Natural Consequences
December 28, 2008
Texts: Luke 2:22-40, Isaiah 61:10-62:3, Psalm 148
Three days ago I read the story again with which we are all so familiar “And there were in that same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night...” And we went on to hear “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace, good will to all.” The world had changed, God had entered human history, the incarnation experiment had begun – an experiment that would cause us to renumber the years, beginning the new count from the time of Christ’s birth. Since the first Christmas, we have lived in a new age. Most of us grew up calling the two eras BC and AD – for before Christ and Anno Domini – the year of our Lord. These days, many of us refer to these eras as BCE and CE for Before the Common Era and Common Era – recognizing that not all peoples recognize Jesus as Lord.
Continue...
Three days ago I read the story again with which we are all so familiar “And there were in that same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night...” And we went on to hear “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace, good will to all.” The world had changed, God had entered human history, the incarnation experiment had begun – an experiment that would cause us to renumber the years, beginning the new count from the time of Christ’s birth. Since the first Christmas, we have lived in a new age. Most of us grew up calling the two eras BC and AD – for before Christ and Anno Domini – the year of our Lord. These days, many of us refer to these eras as BCE and CE for Before the Common Era and Common Era – recognizing that not all peoples recognize Jesus as Lord.
Continue...
Comfort and Construction
December 17, 2008
Texts: Isaiah 40:1-11, Mark 1:1-8
Tradition…most of us like traditions. And these seasons, the seasons of Advent and Christmas, seem to have more traditions – with the attendant blessings and burdens – than any other time of year. Traditions can be very comforting – but traditions have a down side as well. Traditions can make it hard for new life to enter in. Who hasn’t heard, “The way we celebrate Christmas is like this” – followed by a description that doesn’t invite new ideas. It can be daunting to newlyweds to realize that the traditions each found comforting are seen as intrusive by the other. As families change, due to marriage, childbirth, divorce, moving, death, it can be challenging to find a balance between the comfort of traditions, and openness to doing things a new way – especially when the traditions can’t happen any more. Continue...
Tradition…most of us like traditions. And these seasons, the seasons of Advent and Christmas, seem to have more traditions – with the attendant blessings and burdens – than any other time of year. Traditions can be very comforting – but traditions have a down side as well. Traditions can make it hard for new life to enter in. Who hasn’t heard, “The way we celebrate Christmas is like this” – followed by a description that doesn’t invite new ideas. It can be daunting to newlyweds to realize that the traditions each found comforting are seen as intrusive by the other. As families change, due to marriage, childbirth, divorce, moving, death, it can be challenging to find a balance between the comfort of traditions, and openness to doing things a new way – especially when the traditions can’t happen any more. Continue...
Waiting on Tiptoe
November 30, 2008
Texts: Isaiah 64:1-8, Mark 13:24-37
Advent…this peculiar season. It was the first liturgical season I was ever aware of – in my church growing up, we lit the advent candles, the colors changed to purple, and I knew we were in a countdown toward Christmas, even when I didn’t have one of those nifty calendars with a door for every day, and a picture behind every door. Long before I had ever heard of Lent, or Pentecost, Epiphany or certainly Ordinary Time, I was aware of Advent. For some of us, these liturgical seasons mark the turning of the year with as much familiarity and predictability as the changing colors of the leaves, the chill in the air, the smell of fires, the dusting, and later, piling of snow, the ice, the bone-chilling cold that eventually yields to thawing, and balmy breezes, the damp greenness of early spring, and the rich blooms of later spring and the summer – truly hot at times, even in Wisconsin – and the heat producing all those flowers: Echinacea, Rudbeckia, lavender, zinnias, hydrangeas, and eventually, chrysanthemums as the leaves begin to change, and we flirt again with those early snowfalls. The liturgical year, too, has its familiar turns…highs, lows and in-betweens – the waiting seasons of purple and blue, the holidays that show up in white, except for the red of Pentecost, and then the green that marks most of the year as ordinary time. Continue...
Advent…this peculiar season. It was the first liturgical season I was ever aware of – in my church growing up, we lit the advent candles, the colors changed to purple, and I knew we were in a countdown toward Christmas, even when I didn’t have one of those nifty calendars with a door for every day, and a picture behind every door. Long before I had ever heard of Lent, or Pentecost, Epiphany or certainly Ordinary Time, I was aware of Advent. For some of us, these liturgical seasons mark the turning of the year with as much familiarity and predictability as the changing colors of the leaves, the chill in the air, the smell of fires, the dusting, and later, piling of snow, the ice, the bone-chilling cold that eventually yields to thawing, and balmy breezes, the damp greenness of early spring, and the rich blooms of later spring and the summer – truly hot at times, even in Wisconsin – and the heat producing all those flowers: Echinacea, Rudbeckia, lavender, zinnias, hydrangeas, and eventually, chrysanthemums as the leaves begin to change, and we flirt again with those early snowfalls. The liturgical year, too, has its familiar turns…highs, lows and in-betweens – the waiting seasons of purple and blue, the holidays that show up in white, except for the red of Pentecost, and then the green that marks most of the year as ordinary time. Continue...
The Church is Out to Lunch
November 23, 2008
Texts: 1 Corinthians 11:23-26; Matthew 25:31-46
We start the sacraments with Jesus – Jesus being baptized, Jesus at the Last Supper…and from participating in the sacraments, we go out as the Body of Christ – feeding, taking water, visiting. “As you do it to the least of these, so you do it for me….” Continue...
We start the sacraments with Jesus – Jesus being baptized, Jesus at the Last Supper…and from participating in the sacraments, we go out as the Body of Christ – feeding, taking water, visiting. “As you do it to the least of these, so you do it for me….” Continue...
The Church is All Wet
November 15, 2008
Texts: Joshua 24:1-3a, 14-25; Hebrews 13:1-8
Two weeks ago yesterday was All Saints’ Day – I was in Colombia. It was also the 11th anniversary of my ordination as a Minister of Word and Sacrament. Being a minister has profoundly changed my life – no question about it. The joy I have in my calling is huge – I love my work, I love this congregation. Being a minister energizes and stretches me like nothing in my life has, with the possible exception of being a mother. Yet, a more important day than my ordination 11 years ago was my baptism, 38 years ago. I was not baptized as an infant, but as a fourteen year old. After years of going to church and Sunday School, and during a time when I didn’t feel very lovable, I came to understand that God loved me, and that realization changed my life more fundamentally than my ordination would years later. Baptism is the primary vocational event for Christians. Continue...
