conjectural navel gazing; jesus in lint form

weather

Sleet for now.
They say snow for later. Lots of snow. My preachin' books are here at the house with me. I guess that is worth something. I will make a couple of early morning decisions and phone calls. Otherwise, it is all about the "preaching moment."

Jesus can you spare the time to throw a drowning man a line? - Bono

feasting, friendship and a ship of fools

Devotion is the real spiritual sweetness which takes away all bitterness from mortifications, and prevents consolations from disagreeing with the soul; it cures the poor of sadness,and the rich of presumption; it keeps the oppressed from feeling desolate, and the prosperous from insolence; it averts sadness from the lonely, and dissipation from social life; it is as warmth in winter and as refreshing dew in summer; it knows how to abound and how to suffer want, how to profit alike by honor and by contempt; it accepts gladness and sadness with an even mind, and fills men's hearts with a wondrous sweetness.

... Francois de Sales (1567-1622)

So, I was mentioned in this forum recently. If you are popping in from Ship of Fools, welcome. The peace of the Lord be always with you. And thank you. Come back around, now. Anytime.

Last night I had dinner with a couple of good friends. One is in from out of town. The other is someone I don't see often enough as far as i am concerned. We stopped at Buffalo Joe's for burgers and assorted fatty joys and then brought them home to Chateau Ouilmette. The food was overwhelming and I could not finish the burger. Showing my age...and my current medical challenge, I assume. The company was wonderful. I miss you guys.

Our conversation spanned the history of our relationships...almost twenty years now. We catch up quickly. That is good. And we (sometimes successfully) assume much. There is a lot of trust between us. I am grateful for the friendship and for simply being known. So, when is the next intervention?

Finally, but not lastly, today is the feast day of St Andrew. Jorge points to a good homily on St. Andrew...The Unappreciated. In a humerous way the preacher reminds us that there is grace in anonymity. And noteriety is not why we are called to in following Christ. Faith is not a popularity contest. It may often feel that way as evengelists grasp at camera time, activists publish books, and bloggers look for link after link.

For none of us lives to ourself, and none of us dies to
ourself. If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we
die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die,
we are the Lord's.
-- Romans 14:7-8

Peace and all good things to you today. We're expecting snow. I guess I should go out and get some salt.

more to the point

who shows up?

Ezra said: 'You are the Lord, you alone; you have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. To all of them you give life, and the host of heaven worships you. You are the Lord, the God who chose Abram and brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeans and gave him the name Abraham; and you found his heart faithful before you, and made with him a covenant to give to his descendants the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Jebusite, and the Girgashite; and you have fulfilled your promise, for you are righteous.

-- Nehemiah 9:6ff

This is going to sound silly, but I'm wondering - what's the role of prayer in considering worship?

By that, I mean that we're talking a lot about our (humans') role in it, and a little about God's place in the whole mess of liturgy and worship. But as far as I'm concerned, what makes it worship is the element of praising/glorifying God. (I think that can happen in a whole lot of ways - lament, for instance, can be a way of praising, especially in the context of a fuller relationship - but I think that kind of focus on God is essential.) That's not because it's something God needs, exactly, so much as because it's because God loves us and asks our love, and praising and glorifying God (in various and divers ways) is what we can do.

If, then, God is somehow central to this worship thing, and it's not just about what we get out of it, then shouldn't we be asking God's input as well?

Beth's comment touches on part of my concern in this conversation. Congregations want people to meet them. They want people to join. Well, this is likely true outside a Catholic or Orthodox setting. We free church folk have this dynamic moreso than some other traditions. There is no ecclesial allegiance or membership beyond the immediate fellowship, so we are constantly fretting over membership. A Catholic parish has no such frustration...or at least not in the same way. But I digress. Sort of.

It is good to be hospitable. It is good to be liked. It is good that people come and find a place for themselves in the midst of a community. But the community's identity cannot begin and end with the people gathered. It has to begin and end with God. We Christians speak in terms of the Body of Christ. We are part of it, part of God. What we do and who we are points to God. So too must our worship. It cannot point to us. Involve us, yes. Engage us, yes. Define us, yes. But we worship God and not ourselves. The Body of Christ (forgive the language here, Rich) kneels before God in worship. That is one posture at least. Israel understood itself as God's people. And, so do Christians.

