I'm in a class this semester that focuses on preaching (imagine that; a class that helps us become better at the most public part of our ministry). Anyway, for this class, we have a rotation of preaching and each of us goes about every three weeks. My first turn is this coming Thursday. For our preparation, we are supposed to do some work in the original language; either Greek or Hebrew, depending upon what text you have. My text for Thursday is Colossians 1:15-28. We don't have to do exegesis on the WHOLE pericope, but only on the parts we might find particularly interesting. I found that verses 24-28 piqued my interest, and so started working on them in the Greek. I wasn't even looking at the preposition "en," but under the "cairo" word, the "en" came into play. "en" traditionally means, "in." So, the NRSV translates this clause as, "I am now rejoicing in my sufferings for your sake..."
Seriously? I'm REJOICING IN my sufferings? Are you kidding me? Who rejoices in suffering? Yeah, it can help link us to Christ and his suffering on the cross, but if you ask me, suffering sucks.
Anyway, as I was looking at the verbs, I noticed that the big Greek Lexicon (BDAG) talks about how this can mean, "I am now rejoicing IN THE MIDST OF my sufferings."
WOW! What a difference! I can't believe I never saw that before!
Rejoicing in the midst of sufferings still honors the pain and broken places that suffering is. It doesn't try to say, "I'm okay. I have broad shoulders, I can take it." Instead, to me, at least, this slight change seems to convey that I can rejoice in the midst of sufferings, but I don't have to appear to be a huge masochist who enjoys the pain of life! Wow. Duh! Greek isn't so bad after all! (This I can say because I translated five Greek verses in thirty-eight minutes compared with the EIGHT HOURS I spent translating ten Hebrew verses the other day).
What do you think about this? Had you thought about this In/In the midst of thing before? I think I've got a good chunk of my sermon figured out simply by this one little word. It's AMAZING! Maybe I'm a little too enthusiastic right now, but whatever. See you all later.
P.S. I called the senator's office today and spoke my piece on the Dementia Care Reform. Just wanted you to know I practiced what I preached.
Showing posts with label Preaching. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Preaching. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 03, 2009
Monday, July 07, 2008
*Wheeze*
Well, Friends, I am still alive. I have been sick since Wednesday. I don't think it's anything too serious. Just a respiratory type thing, with laryngitis on top of it. I was in bed from Wednesday afternoon until Thursday afternoon, and was happy to be able to get downstairs on Thursday. Usually, this sort of thing knocks me out for three or so days.
I did have extra incentive to be functional, though. Not only am I watching Sunscreen and Howard, J also took this past weekend off to come to Illinois and meet some of the fam. So, I dragged myself outta bed Thursday, and decided I was okay enough for him to come on Thursday.
It was good to have him out here. Sis and BiL cleaned out the room that was going to be the den, and instead made it into another bedroom. It's a cozy little area, I think. We went to fireworks on the 4th, shopped a little store here in town that's like a permanent flea market, walked the "riverwalk," went to dinner with YS and YSB, and chilled together. Even though I'm still hacking up a lung, I'm glad he came.
This past weekend, I also led worship at my home church and Pastor's other church. OC changed their summer worship schedule, though, and so worship starts at 7:30 a.m. J and I got there at about 7:00 or so, but we couldn't get in because the church was locked. We didn't get in until about 7:29. And, on top of it, I had almost no voice. But, it was fun anyway. I also led worship with my laryngitis at my home church. I'm glad that both churhes have new and very functional sound systems. I think it went fairly well. Not my best sermon, but not my worst, either. I get another crack at leading worship next week at another neighboring church. I'm excited, but need to get on writing a sermon and a kid's sermon.
J went home this morning because he had to work. J left before Howard woke up, and when I brought Howard down, he went over to the den/bedroom door, knocked, and said, "Hi (cute little butcher of J's name)!'" It was so cute. The kids really liked him. I think I'ma get usurped as one of the favorite people! Ha.
And lastly, I will leave you with a little story relating to tissues. Since I'm sick, I am using tissues a lot. Well, I remembered when Howard was a little guy, I did this little trick where I would tilt my head as far back as it would go, put a tissue in the middle of my face, and give a quick puff of air to send the tissue airborn. It used to make him laugh hysterically. I did it once for Sunscreen many moons ago, but he was too young to appreciate it. Anyway, I sat on the floor tonight and told them to watch and Howard stood there, and Sunscreen held onto the couch and they watched me do it. They both laughed SO loud, and so long. Each time I did it, Howard would just bust out like it was the first ever time I ever did that. And Sunscreen was laughing too. As a matter of fact, I probably did all that over an hour ago, and Howard is still coming up to me, even as I type this, and saying, "Try!" Because he wants me to try it again. And, because it was a new and clean tissue, I surprise attacked each of them as I tilted my head back, but then at the last second, came back and blew the tissue into each of their faces. They laughed and laughed and laughed! I wish I'da recorded it on my phone. Babies laughing is one of THE BEST sounds ever.
So, anyway, that's what's been going on in a nutshell. I hope all is going well for y'all.
I did have extra incentive to be functional, though. Not only am I watching Sunscreen and Howard, J also took this past weekend off to come to Illinois and meet some of the fam. So, I dragged myself outta bed Thursday, and decided I was okay enough for him to come on Thursday.
It was good to have him out here. Sis and BiL cleaned out the room that was going to be the den, and instead made it into another bedroom. It's a cozy little area, I think. We went to fireworks on the 4th, shopped a little store here in town that's like a permanent flea market, walked the "riverwalk," went to dinner with YS and YSB, and chilled together. Even though I'm still hacking up a lung, I'm glad he came.
This past weekend, I also led worship at my home church and Pastor's other church. OC changed their summer worship schedule, though, and so worship starts at 7:30 a.m. J and I got there at about 7:00 or so, but we couldn't get in because the church was locked. We didn't get in until about 7:29. And, on top of it, I had almost no voice. But, it was fun anyway. I also led worship with my laryngitis at my home church. I'm glad that both churhes have new and very functional sound systems. I think it went fairly well. Not my best sermon, but not my worst, either. I get another crack at leading worship next week at another neighboring church. I'm excited, but need to get on writing a sermon and a kid's sermon.
J went home this morning because he had to work. J left before Howard woke up, and when I brought Howard down, he went over to the den/bedroom door, knocked, and said, "Hi (cute little butcher of J's name)!'" It was so cute. The kids really liked him. I think I'ma get usurped as one of the favorite people! Ha.
And lastly, I will leave you with a little story relating to tissues. Since I'm sick, I am using tissues a lot. Well, I remembered when Howard was a little guy, I did this little trick where I would tilt my head as far back as it would go, put a tissue in the middle of my face, and give a quick puff of air to send the tissue airborn. It used to make him laugh hysterically. I did it once for Sunscreen many moons ago, but he was too young to appreciate it. Anyway, I sat on the floor tonight and told them to watch and Howard stood there, and Sunscreen held onto the couch and they watched me do it. They both laughed SO loud, and so long. Each time I did it, Howard would just bust out like it was the first ever time I ever did that. And Sunscreen was laughing too. As a matter of fact, I probably did all that over an hour ago, and Howard is still coming up to me, even as I type this, and saying, "Try!" Because he wants me to try it again. And, because it was a new and clean tissue, I surprise attacked each of them as I tilted my head back, but then at the last second, came back and blew the tissue into each of their faces. They laughed and laughed and laughed! I wish I'da recorded it on my phone. Babies laughing is one of THE BEST sounds ever.