Two weeks ago yesterday was All Saints’ Day – I was in Colombia. It was also the 11th anniversary of my ordination as a Minister of Word and Sacrament. Being a minister has profoundly changed my life – no question about it. The joy I have in my calling is huge – I love my work, I love this congregation. Being a minister energizes and stretches me like nothing in my life has, with the possible exception of being a mother. Yet, a more important day than my ordination 11 years ago was my baptism, 38 years ago. I was not baptized as an infant, but as a fourteen year old. After years of going to church and Sunday School, and during a time when I didn’t feel very lovable, I came to understand that God loved me, and that realization changed my life more fundamentally than my ordination would years later. Baptism is the primary vocational event for Christians. Continue...
Entering into Joy
November 09, 2008
Texts: Joshua 1:1-9; Matthew 25:14-30
It’s Pledge Commitment Sunday, and time to preach about stewardship. Of course, the fundamental assumption underlying stewardship is that it is about how we care for that which belongs to someone else. Like when I’ve taken youth on a retreat or a mission trip. I am entrusted with other people’s children, and asked to care for them as well as I would care for my own. When someone is a financial steward, they are expected to manage the money of another as if it were their own. So the central issue in stewardship is that in life, we are caring for God’s stuff as if it were ours. Most of us miss the “as if” and believe that the stuff we are holding in life is actually ours – we can do what we want to with our money, our children, and our stuff – after all, it’s ours. Except that a major claim of the life of faith is that not only is our stuff not our own – we are not our own. We belong to God. Continue...
It’s Pledge Commitment Sunday, and time to preach about stewardship. Of course, the fundamental assumption underlying stewardship is that it is about how we care for that which belongs to someone else. Like when I’ve taken youth on a retreat or a mission trip. I am entrusted with other people’s children, and asked to care for them as well as I would care for my own. When someone is a financial steward, they are expected to manage the money of another as if it were their own. So the central issue in stewardship is that in life, we are caring for God’s stuff as if it were ours. Most of us miss the “as if” and believe that the stuff we are holding in life is actually ours – we can do what we want to with our money, our children, and our stuff – after all, it’s ours. Except that a major claim of the life of faith is that not only is our stuff not our own – we are not our own. We belong to God. Continue...
Making Plans in Uncertain Times
October 19, 2008
Texts: Matthew 22:15-22; Isaiah 43:1-7
When I was in my first call as an Associate Pastor, the head of staff and his wife were moving and having a garage sale. When I came browsing, she gave me this framed Scottish prayer – it hung for many years in one of the boy’s bedrooms, and now hangs just outside ours. It reads: From ghoulies and ghosties and long-legged beasties and things that go bump in the night, Good Lord, deliver us. Continue...
When I was in my first call as an Associate Pastor, the head of staff and his wife were moving and having a garage sale. When I came browsing, she gave me this framed Scottish prayer – it hung for many years in one of the boy’s bedrooms, and now hangs just outside ours. It reads: From ghoulies and ghosties and long-legged beasties and things that go bump in the night, Good Lord, deliver us. Continue...
Hope and Memory in Exile
October 12, 2008
Text: Jeremiah 29:1-14
As I began thinking about the Season of Creation, and that we would culminate with Land Sunday, it seemed that the issues of Promised Land and Exile were the obvious ways to look at land. Brita has shared God’s Word about the Promised Land with us – and this is God’s hope for our relationship with the land: that we will be connected to the land, we will work the land and receive the fruit of the earth and our labor with hearts of gratitude, and then we will return to God a portion of the harvest. Continue...
As I began thinking about the Season of Creation, and that we would culminate with Land Sunday, it seemed that the issues of Promised Land and Exile were the obvious ways to look at land. Brita has shared God’s Word about the Promised Land with us – and this is God’s hope for our relationship with the land: that we will be connected to the land, we will work the land and receive the fruit of the earth and our labor with hearts of gratitude, and then we will return to God a portion of the harvest. Continue...
First Fruits
October 12, 2008
Text: Deuteronomy 26:1-11
{ “Faith is anchored in history. History helps to give stability and explanation.”}
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{ “Faith is anchored in history. History helps to give stability and explanation.”}
Continue...
Living Together
October 05, 2008
Texts: Psalm 104:1a, 14-18, 26-30; John 15:1-11
A few years back I was talking with two of the older ladies in the church. One of them said to us, “If anything ever happens to my husband, I wouldn’t get married again, I’d just live together with a man.” We all chuckled, but then I responded, “Are you kidding? Living together is the hard part. I’d get married and live apart.” No offense to Carl, of course, they knew I wasn’t talking about him in a negative way: living together with other people IS hard. Being part of a family is hard. Being part of a community is hard. And yet, it is somehow life-giving as well. We are designed for community, complete with the challenges. Continue...
A few years back I was talking with two of the older ladies in the church. One of them said to us, “If anything ever happens to my husband, I wouldn’t get married again, I’d just live together with a man.” We all chuckled, but then I responded, “Are you kidding? Living together is the hard part. I’d get married and live apart.” No offense to Carl, of course, they knew I wasn’t talking about him in a negative way: living together with other people IS hard. Being part of a family is hard. Being part of a community is hard. And yet, it is somehow life-giving as well. We are designed for community, complete with the challenges. Continue...
Going to the Lake
September 28, 2008
Texts: Psalm 104:1a, 5-13, 31; Luke 5:1-11
I must confess that beginning this sermon on Lakes has been more difficult than I thought – on the one hand, as it happens, the Bible says almost nothing about lakes per se, except for 11 verses in the whole Bible, 5 of which are passages about a lake of fire in Revelation that I was pretty clear was not the direction I wanted to take. This is not to say that the Bible doesn’t discuss WATER – it talks about seas, rivers, streams, the waters, and living waters. It gets kind of poetic at times, as in the section of Psalm 104 that Ned read. Continue...
I must confess that beginning this sermon on Lakes has been more difficult than I thought – on the one hand, as it happens, the Bible says almost nothing about lakes per se, except for 11 verses in the whole Bible, 5 of which are passages about a lake of fire in Revelation that I was pretty clear was not the direction I wanted to take. This is not to say that the Bible doesn’t discuss WATER – it talks about seas, rivers, streams, the waters, and living waters. It gets kind of poetic at times, as in the section of Psalm 104 that Ned read. Continue...
