Is it just me, or was this a very short week between Easter Sunday and Easter 2 Sunday?
Here we are again, getting sermons ready to go and putting the finishing touches on worship services.
How many ways are there, I wonder, to say, "God loves you. Believe it and act like it."?
No matter that the week after Easter is often called "Low Sunday." Let's say, "Hello, Sunday!"
One of the joys of hosting these Saturday preacher gatherings is reading your sermons as you post them. You take so many different approaches; you come up with so many different ways to share love and grace and new life. Thank you for your sermon gifts and for the conversation that fuels our sermon work.
The 11th Hour Preacher Party is where we work it all out and where we come up with the next sermon for this new week.
Welcome, familiar faces and new friends!
Come on in and pull up a chair. Pour yourself a cuppa something. The coffee and tea are always Fair Trade and ready to go. Help yourselves to an extra serving of encouragement and good humor and resources.
If you don't see what you need, please ask.
And greetings to each of you! Welcome to the party!
This is going to be long. There's a lot in my head and I need to get it out. Apologies for taking the space.
ReplyDeleteAs I mentioned elsewhere, I'm going with John 20:19-31.
The title for the children's moment is "Can You Believe It?" and it's around Thomas. Thomas doubted the other disciples, but the disciples doubted the women. Jesus wasn't mad at any of them. Jesus said "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe." Sometimes it takes a while to come to believe. It's ok to not be sure of something. Sometimes you have to check things out with someone you trust (like your parents), or see it, or think about it a while.
--
Thomas out of the way, the sermon keys on John 20:21-23:
21 Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you."
22 When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit.
23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained."
The feast time of Easter lasts seven weeks, the last day of which is Pentecost - the "birthday" of the church.
[which, conveniently, is the day after my graduation, and my last day at my field site as I'm preaching then.]
With the resurrection, the disciples might have expected this Jesus, who has conquered death, to do something slightly less amazing, like overthrowing Rome for example.
Nope.
Jesus says "As the Father has sent me, so I send you."
Yipes. What does it mean to be sent as Jesus was sent? Didn't Jesus say to take up your own cross? Does this mean we are called to live sacrificial lives?
Yep.
And more: Jesus breathes the Holy Spirit on them. This is the beginnings of what will be the Church as the Body of Christ.
Aw, but wait, that's the Apostles, right? So we're talking about priests here, not the people on Sunday morning.
Ever hear of the priesthood of all believers? Being a baptized believer is about being a priest of the Church of Jesus Christ every day. We become the face of the church - the face of Jesus - to the people with whom we interact.
Then verse 23, about the forgiveness of sins: a common, and I believe reasonable, interpretation is that Jesus gives the apostles the power to forgive and retain sins, and this is passed down through apostolic succession to priests and ordained clergy.
Think about the examples of Jesus telling people they were not forgiven. He did drive out the moneychangers. And he did curse a fig tree...
But Jesus forgave the woman at the well, and the man born blind, and the woman accused of adultery, and the paralyzed man. and the woman who touched his garment without asking.
I'm challenging us to think of it as a warning: when we forgive, people experience forgiveness. When we don't forgive, they experience not being forgiven.
And just in case we think there are some people who deserve to not be forgiven - who deserve more suffering - we need to remember that we are priests of the Church of Jesus Christ. For many, we are the way people experience Jesus in this world.
Do we show a different Jesus: maybe one who said the paralyzed man couldn't be forgiven? Because Jesus was without sin, does our Jesus cast the first stone at the woman caught in adultery?
We're not just Sunday Morning church-goers. We're all priests - whether we own it or not. What we bless in the public square is blessed; what we curse in the public square is cursed.
--
Followed by a soloist from our congregation singing Bruce Carroll's "Who Will Be Jesus."
--
Oh, and it's communion Sunday, so my supervisor pre-consecrated the elements. In my communion liturgy, I note this, and then declare, since we have dozens of priests in this place, it wouldn't hurt to have dozens of priests to call on God to bless the meal. There's a corporate consecration in the bulletin.
Communion hymn is "One Bread, One Body"
Cindi, a lot of food for thought here. Congrats on your upcoming graduation! With that coming up, there must be quite a lot on your plate these days.