So, anyway, that's what's been going on in a nutshell. I hope all is going well for y'all.
Monday, November 26, 2007
Back from...Vacation?
Well, I got back from "home" last night around 6:30 or so. I carted all my stuff up to my room last night, checked my email and facebook, and laid down to have some "quiet time." However, I fell promptly asleep! That was around 8:00 p.m. I woke up at 8:30 because I was snoring. That was weird, because I'm not a snorer, but I was last night. So, I got up, put my pjs on, did a quick run thru of bedtime procedure, and laid back down. I slept til 8:00 this morning, and even then, I took about a half hour nap after chapel (I didn't have discussion group at that time, so I was free). I was so tired. While I was "home," I didn't sleep that well, and last week was fairly overwhelming anyway. I had about 4 Seminary dreams, with the most recent one last night. It involved a test done on a steeple on sight at the seminary (We don't have a steeple) and a classmate with a SEVERELY bloody nose. It was gross, but kinda funny at the same time.
Last Wednesday, I was at my home church for Thanksgiving Eve worship. After it was over, I was chatting with Pastor and his wife for a little while, ironing out details for Sunday because they were going to be gone and I was set to lead worship. So, after we were done chatting, I went out, got in Neno, and turned the key, but it wouldn't start. I thought, "ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?" Last time my car broke down, it was at the coke shop in the same town. I had to call Pastor that day to see if he could come help me. Well, Wednesday was no different. He tried jump starting my car, but that wasn't the problem. He drove me about 12 miles to a place where Sis could pick me up. I felt bad because it wasn't a nice night outside and everytime my car breaks, he ends up having to help me. Oy veh.
Anyway, Sis came and got me, and I felt bad for dragging her out of the house on a cold, rainy evening. So, after we got home, we talked a while and did some minor prep for Thanksgiving. But, she was tired and went to bed. I, on the other hand, wanting to make up for dragging Sis away, stayed up and cleaned the house like a mad woman.
The next day was Thanksgiving, so I couldn't call my mechanic (a real nice guy I actually TRUST with my car. He is very reasonable and an all around great dude). So, I enjoyed Thanksgiving with Sis, BiL, and BiL's family. None of my family members were there (My other sibs had other things to do, and the nursing home people suggest not taking loved ones home because there are often issues in getting them back to the home). I love BiL's family; I just missed celebrating with my own. Oh well. It was better than the years I got left at home all alone on Thanksgiving and Christmas.
So, the next day was Friday. I called the mechanic early and got his wife. He called later and said he'd go have a gander. BiL let me borrow his van to take my car keys to the mechanic, and so I also went and visited Grandma! She lives at a nursing home in ChurchTown. Granny is 94 years old, is very forgetful, but she is still Grandma. She throws out one-liners all the time and she's just wonderful. I love her so much. She was happy to see me and I was so glad I got to see her. After I had visited for a while, I left. The mechanic called and said we needed to get my car from ChurchTown to MechanicTown (about 15 miles away). So, I had to have it towed. Thankfully, there is a towing place in ChurchTown that is incredibly reasonable. Plus, I think I have some sort of towing insurance, so I'll be turning that in. Mechanic said the problem was the fuel pump. When I drove a Jeep, I had to have that part replaced once and it cost me 19 dollars. This time, including the part, labor, and towing, it cost me about 600 dollars. Yikes. Oh well.
When Sunday rolled around, I had my car back, so thankfully I had no troubles getting to Church and Pastor's "other" church so I could lead worship/preach. For some reason, I was having difficulties with the text for Sunday, and was not at all happy with what I sent Pastor. He replied with some suggestions and comments earlier in the week. It was funny because we chatted a little bit about it on Wednesday and he said he was hoping he didn't sound too critical. I told him that he wasn't, and that I knew what I sent him was less than stellar, so that made him feel better. He seemed kind of surprised that I could tell it was not a good message, but he also seemed grateful because he was afraid that I thought this was "the best one yet!" I said that definitely was NOT the case, and so I reworked it that same day, and he said the revision was much more my style. The last time I preached on Christ the King Sunday was much easier to do though. That was the message I posted here on my blog. "Humpty Dumpty..." Remember?
Anyway... Sunday went pretty well, except when I got into the car after the first service so I could go to the other church, I saw that I had a voicemail. It was Oldest Brother telling me that Grandma was in the hospital and she might die. I called him back and asked what hospital she was in, and made plans to go there when I was done with leading worship. When I got there, she was looking good. I talked with her aide and she said Grandma was doing quite well and was throwing out little one liner jokes and being Grandma. That's the neat thing; even though Grandma is incredibily forgetful and doesn't always know who we are, she is still herself. And really, I think she's better mentally than Ma. It's weird. I don't think Grandma is going to die anytime soon. Although I'm very grateful that she was at the hospital because she had a cardiac episode where her BP was something like 200/100. If she hadn't been there, it could've been lights out. I'm trying to be realistic, considering Granny is 94 years old, but she looks really good, and so I'm going to be optimistic.
Anyway, that was my week/weekend in a nutshell. I had a good time with the nephews and just being at home, but I'm glad to be back at the Castle. I wish I would have had time to see Mom, but the place she is at is far away and with all that happened, I just couldn't make it over there. YS went on Thanksgiving, so that was good. I will get to see her hopefully sooner than later, but life happens. Anyway, I'm going to do some work and go to bed. I'm still so tired. Have a good day.
Last Wednesday, I was at my home church for Thanksgiving Eve worship. After it was over, I was chatting with Pastor and his wife for a little while, ironing out details for Sunday because they were going to be gone and I was set to lead worship. So, after we were done chatting, I went out, got in Neno, and turned the key, but it wouldn't start. I thought, "ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?" Last time my car broke down, it was at the coke shop in the same town. I had to call Pastor that day to see if he could come help me. Well, Wednesday was no different. He tried jump starting my car, but that wasn't the problem. He drove me about 12 miles to a place where Sis could pick me up. I felt bad because it wasn't a nice night outside and everytime my car breaks, he ends up having to help me. Oy veh.
Anyway, Sis came and got me, and I felt bad for dragging her out of the house on a cold, rainy evening. So, after we got home, we talked a while and did some minor prep for Thanksgiving. But, she was tired and went to bed. I, on the other hand, wanting to make up for dragging Sis away, stayed up and cleaned the house like a mad woman.
The next day was Thanksgiving, so I couldn't call my mechanic (a real nice guy I actually TRUST with my car. He is very reasonable and an all around great dude). So, I enjoyed Thanksgiving with Sis, BiL, and BiL's family. None of my family members were there (My other sibs had other things to do, and the nursing home people suggest not taking loved ones home because there are often issues in getting them back to the home). I love BiL's family; I just missed celebrating with my own. Oh well. It was better than the years I got left at home all alone on Thanksgiving and Christmas.
