...and sometimes a book in the dollar bin is there for a reason...
Poor Ethan has a story to tell but he gets in his own way, writing in a style that doesn't say "read and enjoy me" but "try to follow where I am going."
The sub-plot with Red is good.
There is the idea of always carrying a dollar in one's pocket to give to someone in need, coming from a family that "impresses upon its tender offspring the importance of service." (pg. 236).
But the one line I liked was on page 149: "That turned out to be a mistake, but without bad decisions life writes us no stories."
A UCC Pastor's walk through the spiritual waters of Scripture, pop culture and life.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Thursday, June 10, 2010
"Women Who Eat" edited by Leslie Miller
Sometimes you can find the most wonderful book for only a buck. That's what happened with the anthology "Women Who Eat" (2003). A collection of stories by foodies for foodies, capturing all essences of cooking, eating and food memories, almost every story tied into how food and relationships coexist with one another.
I highly recommend this book, especially being moved by Amanda Hesser's "Fundamental Pleasures," so much so I read her essay twice in a row. On page 39 she quotes from Edoudard de Pomiane's Cooking with Pomaine: "For a gourmand there is no need to produce complicated dishes with fancy names. Prepare for him raw materials of good quality. Transform them as little as possible and accompany them with suitable sauces and you will have produced a meal which is just right."
I loved that line and thought of how well that applies to just about everything. Simpler is better. So how can I follow the words that I agree with?
I highly recommend this book, especially being moved by Amanda Hesser's "Fundamental Pleasures," so much so I read her essay twice in a row. On page 39 she quotes from Edoudard de Pomiane's Cooking with Pomaine: "For a gourmand there is no need to produce complicated dishes with fancy names. Prepare for him raw materials of good quality. Transform them as little as possible and accompany them with suitable sauces and you will have produced a meal which is just right."
I loved that line and thought of how well that applies to just about everything. Simpler is better. So how can I follow the words that I agree with?
Monday, June 7, 2010
Sermon for June 6, 2010
Rev. George Miller
1 Kings 17:8-16
“Bread from Heaven ”
June 6, 2010
(Sermon is done from the voice of the widow’s son, giving a school presentation.)
Mrs. Crabtree! Mrs. Crabtree! I’ll be right there. Hold on. (Enter, dressed as a kid with backpack.)
Hi. My name is Francis Panera and for my show and tell today I want to talk about this (places Jiffy box and oil on table. Nervous laugh).
(Looking to side)Tommy! Stop making me laugh.
Like I said, I will tell you how this mix and this oil kept me and my Momma alive and taught us about God. Tommy! Mrs. Crabtree, tell Tommy to stop making faces at me!
Ok, so, Momma says that before I was born, her and Daddy used to have a lot of money. Not a lot a lot like Iron Man, but more then Spiderman.
Daddy was from Michigan and he worked for Chry, he worked for Chry, he worked for Chrysler Motor Company. And business was good.
So good he moved down here to open his own dealership, and that’s how he and Momma met. They had a big house and a fancy car they drove all over Sebring.
They had me, and Momma said that for awhile life was good. She told me my favorite thing to do was go with her and Daddy to Mcdonald’s for a Happy Meal.
But then things weren’t so good. People stopped buying Chryslers and instead they were buying something called Hyundais and Toyotas, and Dad lost the business.
Momma said it broke Daddy’s heart and one day he had a heart attack and died, leaving Momma and me alone, in our big house.
Momma said that for awhile things were OK, but soon they weren’t and she had to cut coupons, then she had to stop going to the booty parlor, and then she had to start selling off her jewl, her jewl, her jewelry. Momma used to have a diamond this big on her finger. But she sold it.
The grass in our yard grew long, the windows stayed broke, I couldn’t go to McDonald’s for a Happy Meal.
She tried to get a job, but no one would hire her, not even Publix. Momma even had to sell Daddy’s car. Then she got a job picking fruit and she rode there in an old bike she had found. She didn’t like what she was doing, saying it was a job for migrants not debutantes. Whatever that is.
But then this winter got really cold and Momma stopped working. Then it stopped raining.
So there hasn’t been a lot of food or Happy Meals.
One day I asked Momma why we don’t go on welfare; she said that was for lazy people and she ain’t lazy. But that week our electric was shut off.
So I asked Mom how come no one was helping us. She said because no one could know about our situation, and I was to not tell anyone else either, if I knew what was coming to me. Then our food right near ran out.
So I asked Mom how come the church can’t help us. She said “Church! Ha! There is no God!” And because I went to bed hungry, I stopped believing in God too.
That’s why, Mrs. Crabtree, I’ve been so fidgety. I don’t mean to be bad, it’s just that I am so hungry.
For a long time, all Momma and I had to eat was canned food like Spam and hash. But then one day it was all gone and all we had was a box of Jiffy corn-bread and a little bit of oil.
That day I woke up real early, with a big pain in my belly. I heard Mom crying and I when I got up I saw her on her knees and talking to someone who was not there.
She was saying “Please, if you can hear me, help me. All my son and I have left is a bit of oil and a box of mix. After we eat that, we will surely die.”
That scared me. I went back to bed and pretended to be asleep. Momma woke me up for school and she told me to be good and that she was going out to prepare for that night’s dinner.
Because Momma was too proud to let anyone know about our situation she would ride her bike to where Sebring and Lake Placid meet and she’d gather sticks to burn in the fire place, and cook our food in a skillet. (Deep inhale)
I had a real bad day at school, wondering what Momma meant about how we would eat it and die. That was the day I was sent to the principal’s office for not following instructions. Do you remember Mrs. Crabtree?
Anyhow, when I got home, things were different. First of all, Momma was singing. Second, there was a strange man in the living room. He had lots of hair, all over his arms and legs, like a monkey.
And he was eating cornbread. I was real angry at first. That was supposed to be my food. My stomach rumbled like it was 24 Hours at Sebring.
Momma introduced me to him, said his name was Eli, Elij, Elijah. His name was Elijah, and he said “pleased to meatcha” and there were bits of cornbread stuck in his mustache.
I asked Momma what was going on, but she said “Sit down dear” and next thing I knew, she was coming back with a whole pan full of cornbread.
“Eat up dear” she said. I asked what about her and she said there was more left over. I looked at her funny like.