DeleteYeah, quite a lot. Sometimes more than I can swallow or stomach.
DeleteThere's a story there, or several!
Delete(((YOU)))
Cyndi, a lot on your mind - but you are thinking it all through. Good for you.
ReplyDeleteI am not preaching this Sunday, TBTG! But I do have a 75th wedding anniversary and renewal of marriage vows this afternoon. And classes I am teaching tomorrow...on top of a busy week of travel, helping my daughter move, and more of the on-going busyness of the church.
Many blessings, Terri, as you enjoy a change of pace. It doesn't seem much slower, though. Enjoy!
Deleteno sermon tomorrow. reading John, and thinking about peace. people will be encouraged to think about peace as they make a banner about peace; origami swans or storks; discussion or listen to music.
ReplyDeletecall to worship is Psalm with instruments, should be great!!!
What a nice Sunday, all about peace. Some good ideas to think about for those of us who might be emphasizing the peace aspect of Mother's Day coming up in May here.
Delete11.30 pm, time for a cuppa. thank God it is the end of daylight savings, so an extra hour sleep tonight - well an extra hour, some of it is already gone in extra time taken on worship prep, even without a sermon.
ReplyDeleteVery short sermon on the sacraments, in between a baptism of a baby (my first!) and communion. Matthew 28 and Road to Emmaus. We recognize God in the concrete and tangible signs of life -- naming and nourishment -- God has given us. That's it.
ReplyDeleteAnd that's it until the end of April, God willing and no funerals.
Good thing. I dreamed the other night that (1) as I was preaching with a manuscript, I kept dropping it and losing pages and was unable to reassemble those I had in order and (2) as I moved onto a baptism, a group of people came in and started setting up a stage set across the chancel in front of me -- huge pieces of plywood and a massive car blocking the view between the congregation and me.
I have some pretty good ideas about what all that means, and it's a good thing I'm about to go on retreat and process it!
Oh, enjoy the baptism. It's very touching, especially the first.
DeleteAnd I have had dream #1, exactly as you describe it.
Your first baptism. What a special day!
DeleteTBTG for retreats and the time to process all the stuff, right?
Robin, I have those sorts of dreams too. Usually either sermon manuscript messed up, can't get my vestments right, or (most often) cant find my place in the BCP and when I do it is in another language! Yes, the meaning is way too obvious, but they still leave me feeling so unsettled. I hope it all goes beautifully tomorrow and that the baptism is a joy.
DeleteRobin, enjoy your first baptism! How special.
DeleteAnd oof! that dream! I have those kinds of dreams occasionally too - as Betsy said, so unsettling.
Baptisms are such fun - I hope you enjoy this first one - that person will be special to you.
DeleteI used to have dreams of not preparing on the correct gospel - and I would not sleep well the night before even though I had checked it many times. THEN it happened... I had the right Gospel, but the priest read the wrong one and I made it work - on Thomas. No more anxiety dreams about that at least!
I guess these dreams are as universal as exam dreams. Forty years later and I still occasionally have the one - same every time - about sitting under a tree on the lawn at Mount Holyoke College (we had self-scheduled exams and could take them anywhere on campus) and opening the bluebook to the realization that I had not been to a single class or read a single assignment.
DeleteIn my dream, I am always stuck in a crowd and get to church. By the time I get there, the service is ongoing and is, of course, packed with visitors.
DeleteI am struggling with too many ideas this week - fear, peace, Thomas, Jesus meeting us where we are. I need Jesus to meet me and give me the words to say!
Preaching from the Acts lection tomorrow. My colleague and I are preaching on Acts throughout eastertide looking at attributes of the early church. The attribute I picked is risk. Once the apostles got over their fear as is evidenced in the John reading, and Jesus gave them peace and the Spirit, they are able to risk their lives and imprisonment to preach and teach in Jerusalem. They can only risk though because of the hope of the resurrection and the gift of the Spirit nudging them. Our congregation is also kicking off a visioning process tomorrow, so I'm hoping the invitation to risk will jump start that process.
ReplyDeleteThe sermon is written, and I'm editing it/practicing it today before a Presbyterian Women's luncheon. I do have to pull together my adult Sunday school lesson from scratch on worship...Sigh.
