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| Under Construction??? |
Shall we begin with prayer (written by Thom Shuman):
Steadfast God, we confess that we
are so busy
putting up walls between ourselves and others,
we cannot see the home you are building for all
of us. We spend so much time noting the differences
between us and others, while you are embracing
everyone as your child. We run to welcome those
who look, talk, and act like us, and you throw open
your doors to the stranger, the alien, in our midst.
Forgive us, Faithful Heart. By your grace, help us
to see the household your are building for all people:
there are no plastic protectors on the furniture; there
are no rooms that are off-limits; and even the smallest
child is welcome to sit at the big peoples' Table and
be fed by your grace. We pray this in the name of
Jesus Christ, our peace, our hope, our Lord, our Savior.
putting up walls between ourselves and others,
we cannot see the home you are building for all
of us. We spend so much time noting the differences
between us and others, while you are embracing
everyone as your child. We run to welcome those
who look, talk, and act like us, and you throw open
your doors to the stranger, the alien, in our midst.
Forgive us, Faithful Heart. By your grace, help us
to see the household your are building for all people:
there are no plastic protectors on the furniture; there
are no rooms that are off-limits; and even the smallest
child is welcome to sit at the big peoples' Table and
be fed by your grace. We pray this in the name of
Jesus Christ, our peace, our hope, our Lord, our Savior.
The RCL readings for this Sunday (which is Proper 11B, the 8th After Pentecost) can be found and read here. And what do the lectionary folks have for us this week???
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| I think I could find God here |
Maybe it is just as well I am not preaching if I want to talk about Jesus as the temple...
But some of you ARE preaching. And what are you preaching about?
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| GOt this one from FB a few months back. Good Question though? |
Thanks Gord, love the last photo. I'm saving it for a series in August.
ReplyDeletePreaching the Mark text just using the first four verses and using the word compassion as a jumping off point. Will be using some of Karen Armstrong's work on compassion in the Axial Age as well as a NYTimes op-ed on how acts of compassion affect our behavior.
I too love that photo - thanks!
ReplyDeleteI'm planning a guided mediation on rest as part of our series on Peace = Peace Within. Seems like a good way to go in the summer, unless everyone falls asleep in the warm sanctuary!
Our National Assembly is meeting this week, so maybe something from there to include - the potentially contentious stuff has not been discussed yet.
ReplyDeleteafter this week I have some leave, which means 5 Sundays off.
I am thinking about the Samuel reading, and how it is about what God is building, rather then what we want to build. Ephesians may fit as well, with God building people/relationships rather then wood and stone.
and hopefully I can use some of the reports/video from Assembly, showing what God is doing in our midst. but if anything controversial happens, I may need to deal with that instead.
Wow, where is everyone this week?
ReplyDeleteI have not been feeling inspired by the lectionary, and so this morning I decided to bend the rules a bit and use the lections for the feast of Mary Magdalen (which is July 22 but technically is transferred to Monday in TEC). I love talking about her and haven't done it with this congregation. Might include the other women whose days we observe in July: Macrian, Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Amelia Bloomer. We'll see....
Just checking in. Needing some sermon help. Everyone must be on vacay. Geez. Where are are second strings, Dr. Mom? I need help
ReplyDeleteA stressful week, and I am pretty clueless while desperately longing for an Acme E-Z Build Sermon Kit!
ReplyDeleteAny chance you have remembered more of that sermon? Might be great for my family service. I was thinking of picking up on the bit about Jesus going to deserted places for renewal...our need for quiet and retreat. What is that like? What might it mean at different ages/stages? Etc. not very inspiring.
It will be the Ephesians text for me. I was struck by the phrase, "that he might create in himself one new humanity" (v. 15). Hopefully we can envision together what this may look like for our church. Thanks too for the picture.
ReplyDeleteWow. I posted something yesterday, but it appears the internets ate it. I'm doing Mark & Ephesians, trying to explore how the spiritual disciplines of rest and recreation--and the creative playful work of relationship-building--can help us become better shepherds (and sheep?). (I noticed, while searching for bulletin art, that most depictions of traditional shepherds put musical instruments in the shepherd's hands. This got me thinking about the connection between creativity and "good shepherding." Hmmm.)
ReplyDeletePreaching Ephesians and talking about the hard work of reconciliation and unity amidst difference. i.e. Gentiles and Jews both being citizens/welcomed given Christ. I'm playing with the idea of insiders and outsiders, and the fact that in the church we are all welcome and all family. that's counter cultural even in the church right now, it seems.
ReplyDeleteThe shooting in Colorado might be dealt with in the sermon, or in the prayers of the people.
I'm going with being church beyond the walls. There's a church in Oakville, Ontario, Canada called Forest View Comm. Church and on their outside wall as you drive by it says 'CHURCH WITHOUT WALLS'. Mission cannot happen if you stay within or bring everyone and everything within. We're having our roof redone and I'm asking, how is that going to help us BE church/Jesus. This small community is about to burst with 40,000 new homes (yes 40,000) and they're seeking to be a presence in the community but they have to leave these safe walls in order to do that. I'm also tying in compassion and trying to work in the shooting in Toronto on Monday night as well as the shooting in Aurora, Colorado last night. How do we respond with compassion? What does that look like? Anyway, that's sort of where I'm headed. Blessings on all of you as you share with your folk on Sunday!
ReplyDelete