I can't help it, I have to do a plug for Madison's Vacation Bible School. : )
I am SOOOO excited to have the opportunity to plan and lead VBS this summer. We are doing Jerusalem Marketplace, a fun, hands on, multi-generational program that takes participants back to ancient Jerusalem when Jesus was there. The participants are divided into the different tribes of Israel, and each tribe will be led by a junior leader (I already have my first volunteer!!!). Each day participants will gather in the marketplace, hear about what Jesus is doing in Jerusalem, attend Synagogue School, have recreation and craft time, and come together for snack and a closing time.
We are accepting registration for kids ages 3-5th grade. Anyone older than 5th grade who would like to participate can volunteer to be a junior tribe leader. I also need adults to help with and be part of the marketplace, snacks, crafts, recreation, etc.
VBS will be the last week of July (26-30) from 9:30am-12:00pm
Come be a part of this adventure!
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Starboard Cove
On Thursday, after my last classroom commitment to Drew for the semester, Evan and I headed up north to Down-East Maine to see his family. After hitting several accidents and much construction along the way, we finally made it to his cousin Ralph's house (in southern Maine) a bit after midnight.
In the morning we headed up north, stopping to have lunch with Evan's old pastor in Waterville. It was nice to meet her and visit for awhile, but eventually we had to hit the road. About four hours later we were finally in Starboard! Yay! We gathered with the family for a dinner of pasta salad and garden salad made by Evan's dad, Bill, and pizza, which Jeff brought for the boys. After dinner we went for a walk with Nana and Evan's mother, Debbie, down the road, but it was too chilly to stay out for long.
This morning I slept until 10:30! Can you believe it!? 10:30! It was amazing. As I sit here writing and eating the breakfast Evan just made me of eggs and toast (from the bread we made!) this is my view:
Isn't that beautiful? It's a bit foggy today, and chilly, but we'll make the most of it.
Tonight we travel up to Eastport so Evan can play a gig at the Rose Garden. More pictures and posts to follow. :)
In the morning we headed up north, stopping to have lunch with Evan's old pastor in Waterville. It was nice to meet her and visit for awhile, but eventually we had to hit the road. About four hours later we were finally in Starboard! Yay! We gathered with the family for a dinner of pasta salad and garden salad made by Evan's dad, Bill, and pizza, which Jeff brought for the boys. After dinner we went for a walk with Nana and Evan's mother, Debbie, down the road, but it was too chilly to stay out for long.
This morning I slept until 10:30! Can you believe it!? 10:30! It was amazing. As I sit here writing and eating the breakfast Evan just made me of eggs and toast (from the bread we made!) this is my view:
Isn't that beautiful? It's a bit foggy today, and chilly, but we'll make the most of it.
Tonight we travel up to Eastport so Evan can play a gig at the Rose Garden. More pictures and posts to follow. :)
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
(Not so) Great Expectations
Luke 24: 1But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb, taking the spices that they had prepared. 2They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3but when they went in, they did not find the body. 4While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them. 5The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. 6Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, 7that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again.” 8Then they remembered his words, 9and returning from the tomb, they told all this to the eleven and to all the rest. 10Now it was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told this to the apostles. 11But these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. 12But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; then he went home, amazed at what had happened.
Life is full of expectations. These expectations are formed through years of human experience, and carry with them . While some of these expectations come from tradition, others carry with them universal truths. Let’s take Easter, for instance. I think it is pretty safe to say that if you are a Christian celebrating Easter in North America, you expect certain things. You expect to sing Christ the Lord is Risen Today, you probably expect to flower a cross, and you are probably looking ahead to the ham lunch you will share with family and friends later that afternoon. Most children expect to receive an Easter basket of sorts, expect to dye eggs, and expect, if not demand, an Easter egg hunt. Expectations such as these can be fun, but also very important. They give structure and order to the season; they are a prescription, if you will, for how to celebrate this holiday. They bring joy, for the most part, and if they are neglected (especially the Easter egg hunt) the result is disappointment. How often have you heard, or you yourself have said, after a holiday that has been missing something, that it “just didn’t feel like ‘blank’.” It didn’t feel like Thanksgiving because there was apple pie instead of pumpkin pie. It didn’t feel like Christmas because we didn’t sing Joy to the World. It didn’t feel like Easter because…well, you get the point. Expectations are important to be aware of; when they are exceeded, we have cause for celebration or surprise. When they are met, we are satisfied. When they are not met; well, all sorts of things can happen.