Sabbath Rhythm
September 21, 2008
Texts: Psalm 104:19-24; Isaiah 60:1-5a
One of the original reasons for the Season of Creation was that we humans no longer live in as close contact with the natural world as we used to. One of the ways this is most obvious is when we consider the moon and the sun. As I type this, it is dark outside, the crickets are chirping, and the evening breezes are cooling me through the open window by my desk. I am somewhat in touch with the natural world as I listen, and enjoy the cool air. But it is bright and light where I am working, and dark outside. My ability to keep on working is not at all diminished by the setting of the sun a while ago. While we are certainly aware of the sun and the moon, our lives are not governed by them as the lives of ancient peoples were. We keep going, we keep busy, often many hours after the sun has set. And likewise, we may be awake and at work before the sun arises. Our modern world has pushed away these natural boundaries, and with that push, has moved us away from a life in tune with natural rhythms. Continue...
One of the original reasons for the Season of Creation was that we humans no longer live in as close contact with the natural world as we used to. One of the ways this is most obvious is when we consider the moon and the sun. As I type this, it is dark outside, the crickets are chirping, and the evening breezes are cooling me through the open window by my desk. I am somewhat in touch with the natural world as I listen, and enjoy the cool air. But it is bright and light where I am working, and dark outside. My ability to keep on working is not at all diminished by the setting of the sun a while ago. While we are certainly aware of the sun and the moon, our lives are not governed by them as the lives of ancient peoples were. We keep going, we keep busy, often many hours after the sun has set. And likewise, we may be awake and at work before the sun arises. Our modern world has pushed away these natural boundaries, and with that push, has moved us away from a life in tune with natural rhythms. Continue...
Uncharted Territory
September 14, 2008
Texts: Exodus 13:17-22, Mark 1:9-15
When you hear the word “wilderness” what do you think of? Some people have told me a desert, the woods, mountains – it seems that the word conveys many different images. And actually, wilderness can be a variety of geographies – it can indeed be desert, mountain, forest, and jungle, grassland, or ice cap. Simply, wilderness is any area that is essentially outside of human domination. Whether it is the Boundary Waters, the Teton Mountains, or the Serengeti Plain – wilderness is where humans haven’t taken over. The Wilderness Act of 1964, which established protection for some wilderness areas in the United States, defined wilderness in this way: "A wilderness, in contrast with those areas where man and his own works dominate the landscape, is hereby recognized as an area where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain." Continue...
When you hear the word “wilderness” what do you think of? Some people have told me a desert, the woods, mountains – it seems that the word conveys many different images. And actually, wilderness can be a variety of geographies – it can indeed be desert, mountain, forest, and jungle, grassland, or ice cap. Simply, wilderness is any area that is essentially outside of human domination. Whether it is the Boundary Waters, the Teton Mountains, or the Serengeti Plain – wilderness is where humans haven’t taken over. The Wilderness Act of 1964, which established protection for some wilderness areas in the United States, defined wilderness in this way: "A wilderness, in contrast with those areas where man and his own works dominate the landscape, is hereby recognized as an area where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain." Continue...
The Forest or the Trees
September 07, 2008
Texts: Genesis 2:4b-22, Acts 17:22-28
Today we begin the Season of Creation again. This church is a liturgical church: we observe liturgical seasons such as Advent, Lent, and Ordinary Time. Most of the liturgical seasons and holidays revolve around the life and ministry of Jesus: Advent, Lent, Christmas and Easter are obvious examples. Pentecost celebrates the Holy Spirit. The Season of Creation offers us an opportunity to reflect on God the Creator, and particularly to respond to honor God’s creation, as scripture does, and to respond to the biblical mandate to care for God’s creation. Continue...
Today we begin the Season of Creation again. This church is a liturgical church: we observe liturgical seasons such as Advent, Lent, and Ordinary Time. Most of the liturgical seasons and holidays revolve around the life and ministry of Jesus: Advent, Lent, Christmas and Easter are obvious examples. Pentecost celebrates the Holy Spirit. The Season of Creation offers us an opportunity to reflect on God the Creator, and particularly to respond to honor God’s creation, as scripture does, and to respond to the biblical mandate to care for God’s creation. Continue...
Lighten Up
August 31, 2008
Texts: Psalm 23, Romans 9:13-21, Matthew 11:28-30
In Randy Pausch’s book, The Last Lecture, he tells a wonderful story entitled “The $100,000 Salt and Pepper Shaker”. When he was 12 and his sister was 14, they went with their parents to Disney World. He writes: Our parents figured we were just old enough to roam around the park without being monitored. Their parents told them to be careful, picked a spot where they would meet in 90 minutes, and set them free.
Continue...
In Randy Pausch’s book, The Last Lecture, he tells a wonderful story entitled “The $100,000 Salt and Pepper Shaker”. When he was 12 and his sister was 14, they went with their parents to Disney World. He writes: Our parents figured we were just old enough to roam around the park without being monitored. Their parents told them to be careful, picked a spot where they would meet in 90 minutes, and set them free.
Continue...
Rock ‘n Roll
August 24, 2008
Texts: 1 Peter 2:4-10; Romans 12:1-18
Less discouragement, more determination; less distraction, more presence; less me, more we. It sounds like that could be a description of life in Christian community – but it’s actually an ad for Toyota. It’s been running during the Olympics – I’ve been on vacation, so I’ve been able to watch a lot of the Olympics. I’ve noticed that the commercials seem different to me this year – they aren’t so much about achievement and competition as about relationship, family and community. Ad after ad…and there have been plenty of them…talks about how we are connected to one another. From VISA to Hilton, from Toyota to Lockheed Martin, this season the advertising community seems to recognize that our deepest hungers are for relationships and connection.
Continue...
Less discouragement, more determination; less distraction, more presence; less me, more we. It sounds like that could be a description of life in Christian community – but it’s actually an ad for Toyota. It’s been running during the Olympics – I’ve been on vacation, so I’ve been able to watch a lot of the Olympics. I’ve noticed that the commercials seem different to me this year – they aren’t so much about achievement and competition as about relationship, family and community. Ad after ad…and there have been plenty of them…talks about how we are connected to one another. From VISA to Hilton, from Toyota to Lockheed Martin, this season the advertising community seems to recognize that our deepest hungers are for relationships and connection.