I've got plenty of coffee and some yummy chocolate coffee cake to share here in TX. Prayers ascending for all of you preaching. Indeed, it was a short week, and I'm still tired.
I love the attributes of the early church series for after Easter. Perfect timing for your congregation.
DeleteI imagine your TX morning is as beautiful as the one I am looking out on in Baton Rouge this a.m. Exquisite!
It was a beautiful morning! Sermon editing is done, and now on to the practicing...It still doesn't feel done to me, but the PW lunch and lesson planning also required energy.
DeleteGood morning, everyone! Thanks for getting the party off to a great start.
ReplyDeleteYesterday and today, I took a couple of extra days to come up to Baton Rouge to hang out with family. I just felt like I was running on empty, which became obvious when I got "energetic" over something that normally would have been no big deal. I got an email late last night that someone is in the hospital, so I will go back to New Orleans earlier today than I probably would have.
Sermon-wise, I am thinking about letting the Thomas story talk about "believing" as more than beliefs. I also hope to focus on the church as a believing body rather than faith being only about a personal, individual thing.
That's the plan. I just made some coffee and hope to get some of that started before my pastor-ish clothes are clean and ready to put on again. I hadn't planned to need them again while I was here.
Pass the chocolate coffee cake please, Suz!
Sharon- I recognize that friendly rooster! Thanks for bringing back memories of a delightful meal with friends
DeleteI am totally uninspired by Thomas, but at least I have time to think about it because I am heading out now (early) on a fundraising hike with our church, and then I have a class all afternoon (one I love, so that's good). The part I have started is about Thomas's doubt being a reflection (a twin?) of our own and how normal and even healthy that is. I know--hah! Should say that at the moment I know!--that I will be ending with Jesus's peace not being to banish our questions but to bless them, to keep us moving forward with them. Or something like that.
ReplyDeleteBlessings on all as we go about our writing, questioning, and living today!
A good ending is a blessing, Betsy! The "moving forward" idea is what I'm hoping for in mine, too.
DeleteGood morning, everyone! I am preaching John, but don't even get around to Thomas. I got stuck on the way Jesus describes forgiveness.
ReplyDeleteWon't publish it on my blog until after I preach it, but am happy to email it to anyone who wants to read on it (and send comments!). My email is marci.glass@mac.com.
Off to a presbytery meeting to deal with a church in schism. sigh....
Stuck on forgiveness. Not a bad place to be stuck, Marcy.
DeleteBlessings on your challenging meeting.
I am one of 3 reflections tomorrow. I chose the Acts passage and am telling my story. I'm not being asked to risk my life for Christ, but we are all asked to listen to the insistent whispering of the Holy Spirit and be witnesses to one another about what Christ is doing. I touch on trying to serve in the church in the past, and being told "no" (human authority), and finding myself in a place finally where the Holy Spirit AND the community are telling me yes! Something like that.
ReplyDeleteWendy, your church will hear your testimony of how they have been faithful and how they have answered your prayers. What good news!
DeleteGood morning, gals and pals! I am struggling to get into gear for tomorrow. Preaching the Thomas text and my mind is all over the place. I feel like I've preached this text a lot, but turns out that's not actually the case - the last time I preached it was 8 years ago! So you would think I could have some new thoughts about it at this point.
ReplyDeleteAm struck this time by the fact that the word "doubt" actually never appears in the text (but instead, the word "unbelieving" - not the same thing!). I really like what Gail O'Day says about that in the New Interpreter's Bible : "A literal translation of v. 27b reads, 'Do not be unbelieving but believing' This is the only occurrence of this pair of adjectives in the Fourth Gospel, and their contrast is important. Jesus exhorts Thomas to move from a position of unbelief to belief. This story does not focus on doubt and skepticism, but on the grounds of faith. Jesus will meet the conditions that Thomas set for his belief; indeed, he explicitly identifies his offer of himself as the motivation for Thomas's move from unbelief to belief."
I'm mulling this over, along with this central image of Jesus offering himself in the way Thomas needs, just as Jesus saying Mary's name was what she needed to hear in order to see.