Jesus had a very habitual way of meeting people’s expectations. In many ways, he exceeded his current and would be followers’expectations. No one would have dreamed he could cast out demons with such authority. When there were thousands that needed to be fed, the disciples did not expect Jesus to be able to feed them; but he did, with plenty left-over. No one expected he could walk on water, or calm the storm, but he did. Through his miracles he exceeded everyone’s expectations, and those expectations were raised. They did not expect Jesus to enter into Jerusalem on a donkey, but rather as a militant king! No one expected he would be betrayed by one of his closest followers. No one expected the Messiah to suffer, or to die. And no one expected him to rise.
The women who had followed Jesus from Galilee watched as his body was placed in a tomb; they saw how his body was laid, and saw the stone rolled in front of the entrance. Because of the Sabbath, they had to wait to annoint the body. They prepared the spices and ointment, and waited until the Sabbath was over before going to the tomb to annoint the body. They were surely preparing themselves for what they would find; a corpse, already deteriorating. It was, after all, to be expected. What they find, instead, is a surprise. There is no stench, there is no rotting corpse; there is no body at all! And the women are perplexed, because when you see a body be laid to rest with your own eyes, you most certainly expect it to be there when you return!
Even in death, Jesus surpassed their expectations.
If the disappearance of Jesus’body was not disturbing enough, suddenly the women find themselves in the company of two angels. After reminding the women of what Jesus had said, several times in his ministry in fact, the women remember. What I find interesting is Luke’s lack of description when it comes to the women’s reaction to this news; that the Son of Man has risen. He describes their puzzlement at finding the tomb empty, their fear at seeing the angels, but here, he says nothing. It makes me wonder if, rather than excitement, their response was a rather sheepish, “oh yeah, I remember that….” When they tell the apostles, those closest to Jesus, their words are brushed off. These men, Jesus’inner circle of followers, do not remember what Jesus had said. For them, he is still dead; they do not even seem concerned that his body may have been stolen. All but Peter. Peter, who has not only disappointed but also denied Jesus while he was living, must see for himself. And he runs. His expectations are not disclosed to the reader; whether he believed the women or not, upon seeing the empty tomb he is amazed. And he goes, not back to the apostles, but to his own home, no doubt to ponder what he had just seen, and to figure out what it meant.
What does it mean? The empty tomb means that Jesus has risen. It is a fulfillment of the prophecy of death and resurrection, leading the audience to believe also in the prophecy that Christ will come again. The empty tomb is a symbol of Christ’s victory over sin and death; it can give us courage to face darkness and death, realizing that the light of dawn is close at hand. It means that there is hope for salvation, that through Christ’s offering of himself our sins are forgiven, and we can be in a right relationship with God. The empty tomb means all these things, and more. It means that Christ is alive, and at work in the world, even today. Amen!
Life is full of expectations. These expectations are formed through years of human experience, and carry with them . While some of these expectations come from tradition, others carry with them universal truths. Let’s take Easter, for instance. I think it is pretty safe to say that if you are a Christian celebrating Easter in North America, you expect certain things. You expect to sing Christ the Lord is Risen Today, you probably expect to flower a cross, and you are probably looking ahead to the ham lunch you will share with family and friends later that afternoon. Most children expect to receive an Easter basket of sorts, expect to dye eggs, and expect, if not demand, an Easter egg hunt. Expectations such as these can be fun, but also very important. They give structure and order to the season; they are a prescription, if you will, for how to celebrate this holiday. They bring joy, for the most part, and if they are neglected (especially the Easter egg hunt) the result is disappointment. How often have you heard, or you yourself have said, after a holiday that has been missing something, that it “just didn’t feel like ‘blank’.” It didn’t feel like Thanksgiving because there was apple pie instead of pumpkin pie. It didn’t feel like Christmas because we didn’t sing Joy to the World. It didn’t feel like Easter because…well, you get the point. Expectations are important to be aware of; when they are exceeded, we have cause for celebration or surprise. When they are met, we are satisfied. When they are not met; well, all sorts of things can happen.
Jesus had a very habitual way of meeting people’s expectations. In many ways, he exceeded his current and would be followers’expectations. No one would have dreamed he could cast out demons with such authority. When there were thousands that needed to be fed, the disciples did not expect Jesus to be able to feed them; but he did, with plenty left-over. No one expected he could walk on water, or calm the storm, but he did. Through his miracles he exceeded everyone’s expectations, and those expectations were raised. They did not expect Jesus to enter into Jerusalem on a donkey, but rather as a militant king! No one expected he would be betrayed by one of his closest followers. No one expected the Messiah to suffer, or to die. And no one expected him to rise.