So, the next day was Friday. I called the mechanic early and got his wife. He called later and said he'd go have a gander. BiL let me borrow his van to take my car keys to the mechanic, and so I also went and visited Grandma! She lives at a nursing home in ChurchTown. Granny is 94 years old, is very forgetful, but she is still Grandma. She throws out one-liners all the time and she's just wonderful. I love her so much. She was happy to see me and I was so glad I got to see her. After I had visited for a while, I left. The mechanic called and said we needed to get my car from ChurchTown to MechanicTown (about 15 miles away). So, I had to have it towed. Thankfully, there is a towing place in ChurchTown that is incredibly reasonable. Plus, I think I have some sort of towing insurance, so I'll be turning that in. Mechanic said the problem was the fuel pump. When I drove a Jeep, I had to have that part replaced once and it cost me 19 dollars. This time, including the part, labor, and towing, it cost me about 600 dollars. Yikes. Oh well.
When Sunday rolled around, I had my car back, so thankfully I had no troubles getting to Church and Pastor's "other" church so I could lead worship/preach. For some reason, I was having difficulties with the text for Sunday, and was not at all happy with what I sent Pastor. He replied with some suggestions and comments earlier in the week. It was funny because we chatted a little bit about it on Wednesday and he said he was hoping he didn't sound too critical. I told him that he wasn't, and that I knew what I sent him was less than stellar, so that made him feel better. He seemed kind of surprised that I could tell it was not a good message, but he also seemed grateful because he was afraid that I thought this was "the best one yet!" I said that definitely was NOT the case, and so I reworked it that same day, and he said the revision was much more my style. The last time I preached on Christ the King Sunday was much easier to do though. That was the message I posted here on my blog. "Humpty Dumpty..." Remember?
Anyway... Sunday went pretty well, except when I got into the car after the first service so I could go to the other church, I saw that I had a voicemail. It was Oldest Brother telling me that Grandma was in the hospital and she might die. I called him back and asked what hospital she was in, and made plans to go there when I was done with leading worship. When I got there, she was looking good. I talked with her aide and she said Grandma was doing quite well and was throwing out little one liner jokes and being Grandma. That's the neat thing; even though Grandma is incredibily forgetful and doesn't always know who we are, she is still herself. And really, I think she's better mentally than Ma. It's weird. I don't think Grandma is going to die anytime soon. Although I'm very grateful that she was at the hospital because she had a cardiac episode where her BP was something like 200/100. If she hadn't been there, it could've been lights out. I'm trying to be realistic, considering Granny is 94 years old, but she looks really good, and so I'm going to be optimistic.
Anyway, that was my week/weekend in a nutshell. I had a good time with the nephews and just being at home, but I'm glad to be back at the Castle. I wish I would have had time to see Mom, but the place she is at is far away and with all that happened, I just couldn't make it over there. YS went on Thanksgiving, so that was good. I will get to see her hopefully sooner than later, but life happens. Anyway, I'm going to do some work and go to bed. I'm still so tired. Have a good day.
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Overall, a good weekend
This weekend was pretty busy. I went home to preach at a church that is in a neighboring town to my home church. I led worship/preached there this summer, and the pastor asked me back. That's the main reason I went home. But, my weekend started long before this morning.
I said a short grace at the meal at my cousin's wedding reception a few weekends ago in the suburbs of Chicago. I was honored to be asked by my aunt and uncle. They are fantastic people, and I was glad to be of service. My aunt and uncle had wanted to get a hotel room for me and pay for my car expenses for getting there, but I told them that wasn't necessary because I was planning on going to the wedding anyway, and I was leading worship on Sunday, so I couldn't stay overnight. So, this past week, they emailed me telling their plans to come to SeminaryTown for some R&R after having spent much of the last year planning/organizing for the wedding, and my aunt made the wedding dress and bridesmaid dress. (She's VERY talented). Anyway, they were going to stay in a quaint little town about 20 miles away, but they couldn't because everyplace was booked or way too expensive. So, anyway, I digress. They ended up staying in SeminaryTown. They emailed and asked if they could take me to dinner on Friday. I laughed a little because I had heard they were coming my way, and I was going to invite them to a concert the seminary was having on Friday, but they emailed me first. So, we made plans to go eat and then come see the concert.
When they got here Friday, we didn't know where to eat, so we talked with some friends who were around, but nothing was really sticking out. Aunt and Uncle are kinda fancy people, and the only places around here I've been haven't been very fancy. But, Aunt remembered a place in nearby Quaint town that is good. So, we went there. We made it back in time for the concert, which was PHENOMENAL! Oh MY GOSH, was it great! There are good singers, and there are great singers. These people were GREAT singers. I myself cannot carry a tune in a bucket with a mule helping me, but I appreciate those who can sing because Ma was a fantabulous singer. She has sung at numerous weddings, funerals, community celebrations and dedications, has won community wide karaoke contests, and has done a gazillion solos at church. When she sang, boy, people listened. The soprano of the group reminded me of Ma, and it was rather nice to hear.
After the concert, the relatives left, and some pals and I went to the winery. I had a good time. I like being sociable.
Saturday morning, I woke up super early so I could get ready and go home (About 3 hours from the seminary is where my "home" is). Sis and BiL's neighbors who are moving (next week) invited us to go with them to the Wildlife Prairie Park in Peoria. So, I went and we took the boys and it was a good time. I love parks and this was a nice outing.
Then Sunday, I led two worship services at neighboring church. Things went well, except I made a bunch of mistakes in the first service. But, to my credit, they were not all my fault. There were several errors in the worship bulletin and I rolled with the punches as best I could. I got good comments, and I hope that the people were able to hear a good word today.
YS (Younger Sister) came to the late service today, which was nice because she doesn't come to church very often. But, she came today and it was good to see a smiling, familiar face out there. I love YS dearly. She's a wonderful sister and a great friend. After worship, we went to visit Ma. She knew who we were today, before we could say anything. I was a little afraid at first because she just looked at us like we were random people. But, that could be because she was walking around without her glasses on. She said someone "stole" them right away from her. I went to the nurse's station and they had a bunch of glasses there. I saw a pair that looked like hers, so I took them to her, and they were hers. A nurse came and wrote Ma's last name on the inside of the earpiece so that there would be no question next time.
Ma was still pretty quiet, but she talked a wee bit more this time. She also looked less like Grandma looked. The doctor came and looked at her the other day, and he thinks she has arthritis in her back and hip. IT sucks because she's in a lot of pain all the time. Yikes. They are going to try some things to get her feeling better. I hope it works.
While we were sitting in Ma's room, a lady came in and sat on the bed next to me. Because the place Ma is happens to be a locked dementia unit, that gives you an idea that all the people there are fairly bad off. This lady launched into this story about how she was SO mad at her husband because he didn't wait to eat dinner til we were there. I talked with her a while and went along with her story. I figured her husband was probably dead and she was living in the past. I said a couple of things about how I hoped she could forgive him, and how we had eaten before we got there, so everything would be alright. And near the end of our conversation she said, "I feel better now. You helped me think through these things better. I can see how our lines could have gotten crossed. Jack probably thought he was doing it the way I wanted. Thank you, dear." Our conversation probably lasted about 15-20 minutes. Ma and YS just sat there looking at me like, "What are you talking about, Trish?" Because I didn't want to dismiss her as whatever, because if the woman were cognizant of what was going on, she'd probably feel bad for "interrupting" and then being angry at her probably dead husband for nothing. Then an aid came and took her back to her room. YS told me later in the car that she was totally impressed with my mad skills at calming the lady down and helping her be less angry at her probably dead husband. Because this lady was MAD. CPE skills in real life, folks. Learn 'em, love 'em, live 'em. :) Ha.