An aside: beth also commented that "[she's] liable to be somewhat unconcerned about the number of people we get in our pews (or chairs, or soft spaces, or whatever)." I understand this ideal. And in some ways it is wise. But it is hard when so many churches are wondering how to pay the bills. So, where I will agree with her is in that our ultimate concern should not be numbers. Our ultimate concern is in praising God in worship. Most pundits suggest that fixating on the numbers rarely works in church development anyway. ;-)

We now return to our regular musings.

I posted the reading from today's lectionary from Nehemiah because it speaks of what God has done and why we gather in praise, prayer, supplication, etc. Worship assumes a real God, actual presence and promises fulfilled. God has acted, and God will act. We should pray that God acts in our midst and informs our worship. That's what I think at least. And it is one reason why there is an invocation of some sort at the beginning of most orders of worship.

"O Lord, open our lips."

"O Lord our God, whose might is incomparable, whose glory is incomprehensible, whose mercy is infinite, and whose love of man is ineffable, do thou thyself, O Master, in thy tenderheartedness look down upon us and upon this holy house, and grant us and those who pray with us thy rich mercies and compassion."

There are too numerous to list here. I imagine you get the point.

thinking about culture

So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock.

-- 1 Peter 5:1-3 (ESV)

Beautiful sanctuaries, paved parking lots, and new liturgies will do very little for people who sit in worship with their fingers crossed and do not really believe the faith which is expounded. Often the layman dismisses what the preacher says as something irrelevant to his situation and generation. When he joins a group where he is no longer afraid to be frank, the supposedly faithful member often admits that he has never really accepted what he thinks he has heard. He has, for example, grave reservations about the idea of creation. Did not the world evolve of itself? Do we really need the hypothesis of Infinite Purpose to make sense of the physical, biological, and psychological development? These questions seldom come to the surface when the Church provides merely a one-way preaching. There is little chance of renewal if all that we have is the arrangement by which one speaks and the others listen. One trouble with this conventional system is that the speaker never knows what the unanswered questions are, or what reservations remain in the layman's mentality. ... Elton Trueblood (1900-1994), The Incendiary Fellowship

There is a place for quiet contemplation. There is a place for the somber. There is a place for the austere. And this can all happen within worship. But I wonder if we spend too much time "receiving" worship. We listen to the sermon. We listen to the choir. I think that in the process of receiving worship, we think we are to receive God in some way. That if we sit around long enough, God will just show up and we'll call it worship.

How do we switch the thinking around, the experience/moment of worship around, and engage it as entering God's presence? We come to God. We approach God.

I dunno. What do you all think.

interesting...

Huh.

# Eat three small meals and three snacks evenly spaced throughout the day. It is important to avoid periods of hunger or overeating.
# Eat slowly and chew foods well.
# Be relaxed at mealtime.
# Sit up while eating and for 1 hour afterward.
# Avoid eating within 3 hours before bedtime. Bedtime snacks can cause gastric acid secretion during the night.
# Cut down on caffeine-containing foods and beverages, citrus and tomato products, and chocolate if these foods cause discomfort.
# Include a good source of protein (milk, meat, egg, cheese, etc.) at each meal and snack.
# Antacids should be taken in the prescribed dose, One-hour and 3 hours after meals and prior to bedtime. This regimen is most likely to keep the acidity of the stomach at the most stable and lowest level.
# Milk and cream feedings should not be used as antacid therapy. Although milk protein has an initial neutralizing effect on gastric acid, it is also a very potent stimulator. Hourly feedings of milk have been shown to produce a lower pH than three regular meals.
# Caffeine-containing beverages (coffee, tea, and cola drinks) and decaffeinated coffee cause increased gastric acid production but may be taken in moderation at or near mealtime, if tolerated.

w'hoo!

Mike is back! Our catsitter left the porch door open for him...and he was lounging on his chair this morning. Sly saw him and let us know. So, he's home, undamaged, and likely wondering what all the fuss is about.

Unphased.