But I was so hungry I ate real, real fast, not caring who this strange man was. He laughed and Momma came back with another pan of corn bread, and this time everyone had a piece.
And you know what? It was really nice. Sitting there with Momma, Elijah and warm bread.
We sat and talked and he told us that he was a prophet of God, and that he was on the run from some people because and it was because of their actions that it was not raining.
As Elijah talked I thought how cool it was to have a man in the house, and that night I went to sleep with a full belly and a feeling that things were going to be alright.
I woke up the next day and guess what? Guess what? I said guess what? Elijah and Momma were at the table, smiling, and there was more cornbread. I asked where it came from and all Elijah said was “God provides.”
I went to school and for the first time got a gold star, do you remember Mrs. Crabtree?
So, even though it still hadn’t rained, and Momma had no job, we kept having food to eat.
But not just that: Elijah began fixing things around the house, like the leaky roof and the broken window and he mowed the lawn.
At night he told tell me and Momma about God and the amazing things God had done like create the world out of nothing and give the Israelites bread from heaven.
“Just like us!” I said.
Elijah said “Just like you.”
Know what the best part was? One day I came home and Elijah had a football and asked me if I knew how to play. I said no, so he showed me how to throw, and catch and how to run.
One day I got real sick, like really really sick; that’s when I missed a whole week Mrs. Crabtree. But Elijah prayed over me and did not leave my side until I got better. I thought “This must be what it’s like to have a daddy.”
Well, day after day that one box of corn-bread mix and that little bit of oil seemed to feed us, and I don’t know how, but I didn’t mind, because for the first time in a long time my belly was full, Momma was happy and neither of us were alone.
God, through Elijah, was giving us a vacation from our poverty, and in that vacation we found hope, and in hope we found new possa, new possa, new possibilities.
Our neighbors began talking with us, and people would drop things off, like casseroles and cookies and people began offering us rides to church.
I think once people stopped seeing Momma as an outsider they felt more comfortable talking with her, and I think the more people talked with her the less ashamed she felt about needing help.
One day I came back from school and Elijah was gone. I asked Momma were he went and she said his time with us was over and he had other people to visit, but, just as he had promised us, God would make sure our food would not run out.
I was real sad for awhile, wondering why he left. But then one day it began to rain, and rain, and rain, and rain and rain, and Momma was so happy, and we went out and danced in the raindrops.
Then she got a phone call from her old boss: the rain meant the blueberries would soon be ready for picking and they needed her help.
Even though it was hard work, Momma was so happy to have a job again. She’d come home tired and her hands all purple, and she’d pull some fresh berries out of her pocket.
She even planted a garden and began to grow her own vegetables. One day she dug up a carrot, bit into it and said “As God is my witness I will never go hungry again.”
And she has followed through on her promise. Not only is Momma working now, but we have something called a social worker who makes sure we are OK, we have food and our bills are paid.
Momma is still friends with the neighbors and they bring us casseroles filled with meat and fish and cheese, and sometimes they’ll drive us to the local pantry or to appointments.
I can’t tell you how that box of Jiffy corn bread mix and that little bit of oil lasted. From time to time ask Momma, but she just winks at me and says “God finds ways to provide.”
You can say it was a miracle and God had the mix and oil magically refill itself. But do you wanna know what I think happened? Do you really wanna know?
I think that perhaps Elijah found ways to bring food into our house. Or that once the neighbors saw us as a family they felt more inclined to open their hearts. Or that Elijah helped Momma realize that there is nothing wrong with asking for help when you need it.
Or maybe it was all those things, or it was none of those things.
All I know is that once we were hungry and about to die, and because of Elijah and his promise from God we never went without our daily bread.
And what I learned and why I brought this in today for show and tell is to say that not only do I believe in God, but I believe that God is a God of life.
That God cares about the outsiders, the poor, those without a Daddy and those without a husband.
And I believe that in God there is enough. Maybe not a McDonald’s Happy Meal every single day, like I would want, but enough to give you what you need, when you need it.
Thank you for letting me share with you my story during show and tell, and I give thanks to the Spirit that falls like rain, to Jesus who was poor just like me and to God who gives us bread from heaven.
Amen and amen.
1 Kings 17:8-16
“Bread from Heaven ”
June 6, 2010
(Sermon is done from the voice of the widow’s son, giving a school presentation.)
Mrs. Crabtree! Mrs. Crabtree! I’ll be right there. Hold on. (Enter, dressed as a kid with backpack.)
Hi. My name is Francis Panera and for my show and tell today I want to talk about this (places Jiffy box and oil on table. Nervous laugh).
(Looking to side)Tommy! Stop making me laugh.
Like I said, I will tell you how this mix and this oil kept me and my Momma alive and taught us about God. Tommy! Mrs. Crabtree, tell Tommy to stop making faces at me!
Ok, so, Momma says that before I was born, her and Daddy used to have a lot of money. Not a lot a lot like Iron Man, but more then Spiderman.
Daddy was from Michigan and he worked for Chry, he worked for Chry, he worked for Chrysler Motor Company. And business was good.
So good he moved down here to open his own dealership, and that’s how he and Momma met. They had a big house and a fancy car they drove all over Sebring.
They had me, and Momma said that for awhile life was good. She told me my favorite thing to do was go with her and Daddy to Mcdonald’s for a Happy Meal.
But then things weren’t so good. People stopped buying Chryslers and instead they were buying something called Hyundais and Toyotas, and Dad lost the business.
Momma said it broke Daddy’s heart and one day he had a heart attack and died, leaving Momma and me alone, in our big house.
Momma said that for awhile things were OK, but soon they weren’t and she had to cut coupons, then she had to stop going to the booty parlor, and then she had to start selling off her jewl, her jewl, her jewelry. Momma used to have a diamond this big on her finger. But she sold it.
The grass in our yard grew long, the windows stayed broke, I couldn’t go to McDonald’s for a Happy Meal.
She tried to get a job, but no one would hire her, not even Publix. Momma even had to sell Daddy’s car. Then she got a job picking fruit and she rode there in an old bike she had found. She didn’t like what she was doing, saying it was a job for migrants not debutantes. Whatever that is.
But then this winter got really cold and Momma stopped working. Then it stopped raining.