Continue...
Drawing Straight with Crooked Lines
July 27, 2008
Texts: Genesis 29:15-28; Romans 8:26-39
This time, the trick was on Jacob. When we left him last time, he was on his way to stay with his uncle Laban, and hoping to find a wife. He had become estranged from his twin brother Esau, the firstborn, through tricking Esau out of his birthright and the blessing from their father. He had dreamed of a ladder going from earth to heaven, and had realized upon waking that God was with him. And indeed, God promised to be with him always. And so Jacob has arrived at his uncle’s home, fallen in love with the beautiful Rachel, won permission to marry her after working for his uncle for seven years and after the wedding – surprise! The lovely Rachel is still single, and he is married to Leah, her older sister…this time, birth order has come back to bite Jacob – he has been tricked by Laban, who explains that the younger daughter may not be married before the older daughter. He is married to Leah, but he may work another 7 years for Rachel, which he does.
Continue...
This time, the trick was on Jacob. When we left him last time, he was on his way to stay with his uncle Laban, and hoping to find a wife. He had become estranged from his twin brother Esau, the firstborn, through tricking Esau out of his birthright and the blessing from their father. He had dreamed of a ladder going from earth to heaven, and had realized upon waking that God was with him. And indeed, God promised to be with him always. And so Jacob has arrived at his uncle’s home, fallen in love with the beautiful Rachel, won permission to marry her after working for his uncle for seven years and after the wedding – surprise! The lovely Rachel is still single, and he is married to Leah, her older sister…this time, birth order has come back to bite Jacob – he has been tricked by Laban, who explains that the younger daughter may not be married before the older daughter. He is married to Leah, but he may work another 7 years for Rachel, which he does.
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Right Here Right Now
July 20, 2008
Texts: Psalm 139:1-12, 23-24; Genesis 28:10-19a
Jacob was on the run – we learned in last week’s readings that he was the younger twin to Esau, that his father favored Esau but his mother favored Jacob. Jacob was an operator – not one to leave life as it found him – the second-born, who would end up with both the blessing and the inheritance of a first-born because he cheated his brother and tricked his father. Having succeeded in getting his brother’s birthright, he also earned his brother’s wrath, and Esau was threatening to kill him, so like any smooth operator, he left. Jacob ran away and was heading toward his uncle Laban’s house, where he hoped to find safety and a wife. And we’ll hear about that adventure next week. But this week, he is on the journey, and he becomes tired, and so stops for the night. He finds a stone to use as a pillow, and he lays down and goes to sleep.
Continue...
Jacob was on the run – we learned in last week’s readings that he was the younger twin to Esau, that his father favored Esau but his mother favored Jacob. Jacob was an operator – not one to leave life as it found him – the second-born, who would end up with both the blessing and the inheritance of a first-born because he cheated his brother and tricked his father. Having succeeded in getting his brother’s birthright, he also earned his brother’s wrath, and Esau was threatening to kill him, so like any smooth operator, he left. Jacob ran away and was heading toward his uncle Laban’s house, where he hoped to find safety and a wife. And we’ll hear about that adventure next week. But this week, he is on the journey, and he becomes tired, and so stops for the night. He finds a stone to use as a pillow, and he lays down and goes to sleep.
Continue...
All in the Family
July 13, 2008
Texts: Genesis 25:19-34; Genesis 27:1-39
I’ve been thinking a lot about relationships lately – ten days ago I was in North Carolina at one of our national conference centers, Montreat, for a remarkable conference with clergy, elders, students, and national leadership in the PCUSA. I went with a friend from Indiana, saw other friends, made new friends and was reminded of how much our denomination can be a family.
Continue...
I’ve been thinking a lot about relationships lately – ten days ago I was in North Carolina at one of our national conference centers, Montreat, for a remarkable conference with clergy, elders, students, and national leadership in the PCUSA. I went with a friend from Indiana, saw other friends, made new friends and was reminded of how much our denomination can be a family.
Continue...
Church Unbound
June 29, 2008
Texts: Psalm 13, Genesis 21:1-14
As I consider the passage that Vicky read from Genesis, I am reminded of the old bumper sticker, “If you’re not outraged, you’re not paying attention.” This is, to quote one commentator, an appalling story. From our perspective, both God and Abraham behave badly here – God for creating such an evil test, and Abraham for acquiescing without protest. How is it possible that Abraham wouldn’t argue with God for his beloved son, his only son, Isaac? Although Abraham is supposed to be the model of faith, his isn’t a passive faith – he has argued with God about other things. By the way, for those who have been following the saga each week as we have been learning the story of Abraham, isn’t it interesting that Isaac is called Abraham’s only son? We know that there is another son, Ishmael, whom Abraham has sent away with his mother, the slave-woman Hagar.
Continue...
As I consider the passage that Vicky read from Genesis, I am reminded of the old bumper sticker, “If you’re not outraged, you’re not paying attention.” This is, to quote one commentator, an appalling story. From our perspective, both God and Abraham behave badly here – God for creating such an evil test, and Abraham for acquiescing without protest. How is it possible that Abraham wouldn’t argue with God for his beloved son, his only son, Isaac? Although Abraham is supposed to be the model of faith, his isn’t a passive faith – he has argued with God about other things. By the way, for those who have been following the saga each week as we have been learning the story of Abraham, isn’t it interesting that Isaac is called Abraham’s only son? We know that there is another son, Ishmael, whom Abraham has sent away with his mother, the slave-woman Hagar.
Continue...
Blessed to Be a Blessing
June 15, 2008
Texts: Genesis 16:1-16, 18:1-15
It’s a funny thing, that Abraham is held up to us as a paragon of faithfulness – and I guess it’s an oddly comforting thing, too. After all, the stories we had last week really showed Abram at his best: God called him to leave Haran and he did; God showed him the stars and promised him numerous descendents, and although he and Sarai were already quite elderly, he believed. In last week’s stories, Abram is the model of trust.
Continue...
It’s a funny thing, that Abraham is held up to us as a paragon of faithfulness – and I guess it’s an oddly comforting thing, too. After all, the stories we had last week really showed Abram at his best: God called him to leave Haran and he did; God showed him the stars and promised him numerous descendents, and although he and Sarai were already quite elderly, he believed. In last week’s stories, Abram is the model of trust.
