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Thursday ~ March 1, 2012 Scraping Plates
Beloved, I’m glad I couldn’t think of something to write about on Tuesday because I woke up this morning with a full and happy heart remembering last night’s church supper. My afternoon ran late so I didn’t get to put the bread in until almost 6 which meant I spent the whole evening in the kitchen listening for the timer and, unexpectedly, the heartwarming noise of a family at the dinner table. And then, even better, I started scraping plates for washing and hardly a one had anything left to scrape, meaning their tummies were full. Joy! Positively nothing comforts a mama like lambs with full tummies. That’s the thing about being a preacher; at least the preacher I am. I feed their bellies once a month and their souls once a week. But on Sundays, there are no plates to scrape. So how do I know if they ate well? The answer is I don’t get to know. Last night a little kid hugged my waist to tell me bye and I kissed the top of her head. I kissed my own kids’ heads not that long ago and now I’d have to stand on a chair! Early in this work I realized that bodies grow much faster than souls. The preachers and churches that fed my soul for years and years did a good job. My failures are my own. Their work in me was an investment in the kingdom, made in faith. The gospel of John ends with Jesus cooking for his disciples. Before they’d said a word, he fed them their breakfast, full tummies to go with their very full hearts. “Feed my sheep,” Jesus told Peter. “Tummies and souls together,” I hear him say to me. ~ peace & prayers, Pastor Annette
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February 14, 2012
Beloved, “You feelin’ puny?” my Grandma Baker would ask if one of us was shy around her. “She’s puny today,” my mother would tell the teacher if we were sick enough to stay home but not to go to the doctor, unless puny went on for more than a day or two. All of which is to say my column is a day late due to a bout of puny. But all is well today. Birds are chirping, rehearsing for April concerts. It’s 8:07 am and the dogs are getting a late start on their first morning nap. Except for their sighs the house is quiet, lovely quiet. This quiet prompts the heart and mind to go quiet too. Heartbeat and breath become audible, along with bubbly belly noises. Skin on skin sounds papery. Deeper still, the soundtrack of thoughts forever sliding across my mental screen; to do lists, old hurts, new joys, nagging worries - and sometimes praise, gratitude, anticipation of good things. Imagine! Only humans have the capacity to imagine or to think about thinking, to choose to think differently. We can choose to listen to other sounds, other voices, God’s voice. Today’s Psalm is 116. My favorite verse is 7, “Be at rest once more my heart, for the Lord has showered gifts upon you.” Be at rest ~ that’s bible talk for “Sweetheart, don’t stress out about this.” Whatever the problem, whatever the disappointment, the most important truths remain true; the Lord has showered gifts upon you. . .” Some gifts are mortal, some material. But the very best are spiritual and enternal; divine presence, unending grace, infallible joy, redemption. Whatever else happens, whatever is lost ~ these remain, ready to be chosen. The Lord’s blessings are only a prayer and an attitude adjustment away. May joyful peace be yours today. ~pastor annette Beloved:
Years ago we got new neighbors. The huge backyard pool was a danger to their small kids and something of an eyesore. So the mom ran a classified ad, ”Free above-ground pool. If you haul it you can have it.” She got nary a call for a week. So she changed the ad, “Above ground pool $500. You haul it.” She sold it the first day and built a cool swing-set with the cash. “Wonder what’s wrong with it?” is always our first question of big ticket items priced so low; ‘free’ sounds plain suspicious. In real life, everything worth having costs something and we are used to paying. If truth be told, we like to pay. We like earning, producing, providing and the sense of worth we gain with it. When earning is a virtue and anything free is suspect, how will the gospel be received? Will it be received at all? Too often and too easily have preachers slipped into language that seeks to sell the gospel, suggesting that seekers and believers must pay in order to receive; pay with strong faith, obedience, righteousness, etc. However well intended, such preaching soundly fails the gospel every time. If only we were brave enough to tell the the truth every time - God’s love is not for sale at any price. It cannot be bought, only taken. It cannot be earned, only received. It cannot be produced or provided, only shared. And only when we are wise enough to take it for the endless gift it is will divine joy and peace be our everyday reality. This past Sunday during children’s sermon, kids were invited to a giant candy bowl and told they could have as much as they wanted. They hesitated, but only for a moment. As they filled their bags, the bowl kept getting refilled too. When they were finished, candy was all over the table, the floor and the bowl was as full as when they began. “You can’t take too much. It will never run out. No one else can take it from you. As much as you want, as often as you want, forever and ever and ever.” I think they got it, if only for a moment. I pray they keep it, and the rest of us as well. peace & prayers, pastor annette |
I write a Tuesday morning devotional to members and friends of UBC. It is also posted here.
Enjoy! Pastor Annette Copyright
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