Labor Day weekend brings back all kinds of memories for people over 45. Picnics, parades, a day off from work were all part of the routine. Still, many are off on Labor Day even though our practices have changed with telethons, NFL special games and a quick trip to the mall, etc. But, no matter what, one thing we remember is that churches are normally gearing up for their Fall ministry of teaching and preaching..."back to work" someone yelled! Summer's over!
And here's a familiar verse from the writer of the Old Testament's book Ecclesiastes, the one called, "The Preacher." Chapter 3:1-8 are words we've heard...
1 There's an opportune time to do things, a right time for everything on the earth: 2 A right time for birth and another for death, A right time to plant and another to reap, 3 A right time to kill and another to heal, A right time to destroy and another to construct, 4 A right time to cry and another to laugh, A right time to lament and another to cheer, 5 A right time to make love and another to abstain, A right time to embrace and another to part, 6 A right time to search and another to count your losses, A right time to hold on and another to let go, 7 A right time to rip out and another to mend, A right time to shut up and another to speak up, 8 A right time to love and another to hate, A right time to wage war and another to make peace.
Yes, it's that time again...Rally Sunday for Sunday's Cool and it leads us to the battlefront...and just in case you were paying attention...we're in a life and death battle with the forces of evil in us and all around us...are you prepared for the fight? I'm checking my spiritual ammo... Are you?
As I backed out of my drive-way this morning, my neighbor Ken was retrieving his morning Chronicle. I rolled my window down and we began to chat. He wanted to know how my son, Nathan did his first week of college. He's excited to learn that his brother Kenneth may be playing football at U of H this Fall. Ken, the neighbor, is a "deacon" at Shadycrest Baptist and loves the Lord and his neighbors and knows them all by name. He also loves the children in our neighborhood and asked me to pray for him as he was presenting to his church board tonight a desire to buy another bus for his church. I got clarification. Bus= 15 passenger van. But, it's a good deal no matter who's doing the buying...and I told him I'd have our whole church pray for him...
Ken glanced down on the passenger seat and noticed my copy of George Carlin's book, "When Will Jesus Bring the Pork Chops?" The front cover has old George sitting in DaVinci's Last Supper with a fork and knife in his hands. I told him I like to read what others have to say about Jesus and life and stuff...so, I picked it up...and I said, "hey, Ken, listen to this," and I began to read from the Introduction...
"Since this book comes out in the Fall, I'd like to take advantage of this early opportunity to wish you all an enjoyable Christmas season and happy New Year filled with good fortune."
1 There's an opportune time to do things, a right time for everything on the earth: 2 A right time for birth and another for death, A right time to plant and another to reap, 3 A right time to kill and another to heal, A right time to destroy and another to construct, 4 A right time to cry and another to laugh, A right time to lament and another to cheer, 5 A right time to make love and another to abstain, A right time to embrace and another to part, 6 A right time to search and another to count your losses, A right time to hold on and another to let go, 7 A right time to rip out and another to mend, A right time to shut up and another to speak up, 8 A right time to love and another to hate, A right time to wage war and another to make peace.
Yes, it's that time again...Rally Sunday for Sunday's Cool and it leads us to the battlefront...and just in case you were paying attention...we're in a life and death battle with the forces of evil in us and all around us...are you prepared for the fight? I'm checking my spiritual ammo... Are you?
As I backed out of my drive-way this morning, my neighbor Ken was retrieving his morning Chronicle. I rolled my window down and we began to chat. He wanted to know how my son, Nathan did his first week of college. He's excited to learn that his brother Kenneth may be playing football at U of H this Fall. Ken, the neighbor, is a "deacon" at Shadycrest Baptist and loves the Lord and his neighbors and knows them all by name. He also loves the children in our neighborhood and asked me to pray for him as he was presenting to his church board tonight a desire to buy another bus for his church. I got clarification. Bus= 15 passenger van. But, it's a good deal no matter who's doing the buying...and I told him I'd have our whole church pray for him...
Ken glanced down on the passenger seat and noticed my copy of George Carlin's book, "When Will Jesus Bring the Pork Chops?" The front cover has old George sitting in DaVinci's Last Supper with a fork and knife in his hands. I told him I like to read what others have to say about Jesus and life and stuff...so, I picked it up...and I said, "hey, Ken, listen to this," and I began to read from the Introduction...