Continue...
The Long Journey Home
June 08, 2008
Texts: Genesis 12:1-9; Genesis 15:1-6
Today’s sermon is titled The Long Journey Home, although it is, indeed, about Faith and Covenant. But much of Abraham’s journey, and indeed, much of the faith journey for anyone is a long journey home full of the challenge in such a paradox– so it seemed a more appropriate title.
Continue...
Today’s sermon is titled The Long Journey Home, although it is, indeed, about Faith and Covenant. But much of Abraham’s journey, and indeed, much of the faith journey for anyone is a long journey home full of the challenge in such a paradox– so it seemed a more appropriate title.
Continue...
Flexible Foundations
June 01, 2008
Texts: Psalm 46; Matthew 7:21-29
Happy first day of hurricane season! Hello Dolly, but before Dolly, hello Arthur, Bertha, Cristobal; and after Dolly, hello Edouard, Fay, Gustav, Hanna, Ike, Josephine, Kyle, Laura, Marco, Nana, Omar, Paloma, Rene, Sally, Teddy, Vicky and Wilfred. Unless of course we are thinking about the Eastern Pacific in which case, hello Alma, Boris, Cristina, Douglas, Elida, Fausto, Genevieve, Hernan, Iselle, Julio, Karina, Lowell, Marie, Norbert, Odile, Polo, Rachel, Simon, Trudy, Vance, Winnie, Xavier, Yolanda and Zeke Continue...
Happy first day of hurricane season! Hello Dolly, but before Dolly, hello Arthur, Bertha, Cristobal; and after Dolly, hello Edouard, Fay, Gustav, Hanna, Ike, Josephine, Kyle, Laura, Marco, Nana, Omar, Paloma, Rene, Sally, Teddy, Vicky and Wilfred. Unless of course we are thinking about the Eastern Pacific in which case, hello Alma, Boris, Cristina, Douglas, Elida, Fausto, Genevieve, Hernan, Iselle, Julio, Karina, Lowell, Marie, Norbert, Odile, Polo, Rachel, Simon, Trudy, Vance, Winnie, Xavier, Yolanda and Zeke Continue...
Something Big
May 24, 2008
Texts: Matthew 6:24-34; Isaiah 49:8-16
I spent last week, all week, at one of the pre-eminent preaching conferences – this year it was in Minneapolis. Over two thousand clergy gathered there, and we heard nine sermons and thirteen lectures over four days, from some of the best preachers, professors of preaching, authors and scholars available today. So I arrived home Friday night with today's sermon looming, unwritten, before me. My routine is to study the passages early in the week, reflect on them and wrestle with them all week and write on Saturday. And so, as I often do in such times (that is to say, what I do every Friday night), I went to sleep, reflecting on the lectionary passage: Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear.... And I awoke all too early, to my husband asking (at 5:40 a.m.) "Susan, where is the little car? Did Corey come home last night?" Yes, my weary and befuddled mind tells me, the new high school grad did come home Friday night...I remember talking to him as I was drifting off to sleep. I remember noticing his new busboy's uniform shirt and thinking how handsome he might look if only I could focus my eyes. So Corey did come home....and the little car, his oldest brother's car, is missing. Continue...
I spent last week, all week, at one of the pre-eminent preaching conferences – this year it was in Minneapolis. Over two thousand clergy gathered there, and we heard nine sermons and thirteen lectures over four days, from some of the best preachers, professors of preaching, authors and scholars available today. So I arrived home Friday night with today's sermon looming, unwritten, before me. My routine is to study the passages early in the week, reflect on them and wrestle with them all week and write on Saturday. And so, as I often do in such times (that is to say, what I do every Friday night), I went to sleep, reflecting on the lectionary passage: Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear.... And I awoke all too early, to my husband asking (at 5:40 a.m.) "Susan, where is the little car? Did Corey come home last night?" Yes, my weary and befuddled mind tells me, the new high school grad did come home Friday night...I remember talking to him as I was drifting off to sleep. I remember noticing his new busboy's uniform shirt and thinking how handsome he might look if only I could focus my eyes. So Corey did come home....and the little car, his oldest brother's car, is missing. Continue...
Creator and Creation
May 18, 2008
Texts: Psalm 8; Genesis 1:1-2:4a
Today is Trinity Sunday – it is the Sunday that the Church decides to grapple with the doctrine of the Trinity, as we do each year on the Sunday after Pentecost. It is appropriate to focus on Christian Education on such a Sunday, because one of the goals of Christian Education is to prepare people for the kind of theological reflection that is involved in thinking about trinity. Continue...
Today is Trinity Sunday – it is the Sunday that the Church decides to grapple with the doctrine of the Trinity, as we do each year on the Sunday after Pentecost. It is appropriate to focus on Christian Education on such a Sunday, because one of the goals of Christian Education is to prepare people for the kind of theological reflection that is involved in thinking about trinity. Continue...
Baptized into Ministry
May 11, 2008
Texts: 1 Corinthians 12:3b-13; Numbers 11:24-30
Most of us, when we think of Pentecost, think of the story as it is told in the second chapter of the book of Acts: the disciples are gathered in an upper room – this is after the resurrection appearances and after the ascension disappearance of Jesus. Jesus has died, Jesus is risen, Jesus will come again, we recite sometimes in the communion liturgy, and this is where the disciples are at this point. He has come, he has gone, they are alone, and despite experiencing the miracle of the risen Christ, they are frightened and discouraged. And suddenly there was a sound of rushing wind, and people saw tongues of fire resting on each of the disciples, and they were filled with the Holy Spirit, and given the ability to speak in other languages – for this occurred during a Jewish holiday, so there were devout Jews from many different nations gathered in Jerusalem, and they were each able to understand the speech of the apostles. The story tells us that: Amazed and astonished, they asked, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs—in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.” Some assumed they were drunk, but the apostle Peter seized the moment and proclaimed that they were not drunk, but filled with the Holy Spirit of God, and he told the story of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, and the Bible tells us that 3,000 were added to their number that day. And so we call Pentecost the birthday of the church, and we celebrate it with the color red to remember the flames, and we consider the Holy Spirit and its work among us. Continue...