We are thrilled and much relieved. He is, of course, grounded.

sabbath part three, missing the cat

In modern Europe - and the North Atlantic world - we live in a climate where both work and leisure seem to be pervasively misunderstood, where both appear regularly in inhuman and obsessive forms. Time is an undifferentiated continuum in which we either work or consume. Work follows no daily or even weekly rhythms but is a twenty-four hour business, sporadically interrupted by what is often a very hectic form of play. It seems we are either producing or being entertained by a vast industry that purports to guess our wants before we ask and leaves us in so many ways passive. At least, that is the message regularly given by advertising and popular fictions. The strain on the life of the family, as well as the life of the soul, that all this generates is well-documented and the object of vague but powerful anxiety in the culture at large.

- Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury
read the rest

But then I read Rowan's speech about the Benedictine Rule and what it may tell us about the nature of community and how we currently may misunderstand community (Thanks, Jorge! "How can Western civilization sustain itself if its members are lonely, overtired, mush-brained, soul-impoverished, and malnourished?"). The paragraph to the right in the Grey Box of Wisdom is fabulous. The warning I want to give is along with Wayne's...and it stems from the quotation to the right. Do not think of the Sabbath as entertainment. It does not exist to entertain us, but to make us aware...open to God and to the world. It is to slow us down so that we can see. The sabbath is a gift, not a tool or a toy, but a spiritual gift from God. It is a holy discipline.

Well, this is what I think.

It is to be practiced. Sometimes it will be a little dull, boring. But this is to be expected of anything that we repeat. It cannot be expected to keep us entertained. This is a deepening exercise, one of increasing our awareness of the world around us, our own needs and God's voice. Thus, Jesus heals, prays, naps and parties on the Sabbath. He is religous about the sabbath, disciplined. But that discipline leads him to the awareness of God and other human beings. It slows him down.

Right now I am slowing down after the trip home. And I am aware of a tension within me. You see, my normal pace here in Ouilmette has me coexisting with my wife and cats. This coexistance is peaceful, but it is often perfunctory. Now that Mike has gone missing, I am aware. I am aware of the rain, the closed blinds, the need for a warm place outside. I am aware of the places to hide around the house. I am aware of the silence that exists without Mike's constant mewing, playing, and demanding of rubs. This is a Sabbath of sorts...and it shows me how often I am simply unaware...of Mike, or my wife or the weather. I need to open my eyes.

Below is a picture from last Christmas. The first Sunday of Advent is fast approaching. Advent is a long Sabbath. We are to wait and to be aware. We are to look to the stars. We are to learn to see so that we can recognise God in our midst. The picture is silly. But it reminds me of where we are headed. And I need to make room for such a celebration. That is the discipline of the Sabbath.

Make room this season...room for God.

back...

We made it back from Virginia. 1,600 miles. It seems that much more remarkable every time we drive it. On the way home I dropped Trish off at rehearsal.

Mike, the insane cat, has gone missing. I received a paniced phone call last night from the cat sitter. Mike bolted out the door. He is an indoor cat and has been missing now for 24 hours. I am more aware of how busy the local drag is...and how much I love the little nut. He saw me through a lot.

So, keep your eyes peeled if you are near Chateau Ouilmette. I'll canvas the neighborhood tomorrow. I've walked it a couple of times since I arrived. Mike is pictured here with his sister. He's the one in boots.

Heartbreaking.

getting ready to leave...a gratitude list

Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.
O, Divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

St Francis

I've just about got everything done for Sunday. I will not be back in Chicago for the service, but it is in good hands. I have a layperson preaching. Do any of you veteran pastors do that? Or do you always get a supply preacher? I think it is great that a layperson is willing to stand in the pulipt...priesthood of all believers and all that. There will be a couple of good Thanksgiving hymns. It should be a nice service. All I need to do today is write a couple of letters and get ready for this evening's community Thanksgiving service. If you are in the neighborhood at 7:30, swing by Wilmette Lutheran. It should be nice.

Well, in the spirit of the sabbath, I won't get a chance to blog until Friday. And then only if I wake up before my mother does. I might sneak onto the computer, but likely not. It should be a good break from the ether.

So, I want to wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving. I'll be eating turkey, venison, ham, homemade mac and cheese, and all sorts of other goodness. I so love these visits home. And, since all the boys will be gathering, I may even get in a round of golf. A couple of years ago all twenty or more of "us menfolk" played 36 holes of golf before dinner! It was wonderful...and insane. I'm looking forward to another chance at breaking a three wood. Yep, I did. Tore the head right off the thing. I like to think that my game as improved that much at least.

In the spirit of Turkey Day, I offer this gratitude list. Feel free to leave your own contributions.