We have to move out of our house in a few days for workers to redo our floors (following our refrigerator flooding our house while we were on vacation after Christmas), so I am feeling very distracted and unsettled. So much to do to be ready to move out for three weeks. I'm hoping to get settled down and centered so I can proceed with writing!
Thanks, earthchick! The "unbelieving - believing" is helpful to what I am working on.
DeleteI miss my books! I have been relying very heavily on internet research -- and all of you! -- since I haven't moved my books down here yet.
Centering prayers for you and all of us.
Hello, preachers! I will be back among you from Mother's Day to Labor Day, covering a colleague's sabbatical. For now, I'm back to blogging about the Lectionary, and I want to share two posts from this week in case they are helpful in any way. Risking Thomas addresses the John text; "All the tribes of the earth will wail" is about Revelation.
ReplyDeleteIt will be great to have you preaching again and preparing with us, Martha. I hope you are looking forward to that new thing.
DeleteThank you for the links. They are wonderful posts!
Good morning. I'm getting a later than planned start after an 1 1/2 hour phone conversation with my daughter. She's tired and in pain and life isn't working out for her. I think she's going to take us up on our offer for her to move home (across several states, from city to uber-rural). She wants a fresh start and I think she needs the sanctuary of home for awhile.
ReplyDeleteI've got nothing so far. I think I'm preaching the John text, but so far not very inspired by either Jesus' first visit, or his second. I looked again at Acts and Revelation for a potential sermon series, but I think I'm staying with John. Part of my problem is that I was away at a conference for most of the week, so haven't spent enough time in the text. The bishop really should give us a sermon to take back with us if he's going to schedule a conference the week after Easter!!
I've got a hospital visit 50 miles away, so I'm hoping to do some thinking/reflecting/head-writing while driving. Then a baby shower and a baptism prep meeting. Fortunately, the baptism prep meeting means that I won't need as long of a sermon. Maybe I can do something with how we come to God as infants, and Thomas and faith.
Hopefully the car ride will be productive!
The bishop scheduling a conference the week after Easter? Did he expect you to have any brain cells at this conference? You're right; a sermon would be a good parting gift!
DeleteA car ride can be productive and I hope yours is (was, will be).
DeleteHugs and prayers for you and your daughter, Ramona.
Prayers for your daughter , Ramona, and for you as you offer her your love and support.
DeleteWhile I enjoy preaching, I have this sermon and one more before vacation so it becomes difficult to focus. Looking for that illusive ending.
ReplyDeleteI picked up the Emmaus story to preach and we are doing a very modified Holy Humor Sunday...no sharing of jokes etc but the liturgy and one of the hymns following the humor theme. We have a small singing group which usually does an introit and another song...but last I heard they will not be singing so it is looking like a 45 minute service.
I hope you have planned a really relaxing and wonderful vacation, Purple.
DeleteAs always, I look forward to reading your sermon. Well, as soon as you get that ending figured out!
Hey preachers!
ReplyDeleteWas Easter really only a week ago? It seems so much longer....no real break here. I don't know why people thought it was a good idea to schedule meetings the week after Easter, but I had a full roster of them. I spent this morning at a team meeting for a youth retreat I'm helping with in May.
As for the sermon, I got nuttin' Whatever I thought I had to say about Thomas, I said two years ago apparently. I wish I felt more prepared to do a series on Revelation -- at least it's different. But not sure I can pull it off this year.
I think lunch is in order--salad anyone? And then hopefully inspiration will come.
My first break from the kids all week (tummy bug for each of them, thankfully not for me or Daddy). While I know I'm preaching on Psalm 118, I haven't had much chance to get beyond that. I rarely preach on the psalm, but was trying desperately to avoid Thomas.