Most of us, when we think of Pentecost, think of the story as it is told in the second chapter of the book of Acts: the disciples are gathered in an upper room – this is after the resurrection appearances and after the ascension disappearance of Jesus. Jesus has died, Jesus is risen, Jesus will come again, we recite sometimes in the communion liturgy, and this is where the disciples are at this point. He has come, he has gone, they are alone, and despite experiencing the miracle of the risen Christ, they are frightened and discouraged. And suddenly there was a sound of rushing wind, and people saw tongues of fire resting on each of the disciples, and they were filled with the Holy Spirit, and given the ability to speak in other languages – for this occurred during a Jewish holiday, so there were devout Jews from many different nations gathered in Jerusalem, and they were each able to understand the speech of the apostles. The story tells us that: Amazed and astonished, they asked, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs—in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.” Some assumed they were drunk, but the apostle Peter seized the moment and proclaimed that they were not drunk, but filled with the Holy Spirit of God, and he told the story of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, and the Bible tells us that 3,000 were added to their number that day. And so we call Pentecost the birthday of the church, and we celebrate it with the color red to remember the flames, and we consider the Holy Spirit and its work among us. Continue...
Giving Glory
May 04, 2008
Texts: Acts 1:6-14, John 17:1-11
There is something very intimate about overhearing someone’s prayer – in the Gospel reading we heard a portion of Jesus praying for his disciples, as the lectionary divides it into thirds and uses part of it each year on the 7th Sunday of Easter. In the letter, several themes recur again and again. One is the theme of glory – Jesus talks about God’s glory, his own glory, and the glory given to his disciples. Another theme is that of giving – in the whole prayer, the Greek word for “give” occurs seventeen times, eleven of them in our passage today. And the third major theme is that of unity – Jesus prays repeatedly for the unity of his followers that exists between him and the Father.
Continue...
There is something very intimate about overhearing someone’s prayer – in the Gospel reading we heard a portion of Jesus praying for his disciples, as the lectionary divides it into thirds and uses part of it each year on the 7th Sunday of Easter. In the letter, several themes recur again and again. One is the theme of glory – Jesus talks about God’s glory, his own glory, and the glory given to his disciples. Another theme is that of giving – in the whole prayer, the Greek word for “give” occurs seventeen times, eleven of them in our passage today. And the third major theme is that of unity – Jesus prays repeatedly for the unity of his followers that exists between him and the Father.
Continue...
Worshiping the Unknown God
April 27, 2008
Texts: John 14:15-21; Acts 17:22-31
Well, I really have to apologize to all of you. After all the hullabaloo this election season about the filmed excerpts of some sermons, most of us in the preaching profession are aware that you could pluck a couple of sentences from some of our sermons and make us sound pretty out there. And so, who knows which of you may be thwarted in your future presidential ambitions by my having agreed to Channel 9 being here filming this morning. Actually, come to think of it, it seems that recently they’ve been placing a lot of emphasis on being able to connect with working people, understanding the economy, and having a appropriate expression of faith, so maybe since I am an former steel worker and CPA, I should consider throwing my own name in the ring! Especially since we don’t have a video library of my preaching! Continue...
Well, I really have to apologize to all of you. After all the hullabaloo this election season about the filmed excerpts of some sermons, most of us in the preaching profession are aware that you could pluck a couple of sentences from some of our sermons and make us sound pretty out there. And so, who knows which of you may be thwarted in your future presidential ambitions by my having agreed to Channel 9 being here filming this morning. Actually, come to think of it, it seems that recently they’ve been placing a lot of emphasis on being able to connect with working people, understanding the economy, and having a appropriate expression of faith, so maybe since I am an former steel worker and CPA, I should consider throwing my own name in the ring! Especially since we don’t have a video library of my preaching! Continue...
Earth Day Reflections
April 20, 2008
For Earth Day, we've asked some of our members to present their reflections on the meaning of Earth Day and the relationship between faith and environmentalism. Continue...
Not Trivial Matters
April 13, 2008
Texts: Acts 2:42-47; Psalm 23; John 10:1-10
NOTE: In Stevens Point, this was Trivia weekend, when Stevens Point holds the world’s largest trivia contest. We got into the spirit of the weekend by starting the service with trivia questions, and continuing into the sermon. Here, in italics, are the questions that preceded the sermon:
Question 1, Hour 1: This year, Trivia is as old as the publicly-claimed age of comedian Jack Benny. How old is that?
Continue...
NOTE: In Stevens Point, this was Trivia weekend, when Stevens Point holds the world’s largest trivia contest. We got into the spirit of the weekend by starting the service with trivia questions, and continuing into the sermon. Here, in italics, are the questions that preceded the sermon:
Question 1, Hour 1: This year, Trivia is as old as the publicly-claimed age of comedian Jack Benny. How old is that?
Continue...
Doubts and Closed Doors
March 30, 2008
Texts: 1 Peter 1:3-9, John 20:19-31
Finally, a Biblical person we can all relate to. Thomas was way ahead of his time – he could be at home in our era couldn’t he?? No fooling him, not Thomas, no way. So it’s hard to know why we seem to not regard Thomas more highly – to describe someone as a “doubting Thomas” is usually not a term of respect. And yet, we should understand that Thomas is among the more dedicated and committed of the disciples. After all, the other disciples were hiding behind locked doors, afraid, Thomas alone was confident enough to be out and about.
Continue...
Finally, a Biblical person we can all relate to. Thomas was way ahead of his time – he could be at home in our era couldn’t he?? No fooling him, not Thomas, no way. So it’s hard to know why we seem to not regard Thomas more highly – to describe someone as a “doubting Thomas” is usually not a term of respect. And yet, we should understand that Thomas is among the more dedicated and committed of the disciples. After all, the other disciples were hiding behind locked doors, afraid, Thomas alone was confident enough to be out and about.
Continue...
Something Happened
March 23, 2008
The End of Incarnation
March 16, 2008
Texts: Matthew 21:1-11; Philippians 2:5-11
The Confirmation Class has been meeting since the beginning of January – they have had twenty hours of class time, three field trips, discussions with mentors, and they cooked brunch for the church last week. They’ve had to turn in notes on sermons. Additionally, they have each been working on their own statement of faith – writing out what they believe about God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, the Bible, church, baptism, communion, and anything else I’ve forgotten. This is not an easy exercise. And yet, it is a very rewarding task, because while most of us think about faith issues from time to time, it is difficult to wrestle with our faith enough to put it into words. Defining our own understanding of God and discipleship is challenging – and they have been up to the challenge. The statements that I’ve read thus far are well thought-out, and quite mature. They have become theologians – people who think about God.