Anyway, so then YS and I went to my childhood home (which is not the same as "home") and we cleaned out the freezer and took the trash to the curb for pickup. We also did some home repair and YS took some of her things to her house. Then, I got a massage! (YS was going to school to become a massage therapist). It felt awesome, but I need to make sure to drink plenty of fluid so I don't have a "healing crisis" tomorrow. After the massage, YS took me on my first 4-wheeler ride around town. That was fun.
I stayed "home" a little longer than I'd planned today. I chased my nephew around and we played for a while. He was getting crabby cuz Sis wouldn't let him play in the bathroom, because he wanted a bath. Sis and BiL do league bowling on Sunday nights, and BiL's niece comes and watches the boys. But, she doesn't have enough hands to watch Sunscreen AND give Howard a bath. So, I gave him a bath and we played and had a lot of fun. The only thing is, it is REALLY hard to get him out of the tub because he loves it so much. And, he's been doing this screaming thing lately, where he'll get mad and just start screaming at whomever is making him angry. So, there was an instance yesterday and one today where after he started screaming, I got down at his level and let out a semi-loud yell. He did not like it either time, but I thought it was funny. I'm mean like that.
When it was time for me to go, I gave Sunscreen a hug and a kiss bye-bye, and then I gave Howard a hug and a kiss goodbye, but he started crying because he knew I was leaving. I felt really bad and I had to turn around and leave the house even though he was bawling his eyes out. Then I felt AWFUL because I had to go back in because I left my tennis shoes in there. He was still crying when I went back in, so I picked him up and held him, and he dive bombed my face with a big, wet baby kiss. I went and sat down with him for a minute on the couch and he got down and pulled me toward the floor to play with his toys with him. I did that for a little while, and then slipped out without him seeing. I had told him bye-bye a million times, but I still feel bad for going without saying goodbye the last time. But, it probably kept him from crying again. I love those boys (and my first born nephew, too!) so much I could puke. They are such special little people. I am anxious to see what they will be like when they get older. But, I am happy with them being wee ones right now.
Anyway, this has been a really long, rambling post, that probably means nothing to any of you, but whatever. I enjoyed my weekend for the most part. I am loved.
I said a short grace at the meal at my cousin's wedding reception a few weekends ago in the suburbs of Chicago. I was honored to be asked by my aunt and uncle. They are fantastic people, and I was glad to be of service. My aunt and uncle had wanted to get a hotel room for me and pay for my car expenses for getting there, but I told them that wasn't necessary because I was planning on going to the wedding anyway, and I was leading worship on Sunday, so I couldn't stay overnight. So, this past week, they emailed me telling their plans to come to SeminaryTown for some R&R after having spent much of the last year planning/organizing for the wedding, and my aunt made the wedding dress and bridesmaid dress. (She's VERY talented). Anyway, they were going to stay in a quaint little town about 20 miles away, but they couldn't because everyplace was booked or way too expensive. So, anyway, I digress. They ended up staying in SeminaryTown. They emailed and asked if they could take me to dinner on Friday. I laughed a little because I had heard they were coming my way, and I was going to invite them to a concert the seminary was having on Friday, but they emailed me first. So, we made plans to go eat and then come see the concert.
When they got here Friday, we didn't know where to eat, so we talked with some friends who were around, but nothing was really sticking out. Aunt and Uncle are kinda fancy people, and the only places around here I've been haven't been very fancy. But, Aunt remembered a place in nearby Quaint town that is good. So, we went there. We made it back in time for the concert, which was PHENOMENAL! Oh MY GOSH, was it great! There are good singers, and there are great singers. These people were GREAT singers. I myself cannot carry a tune in a bucket with a mule helping me, but I appreciate those who can sing because Ma was a fantabulous singer. She has sung at numerous weddings, funerals, community celebrations and dedications, has won community wide karaoke contests, and has done a gazillion solos at church. When she sang, boy, people listened. The soprano of the group reminded me of Ma, and it was rather nice to hear.
After the concert, the relatives left, and some pals and I went to the winery. I had a good time. I like being sociable.
Saturday morning, I woke up super early so I could get ready and go home (About 3 hours from the seminary is where my "home" is). Sis and BiL's neighbors who are moving (next week) invited us to go with them to the Wildlife Prairie Park in Peoria. So, I went and we took the boys and it was a good time. I love parks and this was a nice outing.
Then Sunday, I led two worship services at neighboring church. Things went well, except I made a bunch of mistakes in the first service. But, to my credit, they were not all my fault. There were several errors in the worship bulletin and I rolled with the punches as best I could. I got good comments, and I hope that the people were able to hear a good word today.
YS (Younger Sister) came to the late service today, which was nice because she doesn't come to church very often. But, she came today and it was good to see a smiling, familiar face out there. I love YS dearly. She's a wonderful sister and a great friend. After worship, we went to visit Ma. She knew who we were today, before we could say anything. I was a little afraid at first because she just looked at us like we were random people. But, that could be because she was walking around without her glasses on. She said someone "stole" them right away from her. I went to the nurse's station and they had a bunch of glasses there. I saw a pair that looked like hers, so I took them to her, and they were hers. A nurse came and wrote Ma's last name on the inside of the earpiece so that there would be no question next time.
Ma was still pretty quiet, but she talked a wee bit more this time. She also looked less like Grandma looked. The doctor came and looked at her the other day, and he thinks she has arthritis in her back and hip. IT sucks because she's in a lot of pain all the time. Yikes. They are going to try some things to get her feeling better. I hope it works.
While we were sitting in Ma's room, a lady came in and sat on the bed next to me. Because the place Ma is happens to be a locked dementia unit, that gives you an idea that all the people there are fairly bad off. This lady launched into this story about how she was SO mad at her husband because he didn't wait to eat dinner til we were there. I talked with her a while and went along with her story. I figured her husband was probably dead and she was living in the past. I said a couple of things about how I hoped she could forgive him, and how we had eaten before we got there, so everything would be alright. And near the end of our conversation she said, "I feel better now. You helped me think through these things better. I can see how our lines could have gotten crossed. Jack probably thought he was doing it the way I wanted. Thank you, dear." Our conversation probably lasted about 15-20 minutes. Ma and YS just sat there looking at me like, "What are you talking about, Trish?" Because I didn't want to dismiss her as whatever, because if the woman were cognizant of what was going on, she'd probably feel bad for "interrupting" and then being angry at her probably dead husband for nothing. Then an aid came and took her back to her room. YS told me later in the car that she was totally impressed with my mad skills at calming the lady down and helping her be less angry at her probably dead husband. Because this lady was MAD. CPE skills in real life, folks. Learn 'em, love 'em, live 'em. :) Ha.
Anyway, so then YS and I went to my childhood home (which is not the same as "home") and we cleaned out the freezer and took the trash to the curb for pickup. We also did some home repair and YS took some of her things to her house. Then, I got a massage! (YS was going to school to become a massage therapist). It felt awesome, but I need to make sure to drink plenty of fluid so I don't have a "healing crisis" tomorrow. After the massage, YS took me on my first 4-wheeler ride around town. That was fun.