ReplyDeleteMy son is being baptized tomorrow and there is communion so a shortish sermon is all I have time for. Thinking maybe of making origami swans for children's time and talking about why we do the passing of the peace. No sermon written as of yet. Earlier in the week, I was loving the idea of Thomas being the Beloved Disciple, but with a bunch of visitors and kids staying in the service, I need to go in a less academic style. Sigh. Did I mention that my family is here and hubby's will be in a few hours
ReplyDeleteIt's been a week that's left no time for the thinking, praying, writing that I count on as I prepare to write a sermon. Yet the convergence of Holy Days/Feast Days has stuck with me all week--Cesar Chavez on March 31, Martin Luther King Jr. on April 4, and Dietrich Bonhoeffer on April 9. All of this in the context of the Acts reading about Peter and the others tossed in the temple jail. So I google Cesar Chavez Christian and discover the brouhaha over Goggle's doodle of Cesar Chavez on Easter Sunday. Imagine my joy at the work of the spirit in the grousings on the internet! Nothing cohering yet, but thoughts are stirring in my head. This could be a fun afternoon!
ReplyDeleteOOOPS---Cesar Chavez' civil holiday is on March 31 his birthday. His Saint Day (and I may be jumping the gun here) is (or should be) on April 23 the day he was born to new life. Oh Well--still think I have the seed of a good sermon.
DeleteSorry, everyone, for being so slow. I'm having real trouble with posting replies. The screen refreshes like it's going to show a comment box, but then none appears. Going to turn off my computer for a bit and see if that helps.
ReplyDeleteThe car ride was productive and I worked out a sermon on the drive up - only to discover that I don't have a voice recorder on my phone. So I turned on the camcorder and recorded my sermon. So now all I have to do is transcribe and polish. I'll post it later this evening when I've have a chance to do so after the baby shower and the baptismal prep meeting (different families and babies).
ReplyDeleteI never know whether I should go to these community baby showers or not. The other pastor in town (male) doesn't go - his wife does. I do like to stick my head in and say hi, and that ends up on being invited to stay. I always feel awkward doing so when I didn't bring a gift. It's just one of this small (tiny) town customs that are so strange to me.
Sermon done...God Still Has the Last Word
ReplyDeleteNot my best but it is done.
I really liked it, Purple. Thank you.
DeleteThis is one time I wish we had technology in our sanctuary...would love to use the photos I used to illustrate the written word. We are working on it...but just in the investigative stage to see what would work and cost.
Deleteeh. I'm in the same boat as Purple. Not my best but it is done. I guess. We'll see what the Spirit has to say about that tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteThis is not going well. Ugh! I really love this story (Thomas) but am having a hard time connecting my love for it with anything useful to say. I want this to be a very simple sermon (and on the short side because it's a communion Sunday), but I can't seem to get there. Bleh.
ReplyDeleteI almost always have a hard time with sermons on passages I love. It's hard to articulate an emotional connection, I guess.
DeleteYes, I think you're right. It's hard to tease them apart when all I really want to say is, "I love this story and the people in it!"
DeleteEarthChick, what do you love about the story? Is there any connection between that love &/or Thomas &/or communion Sunday? These are questions I wondered when I read your post.
ReplyDeleteEsperanza and Purple -- Well done!
Ramona -- very resourceful!
RevAlli -- I am excited to know (and read, I hope?) what you come up with.
Aw, Megan -- What an amazingly special day! Prayers for a blessed baptism and time with family.
RevDrMom -- How's it going now? You are among the many who are looking at a blank screen and wondering . . . !
I still can't reply to each comment. (sigh) Let's just make the best of it, right?
Any one have any chocolate to share?
I have chocolate! It's brownie trifle, with brownies from scratch and real whipped cream, no ersatz stuff.
DeleteAha! A reply box!
DeleteAnd chocolate. The real thing. You rock!
Thanks for the questions, Sharon! I think I love this story because I feel such an affection for Thomas in it (and for how he gets a bad rap not justified by the text), and I feel such an affection for Jesus and how he comes across in it. And the story has such a gentleness to it, so restrained (the whole chapter).
DeleteI've been hoping to end up with some sort of communion connection but haven't quite gotten there yet. I feel so close to what should be the end of the sermon but haven't yet found a way to bring it all home. Oof!
Alleluia! I have a sermon for better or for not so good. I resisted the (very strong) temptation to rely on my Thomas sermon from two years ago, and after lunch and a short nap I came up with something on life after Easter--what it's like for us as opposed to all those we heard about in our readings.
ReplyDeleteMartha, that brownie trifle sounds AMAZING!. And I'm hungry....