Continue...
The Confirmation Class has been meeting since the beginning of January – they have had twenty hours of class time, three field trips, discussions with mentors, and they cooked brunch for the church last week. They’ve had to turn in notes on sermons. Additionally, they have each been working on their own statement of faith – writing out what they believe about God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, the Bible, church, baptism, communion, and anything else I’ve forgotten. This is not an easy exercise. And yet, it is a very rewarding task, because while most of us think about faith issues from time to time, it is difficult to wrestle with our faith enough to put it into words. Defining our own understanding of God and discipleship is challenging – and they have been up to the challenge. The statements that I’ve read thus far are well thought-out, and quite mature. They have become theologians – people who think about God.
Continue...
Breathing In God
March 09, 2008
Texts: Luke 7:21-29; Ezekiel 37:1-14
Elder Barbara Jordanger and I were delegates to the Wisconsin Council of Churches board meeting in December. As we walked into the orientation meeting for new delegates, there was the Executive Director of the WCC, Scott Anderson, saying “Denominations as we know them are not going to be around very long – my own denomination will likely not be here at all in less than 50 years.” Well I certainly paid attention to that – Scott is a Presbyterian.
Continue...
Elder Barbara Jordanger and I were delegates to the Wisconsin Council of Churches board meeting in December. As we walked into the orientation meeting for new delegates, there was the Executive Director of the WCC, Scott Anderson, saying “Denominations as we know them are not going to be around very long – my own denomination will likely not be here at all in less than 50 years.” Well I certainly paid attention to that – Scott is a Presbyterian.
Continue...
Tough Love
March 02, 2008
Texts: Leviticus 19:1-2, 9-18, Matthew 5:21-24, 27-30, 38-48
Two boys were talking about their weekend, and one described an event at his church. The other boy replied, “I don’t know anything about that – I belong to a different abomination.”
This is what many people think about the teachings of much of the Old Testament, particularly the purity codes in Leviticus: that it is just one abomination after another.
Continue...
Two boys were talking about their weekend, and one described an event at his church. The other boy replied, “I don’t know anything about that – I belong to a different abomination.”
This is what many people think about the teachings of much of the Old Testament, particularly the purity codes in Leviticus: that it is just one abomination after another.
Continue...
Catching the Vision in Love
February 24, 2008
Texts: Micah 6:1-8; Matthew 5:1-16
Today’s reading from the Gospel is the beginning, and just the beginning, to the long text from Matthew’s Gospel known as the “Sermon on the Mount”. The teaching covers the whole of chapters 5, 6 and 7 in Matthew’s Gospel, and many people consider it to be the fullest single exposition of the teachings of Jesus. Amazing enough, however, it almost never comes up in the lectionary. It is found in the lectionary only in Year A (remember, the calendar of readings is a three-year cycle – years A, B and C – we are currently in Year A). Easter can fall anywhere between March 22 and April 25. So this year, when it comes on March 23, it is almost at its earliest. If Easter is as late as it possibly can be, then before Lent begins, there would be six weeks when we would study the Sermon on the Mount. In order for this to happen, we have to have a late Easter (as we did two years ago) AND it has to be in Year A. Before I get us all terribly confused, let me just say this doesn’t happen very often. But it will happen in 2011, when Easter will be one day shy of the latest possible date, so we can all look forward to an in-depth study of the Sermon on the Mount then. In the meantime, I wanted to at least look at some of the central teachings of this collection, and also connect them to some related readings in the Old Testament – because, you may remember, I am convinced that the teachings of Jesus are not entirely new. What is new in the Gospel is the way Jesus pulls together these teachings into a coherent vision of life in God’s kingdom. The best way to experience these teachings is to read them all in one sitting – I actually thought about reading the whole passage today, instead of a sermon, but I wanted to go shorter today, and the sermon of Jesus is longer than my sermon. I have made copies of the entire Sermon on the Mount in the contemporary version I read from today. These are available on the back table – or you can email me and I’ll send it to you. Take 15 minutes and read it all – it’s a marvelous vision of the Kingdom. Continue...
Today’s reading from the Gospel is the beginning, and just the beginning, to the long text from Matthew’s Gospel known as the “Sermon on the Mount”. The teaching covers the whole of chapters 5, 6 and 7 in Matthew’s Gospel, and many people consider it to be the fullest single exposition of the teachings of Jesus. Amazing enough, however, it almost never comes up in the lectionary. It is found in the lectionary only in Year A (remember, the calendar of readings is a three-year cycle – years A, B and C – we are currently in Year A). Easter can fall anywhere between March 22 and April 25. So this year, when it comes on March 23, it is almost at its earliest. If Easter is as late as it possibly can be, then before Lent begins, there would be six weeks when we would study the Sermon on the Mount. In order for this to happen, we have to have a late Easter (as we did two years ago) AND it has to be in Year A. Before I get us all terribly confused, let me just say this doesn’t happen very often. But it will happen in 2011, when Easter will be one day shy of the latest possible date, so we can all look forward to an in-depth study of the Sermon on the Mount then. In the meantime, I wanted to at least look at some of the central teachings of this collection, and also connect them to some related readings in the Old Testament – because, you may remember, I am convinced that the teachings of Jesus are not entirely new. What is new in the Gospel is the way Jesus pulls together these teachings into a coherent vision of life in God’s kingdom. The best way to experience these teachings is to read them all in one sitting – I actually thought about reading the whole passage today, instead of a sermon, but I wanted to go shorter today, and the sermon of Jesus is longer than my sermon. I have made copies of the entire Sermon on the Mount in the contemporary version I read from today. These are available on the back table – or you can email me and I’ll send it to you. Take 15 minutes and read it all – it’s a marvelous vision of the Kingdom. Continue...