So there hasn’t been a lot of food or Happy Meals.
One day I asked Momma why we don’t go on welfare; she said that was for lazy people and she ain’t lazy. But that week our electric was shut off.
So I asked Mom how come no one was helping us. She said because no one could know about our situation, and I was to not tell anyone else either, if I knew what was coming to me. Then our food right near ran out.
So I asked Mom how come the church can’t help us. She said “Church! Ha! There is no God!” And because I went to bed hungry, I stopped believing in God too.
That’s why, Mrs. Crabtree, I’ve been so fidgety. I don’t mean to be bad, it’s just that I am so hungry.
For a long time, all Momma and I had to eat was canned food like Spam and hash. But then one day it was all gone and all we had was a box of Jiffy corn-bread and a little bit of oil.
That day I woke up real early, with a big pain in my belly. I heard Mom crying and I when I got up I saw her on her knees and talking to someone who was not there.
She was saying “Please, if you can hear me, help me. All my son and I have left is a bit of oil and a box of mix. After we eat that, we will surely die.”
That scared me. I went back to bed and pretended to be asleep. Momma woke me up for school and she told me to be good and that she was going out to prepare for that night’s dinner.
Because Momma was too proud to let anyone know about our situation she would ride her bike to where Sebring and Lake Placid meet and she’d gather sticks to burn in the fire place, and cook our food in a skillet. (Deep inhale)
I had a real bad day at school, wondering what Momma meant about how we would eat it and die. That was the day I was sent to the principal’s office for not following instructions. Do you remember Mrs. Crabtree?
Anyhow, when I got home, things were different. First of all, Momma was singing. Second, there was a strange man in the living room. He had lots of hair, all over his arms and legs, like a monkey.
And he was eating cornbread. I was real angry at first. That was supposed to be my food. My stomach rumbled like it was 24 Hours at Sebring.
Momma introduced me to him, said his name was Eli, Elij, Elijah. His name was Elijah, and he said “pleased to meatcha” and there were bits of cornbread stuck in his mustache.
I asked Momma what was going on, but she said “Sit down dear” and next thing I knew, she was coming back with a whole pan full of cornbread.
“Eat up dear” she said. I asked what about her and she said there was more left over. I looked at her funny like.
But I was so hungry I ate real, real fast, not caring who this strange man was. He laughed and Momma came back with another pan of corn bread, and this time everyone had a piece.
And you know what? It was really nice. Sitting there with Momma, Elijah and warm bread.
We sat and talked and he told us that he was a prophet of God, and that he was on the run from some people because and it was because of their actions that it was not raining.
As Elijah talked I thought how cool it was to have a man in the house, and that night I went to sleep with a full belly and a feeling that things were going to be alright.
I woke up the next day and guess what? Guess what? I said guess what? Elijah and Momma were at the table, smiling, and there was more cornbread. I asked where it came from and all Elijah said was “God provides.”
I went to school and for the first time got a gold star, do you remember Mrs. Crabtree?
So, even though it still hadn’t rained, and Momma had no job, we kept having food to eat.
But not just that: Elijah began fixing things around the house, like the leaky roof and the broken window and he mowed the lawn.
At night he told tell me and Momma about God and the amazing things God had done like create the world out of nothing and give the Israelites bread from heaven.
“Just like us!” I said.
Elijah said “Just like you.”
Know what the best part was? One day I came home and Elijah had a football and asked me if I knew how to play. I said no, so he showed me how to throw, and catch and how to run.
One day I got real sick, like really really sick; that’s when I missed a whole week Mrs. Crabtree. But Elijah prayed over me and did not leave my side until I got better. I thought “This must be what it’s like to have a daddy.”
Well, day after day that one box of corn-bread mix and that little bit of oil seemed to feed us, and I don’t know how, but I didn’t mind, because for the first time in a long time my belly was full, Momma was happy and neither of us were alone.
God, through Elijah, was giving us a vacation from our poverty, and in that vacation we found hope, and in hope we found new possa, new possa, new possibilities.
Our neighbors began talking with us, and people would drop things off, like casseroles and cookies and people began offering us rides to church.
I think once people stopped seeing Momma as an outsider they felt more comfortable talking with her, and I think the more people talked with her the less ashamed she felt about needing help.
One day I came back from school and Elijah was gone. I asked Momma were he went and she said his time with us was over and he had other people to visit, but, just as he had promised us, God would make sure our food would not run out.
I was real sad for awhile, wondering why he left. But then one day it began to rain, and rain, and rain, and rain and rain, and Momma was so happy, and we went out and danced in the raindrops.
Then she got a phone call from her old boss: the rain meant the blueberries would soon be ready for picking and they needed her help.
Even though it was hard work, Momma was so happy to have a job again. She’d come home tired and her hands all purple, and she’d pull some fresh berries out of her pocket.
She even planted a garden and began to grow her own vegetables. One day she dug up a carrot, bit into it and said “As God is my witness I will never go hungry again.”
And she has followed through on her promise. Not only is Momma working now, but we have something called a social worker who makes sure we are OK, we have food and our bills are paid.
Momma is still friends with the neighbors and they bring us casseroles filled with meat and fish and cheese, and sometimes they’ll drive us to the local pantry or to appointments.
I can’t tell you how that box of Jiffy corn bread mix and that little bit of oil lasted. From time to time ask Momma, but she just winks at me and says “God finds ways to provide.”
You can say it was a miracle and God had the mix and oil magically refill itself. But do you wanna know what I think happened? Do you really wanna know?
I think that perhaps Elijah found ways to bring food into our house. Or that once the neighbors saw us as a family they felt more inclined to open their hearts. Or that Elijah helped Momma realize that there is nothing wrong with asking for help when you need it.
Or maybe it was all those things, or it was none of those things.
All I know is that once we were hungry and about to die, and because of Elijah and his promise from God we never went without our daily bread.
And what I learned and why I brought this in today for show and tell is to say that not only do I believe in God, but I believe that God is a God of life.
That God cares about the outsiders, the poor, those without a Daddy and those without a husband.
And I believe that in God there is enough. Maybe not a McDonald’s Happy Meal every single day, like I would want, but enough to give you what you need, when you need it.
