April 10, 2008
sermon preparation
They take the paper and they read the headlines, so they've heard of unemployment and they've heard of bread lines, and they philanthropically cure them all by getting up a costume charity ball.
- Ogden Nash
Thursdays are my sermon days. I try to have a draft completed by noon. I've been pretty good about it lately, too. If the sermon is completed by Friday morning, then I can play during the weekend. This is a particularly busy weekend. I'm presiding at a wedding. So, we have a rehearsal on Friday evening and then the wedding the following night. I also have an appointment with my tax accountant on Saturday morning. Yay. So, I need to get something significant completed today.
Here are the suggested readings from the lectionary for this Sunday. I'm thinking that I won't be reading the Acts passage. It's tempting, but I think I'm going to leave it alone this week. So, to give you some reflection upon the passage...enjoy the sheep.
I'm thinking of focusing on the 1 Peter reading with the Gospel. This is a "good shepherd" Sunday of sorts. And that's a great thing. That there is also this thread from Acts and Peter relating to life in the early church is also important. Is this what life looks like if one is a member of the flock? Maybe. I'm going to chew on this for a while. The shared reflections at CCW's weekly Bible study was powerful. We spoke of the difficulties of life and how, in the end, forgiveness is a miraculous act, not responding in hatred is a miraculous act, leaving judgment to God is almost impossible. It takes God. "By [Christ's] wounds we are healed." Our healing comes though Christ. It cannot come by our own willfulness. It was a powerful afternoon. Posted by tripp at April 10, 2008 06:03 AM