First of all, thanks to all of you who participated last week and a huge thank you to Abi for filling in. I'm back this week, and ready to post!
I am changing my mind about what to preach this week. I was going to go with Ephesians, but have decided to preach the gospel instead. (You know what I mean...I try to preach the Gospel every week. This week I am also reading the gospel lesson!)
This past week I was at Synod School for the Synod of Lakes and Prairies (or as we call it, SLAP!) On Thursday night I had the privilege of serving communion. We were celebrating by intinction with wine or grape juice, plus with a choice of using the common cup of wine (kind of felt like a eucharistic buffet line, but I digress...) I was serving the bread, and I was instructed to break/tear off a piece for each of the communicants, instead of having 650 pairs of hands on the loaf. As I got to the end of this huge hunk of bread, I started getting nervous as I saw how long the line still was, and how tiny my loaf was.
I started breaking off a smaller and smaller piece, and just as I was about to turn the body of Christ into eucharistic dust, a pair of hands reaches from behind and hands me a new loaf.
Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.
Amen.
COme with me and never be hungry indeed!
ReplyDeleteI am going with the EPhesians reading. Talking about our need to grow to maturity in faith in order for us to live out who we are called to be. I am planning on using that as a way into talking about the fact that a) the faith is and yet is not the "faith of our fathers" b)we can't just stay with the faith that we learned as children in Sunday School and c) asking questions and partaking in adult Christian Education is a good thing.
See my opening thoughts at the church's blog.
Gord
I'm not preaching, but I am writing the Prayers of the Church. I'd like to incorporate both themes into that. (And then I'm GOING TO THE U.P.! WHOO-HOO!)
ReplyDeleteHi, I don't get to preach often, but I'm up this Sunday. My UMC calendar lists Psalm 51, although other options are given in other sources. Since I spoke on Obstacles to Grace (sin) in a different context this past weekend, Psalm 51 seems like a natural choice. David knows he is in need of God's mercy. We United Methodists often don't like to admit our need for mercy and forgiveness. We like to think we're pretty good people in general. We'll admit to needing comfort in a crisis, and guidance in decision making, but "not so much" when it comes to mercy. Well there I have a start. I'll take any helpful hints.
ReplyDeleteI am torn. This is a new gig for me, so it is tempting to speak about the Ephians passage. But it is our monthly communion service and How can I pass up John and Moses?!?!
ReplyDeleteOy.
Gord,
ReplyDeleteI too am preaching from the Ephesians Passage. I am borrowing from one of the other revgalblogpals website. I'll have to find it to make reference to it. It was great and used the idea the Power of One. So there you go, the Power of One; one body, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, on God and Father of us all. verse 4
Liz the lurking UMC come join us revgalblogpals. And you are right the Obstacles to Grace talk is perfect for Psalms 51.
I wrote about three of these passages for Ordinary Time, one of them twice. I am on vacation. How frustrating is this? (And why didn't I think of this when choosing dates for the book?)
ReplyDeletemaking a note to check out the Ordinary Time blog
ReplyDeleteI thought initially I would do the gospel--seems like a slam dunk for a communion service--but I'm now going to do Ephesians.
This is our yearly Agape Communion service, where we sit around tables and enjoy a simple meal along with the Lord's Supper. The Ephesians passage just lends itself to this service because it emphasizes our oneness in Christ.
It's always a more relaxed service, and this year I am really going to shake things up by having us play with play-doh during the sermon!
They may never want me to preach on Agape Sunday again...
I love the illustration of more of Jesus coming along, just when you think you are all out.
ReplyDeletePlay-doh! Awesome! I think hands-on work is highly under-rated for children of all ages in church.
Once when I was working with Godly Play in Sunday school, we were doing the pouring play. A little boy said, pouring reverently, "So much of Jesus...so little of us..." referring to the proportions poured at Eucharist. It still brings tears to my eyes.
rev abi,
ReplyDeleteI'm working on a blog (soon as I get past this sermon). Then I'd love to join revgals.
Any other 'piscopalians out there preaching on Transfiguration?
ReplyDeleteCheese, glad you are home and thanks for the story of being handed another loaf.
ReplyDeleteGood stuff here, y'all.
I'm not preaching this week, though I wish I were. It feels funny to have preached last week's text from John (on the feeding of the multitudes) but not have the chance to round it out with this week's text "I am the bread of life..."
ReplyDeleteIf I did have the chance, I'd probably incorporate this quote from Alexander Schmemann, the Orthodox liturgical theologian:
"All that exists is God's gift to us, and it all exists to make God known to us, to make our life communion with God. It is divine love made food, made life for us."
Hm. Actually I use it anyway in the communion liturgy I'm writing for this Sunday...
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ReplyDeleteOkay I found the post I was commenting about that led me to think of the Power of One. It is at Maced with Grace by Jules called. Putting all your eggs in one basket
ReplyDeleteSusie, there was no way for you to know this but after this past year's batch of "Trans..." sermons and struggles writing said sermons we do not speak of the 'T' word any more.
ReplyDeleteEphesians still for me and I am not happy with the day I made THAT plan. Will the mojo return... so far it is not looking good.
Of course I may have been looking for mojo in all the wrong places since I have spent and inordinate amount of time reading everyone's Friday Fives.
I know I am probably the only one who looks back at this on Friday but my question as I work on my sermon today is this:
ReplyDeleteHow do we balance the unity asked for in the beginning of the Ephesians passage with the later text that warns us against people's trickery.
How do we keep the unity when we cannot even discern who is right in our own unit let alone the rest of the Christian realm and beyond.