Thank you for letting me share with you my story during show and tell, and I give thanks to the Spirit that falls like rain, to Jesus who was poor just like me and to God who gives us bread from heaven.
Amen and amen.
Sermon from May 31, 2010, Romans 8:18-25
Rev. George Miller
Romans 8:18-25
“Creation Groans ”
May 30, 2010
Groaning- creation has been groaning. A moan, a low, rumbling sound.
Pain- there is pain; like a woman in the process of giving birth; pain like a 1,000 outsiders wandering the wilderness for a place to call home, away from the persistent sun and scorching heat.
Pain like a forsaken man nailed to a cross. Pain like what you experienced on the darkest night of your life when you felt the most alone.
No joke can quiet the pain, no sweet treat can lessen the gnawing it creates in the soul, no word spoken can eradicate its sound.
It is a groaning that began back then, continues into the now and moves into the future.
Only hope can save us; the Spirit help us in our weakness; the Messiah call us forward to accept our part in bringing God’s children into glory.
Creation has been groaning because we were all created for something grander, but we have all been lost to sin...
Romans 8 is an eloquent passage in a poetically complex letter. Paul is writing to a group of folk in which he talks about Christ, the Spirit, and hope. For 25 years he has traveled all over creation sharing the Good News.
As one of my professors said, Paul was building a community among different cultures and beliefs, doing so without any romantic ideas, knowing it was hard work.
Because Paul’s ministry was such a struggle he used metaphors of fragility in contrast with God’s glory. For example, in weakness we find strength, and in defeat we find victory.[i]
The use of metaphors appears in today’s reading, such as the condition of the world, noting that there is a lot decay and a lot of pain.
Groaning Paul calls it, groaning as if in childbirth.
The entire creation groans. That means all the wonderful things we heard about last week in Psalm 104: birds and fish, waterways and rocks, even the mighty leviathan: groaning in pain.
Creation groans; is there any way to make it stop?
...Groaning is a lost art form; the ability to embrace pain, no matter how great or small it is; to allow oneself to fully feel and experience it.
I think of other cultures that have the art of the groan. In certain African villages, when someone dies there is a resounding sound of weeping and wailing that takes place as people gather, raising their voices, communally sharing their groans.
Or certain churches in which the words of a song are nothing more then a low, solemn hum, a melodic groaning that bespeaks the community’s shared understanding of pain.
That doesn’t happen so much in middle class USA, that communal acknowledgment of pain and shared sense of groan. In fact we shy away from it, afraid we’ll be seen as less of a person if we make that groaning sound.
Think about it: how often, when we are groaning, do we find others (even ourselves) reacting in certain ways: People don’t want to be around us, or they try to change the subject to something else. Or they say inappropriate words of encouragement like “Things ain’t that bad”, “Cheer up chipmunk,” or “all you need is faith.”
Which only gives the one groaning another thing to do and a compounded sense of shame.
When the truth is, the best thing a person can say is nothing, the best thing they can to do is sit with you in that groan, giving space for what you do or do not want to say, acknowledging that what you feel is real, and that yes, suffering is not fun.
We have lost the art of the groan, and in the process, we have also lost sight that sometimes groaning is not such a bad thing.
Sometimes it is our groans that we are our most pregnant with possibility, it is in our groans that we are on the brink of doing something extraordinarily new.
As Paul states, creation groans, but it is a groaning like one in labor pains. This kind of groan is different then the sounds of mourning, these groans are different from something forever lost, for these groans are about giving birth.
Creation, on its tiptoes, rich with excitement: what is God going to do and just how will God do it?
Patience, prayers and birth pangs come together, ready to let go of the past and to be ushered into something alive and new.
In this construct, the sound of groaning is not to be feared. After all, the groaning of the Hebrew slaves resulted in their freedom, when God parted the waters and led them to “a land flowing with milk and honey, the most glorious of all lands.”[ii]
Christ’s groaning on the cross lead to the resurrection where the weak were shown to be strong, and a new community was created, a community we are all a part of.
If groaning can bring freedom from bondage and turn death into life, what can our own pregnant groans give life to?...
...Tomorrow is Memorial Day. It’s a day to recall and give thanks for those who died in defense of our country. It’s a time to visit cemeteries and memorials, places for the dead.
But I was thinking that for today, we can take a moment to honor our living, our soldiers who may not be fighting oversees, but our soldiers of the church. Those whose hard work and dedication have resulted in groans of new life.
Joyce Gordon who has dedicated herself to the advertising and internet aspect of our ministry, reaching out to people we many never see but are being touched by the efforts of our work.
Linda Taylor who heads our Caring Ministry, making sure the groans of our sick and lonely do not go ignored. Rev. Dan Smith who takes care of Christian Education, ensuring we do not forget our story. Susan Tucker who oversaw our Evangelism, Outreach and Growth group now guided by Joan Beck.
Sue Shellhammer who through the Hospitality group shows kindness to people in a hurting world. Connie Carter and Gloria Lockwood who offer music to soothe our souls and assist the Spirit in giving new birth through song.
Kirk Zimmerman who oversees the care of this Holy House so the groaning have a safe place to call home. Marge Wolf who through Word and Sacrament makes sure the Lord’s Supper is available for the hungry souls who come here.
Herb Guether who led the search committee through a long process that had its share of groans that gave way to pastoral birth. Larry Andrews who through the Service committee calls us to embrace the spirit of Agape, unselfish love, in which we’ll take an offering for today.
Mel and Maureen Wygant who deal with issues of stewardship and finances of which no church can live without.
The pastors who were here before, making my ministry possible: Rev. Loffer, Rev.Carrell, Rev. Laucks and Rev. Langdoc who served as a bridge between us.
There are many other names: Carol and Jim, Millie, May and Dean, Shirley, Gene (Jean) and Hilda, our Willing Workers and those who feed them. I apologize for those I did not mention and assure you that your work is not ignored.
I can not finish without stating how our secretary Marge and our moderator Glenn not only work to help the church run efficiently, but they also pastor the pastor, helping to ease my pregnant groans, and for that I am gracefully grateful.
All these people and the many more I have not mentioned are all positively groaning, pregnant with possibilities, working to bring forth new life, giving birth to worship and ministry.
And why do they do this?