I stayed "home" a little longer than I'd planned today. I chased my nephew around and we played for a while. He was getting crabby cuz Sis wouldn't let him play in the bathroom, because he wanted a bath. Sis and BiL do league bowling on Sunday nights, and BiL's niece comes and watches the boys. But, she doesn't have enough hands to watch Sunscreen AND give Howard a bath. So, I gave him a bath and we played and had a lot of fun. The only thing is, it is REALLY hard to get him out of the tub because he loves it so much. And, he's been doing this screaming thing lately, where he'll get mad and just start screaming at whomever is making him angry. So, there was an instance yesterday and one today where after he started screaming, I got down at his level and let out a semi-loud yell. He did not like it either time, but I thought it was funny. I'm mean like that.
When it was time for me to go, I gave Sunscreen a hug and a kiss bye-bye, and then I gave Howard a hug and a kiss goodbye, but he started crying because he knew I was leaving. I felt really bad and I had to turn around and leave the house even though he was bawling his eyes out. Then I felt AWFUL because I had to go back in because I left my tennis shoes in there. He was still crying when I went back in, so I picked him up and held him, and he dive bombed my face with a big, wet baby kiss. I went and sat down with him for a minute on the couch and he got down and pulled me toward the floor to play with his toys with him. I did that for a little while, and then slipped out without him seeing. I had told him bye-bye a million times, but I still feel bad for going without saying goodbye the last time. But, it probably kept him from crying again. I love those boys (and my first born nephew, too!) so much I could puke. They are such special little people. I am anxious to see what they will be like when they get older. But, I am happy with them being wee ones right now.
Anyway, this has been a really long, rambling post, that probably means nothing to any of you, but whatever. I enjoyed my weekend for the most part. I am loved.
Sunday, July 29, 2007
I didn't flunk
I didn't flunk my Greek exam. I didn't do as well as I would have liked, though. I need to work harder (if that's even possible). I think I studied more this past week than I studied for my whole undergrad career! ha. Oh well.
I went home this weekend. I preached at a neighboring church. The service went long and I don't feel too good about that. Not that it's my fault. We sang a lot of hymns. Oh well. I myself don't mind going over, but some people from "my" church came because I have a reputation of getting people out early. Then, we ended up staying late. Oh well. I got a lot of good comments on my sermon, so that was good. I'm always amazed that when I go to other churches and shake hands at the end that so many people say, "Thanks for being here this morning. We hope to have you back!" It's nice to know that people think I'm doing a good job. Unless they're patronizing me. But, I'm going to choose to believe they're honest about what they say.
Anyway, I didn't do any Greek this weekend because the Prof. said at the end of class Friday, "Your assignment for this weekend is to NOT do ANY Greek at all." So, I took his advice. I got some much needed sleep. I turn stoopid when I'm lacking sleep, and that was most definitely the case. So, I slept in on Saturday and woke up refreshed. Then, I got back to the Mothership tonight and took a nap. But people kept calling me and interrupting. Ah well. Hopefully I'll be able to sleep tonight.
YS, Ma, and I went to lunch today. The food was good. I left my leftovers in Sis's fridge to give to "Howard" for lunch tomorrow or something. He's such a cute kid! He's trucking all over! Last Sunday we had to coax him to walk, and now he just gets up and does it like, "Yeah, I walk.. How 'bout it?!" When I got home Friday, I peeked around the corner and saw BiL's mom (who is babysitting him until the real babysitter gets back from vacation) and said, "Hi!" And he heard me and came right for me. I love that kid like crazy. I felt bad for leaving today without getting to tell him goodbye and give him lubbins. I don't think I'll be going home for a while.
Ok, well, with that, I think I'm going to go now. I'll talk to y'all later.
I went home this weekend. I preached at a neighboring church. The service went long and I don't feel too good about that. Not that it's my fault. We sang a lot of hymns. Oh well. I myself don't mind going over, but some people from "my" church came because I have a reputation of getting people out early. Then, we ended up staying late. Oh well. I got a lot of good comments on my sermon, so that was good. I'm always amazed that when I go to other churches and shake hands at the end that so many people say, "Thanks for being here this morning. We hope to have you back!" It's nice to know that people think I'm doing a good job. Unless they're patronizing me. But, I'm going to choose to believe they're honest about what they say.
Anyway, I didn't do any Greek this weekend because the Prof. said at the end of class Friday, "Your assignment for this weekend is to NOT do ANY Greek at all." So, I took his advice. I got some much needed sleep. I turn stoopid when I'm lacking sleep, and that was most definitely the case. So, I slept in on Saturday and woke up refreshed. Then, I got back to the Mothership tonight and took a nap. But people kept calling me and interrupting. Ah well. Hopefully I'll be able to sleep tonight.
YS, Ma, and I went to lunch today. The food was good. I left my leftovers in Sis's fridge to give to "Howard" for lunch tomorrow or something. He's such a cute kid! He's trucking all over! Last Sunday we had to coax him to walk, and now he just gets up and does it like, "Yeah, I walk.. How 'bout it?!" When I got home Friday, I peeked around the corner and saw BiL's mom (who is babysitting him until the real babysitter gets back from vacation) and said, "Hi!" And he heard me and came right for me. I love that kid like crazy. I felt bad for leaving today without getting to tell him goodbye and give him lubbins. I don't think I'll be going home for a while.
Ok, well, with that, I think I'm going to go now. I'll talk to y'all later.
Sunday, June 24, 2007
I led worship today
and this is the message that I preached. Oh, and the worship I led was not at "my" church, but at a neighboring church. Pastor let his pastoral friends/colleagues know that I was willing to do supply preaching, and I have had several biters. Today was my first time preaching away from my home church. It was exciting. So, I preached last Sunday at my church and Pastor's "other" church, this week at a neighboring church, and I'm doing next week at yet another church. Woohoo! Anyway, in an effort to become less of a wuss, I'm putting this out here. I'm also trying to remember grace. Just because there is drama and stress in my life, doesn't mean that I should lose sight of grace, both for myself and for other people. So, here's the message:
Church Message 23
June 24, 2007
God is good-all the time. This phrase is very true. Unfortunately, in the midst of all the things in our lives that can go wrong: untimely death, tragedies, divorce, illness, pain, etc, sometimes, we can forget that God is indeed good. This morning’s Gospel lesson features two people who many would see as people who had been slighted by God. After all, they were getting on in years and they had not had any children. Elizabeth was thought of to be unable to have children, and so she and her husband had pretty much given up on the idea of hearing the pitter-patter of little feet running around the house. As we heard at the beginning of today’s Gospel lesson, though, it became time for Elizabeth to give birth. This couple who had thought they would go to their graves without having children, was blessed in a special way. I wonder, if after finding that Elizabeth was pregnant, the neighbors had a good talk amongst themselves about what was going on. This child could have been considered to be long overdue, considering Zechariah and Elizabeth’s ages. What did the neighbors think about the whole situation? Did they think that God pitied the couple? Did they think some sin in their lives had finally been resolved, thus “allowing” God to bless them? Or did they just think, “Good for them!”? I wonder. But, instead of blaming God for their misfortune up until then, and instead of saying, “What’s changed?” Elizabeth and Zechariah rejoiced in the new baby. This couple didn’t seem to really care if the neighbors had been talking about them, but instead, they rejoiced. Thankfully, instead of seeing Zechariah and Elizabeth as weird, the neighbors joined with them in the celebration of the new life that was brought forth. How easy is it sometimes to forget the goodness that we have been given and instead focus on how we’re perceived by others? I imagine that Zechariah and Elizabeth’s enthusiasm for their brand new baby boy was contagious. They showed great gratitude, and the neighbors joined in. Perhaps it was contagious? Perhaps it was leading by example? The point is that the blessing of God in their lives was not overlooked because the couple didn’t downplay their excitement because of how they might be perceived. They saw their blessing, and they gave thanks.