Way to go, RDM!
DeleteI'm on your side of the pond today - preaching in the mountains of Virginia tomorrow! I thought I'd get to the party earlier, but have been out sight seeing - beautiful day. I wrote a sermon yesterday in a beautiful waterfall spot. It'll preach but I think it's a bit light weight. Relying on the Scottish accent to make it acceptable however light weight! LOL
ReplyDeleteWould appreciate comments/advice, please? Posted here
Hmm. Maybe I need a Scottish accent!
DeleteMe too!
DeleteWish I could hear it!
DeleteLiz, even without the Scottish accent, it's a fine sermon!
ReplyDeleteAs for my own sermon? Stuck. Really stuck.
ReplyDeleteMine is resting uneasily, so I'm going to take another look.
ReplyDeleteSharon- thanks so much for your encouragement. You are all a great boost to confidence. Excited not just about preaching but about celebrating communion tomorrow - awesome to be consecrating so far from home.
ReplyDeletehome from Church - chaotic and creative. seemed to go well, and people are happy for something different occasionally. also we had about 6 different musicians involved at various times, nice to have more than keyboard playing. 2 flutes, guitar, violin and trumpet as well as piano. I am not leading Sunday worship until 12th May, so that will be different for me, some weekend meetings and some days off - the joy of 80%.
ReplyDeleteBlessings to those still planning.
After a bit of Internet kerfluffle....sermon is done and posted. And, miracles of miracles - my spouse is still awake!
ReplyDeleteNow to enjoy an evening together and an episode or two of West Wing!
Ramona, your sermon is great!
DeleteThank you everyone for the kind feedback. It went a totally different direction that I thought it would. I never expected to link Thomas with baptism!
DeleteWell, I have finally finished a draft. Man, this one turned out not at all like I expected (which is not to say it's some major amazing surprise of a sermon, just that I ended up following some thoughts I hadn't anticipated). Anyway. I'm not super-duper thrilled with it, but I hope it's all right.
ReplyDeleteGoing to watch last season's finale of The Newsroom. If you haven't seen the show yet, I would highly recommend it!!
Zero motivation. Zero. I'm in my two-sermons-to-go-before-vacation slump and I hate it. I've to the road to Emmaus tomorrow on a communion Sunday. It's my dream come true, but I just can't care enough to even start my sermon. I've got a decent start in my brain, but that's the only place it's residing right now. If this week is this bad, next week is gonna SUCK!!! Oh well. Time to go. I'm thinking about the road to Emmaus and early adopters. I am NOT an early adopter; I just got my first smartphone this week. I'm just wondering what it is that drives early adopters to adopt - -willingness to be open to change, even change when they figure out they are wrong, curiosity, willingness to risk being wrong, trust in a story they've heard before, willing to go against the grain. I think I can make this work, but I need to just start writing to see how it pans out.
ReplyDeleteBut it would be so much more fun to play with your phone, wouldn't it? I just got one in December and it never seems to need exploring more than when I have a sermon to write...
DeletePre-vacation mode is really tough, a lot like "senior-itis" in high school, or spring fever. There's just doesn't seem to be a good remedy except to get there.
DeleteStephanie, FWIW, I like your thoughts about early adopters. I think a lot of us can relate to that.
When I was in my first profession (hospital lab), there were lots of changes relating to technology and one of the older women used to say: "Be not the first by whom the new is tried, nor yet the last to lay the old aside." Just thought I'd share that. Not sure if it's really good advice.
I left the phone upstairs for that reason although the iPad isn't much better. Getting the phone will be my "way in" for sure.
Deleteprayers for all who are done and relaxing as well as those who are stuck. This is late for me to be wrapping up but this has been a unique week. In presby speak tomorrow I am preaching at a "neutral pulpit" a church not too close to the one I am interviewing with. We have had a great visit. The search committee has been genuinely hospitable and honest about their strengths and challenges. It is not anywhere I would have looked at on my own and yet our call system brought us together. God is all over this one. Tomorrow is a bit complicated- the church I am preaching at is very conservative although the pastor is not. He could not be more warmly welcoming. He told me apologetically that the congregation historically has not authorized women to preach...new adventures. Not the first time I have preached where no women has gone before. God is good and all will be well.
