conjectural navel gazing; jesus in lint form

ascension: an enchanted april

Blessed are you,
almighty God,
through Jesus Christ the King of glory.
Born of a woman,
he came to our rescue.
Dying for us,
he trampled death and conquered sin.
By the glory of his resurrection
he opened the way to life eternal
and by his ascension,
gave us the sure hope
that where he is we may also be.
For these and all your mercies, we praise you,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit:
Blessed be God for ever!

- oremus.org

Another April comes to a close. May has begun with all of its meteorological ambiguity. Today will be a lovely 70 degree day eventually giving way to cooler and wetter weather. Such is a Chicago spring.

My mother arrived safely yesterday. I picked her up at the airport after visiting with one of the newcomers at the church. It's good to see her. We did a little grocery shopping on our way home picking up opening night goodies for the cast of Enchanted April while we were there. A little "vino" keeps the natives happy. Mother enjoyed the show a great deal. She says that you all should go and see it. Twice. I agree.

I know that at this point in the week I simply have the upcoming sermon on the brain. But the show is an ascension tale. Who knew? How do we stop gazing into some philosophical ideal, some heavenly Kingdom, and turn our attention to the world around us? It is in this way that we actually discover the Kingdom of God. It is in this way that we encounter the resurrection and the blessings of God. The ladies speak of providence or enchantment. And they are right to do so. There is nothing we do exactly...except to do as Luke asks of us in Acts. Look not to the heavens. To find God we must give our whole selves to the people and the world around us completely. We cannot be miserly with our love. Instead we are called to be generous, to be "translated" by God.

In other news:

Trish and I want a scooter. It is an illness, I am sure. Heh. More later. Have a great day.

Posted by tripp at May 1, 2008 07:18 AM