The women who had followed Jesus from Galilee watched as his body was placed in a tomb; they saw how his body was laid, and saw the stone rolled in front of the entrance. Because of the Sabbath, they had to wait to annoint the body. They prepared the spices and ointment, and waited until the Sabbath was over before going to the tomb to annoint the body. They were surely preparing themselves for what they would find; a corpse, already deteriorating. It was, after all, to be expected. What they find, instead, is a surprise. There is no stench, there is no rotting corpse; there is no body at all! And the women are perplexed, because when you see a body be laid to rest with your own eyes, you most certainly expect it to be there when you return!
Even in death, Jesus surpassed their expectations.
If the disappearance of Jesus’body was not disturbing enough, suddenly the women find themselves in the company of two angels. After reminding the women of what Jesus had said, several times in his ministry in fact, the women remember. What I find interesting is Luke’s lack of description when it comes to the women’s reaction to this news; that the Son of Man has risen. He describes their puzzlement at finding the tomb empty, their fear at seeing the angels, but here, he says nothing. It makes me wonder if, rather than excitement, their response was a rather sheepish, “oh yeah, I remember that….” When they tell the apostles, those closest to Jesus, their words are brushed off. These men, Jesus’inner circle of followers, do not remember what Jesus had said. For them, he is still dead; they do not even seem concerned that his body may have been stolen. All but Peter. Peter, who has not only disappointed but also denied Jesus while he was living, must see for himself. And he runs. His expectations are not disclosed to the reader; whether he believed the women or not, upon seeing the empty tomb he is amazed. And he goes, not back to the apostles, but to his own home, no doubt to ponder what he had just seen, and to figure out what it meant.
What does it mean? The empty tomb means that Jesus has risen. It is a fulfillment of the prophecy of death and resurrection, leading the audience to believe also in the prophecy that Christ will come again. The empty tomb is a symbol of Christ’s victory over sin and death; it can give us courage to face darkness and death, realizing that the light of dawn is close at hand. It means that there is hope for salvation, that through Christ’s offering of himself our sins are forgiven, and we can be in a right relationship with God. The empty tomb means all these things, and more. It means that Christ is alive, and at work in the world, even today. Amen!
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Sermon-ette on the Prodigal Son
Luke 15.1-3,11b-32
This story is very familiar to us; it is one of the most well-known stories attributed to Jesus. It is often viewed and presented as a story of God's boundless grace and love. The younger son is often used as a symbol of one who has gone astray, who sees the error of their ways, and is received back by God, just as a lost sheep is welcomed back into the fold. We are probably not surprised to find that the parable of the lost sheep precedes the story of the prodigal son.While there are many similarities between the two stories, the emphasis placed on the actions of the characters are somewhat different. In the parable of the lost sheep, Jesus describes what would have been a common occurrence in the rural community Jesus spoke to; a sheep wanders off and becomes lost. The sheep does not deliberately run away, it simply becomes separated from the flock. The shepherd takes it upon himself to go and search for the sheep, celebrating when he finds it, carrying it home safely.
Now, contrast that with the story of the prodigal son. Here, Jesus tells of something that would have been reprehensible within the culture. This younger son goes to his father, who is in seemingly good health mind you, and DEMANDS to receive what will only be his once his father dies. He is not asking for a loan, or a gift; it's not like there is a separate bank account set aside, collecting interested titled "inheritance." He is, essentially, impatient, and cannot WAIT for his father to die to get his hands on the family funds. If that was not bad enough, once he receives "what is his" he deserts his family, taking with him their resources needed to survive. This son is no lost sheep; rather, he is a thief. He does not put his inheritance to good use, and eventually finds himself in as low a position he COULD find himself; tending the religiously and literally unclean pigs. He has become as far removed from his family, faith, and culture as he can get. It is at this point he decides it would be a good idea to return home. We cannot know if his confession is heartfelt or not, but it is clear he feels it will be enough to welcome him back home, even if only as a slave. And so he sets off for home.
Remember the shepherd in the previous parable?
The father is not like the shepherd.
He does not hurry off to find his wayward son. He does not try to save him. Instead, he let's him go.
I wonder what the father felt, after his son had left. Was he sad? Was he angry? Did his son become dead to him? Did he even care at all, now that he had lost a good deal of his wealth AND a pair of hands around the farm that would need to be replaced? Did he watch for the improbable return of his son? We don't know. But Jesus tells us that when the father sees his son far off, he runs to him, embracing him and welcoming him home.
The shepherd went off to seek for what was lost. The father stayed behind, but welcomed his son when he returned. Jesus begins the parable of the lost sheep with the words, "which one of you...?" And now I turn the question to you. Which one of YOU will search for those who are lost? Which one of YOU will be ready to welcome those back, regardless of what they have done? Which one of YOU will care for the least, the last, and the lost? I challenge you, to see the shepherd and the father not only as symbols of God and Christ, but also as a model for how we should be as Christians. Let's BE the shepherds. Let's BE the fathers and the mothers, rejoicing when what was once lost, is found.