ReplyDeletePeace friends!
I want to hear MORE! Please do tell all the details when you can, Celeste.
DeletePrayers and hugs from all of us.
Sharon I can tell you more on Monday. Thanks for prayers LYMI!
DeleteIdeas still swirling but still no words on the page. Never started so late. Ever. Can it really be after 10?
ReplyDeleteYes it is, in the Mountain Time Zone in your beautiful state.
DeleteAt the mouth of the mighty Mississippi, it is after 11:00. And I'm still "playing" (and I use the term very loosely) with this thing that might grow up to be a sermon. I have an agenda, and that might not be good. Or it might be good. Not sure.
Tea, anyone?
Want to pretend you are in PST with me?
DeleteYes. I do. Maybe if I close my eyes and wish very very hard . . . =)
DeleteAre we in Portland? Because then I could pop in on my grandson. And I'm sure his mother would just love that to pieces right at bedtime.
How is it possible that I just wrote a whole bunch more and still, by word count at least, only have half a sermon? Where am I going to find the other half? Would they notice if I didn't include it (answer in this case is yes!)? So tempting simply to quote Frederick Buechner's fabulous piece on Thomas; maybe I can at least use a bit of it.
ReplyDeleteA good quote reflects on the wisdom of the person (in this case, you) who thought to include it!
DeleteI also just did a word count and I, too, only have half of my usual sermon length. It felt like it was going on and on. Not sure that I have a lot left to give tonight.
I may pull a Stephanie and finish in the a.m. The Sleepy Time tea is kicking in.
I'm pulling a Stephanie. :) Got my way in written. Time to sleep and just get on it in the morning.
DeleteSee you in the a.m., Stephanie.
DeleteSharon, if only we could,just paste our two halves together and each have a whole sermon! Thanks for the quote encouragement; maybe I will let him say, in his much more articulate words, at least part of what I am trying to express.
ReplyDeleteIt would probably work as well as some other things I've done, Betsy.
DeleteI don't know if these are the Buechner quotes you might be using. I put these in a previous Thomas sermon that I'm not using:
Whether your faith is
that there is a God
or
that there is not a God,
if you don’t have any doubts
you are either kidding yourself
or asleep.
....
Doubts are
the ants in the pants
of faith.
They keep it awake and moving.
And this, from Tennyson:
DeleteThere lives more faith in honest doubt,
believe me,
than in half the creeds.
Alfred, Lord Tennyson, 1850.
Those weren't the ones I was thinking of, but they are very good, and maybe a piece of what I need. I have been looking at his description of Thomas from Peculiar Treasures.
ReplyDeleteOh. I didn't know about that one.
DeleteI hope you find what you are looking for. If you find the other half of my sermon, send it this way!
Oh my. I need to get some sleep so I can finish this beauty in the morning.
ReplyDeleteA lot of good work today, friends. Thank you for encouraging each other and for being such a blessing to me.
Peace be unto each of you in your preparation and in your pulpits.
837 words. Put in one of those quotes and slow down my delivery a little bit--I have lots of questions in this sermon, and I am good at giving people time to think--and I believe it will pass for a complete sermon...
ReplyDeleteGoogle's Doodle. You'll find it here Now to bed.
ReplyDeleteI'm up! I'm back! I've been up for almost an hour actually and I'm happy to report I have about a third of a sermon. Getting to that benchmark is huge in my mental game. I like looking at 400-500 words on a page and thinking, "I only have to two that two more times." And the reality is that while I'd love to write at 1200-1500 sermon sometime it really turns into more like 1800 most of the time. I always say to myself that this time I'll keep it shorter, but it hasn't happened yet. Maybe this will be the week. 60 more minutes until I want to be done. I can do it!
ReplyDeleteI hate my sermon on one of my favorite stories. Thank GOD this whole ministry thing is a marathon not a sprint. Vacation countdown is on! 12 days to go!
ReplyDeleteOh Stephanie
ReplyDeleteBreathe sister and know that Jesus' peace is also for weary distracted preachers. H.S. has your back!
And yours, Celeste! Let us know how it goes!
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