...in no particular order...

My wife...her humor and patience, the little red car, Community, the kindness of my deacons, kind e-mails from friends, hot cocoa, bluegrass, Reconciler, Xena, Warrior Princess, saints... bad movies, frets, cookies, 20 oz. mochas (oh yeah), guestrooms, breakfast, mentors, sobriety, worship...you.

delurking week...

Delurking Week...Starting today and going until November 26th.

Let the Delurking begin!

sabbath part two and friendly visits

Sabbath can only begin if we close the factory, turn out the lights, turn off the computer, and withdraw from the concerns of the marketplace. Choose at least one heavily used appliance or device - the telephone, television, computer, washer and dryer - and let them rest for a Sabbath period. Whether it is a morning, afternoon, or an entire day, surrender to a quality of time when you will not be disturbed, seduced, or responsive to what technologies have to offer. Notice how you respond to its absense.

Sabbath by Wayne Muller, p. 27

Teresa was in town over the weekend. This is one of my favorite pictures of her. I share this with you because she and I went out with another friend of her's to hear the Chicago Symphony. The Symphony Center is a lovely place to hear pretty much anything. We were in the uppermost balcony, the famed nosebleed section, and it was perfect. The orchestra is not so far away that you cannot enjoy the gymnastics of the percussion section. Tremendous. Lovely. I want to go again soon. Thanks, Teresa. I very much enjoyed it. It was just what the doctor ordered.

Relatedly, Megan posted about music on her blog. I agree that one can enjoy music pretty much anywhere. But I have to say that hearing the symphony in their own orchestral hall is, well, awesome. When the double bass section (Eight very large fiddles?!) rumbles about and my sternum vibrates, well, suffice it to say that I hope that physical memory lasts a good while.

Megan also posted her Sabbath post. Give it a read. She points out some of Muller's underlying assumptions. Good stuff.

I don't enjoy sleep. I know I bemoan my frequent insomnia on my blog (Hey! It's my blog and I'll bemoan if I want to.), but to be honest I really don't enjoy sleep. That was the first thought I had when I read the title of the chapter, The Joy of Rest. Now, I know that rest does not have to be a nap or eight or more consecutive hours of sleep. I get it. But I wonder if I need to tweak my attitude just a little bit. I am simply afraid that I am going to miss something. I am forever four years old.

Now, when I am tired, I want to go to bed. I want to sleep. But I want to sleep just long enough to restore the batteries, no longer.

In the Grey Box is the suggested practice from the chapter. I have been thinking about the two or three weeks I managed to avoid the computer on my day off...Monday...and how that felt. It was good, I guess. I feel disconnected. I am so very dependent upon the ether now. It's probably a bad thing. But it is how I connect with my friends. I am more likely to e-mail or IM than call. So, when I give up my computer, I give up the phone and the television at the same time. But that's just so much whining. It doesn't change the reality that when I take a break from the laptop, I am more likely to rest...and, I must admit, enjoy it just a little. I usually have to leave everything, the television, the telephone, the incomplete tasks, the computer, all of it in order to rest that completely.

So, in short, I have crafted for myself a life opposed to rest on almost every level. Great. Well, at least now I know. Hey, I wouldn't want to miss anything, you know.

So, do you enjoy napping or sleeping in general? Are you one of those dormition enthusiasts?

what is this..."sleep"?

Mark 13:1-8
13:1 As he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, "Look, Teacher, what large stones and what large buildings!"13:2 Then Jesus asked him, "Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down."13:3 When he was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked him privately, 13:4 "Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign that all these things are about to be accomplished?"

13:5 Then Jesus began to say to them, "Beware that no one leads you astray. 13:6 Many will come in my name and say, 'I am he!' and they will lead many astray.13:7 When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed; this must take place, but the end is still to come. 13:8 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. This is but the beginning of the birthpangs.

So, I went to hear the CSO last night. Koday. Gershwin. Old friends. New friends. Wondrous. Afterward I met Trish at a local bar. She was there with the Caged Dames cast. The last performance is this afternoon, so they had a wee shindig last night. We arrived home around 12:30. Asleep by 1:00. Up at 2:00, 3:15, 4:45. Screw it. I'm up.