Fighting Identity Theft
February 11, 2008
Texts: Genesis 2:15-17, 3:1-7; Matthew 4:1-11
We don’t know much about scarcity in this country in these times – we really have enough of what we need most of the time. But occasionally, at Christmas time over recent decades, there have been significant shortages of one toy or another – Tickle Me Elmo, Cabbage Patch dolls, or, at Christmas in 1987, Ghostbusters. Little boys were pining for Ghostbuster action figures, firehouses and the Ghostbuster-mobile…and parents like me were wondering how to get our hands on them. We were wait-listed on a couple of items – Jason was almost 4 and he was totally attuned to this dimension of pop culture. And so one day, as we walked through the Sears catalog department to pick up an order, we passed through the shelves on which peoples’ orders had been filed alphabetically, and we walked right by a Ghostbuster mobile, with its picture all over the box. “Mom, Mom!” he said, “A Ghostbuster mobile! We can get it!” I tried to explain to him that it wasn’t ours, that it had been ordered for some other little boy, and finally, I showed him the name on the box – instead of Zencka, the name on the box was Smedley. And Jason said mournfully, “I could be Smedley….”
Continue...
A Matter of Experience
February 03, 2008
Texts: 2 Peter 1:16-21, Matthew 17:1-9
This is a difficult story for us in the modern era. As I thought about it this week, I realized that I really didn’t look forward to preaching it. It is hard to hear this passage and not get stalled out on the question of belief – did this really happen? Really?? Just as it is described? Jesus suddenly became radiant, and then Moses and Elijah appeared with him, in conversation? The whole scene is so completely improbable, but some of what is so improbable is how ordinary it all is. Moses and Elijah and Jesus chatting. And in the middle of this scene, God’s voice, booming out, pronouncing love and admonishing the disciples to listen to Jesus. And in an instant, it’s over. Of course the disciples would have been terrified.
Continue...
This is a difficult story for us in the modern era. As I thought about it this week, I realized that I really didn’t look forward to preaching it. It is hard to hear this passage and not get stalled out on the question of belief – did this really happen? Really?? Just as it is described? Jesus suddenly became radiant, and then Moses and Elijah appeared with him, in conversation? The whole scene is so completely improbable, but some of what is so improbable is how ordinary it all is. Moses and Elijah and Jesus chatting. And in the middle of this scene, God’s voice, booming out, pronouncing love and admonishing the disciples to listen to Jesus. And in an instant, it’s over. Of course the disciples would have been terrified.
Continue...
Lighten Up!
January 27, 2008
Texts: Isaiah 9:1-4; Matthew 4:12-23
This week was an interesting week for sports fans – if football is your sport, you probably watched the Packers lose a heartbreaking game in overtime, cold and snow a week ago. While I’m sure everyone felt sorry for Giants’ kicker Lawrence Tynes and the prospect of his failing at a third field goal attempt, made more difficult by kicking a cold football, nonetheless, in this state it’s hard to find anyone whose compassion extended to wanting him to make that last attempt. But he did, and the Packers lost, and God bless Brett Favre for not shifting the blame for that last interception to anyone else – he threw it badly, and he accepted the responsibility. Those of us whose sport is politics would like to see some more of that kind of responsibility and civility on our field. For those of us who are more focused on Super Duper Tuesday than on the Superbowl, it has been a lively week on the primary trail.
Continue...
This week was an interesting week for sports fans – if football is your sport, you probably watched the Packers lose a heartbreaking game in overtime, cold and snow a week ago. While I’m sure everyone felt sorry for Giants’ kicker Lawrence Tynes and the prospect of his failing at a third field goal attempt, made more difficult by kicking a cold football, nonetheless, in this state it’s hard to find anyone whose compassion extended to wanting him to make that last attempt. But he did, and the Packers lost, and God bless Brett Favre for not shifting the blame for that last interception to anyone else – he threw it badly, and he accepted the responsibility. Those of us whose sport is politics would like to see some more of that kind of responsibility and civility on our field. For those of us who are more focused on Super Duper Tuesday than on the Superbowl, it has been a lively week on the primary trail.
Continue...
Too Light…So Be Light
January 20, 2008
Texts: John 1:29-42; Isaiah 49:1-7
This passage, from Isaiah, is really quite striking. Many people compare the Old Testament with the New Testament as being the place where God was only concerned with Israel, where in the New Testament he opened his arms to the world. This passage, and not this passage alone in the Old Testament, but this passage in particular shows that reading the Old Testament as the story of God’s exclusive relationship with Israel is simply wrong.
Continue...
This passage, from Isaiah, is really quite striking. Many people compare the Old Testament with the New Testament as being the place where God was only concerned with Israel, where in the New Testament he opened his arms to the world. This passage, and not this passage alone in the Old Testament, but this passage in particular shows that reading the Old Testament as the story of God’s exclusive relationship with Israel is simply wrong.
Continue...
Claimed and Called
January 13, 2008
Texts: Isaiah 42:1-9; Matthew 3:13-17
A few weeks ago, the young son of one of our members was downstairs during coffee hour, when he spied the television in fellowship hall. One of the couches was in front of it, so the little boy climbed up on the sofa and stood in front of the tv, admiring his reflection in the screen. His mom explained that there isn’t a television at his house, so he was perfectly content with it off, as a way to see himself.
Continue...
A few weeks ago, the young son of one of our members was downstairs during coffee hour, when he spied the television in fellowship hall. One of the couches was in front of it, so the little boy climbed up on the sofa and stood in front of the tv, admiring his reflection in the screen. His mom explained that there isn’t a television at his house, so he was perfectly content with it off, as a way to see himself.
Continue...
Antidisestablishmentarianism or Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious?
January 06, 2008
Texts: Isaiah 60:1-6; Matthew 2:1-12
I hope no one here is suffering from Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia – did you know that’s the fear of long words? It’s unlikely that any of us have that particular fear, although many people are nervous about complexity. That will be a problem over the coming months because we are fully entering the campaign season now. When people in a democracy are unwilling to deal with complex issues, candidates try to appeal to voters in more superficial ways. We’ve been seeing that trend for quite a number of years, and ultimately it weakens democracy. An informed and participatory electorate is fundamental to democracy – if we don’t understand the issues, we can’t make wise choices.
Continue...
I hope no one here is suffering from Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia – did you know that’s the fear of long words? It’s unlikely that any of us have that particular fear, although many people are nervous about complexity. That will be a problem over the coming months because we are fully entering the campaign season now. When people in a democracy are unwilling to deal with complex issues, candidates try to appeal to voters in more superficial ways. We’ve been seeing that trend for quite a number of years, and ultimately it weakens democracy. An informed and participatory electorate is fundamental to democracy – if we don’t understand the issues, we can’t make wise choices.
Continue...