Because it is the work that Christ has called us to do; it is their response to the hope we have as recipients of the Spirit.
It is the work necessary, as children of God, to help aide a groaning world.
And the world is groaning. The waters, land and creatures groan from the impact of oil leaked into the Gulf, as do the humans who depend on the waters for their livelihood.
The unemployed are groaning. At 12% unemployment, residents of our state are left wondering just how they are going to pay their bills, keep their homes and care for their family.
The wounded lost are groaning. Those who are outsiders, told they don’t belong because they are different, they have a different theology, a different view of politics, or a different understanding of who they can love.
And we, as Emmanuel United Church of Christ, where God is still speaking (and listening) is a place that has heard their groans and is continuing to find ways to respond to them.
There are groans so great that the most we can do is be present and hold a hand. There are groans that will call us to leap to action. There are groans that will give way to new birth in the form of programs and ministries.
Thus, we too do not need to be afraid of the groan, but to hear it, acknowledge it, and ask God just what it is we can do.
As the unified body of Christ we can act out in hope, as the unified body of Christ we can offer a soothing balm that will ease Creation’s pain.
As a unified body of Christ we can provide a spot of shade for those who are feeling scorched by the sun, feeling alone and thinking themselves lost.
For in hope we are saved, and in hope we all actively wait in patience.
Thanks be to God who gave us the gifts of creation, for the Spirit that says what our words can not relay, and for Jesus whose glory means freedom for all from bondage and decay.
Amen and amen.
[i]. Rev. Dr. Deborah Krause, “A Sermon to Celebrate the Life and Ministry of Reverend Dr. Diane E. Windler,” preached at Eden Theological Seminary, May 21, 2010.
[ii].Ezekiel 20:6
Romans 8:18-25
“Creation Groans ”
May 30, 2010
Groaning- creation has been groaning. A moan, a low, rumbling sound.
Pain- there is pain; like a woman in the process of giving birth; pain like a 1,000 outsiders wandering the wilderness for a place to call home, away from the persistent sun and scorching heat.
Pain like a forsaken man nailed to a cross. Pain like what you experienced on the darkest night of your life when you felt the most alone.
No joke can quiet the pain, no sweet treat can lessen the gnawing it creates in the soul, no word spoken can eradicate its sound.
It is a groaning that began back then, continues into the now and moves into the future.
Only hope can save us; the Spirit help us in our weakness; the Messiah call us forward to accept our part in bringing God’s children into glory.
Creation has been groaning because we were all created for something grander, but we have all been lost to sin...
Romans 8 is an eloquent passage in a poetically complex letter. Paul is writing to a group of folk in which he talks about Christ, the Spirit, and hope. For 25 years he has traveled all over creation sharing the Good News.
As one of my professors said, Paul was building a community among different cultures and beliefs, doing so without any romantic ideas, knowing it was hard work.
Because Paul’s ministry was such a struggle he used metaphors of fragility in contrast with God’s glory. For example, in weakness we find strength, and in defeat we find victory.[i]
The use of metaphors appears in today’s reading, such as the condition of the world, noting that there is a lot decay and a lot of pain.
Groaning Paul calls it, groaning as if in childbirth.
The entire creation groans. That means all the wonderful things we heard about last week in Psalm 104: birds and fish, waterways and rocks, even the mighty leviathan: groaning in pain.
Creation groans; is there any way to make it stop?
...Groaning is a lost art form; the ability to embrace pain, no matter how great or small it is; to allow oneself to fully feel and experience it.
I think of other cultures that have the art of the groan. In certain African villages, when someone dies there is a resounding sound of weeping and wailing that takes place as people gather, raising their voices, communally sharing their groans.
Or certain churches in which the words of a song are nothing more then a low, solemn hum, a melodic groaning that bespeaks the community’s shared understanding of pain.
That doesn’t happen so much in middle class USA, that communal acknowledgment of pain and shared sense of groan. In fact we shy away from it, afraid we’ll be seen as less of a person if we make that groaning sound.
Think about it: how often, when we are groaning, do we find others (even ourselves) reacting in certain ways: People don’t want to be around us, or they try to change the subject to something else. Or they say inappropriate words of encouragement like “Things ain’t that bad”, “Cheer up chipmunk,” or “all you need is faith.”
Which only gives the one groaning another thing to do and a compounded sense of shame.
When the truth is, the best thing a person can say is nothing, the best thing they can to do is sit with you in that groan, giving space for what you do or do not want to say, acknowledging that what you feel is real, and that yes, suffering is not fun.
We have lost the art of the groan, and in the process, we have also lost sight that sometimes groaning is not such a bad thing.
Sometimes it is our groans that we are our most pregnant with possibility, it is in our groans that we are on the brink of doing something extraordinarily new.
As Paul states, creation groans, but it is a groaning like one in labor pains. This kind of groan is different then the sounds of mourning, these groans are different from something forever lost, for these groans are about giving birth.
Creation, on its tiptoes, rich with excitement: what is God going to do and just how will God do it?
Patience, prayers and birth pangs come together, ready to let go of the past and to be ushered into something alive and new.
In this construct, the sound of groaning is not to be feared. After all, the groaning of the Hebrew slaves resulted in their freedom, when God parted the waters and led them to “a land flowing with milk and honey, the most glorious of all lands.”[ii]
Christ’s groaning on the cross lead to the resurrection where the weak were shown to be strong, and a new community was created, a community we are all a part of.
If groaning can bring freedom from bondage and turn death into life, what can our own pregnant groans give life to?...
...Tomorrow is Memorial Day. It’s a day to recall and give thanks for those who died in defense of our country. It’s a time to visit cemeteries and memorials, places for the dead.
But I was thinking that for today, we can take a moment to honor our living, our soldiers who may not be fighting oversees, but our soldiers of the church. Those whose hard work and dedication have resulted in groans of new life.
Joyce Gordon who has dedicated herself to the advertising and internet aspect of our ministry, reaching out to people we many never see but are being touched by the efforts of our work.
Linda Taylor who heads our Caring Ministry, making sure the groans of our sick and lonely do not go ignored. Rev. Dan Smith who takes care of Christian Education, ensuring we do not forget our story. Susan Tucker who oversaw our Evangelism, Outreach and Growth group now guided by Joan Beck.