*urggle*

Pop tarts and milk to get the brain goin'. Coffee is brewing. I will shut this mac off and use pen and paper again this week. I feel the need to write and not type. Some day I'll understand what the difference means to me.

Right, OSU won. Congratulations to the victors. Condolences to the not-so-victorious. Anything else I forgot?

Right. Prayer needed. Deo gratias.

Okay...so, I changed my mind. Follow the extended link to read the outline-ish thing of my sermon. It was simply faster to type it up. - Tripp (6:45am)

Sermon: Community Church of Wilmette

Mark 13:1-8

Apocalypse When?

I.               Speaking of Visions

a.     Revelation and dreams…a new heaven and a new earth…behold, I make all things new.

b.     Seeing what God sees…

                                               i.     See the poor.

                                             ii.     See the downtrodden.

                                            iii.     Know that we too are seen and loved by God.

c.     Apocalyptic visions

                                               i.     Where the theological rubber meets the road

                                             ii.     Scriptural explanation

1.     On the heels of last week’s passage

2.     Is this an architectural tour?

3.     This is God’s own Temple and Jesus says that it will crash to the ground.

4.     This is God’s own city and Jesus says that it will crash to the ground.

II.             So, what does it matter for today?

a.     Following September 11, 2001, many proclaimed the end times, the apocalypse, when God would come again to set things straight.  Here are the trials, the tribulations, the wars and famine.  They are right here, televised in our living rooms.  We don’t have to make them up. This is Ragnarok on channel 7. 

b.     Contemporary examples:

                                               i.     You see it in books…

1.     Edgar Whisenant 88 Reasons Why the Rapture will be in 1988

2.     Planet Earth – 2000 A.D. by Hal Lindsey

3.     The End of the Age by Pat Robertson

4.     Left Behind by Time LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins

c.     Left Behind

                                               i.     Who is reading these books?

1.     Well, the Left Behind authors have sold more copies than Stephen King and John Grisham.  1 in 8 Americans have read at least one of these books.  After the tragedy of September 11, the recent volume in the series, Desecration became the best selling novel in the country.  The books are also incredibly popular with the soldiers in Iraq.

2.     For those of you who think in terms of marketing…”The ‘core buyer’ is a 44-year-old-born-again Christian woman, married with kids, living in the South.[i]”  So, it is quite possible that you may not have read these yet.  But with at least 62 million sold, the “core buyer” statistic may not matter.

                                             ii.     What is the theology behind the books?

1.     Well, this is harder to say.  LaHaye has been involved in the Religious Right movement since its inception.  And he has a reputation there of being a loose cannon.  Jenkins is younger, a baby boomer and, though conservative in his own right, is much less flamboyant in style.  LaHaye provides Jenkins hundreds of pages of scriptural interpretation and predictive exegesis.  Jenkins gleans plots and through lines from the scriptural outlines that LaHaye provides.

2.     The theology is, not surprisingly, fundamentalist and nominally evangelical.  This is a paraphrase of a literal reading of mystic visions and prophesy…from both the old and new testaments.  The Pope is the assistant to the anti-Christ.  In the story, the responsible Jews convert to Christianity. 

3.     The sole purpose of the books, however, is to save the soul of the reader.  They are composed to inspire, to enthrall, and to entertain.  But the intention is simply to provide spiritual answers to real world questions.

4.     I will confess that I think it is bad theology.  I think it may even be harmful theology.  But I don’t want to be distracted by that issue.  I want us to be aware of the number of people reading these books.  62 million.  Not all are adherents to the theology of the authors.  This is true.  But I wonder what the readers are looking for.

5.     The books provide certainty in a time when little certainty seems evident.  The books provide meaning when little other interpretation seems real or relevant.  People are grasping at straws.  People are reading books…fantastic and entertaining books.  Through these books they are being provided with a vocabulary to interpret their own lives.