Amen.
This story is very familiar to us; it is one of the most well-known stories attributed to Jesus. It is often viewed and presented as a story of God's boundless grace and love. The younger son is often used as a symbol of one who has gone astray, who sees the error of their ways, and is received back by God, just as a lost sheep is welcomed back into the fold. We are probably not surprised to find that the parable of the lost sheep precedes the story of the prodigal son.While there are many similarities between the two stories, the emphasis placed on the actions of the characters are somewhat different. In the parable of the lost sheep, Jesus describes what would have been a common occurrence in the rural community Jesus spoke to; a sheep wanders off and becomes lost. The sheep does not deliberately run away, it simply becomes separated from the flock. The shepherd takes it upon himself to go and search for the sheep, celebrating when he finds it, carrying it home safely.
Now, contrast that with the story of the prodigal son. Here, Jesus tells of something that would have been reprehensible within the culture. This younger son goes to his father, who is in seemingly good health mind you, and DEMANDS to receive what will only be his once his father dies. He is not asking for a loan, or a gift; it's not like there is a separate bank account set aside, collecting interested titled "inheritance." He is, essentially, impatient, and cannot WAIT for his father to die to get his hands on the family funds. If that was not bad enough, once he receives "what is his" he deserts his family, taking with him their resources needed to survive. This son is no lost sheep; rather, he is a thief. He does not put his inheritance to good use, and eventually finds himself in as low a position he COULD find himself; tending the religiously and literally unclean pigs. He has become as far removed from his family, faith, and culture as he can get. It is at this point he decides it would be a good idea to return home. We cannot know if his confession is heartfelt or not, but it is clear he feels it will be enough to welcome him back home, even if only as a slave. And so he sets off for home.
Remember the shepherd in the previous parable?
The father is not like the shepherd.
He does not hurry off to find his wayward son. He does not try to save him. Instead, he let's him go.
I wonder what the father felt, after his son had left. Was he sad? Was he angry? Did his son become dead to him? Did he even care at all, now that he had lost a good deal of his wealth AND a pair of hands around the farm that would need to be replaced? Did he watch for the improbable return of his son? We don't know. But Jesus tells us that when the father sees his son far off, he runs to him, embracing him and welcoming him home.
The shepherd went off to seek for what was lost. The father stayed behind, but welcomed his son when he returned. Jesus begins the parable of the lost sheep with the words, "which one of you...?" And now I turn the question to you. Which one of YOU will search for those who are lost? Which one of YOU will be ready to welcome those back, regardless of what they have done? Which one of YOU will care for the least, the last, and the lost? I challenge you, to see the shepherd and the father not only as symbols of God and Christ, but also as a model for how we should be as Christians. Let's BE the shepherds. Let's BE the fathers and the mothers, rejoicing when what was once lost, is found.
Amen.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Lenten Practice
I was at a loss of what to do during Lent; to give up, or not to give up- that was the question. I usually try to "add" something instead of giving something up, so here is my plan:
each week the Revised Common Lectionary has four scripture readings, almost always in this order:
1- passage from the Hebrew Bible
1- psalm
1- epistle (letter from Paul, or, atleast attributed to Paul)
1- Gospel
What I am going to try to do is to read and reflect in some way on each of these readings during Lent. I am hoping this will lead to creative ways of reflecting on the scriptures. We'll see how it goes.
Peace be with you all!
each week the Revised Common Lectionary has four scripture readings, almost always in this order:
1- passage from the Hebrew Bible
1- psalm
1- epistle (letter from Paul, or, atleast attributed to Paul)
1- Gospel
What I am going to try to do is to read and reflect in some way on each of these readings during Lent. I am hoping this will lead to creative ways of reflecting on the scriptures. We'll see how it goes.
Peace be with you all!
Monday, February 8, 2010
What to do....
Hey! I'm pretty sure no-one really reads this, which is fine. BUT, if you d0 then you can help me out.
Ready?
What should Evan and I do for Valentine's Day!?
We don't want to do the cliche things, but we want it to be a special day. We never go to the movies, only eat out once a month, and do all of our (really yummy!) cooking at home. I have forbidden flowers (the prices get SOOOO inflated!)and he's not a huge fan of chocolate.
Any ideas to make our first Valentine's Day special?
Ready?
What should Evan and I do for Valentine's Day!?
We don't want to do the cliche things, but we want it to be a special day. We never go to the movies, only eat out once a month, and do all of our (really yummy!) cooking at home. I have forbidden flowers (the prices get SOOOO inflated!)and he's not a huge fan of chocolate.
Any ideas to make our first Valentine's Day special?
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