Sue Shellhammer who through the Hospitality group shows kindness to people in a hurting world. Connie Carter and Gloria Lockwood who offer music to soothe our souls and assist the Spirit in giving new birth through song.
Kirk Zimmerman who oversees the care of this Holy House so the groaning have a safe place to call home. Marge Wolf who through Word and Sacrament makes sure the Lord’s Supper is available for the hungry souls who come here.
Herb Guether who led the search committee through a long process that had its share of groans that gave way to pastoral birth. Larry Andrews who through the Service committee calls us to embrace the spirit of Agape, unselfish love, in which we’ll take an offering for today.
Mel and Maureen Wygant who deal with issues of stewardship and finances of which no church can live without.
The pastors who were here before, making my ministry possible: Rev. Loffer, Rev.Carrell, Rev. Laucks and Rev. Langdoc who served as a bridge between us.
There are many other names: Carol and Jim, Millie, May and Dean, Shirley, Gene (Jean) and Hilda, our Willing Workers and those who feed them. I apologize for those I did not mention and assure you that your work is not ignored.
I can not finish without stating how our secretary Marge and our moderator Glenn not only work to help the church run efficiently, but they also pastor the pastor, helping to ease my pregnant groans, and for that I am gracefully grateful.
All these people and the many more I have not mentioned are all positively groaning, pregnant with possibilities, working to bring forth new life, giving birth to worship and ministry.
And why do they do this?
Because it is the work that Christ has called us to do; it is their response to the hope we have as recipients of the Spirit.
It is the work necessary, as children of God, to help aide a groaning world.
And the world is groaning. The waters, land and creatures groan from the impact of oil leaked into the Gulf, as do the humans who depend on the waters for their livelihood.
The unemployed are groaning. At 12% unemployment, residents of our state are left wondering just how they are going to pay their bills, keep their homes and care for their family.
The wounded lost are groaning. Those who are outsiders, told they don’t belong because they are different, they have a different theology, a different view of politics, or a different understanding of who they can love.
And we, as Emmanuel United Church of Christ, where God is still speaking (and listening) is a place that has heard their groans and is continuing to find ways to respond to them.
There are groans so great that the most we can do is be present and hold a hand. There are groans that will call us to leap to action. There are groans that will give way to new birth in the form of programs and ministries.
Thus, we too do not need to be afraid of the groan, but to hear it, acknowledge it, and ask God just what it is we can do.
As the unified body of Christ we can act out in hope, as the unified body of Christ we can offer a soothing balm that will ease Creation’s pain.
As a unified body of Christ we can provide a spot of shade for those who are feeling scorched by the sun, feeling alone and thinking themselves lost.
For in hope we are saved, and in hope we all actively wait in patience.
Thanks be to God who gave us the gifts of creation, for the Spirit that says what our words can not relay, and for Jesus whose glory means freedom for all from bondage and decay.
Amen and amen.
[i]. Rev. Dr. Deborah Krause, “A Sermon to Celebrate the Life and Ministry of Reverend Dr. Diane E. Windler,” preached at Eden Theological Seminary, May 21, 2010.
[ii].Ezekiel 20:6
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Sermon for May 23, 2010
Rev. George Miller
Psalm 104:1, 14-35
“Playful God ”
May 23, 2010
Today is Pentecost Sunday. It’s a day to celebrate the unexpected, playful side of God.
Pentecost is considered to be the birthday of the universal church, when the Holy Spirit poured down upon a gathering of folk, causing playful unexpectedness to sweep across the land.
And since this is a birthday, we have what you expect at any birthday gathering: music, which we’ve already heard, refreshments, to be served after worship, and since no birthday is complete without laughter, here’s a joke, courtesy of Highlands Today:
There’s an old saying that drinking doesn’t make you fat, it makes you lean- lean against the bar, lean against the table, lean against the chair.
Because Pentecost is about the unexpected, I thought we’d forgo with the traditional reading of Acts 2, and instead read from Psalm 104, which as you may know, is my favorite Scripture.
As an A-type personality, I love the sense of order. As a foodie, I love the wine and bread references. As an ecotheologian, I love that it’s a hymn about God’s gifts to Creation.
Last week we heard a quote from Alice Walker that said “Helped are those who find something in Creation to admire each and every hour. Their days will overflow with beauty... ”
This Psalm has plenty to admire, from gushing springs to singing birds to a giant sea monster playing in the ocean. Wonder, joy and beauty overflow from this song.
And to make sure we do not miss the point, this is the first place in the Book of Psalms in which the words “Hallelujah!” appear.
Hallelujah means “Praise the Lord” and every time I read this Psalm I find another reason to say those words.
With each stage of life I enter into, I return to this Psalm and it reveals something new, much the way an Emily Dickinson poem or Shakespearean play does.
Lately, I have noticed that this Psalm is not only a very A-personality type of song , but a very Alpha-centric one as well.
As one writer stated, Psalm 104 shows Creation as a sense of achievement, in which everything depends on the authority of God. Another word for authority is alphaness.
This Psalm shows God as the alpha of all alphas.
God is the alpha who cares for all, no matter how big or small, seemingly important or seemingly inconsequential. Birds to lions, humans to fish, all creatures matter to God.
God is the alpha who makes sure every living things has a home. Birds have the trees, goats have the mountains.
God is the alpha who provides and protects. The donkeys have water to drink. The cattle have grass to eat. The coneys have rocks to hide in.
God is the alpha who makes sure everything has a job to do. Lions hunt by night, humans work during the day.
But perhaps most importantly, this shows God as an alpha who makes sure everything has fun.
Yes, protection, food, work and a place to call home are important, but none of that matters if there’s no fun and frivolity involved.
Check out vss. 25-26, perhaps my favorite lines in my favorite scripture: “Yonder is the sea, great and wide...There go the ships, and Leviathan that you formed to sport in it.”
What is Leviathan? Leviathan was the name of a giant creature that lived in the sea. It was a monster to be feared and respected.
Different scriptures and scholars give different views of what Leviathan is, but when you hear that word, you are to think big, you are to think bold, you are to think of the most alpha of all the alpha sea creatures.
Some would say Leviathan was a giant crocodile. Voracious and violent. Think of the crocodile in “Peter Pan” with it’s taste for human flesh, who with a tic-tic-tok of a swallowed alarm clock sends Captain Hook fleeing in fear.
