to not go into pastoral ministry. Weeping, he begged me not to make such a horrible mistake! He said, "Son, I know you well, your gifts, your weaknesses, your temperament, and above all how introverted you are, so much so that you run from people. Son, I assure you that in ministry there is nowhere to hide. You must constantly deal with people, something I know you hate to do!"  I answered him, "Daddy, I know that you are warning me because you love me and do not want me to make such a mistake. I actually agree with every word you say about my temperament. So much so that I have told my Heavenly Father the exact same thing a thousand times, that I am not cut out for pastoral ministry. Not only does he not seem to hea...

  Lent a Way of Life By Mitiku Adisu credit: jamestabor.com Not all Christian groups know what to do with the 40 days leading up to Easter. Everyone recognizes Lent as a church tradition and many frequently look to scripture to avoid taking time off to reflect on Jesus. Attempts are made to supplant the season with activities, to simply remember it in a haphazard manner or, in exasperation, dump the tradition at the door of liturgical churches. Lent, it is understood in some quarters, does not suit the lifestyle of the urban dweller. However we wish to observe Lent, what matters most is, in the end, not activities  per se but Jesus; not evasion or presumed observances but consecrating oneself and the season to Christ and his Holy Spirit. One avoided distractions in order to focus solely on Jesus, the Bread of Life broken for us. One gained by losing. Too much focus on the individual (and less on community) has progressively led to the loss of the practice of self-denial and q...

Martin Luther’s ‘dream’ church? It wasn’t in Europe By David D. Daniels | October 28, 2017 Triptych of the Virgin and Child, Ethiopia, 17th century, Tempera on gesso-covered wooden boards. This item will be on display at the Museum of the Bible. Photo courtesy of Museum of the Bible (RNS) — This year marks the 500th anniversary of the launching of the Protestant Reformation in Germany. Commemorations will be held from Memphis to Mombasa to Mumbai to Munich. Yet, most events and books on the Reformation explore it without any reference to African Christians. This silence is profound, and I would like to break it by offering possible Ethiopian connections to Martin Luther and the Protestant movement. Luther launched the Protestant Reformation in 1517, but he had begun that year fascinated with Ethiopian Christianity. That will come as a surprise to many of today’s Christians, even scholars, who are accustomed to discussing Luther and the Protestant Reformation as solely European subject...

Then the Lord spoke to Job out of the storm. He said:             Brace yourself like a man;                  I will question you,              and you shall answer me. “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation?     Tell me, if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! … “Have you entered the storehouses of the snow     or seen the storehouses of the hail, which I reserve for times of trouble,     for days of war and battle? What is the way to the place where the lightning is dispersed,     or the place where the east winds are scattered over the earth? Who cuts a channel for the torrents of rain,     and a path for the thunderstorm, ... Who has the wisdom to count the clouds?     ...