                                            iii.     This is not a new theological diversion.  Jenkins and LaHaye are not the first to attempt this kind of meaning making.  Chiliasm was one movement from the second and third century.  Prophets were predicting the day and the time of Christ’s return.  Montanists in the second century, followers of Montanus, gnostics who developed quite a following also predicted the end time.  In the years leading up to 1000 AD hysteria swept Christendom.  Again and again such dreaming and meaning-making has come to the fore…1528 with followers of the Reformer Hans Hut, in 1534  with Melcior Hoffman.  There are the famed Crusades and their Apocalyptic warnings.  And the list goes on[ii]…even to the present day.  This theology is not new, or relegated to simpletons and the superstitious.  Throughout the centuries, intelligent and enlightened people, our own contemporaries, have engaged this body of thought.  And we must take it seriously.  You see, this tradition provides answers to long-asked questions about suffering and oppression…long-held desire for freedom and peace.  The impetus for such theology and the need it expresses is utterly understandable and reasonable.  People are frightened.  In a “post 9-11 world” people are afraid.  And, it is quite clear that this is not the only time when the world has seemed uncertain, that people have felt afraid.  But people do feel fear now…and not simply about the war.  For many, it simply feels like the end of the world.

                                            iv.     The trouble with this theology is not that it is inaccurate, or that it misuses scripture (Though, I might want to argue that some day.).  No the real trouble is that it distracts us from what is real, from what is true about our lives.  It is a spiritual opiate.  It takes us away from seeing where God sees as we discussed last weekend.  It takes us away from acquainting ourselves with a God who heals the blind, and lifts up the lowly.  It keeps us from understanding the place of visions and dreams in our lives like we discussed two weeks ago.  “Behold, I am making all things new…” The Spirit of God was breaking into the world on the island of Patmos and John the Revelator wanted us to know about it.

                                             v.     End time professions and promises steal hope.  They create opportunities for disillusionment.  They will break our hearts.  They are meant to give comfort and hope.  They are meant to save us from ourselves.  But they don’t. 

III.           The Alternative?

a.     God’s word is clear.  John 14:3 “I will come again and take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also.”  This is a real promise by Christ himself.  In our scripture reading today it is Christ himself that makes the proclamation.  So, we cannot ignore the idea of a return.  But we are not to let it distract us either.  We are to prepare the way and proclaim the time in how we love one another, how we care for the poor, protect the weak and allow ourselves to be vulnerable.

b.     We must share God’s mercy and patience.  God desires the redemption of the whole world.  “God is patient, ‘not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance.’” (2 Peter 3:9)[iii]We are called to tell all the world about the Love of Christ.  We are to demonstrate and enliven what it means to be reconciled to one another and to God.  This is redemption.  This is repentance: to love one another.  Then people may see a vision that they never dreamed possible.  Maybe then we would not need the distraction of a countdown to the last day…Such a spiritual discipline strikes me as being like holding one’s breath, closing one’s eyes, and hoping the boogey man will go away.

IV.          The Discipline of Giving Thanks

a.     This is not The Theology of the Optimist.  This is not a half-full theology. This is the theology of one who has seen God and desires to see God again.   This is the theology of one who knows that God is present and real.  Thanking God is the proclamation that God is active and at work in this world, in our lives.  It is the discipline of shedding light in the deepest darkness.  It is salvific and true.  It is not kowtowing to the divine.  It is the proclamation of revelation.  To thank God for what good God has done in the past and in the present is to say that God will be good in the future. 

b.     Thanking God is an act of justice and mercy.  Naming what God is doing and participating in it is justice.  We are called to feed the hungry.   To show God’s love in an act of generosity is to give thanks for God’s presence in the world. 

c.     Celebrations of gratitude like Thanksgiving itself are shared moments of awareness of God.

d.     This is not a Pollyanna Theology.  It does not deny suffering.  It does not whitewash suffering.  No.  God meets us in our suffering.  Jesus touches our deepest wounds and desires our wholeness.  But sometimes we cannot see this.  Sometimes we cannot offer gratitude.  This, brothers and sisters, is why God grants us one another.  If you are too weak to give thanks, then let us shine that light for you.  There is oppression.  There is loss.  There is grief.  God promised that we shall not be left comfortless.  We are God’s body.  We hold that light of God’s grace for one another.  When I am too weak to see, someone else will shine a light.  Someone will come and love me in the name of Christ.  Someone will set me free.  Someone will heal my blindness.  Someone will lift me up.  Jesus will come in your hands, in your embrace.

e.     So, now you see.  We are the light bearers.  As it is written somewhere, we dare not keep that light under a bushel.  This is our burden and our joy.  We are to make certain that people can see their way through the darkness.  We are to help them see that it is always the end of all things, that God is always breaking into our lives and making us new.  This is our sacred burden and our joy.

Amen.