Some would say Leviathan was a ruthless shark, a serial killer who swims the sea. Think of the movie “Jaws” with its daunting music and Chief Brody saying “We need a bigger boat.”
Authors and artists have rendered Leviathan as a giant whale. The mightiest of mammals. Think Moby Dick and the epic battle between Captain Ahab and the great white whale.
Regardless of what Leviathan is, crocodile, shark or whale, it was huge, it was scary, it was chaos. It was to be feared.
But listen to what vs 26 does: Leviathan? That thing that humans are so scared about? Guess what? God created Leviathan to sport in the sea.
“To sport” means “to play” or “to frolic” or “to amuse.” In others words, that giant monster, the one you’ve been so afraid of...? It’s God’s pet, God’s plaything. It’s a creature God created solely for fun and amusement.
In other words, great big alpha Leviathan is God’s great big...rubber ducky.
Think of the theological significance of that. It means the ocean is God’s great big bathtub and Leviathan is God’s water toy.
Just imagine: God, like a child, sitting in a tub, bubbles in hair, giggling, laughing away, playing with the world’s largest rubber ducky!
In Psalm 104 God is Alpha above all alphas, even the dreaded Leviathan, but Psalm 104 also gives an image of God we rarely stop to think about: God at play.
This is a God who laughs, God who has fun. Go back into the Psalm and you’ll see that sense of enjoyment. There’s God drag racing clouds and riding the wind like a Harley (vs. 3). There is the music of birds singing from the trees.
And just to make it clear, verse 15 cinches the deal: God is responsible for the wine we drink and the cosmetics we wear. How awesome is that?
God is not just the Alpha who provides what we would consider the essentials, but God is the Alpha who makes sure we have fun, relax, look and feel beautiful.
As John Calvin wrote, verse 15 is a sign of Creation’s abundance of joy.
Now, last week we got a little serious, talking about the vulnerability of God and Christ crucified. Those are part of what Christianity is about. But they are not the only parts.
As Psalm 104 reminds us, God is also a playful God, appreciating a good song, a shining face, and a time to play with rubber duckies in the bathtub.
And if God enjoys that, we can allow ourselves time to enjoy that to. That not everything has to have a purpose, not everything has to be so serious, that not everything has to be so goal orientated.
Home, food, safety and work are all important, but what do they matter if at the end of the day you can’t relax or splurge a little on your self?
I myself am still learning that. In fact, it has been nature, in particular my cat, Martin Isaac, that has been reminding me of how much I should be practicing what I preach.
For example, on Tuesday I came home from church, revving to work on this sermon. But when Martin greeted me at the door with a great big meow, I knew I needed to give him some playtime.
So with Beyonce on the stereo, he chased after a fake mouse on a string, jumping off and onto sofas and chairs. Afterwards he went outside, sniffing the trees, eating the grass, hiding in the bushes as he watched the birds at the feeder.
I didn’t get to work on my sermon that day, but I did get to sit back and watch one part of God’s creation find joy in and interact with many other parts of God’s creation.
And good thing too because in those moments of joy, the Spirit and I were most connected, allowing the sermon to be created when it was ready to be written.
Today is Pentecost Sunday. It’s the birthday of the church. It is the time when the Spirit of God broke in to do something new, something playful.
May we also find that playfulness inside of us. May we be unafraid to tell a joke, dance, share a good meal, perhaps even fill up a bathtub with some Mr. Bubble or Calgon and ease into it with a glass of wine, and our own rubber ducky.
In conclusion, I’d like to share with you something that recently took place on Molasses Reef, off Key Largo.
There was an atheist deep sea diving. He surfaced on the Reef and began swimming back to his boat when he saw a shark behind him.
So the atheist starts swimming faster and faster but when he looks back he sees the shark heading towards him. He’s scared to death and screams out “Oh God! Save me!”
Suddenly time is frozen still and a bright white light shines from above. The voice of God says “Aren’t you an atheist? Why do you call upon me when you do not believe in me?”
Knowing he can’t lie the man replies, “Well, that’s true. I don’t believe in you. But can you make the shark believe in you?”
The Lord replies “As you wish.”
The light retracts back into the heavens and the atheist looks back to see the jaws of the mighty leviathan start to close down on him, when all of a sudden, the shark stops and pulls back.
Shocked, the atheist believes he has been saved as the huge beast closes its eyes, bows its head and says “Hallelujah and Thank you Lord for this food which I am about to receive. Amen.”
Thanks be to the Spirit for making all things new, thanks be to Jesus who enjoyed wine and time spent with friends, and thanks be to God who is playful and limitless in joy.
Amen and amen.
Psalm 104:1, 14-35
“Playful God ”
May 23, 2010
Today is Pentecost Sunday. It’s a day to celebrate the unexpected, playful side of God.
Pentecost is considered to be the birthday of the universal church, when the Holy Spirit poured down upon a gathering of folk, causing playful unexpectedness to sweep across the land.
And since this is a birthday, we have what you expect at any birthday gathering: music, which we’ve already heard, refreshments, to be served after worship, and since no birthday is complete without laughter, here’s a joke, courtesy of Highlands Today:
There’s an old saying that drinking doesn’t make you fat, it makes you lean- lean against the bar, lean against the table, lean against the chair.
Because Pentecost is about the unexpected, I thought we’d forgo with the traditional reading of Acts 2, and instead read from Psalm 104, which as you may know, is my favorite Scripture.
As an A-type personality, I love the sense of order. As a foodie, I love the wine and bread references. As an ecotheologian, I love that it’s a hymn about God’s gifts to Creation.
Last week we heard a quote from Alice Walker that said “Helped are those who find something in Creation to admire each and every hour. Their days will overflow with beauty... ”
This Psalm has plenty to admire, from gushing springs to singing birds to a giant sea monster playing in the ocean. Wonder, joy and beauty overflow from this song.
And to make sure we do not miss the point, this is the first place in the Book of Psalms in which the words “Hallelujah!” appear.
Hallelujah means “Praise the Lord” and every time I read this Psalm I find another reason to say those words.
With each stage of life I enter into, I return to this Psalm and it reveals something new, much the way an Emily Dickinson poem or Shakespearean play does.