And we come back to the neighbors. I can imagine that many of you are parents. A couple of my siblings have small children, and so I speak only from the experience of being a part of the lives of my nephews. When my brother had his son, and when my sister had her son, I remember how each of them got a lot of advice. Parents who had been there before were offering tips on what worked for them. A great deal of that advice was very helpful to them. However, it became somewhat of a balancing act as they tried to sort through the advice, and all the while try to figure out their own parenting styles in the midst of it. Sometimes that was a hard task because we don’t like to alienate those we trust and love. So, can you imagine how Elizabeth and Zechariah must have felt when the neighbors came to be a part of the circumcision and naming ritual? The neighbors, we are told, pushed for Zechariah to name his child after him. But, in an earlier part of Luke’s Gospel, an angel told Zechariah about his future son, and what that son should be named. But here, all these people came, EXPECTING Zechariah to name the baby after him. They came to give their advice and to offer their opinions. Elizabeth said no when they pushed for the name Zechariah, and then Zechariah said no by fulfilling the angel’s command when he went against the cultural norm and named his son John. This behavior might also have been seen as odd, but these two faithful people realized that they had God with them. They did what God said, and not what the neighbors said.
Thankfully, as these “bizarre” events unfolded, the example put forth by Elizabeth and Zechariah was enough to show the friends and neighbors that God indeed was among them. But, this “God among them” bit struck a bit of fear into their hearts. What would that mean for them? Would they have to look into their own lives to see what was happening if God was among them? If God was among them, did that mean that things would have to change? And the million dollar question that was widely talked about in the region was, “What will this child become?” That question was one that was not easily answered. Even into John’s adult life, people questioned who he was. Some thought he was Elijah, while others thought he was the Messiah. Some thought he was just a weird guy, and some didn’t think of him at all. But, the neighbors at John’s birth wondered, “What will he be?” A common question, I think, when a child is born. I imagine parents often wonder what their children will become. The same could have been true for these parents, considering the unusual circumstances under which John was conceived. An angel told of John’s birth, so what would that mean for the rest of his life? God was with this child, so what would that mean for him? What does it mean for the children of today? God is with the children born today, and especially at their baptism. It means that love will always be a part of their lives. Love is a part of all of our lives as baptized children of God. An angel may have told Zechariah that he would become a father, and that God was with them, but we can know that God is with us, too. This may seem weird to people who do not have faith in their hearts and lives, but we can go forth in our lives knowing the love of God in Christ.
In response to the knowledge of God’s presence in the life of his new baby, Zechariah’s mouth was opened as he spilled forth adoration and praise to the God who made it all possible. This praise was Zechariah’s way of saying thank you to God who came through on God’s promise. God is always faithful, and God is always merciful. God had shown mercy to Elizabeth when she became pregnant, and by making John a messenger and preparer of the way of Jesus. God showed mercy to THE WORLD by coming in Christ in order to grant us forgiveness. Things may start small, but when God is at work, they don’t have to stay small. This is true for our entire lives today. God changes the world with the seeds we sow. By doing even the “little” things for those we meet, such as a smile or a kind word, we can show the love and the mercy we have been so freely given. Perhaps these actions can be our own way of saying “Thank you” to God. When John was named in this morning’s lesson, Zechariah was claiming him as his own. Zechariah claimed this gift from God, and by doing so, I believe he was saying, “Thank you God. I receive and acknowledge that this gift is from You.” In a society where we “get what we earn,” how easy is it to remember that God gives abundantly what we can never earn: unconditional love and mercy? Do we risk being seen by the neighbors as naive people for our love? Do we risk being seen as Christians with all of the stereotypes that surround us? Do we RISK going forth as people who are called, gathered and sent, knowing that Christ calls us to lives of thanksgiving, prayer, and love? I can think of worse things to be known by.
So, the question is, do we go forth as people who have received grace; as people touched by God in our baptism to make Christ known to a broken and hurting world? Do we go forth with the knowledge that Christ is our king and deserves all praise and honor, and yet with the understanding that He seeks relationship with us, as people who are unworthy to untie the thong of his sandals through our own merit? The very same John from today’s Gospel lesson would grow up to become one who preached for people to repent from their sins. He knew he was not the one to forgive these sins, but he knew he had a place in God’s plan that required him to herald the coming Messiah. Christ came as that messiah. He came to offer forgiveness for those who turned from their sin and turned to Him. Jesus came to save us, not only FROM sin, but FOR lives of praise. May we take our words and deeds of love to our neighbors so that they too, may experience this grace. Amen.
Church Message 23
June 24, 2007
God is good-all the time. This phrase is very true. Unfortunately, in the midst of all the things in our lives that can go wrong: untimely death, tragedies, divorce, illness, pain, etc, sometimes, we can forget that God is indeed good. This morning’s Gospel lesson features two people who many would see as people who had been slighted by God. After all, they were getting on in years and they had not had any children. Elizabeth was thought of to be unable to have children, and so she and her husband had pretty much given up on the idea of hearing the pitter-patter of little feet running around the house. As we heard at the beginning of today’s Gospel lesson, though, it became time for Elizabeth to give birth. This couple who had thought they would go to their graves without having children, was blessed in a special way. I wonder, if after finding that Elizabeth was pregnant, the neighbors had a good talk amongst themselves about what was going on. This child could have been considered to be long overdue, considering Zechariah and Elizabeth’s ages. What did the neighbors think about the whole situation? Did they think that God pitied the couple? Did they think some sin in their lives had finally been resolved, thus “allowing” God to bless them? Or did they just think, “Good for them!”? I wonder. But, instead of blaming God for their misfortune up until then, and instead of saying, “What’s changed?” Elizabeth and Zechariah rejoiced in the new baby. This couple didn’t seem to really care if the neighbors had been talking about them, but instead, they rejoiced. Thankfully, instead of seeing Zechariah and Elizabeth as weird, the neighbors joined with them in the celebration of the new life that was brought forth. How easy is it sometimes to forget the goodness that we have been given and instead focus on how we’re perceived by others? I imagine that Zechariah and Elizabeth’s enthusiasm for their brand new baby boy was contagious. They showed great gratitude, and the neighbors joined in. Perhaps it was contagious? Perhaps it was leading by example? The point is that the blessing of God in their lives was not overlooked because the couple didn’t downplay their excitement because of how they might be perceived. They saw their blessing, and they gave thanks.
And we come back to the neighbors. I can imagine that many of you are parents. A couple of my siblings have small children, and so I speak only from the experience of being a part of the lives of my nephews. When my brother had his son, and when my sister had her son, I remember how each of them got a lot of advice. Parents who had been there before were offering tips on what worked for them. A great deal of that advice was very helpful to them. However, it became somewhat of a balancing act as they tried to sort through the advice, and all the while try to figure out their own parenting styles in the midst of it. Sometimes that was a hard task because we don’t like to alienate those we trust and love. So, can you imagine how Elizabeth and Zechariah must have felt when the neighbors came to be a part of the circumcision and naming ritual? The neighbors, we are told, pushed for Zechariah to name his child after him. But, in an earlier part of Luke’s Gospel, an angel told Zechariah about his future son, and what that son should be named. But here, all these people came, EXPECTING Zechariah to name the baby after him. They came to give their advice and to offer their opinions. Elizabeth said no when they pushed for the name Zechariah, and then Zechariah said no by fulfilling the angel’s command when he went against the cultural norm and named his son John. This behavior might also have been seen as odd, but these two faithful people realized that they had God with them. They did what God said, and not what the neighbors said.