"Since this book comes out in the Fall, I'd like to take advantage of this early opportunity to wish you all an enjoyable Christmas season and happy New Year filled with good fortune."
And then Carlin goes on in his usual acidic style...
"Of course, I realize this can't happen for everyone. Some of you are going to die next year and others will be crippled and maimed," he went on..."Still others will be stricken by diseases that can't be cured or will be horribly scarred in fires. And let's not forget the robberies and rapes---there will be lots of them...." and his concluding remark..."Therefore, many of you will not enjoy the happy and fortunate New Year I'm wishing for you. So just try to do the best you can."
We both chuckled. And then Ken got this quizzical look on his face, looked at me and looked at the book and then looked at me again and said, "Didn't George Carlin die?"
I smiled and said, "Yes, everybody gets to die..." and I pulled away and drove around the corner and God spoke in my ear and whispered..."Yes, but everyone doesn't really live..." ...a thought that took me straight to the end of the movie, "Second Hand Lions" when the now all-grown-up nephew of the McCann brothers exclaimed, "Yes, they lived, they really lived!" It's true. Everyone dies. Not everyone really lives.
Our theme for this year's Sunday's Cool is "Growing God's People!" It's about living. Living well. It's about living in the grace and love God. Living rich and deep in God's love, mercy and grace. It's about living as God's people with purpose and passion...as if our very lives and the life of the world depended on it...and it does...for nobody else will do for the world what God calls Christians to do...and that leads us to Sunday's question...you know...the one parents hear often from their children..."why do I have to go to Sunday School?" And the simple answer is...because Sunday's Cool provides us a setting to learn of God, to learn of Jesus, God's Son and to learn of God's Spirit who will guide and direct our lives so that we live well...each and every day...month after month, year after year, season after season...to live well...and as one person says, "better than I deserve..."
Psalm 90:12 reminds us... "Oh Lord, teach us to live well! Teach us to live wisely and well! "
A short but important prayer for all God's people! We are life-long learners. Young and old. And what does this look like? How will we know? How will others know? Well, it takes us right back to our 7 faith practices...
+ Pray + Worship + Study + Invite + Encourage + Give + Serve +
So that we might live well and live deeply in the love of God not only for ourselves but especially for others... "Everyone gets to die...but, not everyone really lives..."
We both chuckled. And then Ken got this quizzical look on his face, looked at me and looked at the book and then looked at me again and said, "Didn't George Carlin die?"
I smiled and said, "Yes, everybody gets to die..." and I pulled away and drove around the corner and God spoke in my ear and whispered..."Yes, but everyone doesn't really live..." ...a thought that took me straight to the end of the movie, "Second Hand Lions" when the now all-grown-up nephew of the McCann brothers exclaimed, "Yes, they lived, they really lived!" It's true. Everyone dies. Not everyone really lives.
Our theme for this year's Sunday's Cool is "Growing God's People!" It's about living. Living well. It's about living in the grace and love God. Living rich and deep in God's love, mercy and grace. It's about living as God's people with purpose and passion...as if our very lives and the life of the world depended on it...and it does...for nobody else will do for the world what God calls Christians to do...and that leads us to Sunday's question...you know...the one parents hear often from their children..."why do I have to go to Sunday School?" And the simple answer is...because Sunday's Cool provides us a setting to learn of God, to learn of Jesus, God's Son and to learn of God's Spirit who will guide and direct our lives so that we live well...each and every day...month after month, year after year, season after season...to live well...and as one person says, "better than I deserve..."
Psalm 90:12 reminds us... "Oh Lord, teach us to live well! Teach us to live wisely and well! "
A short but important prayer for all God's people! We are life-long learners. Young and old. And what does this look like? How will we know? How will others know? Well, it takes us right back to our 7 faith practices...
+ Pray + Worship + Study + Invite + Encourage + Give + Serve +
So that we might live well and live deeply in the love of God not only for ourselves but especially for others... "Everyone gets to die...but, not everyone really lives..."
Brian
QUESTIONS FOR CONVERSATION:
- Who is the man in your life that helped you realize others are watching you, too?
- What does it mean for YOU to "really live?" Is it a God-thing? Something else?
- What would you say to a young man you know he was told he had one month to live?
- What time is it in your life? What season? What's next?
- What are you doing, reading, re-viewing that is feeding your life?
- Have you taken time today to pray? Did you make a list?
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