Lately, I have noticed that this Psalm is not only a very A-personality type of song , but a very Alpha-centric one as well.
As one writer stated, Psalm 104 shows Creation as a sense of achievement, in which everything depends on the authority of God. Another word for authority is alphaness.
This Psalm shows God as the alpha of all alphas.
God is the alpha who cares for all, no matter how big or small, seemingly important or seemingly inconsequential. Birds to lions, humans to fish, all creatures matter to God.
God is the alpha who makes sure every living things has a home. Birds have the trees, goats have the mountains.
God is the alpha who provides and protects. The donkeys have water to drink. The cattle have grass to eat. The coneys have rocks to hide in.
God is the alpha who makes sure everything has a job to do. Lions hunt by night, humans work during the day.
But perhaps most importantly, this shows God as an alpha who makes sure everything has fun.
Yes, protection, food, work and a place to call home are important, but none of that matters if there’s no fun and frivolity involved.
Check out vss. 25-26, perhaps my favorite lines in my favorite scripture: “Yonder is the sea, great and wide...There go the ships, and Leviathan that you formed to sport in it.”
What is Leviathan? Leviathan was the name of a giant creature that lived in the sea. It was a monster to be feared and respected.
Different scriptures and scholars give different views of what Leviathan is, but when you hear that word, you are to think big, you are to think bold, you are to think of the most alpha of all the alpha sea creatures.
Some would say Leviathan was a giant crocodile. Voracious and violent. Think of the crocodile in “Peter Pan” with it’s taste for human flesh, who with a tic-tic-tok of a swallowed alarm clock sends Captain Hook fleeing in fear.
Some would say Leviathan was a ruthless shark, a serial killer who swims the sea. Think of the movie “Jaws” with its daunting music and Chief Brody saying “We need a bigger boat.”
Authors and artists have rendered Leviathan as a giant whale. The mightiest of mammals. Think Moby Dick and the epic battle between Captain Ahab and the great white whale.
Regardless of what Leviathan is, crocodile, shark or whale, it was huge, it was scary, it was chaos. It was to be feared.
But listen to what vs 26 does: Leviathan? That thing that humans are so scared about? Guess what? God created Leviathan to sport in the sea.
“To sport” means “to play” or “to frolic” or “to amuse.” In others words, that giant monster, the one you’ve been so afraid of...? It’s God’s pet, God’s plaything. It’s a creature God created solely for fun and amusement.
In other words, great big alpha Leviathan is God’s great big...rubber ducky.
Think of the theological significance of that. It means the ocean is God’s great big bathtub and Leviathan is God’s water toy.
Just imagine: God, like a child, sitting in a tub, bubbles in hair, giggling, laughing away, playing with the world’s largest rubber ducky!
In Psalm 104 God is Alpha above all alphas, even the dreaded Leviathan, but Psalm 104 also gives an image of God we rarely stop to think about: God at play.
This is a God who laughs, God who has fun. Go back into the Psalm and you’ll see that sense of enjoyment. There’s God drag racing clouds and riding the wind like a Harley (vs. 3). There is the music of birds singing from the trees.
And just to make it clear, verse 15 cinches the deal: God is responsible for the wine we drink and the cosmetics we wear. How awesome is that?
God is not just the Alpha who provides what we would consider the essentials, but God is the Alpha who makes sure we have fun, relax, look and feel beautiful.
As John Calvin wrote, verse 15 is a sign of Creation’s abundance of joy.
Now, last week we got a little serious, talking about the vulnerability of God and Christ crucified. Those are part of what Christianity is about. But they are not the only parts.
As Psalm 104 reminds us, God is also a playful God, appreciating a good song, a shining face, and a time to play with rubber duckies in the bathtub.
And if God enjoys that, we can allow ourselves time to enjoy that to. That not everything has to have a purpose, not everything has to be so serious, that not everything has to be so goal orientated.
Home, food, safety and work are all important, but what do they matter if at the end of the day you can’t relax or splurge a little on your self?
I myself am still learning that. In fact, it has been nature, in particular my cat, Martin Isaac, that has been reminding me of how much I should be practicing what I preach.
For example, on Tuesday I came home from church, revving to work on this sermon. But when Martin greeted me at the door with a great big meow, I knew I needed to give him some playtime.
So with Beyonce on the stereo, he chased after a fake mouse on a string, jumping off and onto sofas and chairs. Afterwards he went outside, sniffing the trees, eating the grass, hiding in the bushes as he watched the birds at the feeder.
I didn’t get to work on my sermon that day, but I did get to sit back and watch one part of God’s creation find joy in and interact with many other parts of God’s creation.
And good thing too because in those moments of joy, the Spirit and I were most connected, allowing the sermon to be created when it was ready to be written.
Today is Pentecost Sunday. It’s the birthday of the church. It is the time when the Spirit of God broke in to do something new, something playful.
May we also find that playfulness inside of us. May we be unafraid to tell a joke, dance, share a good meal, perhaps even fill up a bathtub with some Mr. Bubble or Calgon and ease into it with a glass of wine, and our own rubber ducky.
In conclusion, I’d like to share with you something that recently took place on Molasses Reef, off Key Largo.
There was an atheist deep sea diving. He surfaced on the Reef and began swimming back to his boat when he saw a shark behind him.
So the atheist starts swimming faster and faster but when he looks back he sees the shark heading towards him. He’s scared to death and screams out “Oh God! Save me!”
Suddenly time is frozen still and a bright white light shines from above. The voice of God says “Aren’t you an atheist? Why do you call upon me when you do not believe in me?”
Knowing he can’t lie the man replies, “Well, that’s true. I don’t believe in you. But can you make the shark believe in you?”
The Lord replies “As you wish.”
The light retracts back into the heavens and the atheist looks back to see the jaws of the mighty leviathan start to close down on him, when all of a sudden, the shark stops and pulls back.
Shocked, the atheist believes he has been saved as the huge beast closes its eyes, bows its head and says “Hallelujah and Thank you Lord for this food which I am about to receive. Amen.”
Thanks be to the Spirit for making all things new, thanks be to Jesus who enjoyed wine and time spent with friends, and thanks be to God who is playful and limitless in joy.
Amen and amen.
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