Thankfully, as these “bizarre” events unfolded, the example put forth by Elizabeth and Zechariah was enough to show the friends and neighbors that God indeed was among them. But, this “God among them” bit struck a bit of fear into their hearts. What would that mean for them? Would they have to look into their own lives to see what was happening if God was among them? If God was among them, did that mean that things would have to change? And the million dollar question that was widely talked about in the region was, “What will this child become?” That question was one that was not easily answered. Even into John’s adult life, people questioned who he was. Some thought he was Elijah, while others thought he was the Messiah. Some thought he was just a weird guy, and some didn’t think of him at all. But, the neighbors at John’s birth wondered, “What will he be?” A common question, I think, when a child is born. I imagine parents often wonder what their children will become. The same could have been true for these parents, considering the unusual circumstances under which John was conceived. An angel told of John’s birth, so what would that mean for the rest of his life? God was with this child, so what would that mean for him? What does it mean for the children of today? God is with the children born today, and especially at their baptism. It means that love will always be a part of their lives. Love is a part of all of our lives as baptized children of God. An angel may have told Zechariah that he would become a father, and that God was with them, but we can know that God is with us, too. This may seem weird to people who do not have faith in their hearts and lives, but we can go forth in our lives knowing the love of God in Christ.
In response to the knowledge of God’s presence in the life of his new baby, Zechariah’s mouth was opened as he spilled forth adoration and praise to the God who made it all possible. This praise was Zechariah’s way of saying thank you to God who came through on God’s promise. God is always faithful, and God is always merciful. God had shown mercy to Elizabeth when she became pregnant, and by making John a messenger and preparer of the way of Jesus. God showed mercy to THE WORLD by coming in Christ in order to grant us forgiveness. Things may start small, but when God is at work, they don’t have to stay small. This is true for our entire lives today. God changes the world with the seeds we sow. By doing even the “little” things for those we meet, such as a smile or a kind word, we can show the love and the mercy we have been so freely given. Perhaps these actions can be our own way of saying “Thank you” to God. When John was named in this morning’s lesson, Zechariah was claiming him as his own. Zechariah claimed this gift from God, and by doing so, I believe he was saying, “Thank you God. I receive and acknowledge that this gift is from You.” In a society where we “get what we earn,” how easy is it to remember that God gives abundantly what we can never earn: unconditional love and mercy? Do we risk being seen by the neighbors as naive people for our love? Do we risk being seen as Christians with all of the stereotypes that surround us? Do we RISK going forth as people who are called, gathered and sent, knowing that Christ calls us to lives of thanksgiving, prayer, and love? I can think of worse things to be known by.
So, the question is, do we go forth as people who have received grace; as people touched by God in our baptism to make Christ known to a broken and hurting world? Do we go forth with the knowledge that Christ is our king and deserves all praise and honor, and yet with the understanding that He seeks relationship with us, as people who are unworthy to untie the thong of his sandals through our own merit? The very same John from today’s Gospel lesson would grow up to become one who preached for people to repent from their sins. He knew he was not the one to forgive these sins, but he knew he had a place in God’s plan that required him to herald the coming Messiah. Christ came as that messiah. He came to offer forgiveness for those who turned from their sin and turned to Him. Jesus came to save us, not only FROM sin, but FOR lives of praise. May we take our words and deeds of love to our neighbors so that they too, may experience this grace. Amen.
Monday, November 27, 2006
Ok, so I'm a liar.
I decided to do a little blogsurfing before heading to bed. And then I remembered that I didn't talk about how worship went this morning. Duh! Well, worship went fine. I turned on the sound system as soon as I got to church and it didn't feedback my ears out, so I thought it was fine. But then one of the ushers was checking it and the sound wasn't going through it. He didn't know what to do, but luckily I did! We just put a recharged battery in it (I knew where they were from previous experience with that issue) and it was A-Ok. So, worship went well. The Sunday school kids sang. I always love that. I didn't totally botch anything, so that was good. And I got good comments at both churches. So, I finally decided that I will post a sermon. Here it is:
Church Message 18
“Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall;
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall
All the king’s horses and all the king’s men
couldn’t put Humpty together again.”
When I was a little kid, I liked this nursery rhyme, although I didn’t like the fact that poor Humpty Dumpty was broken forever. I mean, really. Not even all of the king’s horses and all the king’s men could put him back together again? That’s got to be a mistake. The king should be able to train his people so that they could put the poor character back together. He’s the king, after all, isn’t he!? But alas, poor Humpty Dumpty was never the same after his fall. And then I wonder, “Why was Humpty sitting on such a high wall anyway? Was he a daredevil? Was he haughtily trying to prove to those around him that he was important because he could be physically higher than they were?” I’m reminded of the characters in “The King and I” where the king demanded that Anna always be lower than he was. I imagine Humpty Dumpty must have been at least remotely important, or why else would the king trouble himself with sending out his horses and men to try to fix him? If Humpty was just some no good vagrant on the streets, Humpty probably would have just been disregarded from the outset. But instead, the king sent ALL of his horses and ALL of his men to try to remedy the situation, unfortunately to no avail. Bummer for Humpty.
As I look back on this nursery rhyme, I wonder if perhaps Humpty was able to live out his life in the shattered pieces and mess that he must have existed as once the king’s horses and men gave up on him. Maybe he could at least live with a relative or friend who could take care of him. A shelter or a mission could take him in, don’t you think? Humpty could find his livelihood doing something else besides sitting on high walls. Maybe he could get a nice desk job somewhere where the biggest threat to his safety was a paper cut on his already broken and battered self. Or maybe he could be a motivational speaker to those who were feeling like their lives had turned for the worse and were unredeemable.
Then I think that maybe Humpty was not popular at all. Maybe he was sitting high on the wall on a dare, in order to gain popularity. Perhaps he was a little too clumsy and awkward to have risked the stunt, considering what happened to him. I don’t know the answers to these questions, but the ending in the nursery rhyme leaves too many questions about Humpty Dumpty’s future.
Today’s Gospel lesson also involves a lot of questions. Pilate asked Jesus questions. Jesus answered Pilate not with actual answers, necessarily, but with more questions. Pilate then asked even more questions. Jesus told Pilate that His kingdom was not from this world. I imagine that would be a difficult concept for Pilate to grasp, considering that worldly kingdoms were all he knew. Pilate served under the Roman king Caesar. It was through Caesar that Pilate had any power at all. Pilate must have been taken aback by the unexpected reply that Jesus gave about where His kingdom existed.
But the unexpected abounds in today’s Gospel lesson. Jesus, the heralded king of the Jews was on trial. In today’s world, most world leaders are granted immunity. This was not so for Jesus because immunity would have ruined His plan of salvation. Another unexpected occurrence happened when Jesus turned the tables on Pilate. Jesus asked Pilate many questions instead of answering the ones posed to him. When I think of defendants who question the judge, I think of one phrase: “Contempt of court.”
But Jesus’ whole life was lived in an amazingly unexpected way. We are about to embark on our Advent journey where we will once again hear the stories of how He was unexpectedly conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit to a virgin. We can also remember hearing about how Jesus, the Word made flesh, came and lived among us, and was rejected by many, even though not one thing came into being without Him. We recall miracle stories where the dead are brought back to life, the deaf are made to hear, and the blind are given sight; all unexpected things. And even in today’s Gospel lesson we can see the unexpected ways in which Jesus lived His life, betrayed by His own people, and yet willing and ready to die for them to allow for their salvation.
It is rather ironic that in today’s lesson, Pilate is asking Jesus for truth. It is ironic because the Truth was standing right there in front of Him in the person of Jesus Christ. But, Pilate instead chose to go against truth and believe the lies and fabrications with which the Jewish authorities had charged Jesus. But again, Jesus was not surprised. Jesus tells us that He came to testify to the truth, and that those who belong to the truth listen to His voice. Pilate didn’t listen to the voice of Truth. Instead, he sought to pacify the crowds of Pharisees and Scribes and have Jesus crucified. But, the great thing is, Jesus once again blew away all expectations that the people had of him on that first Easter morning when He rose defiantly against the powers of sin and death.
Today is Christ the King Sunday; a day that we celebrate Jesus as the triumphant King of creation. He set His face toward Jerusalem, full well knowing that He would be arrested, put to trial, and executed once He went there. But, Jesus went anyway. Why? Because He realized our sinful brokenness. Because all the king’s horses and all the king’s men are unable to do what He alone can do: bring us to the Father. Like Humpty Dumpty, we are all broken and perhaps a little clumsy. In the song “Clumsy” by Chris Rice, he sings, “I get so clumsy, and I get so foolish. I can get so stupid, and then I feel so useless. But you’re saying you love me, and you’re still gonna hold me, and that you wanna be near me cause you’re making me holy.” Instead of sending all of His horses and men, the King came to do the job right for all who trust in Him. Because we’re all important and we all have value in His eyes, despite our shortcomings and failures. Yes, Jesus did many unexpected things in His lifetime because he’s the king and because the King is the only one who is truly able to pick us up, brush us off, and put us back together again in order to make us complete and whole.
The END
So, that's it. See ya, cuz now my shoulder and arm really hurt bad!
Church Message 18
“Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall;
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall
All the king’s horses and all the king’s men
couldn’t put Humpty together again.”
When I was a little kid, I liked this nursery rhyme, although I didn’t like the fact that poor Humpty Dumpty was broken forever. I mean, really. Not even all of the king’s horses and all the king’s men could put him back together again? That’s got to be a mistake. The king should be able to train his people so that they could put the poor character back together. He’s the king, after all, isn’t he!? But alas, poor Humpty Dumpty was never the same after his fall. And then I wonder, “Why was Humpty sitting on such a high wall anyway? Was he a daredevil? Was he haughtily trying to prove to those around him that he was important because he could be physically higher than they were?” I’m reminded of the characters in “The King and I” where the king demanded that Anna always be lower than he was. I imagine Humpty Dumpty must have been at least remotely important, or why else would the king trouble himself with sending out his horses and men to try to fix him? If Humpty was just some no good vagrant on the streets, Humpty probably would have just been disregarded from the outset. But instead, the king sent ALL of his horses and ALL of his men to try to remedy the situation, unfortunately to no avail. Bummer for Humpty.
As I look back on this nursery rhyme, I wonder if perhaps Humpty was able to live out his life in the shattered pieces and mess that he must have existed as once the king’s horses and men gave up on him. Maybe he could at least live with a relative or friend who could take care of him. A shelter or a mission could take him in, don’t you think? Humpty could find his livelihood doing something else besides sitting on high walls. Maybe he could get a nice desk job somewhere where the biggest threat to his safety was a paper cut on his already broken and battered self. Or maybe he could be a motivational speaker to those who were feeling like their lives had turned for the worse and were unredeemable.
Then I think that maybe Humpty was not popular at all. Maybe he was sitting high on the wall on a dare, in order to gain popularity. Perhaps he was a little too clumsy and awkward to have risked the stunt, considering what happened to him. I don’t know the answers to these questions, but the ending in the nursery rhyme leaves too many questions about Humpty Dumpty’s future.
Today’s Gospel lesson also involves a lot of questions. Pilate asked Jesus questions. Jesus answered Pilate not with actual answers, necessarily, but with more questions. Pilate then asked even more questions. Jesus told Pilate that His kingdom was not from this world. I imagine that would be a difficult concept for Pilate to grasp, considering that worldly kingdoms were all he knew. Pilate served under the Roman king Caesar. It was through Caesar that Pilate had any power at all. Pilate must have been taken aback by the unexpected reply that Jesus gave about where His kingdom existed.
But the unexpected abounds in today’s Gospel lesson. Jesus, the heralded king of the Jews was on trial. In today’s world, most world leaders are granted immunity. This was not so for Jesus because immunity would have ruined His plan of salvation. Another unexpected occurrence happened when Jesus turned the tables on Pilate. Jesus asked Pilate many questions instead of answering the ones posed to him. When I think of defendants who question the judge, I think of one phrase: “Contempt of court.”
But Jesus’ whole life was lived in an amazingly unexpected way. We are about to embark on our Advent journey where we will once again hear the stories of how He was unexpectedly conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit to a virgin. We can also remember hearing about how Jesus, the Word made flesh, came and lived among us, and was rejected by many, even though not one thing came into being without Him. We recall miracle stories where the dead are brought back to life, the deaf are made to hear, and the blind are given sight; all unexpected things. And even in today’s Gospel lesson we can see the unexpected ways in which Jesus lived His life, betrayed by His own people, and yet willing and ready to die for them to allow for their salvation.
It is rather ironic that in today’s lesson, Pilate is asking Jesus for truth. It is ironic because the Truth was standing right there in front of Him in the person of Jesus Christ. But, Pilate instead chose to go against truth and believe the lies and fabrications with which the Jewish authorities had charged Jesus. But again, Jesus was not surprised. Jesus tells us that He came to testify to the truth, and that those who belong to the truth listen to His voice. Pilate didn’t listen to the voice of Truth. Instead, he sought to pacify the crowds of Pharisees and Scribes and have Jesus crucified. But, the great thing is, Jesus once again blew away all expectations that the people had of him on that first Easter morning when He rose defiantly against the powers of sin and death.
Today is Christ the King Sunday; a day that we celebrate Jesus as the triumphant King of creation. He set His face toward Jerusalem, full well knowing that He would be arrested, put to trial, and executed once He went there. But, Jesus went anyway. Why? Because He realized our sinful brokenness. Because all the king’s horses and all the king’s men are unable to do what He alone can do: bring us to the Father. Like Humpty Dumpty, we are all broken and perhaps a little clumsy. In the song “Clumsy” by Chris Rice, he sings, “I get so clumsy, and I get so foolish. I can get so stupid, and then I feel so useless. But you’re saying you love me, and you’re still gonna hold me, and that you wanna be near me cause you’re making me holy.” Instead of sending all of His horses and men, the King came to do the job right for all who trust in Him. Because we’re all important and we all have value in His eyes, despite our shortcomings and failures. Yes, Jesus did many unexpected things in His lifetime because he’s the king and because the King is the only one who is truly able to pick us up, brush us off, and put us back together again in order to make us complete and whole.
The END
So, that's it. See ya, cuz now my shoulder and arm really hurt bad!
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