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Gorgeous weather (blue sky, high clouds, bright sun) + a parade (hometown crowd, marching bands, cheerleaders) + plenty of booths to cruise + our church's booth (the milk bottle game, henna tattoos) water for sale + "Dunk Your Pastor" (7 balls for $5) __________________________________ = One Priceless Day

Fall is the time of beginning, with its backpacks still unsmudged, its pages still unwritten, its eraser-heads still pristine. A favorite time of the year, even before the leaves fall so we can scuff through them down the sidewalk. Soon there will be marks of all kinds, on the pages and notebooks of this season – brilliant ideas jotted quickly down, careful plans painstakingly made, and mistakes crossed over and erased so many times the paper rips. But right now we are poised, sharpened pencil in hand. September 13 was our first Sunday with the new worship schedule: two services, one at 9:15 and one at 11:00. People were eager to be there, and a spirit of experimentation tinged the air. The ad hoc choir did a great job, and the organist wrung every note from the old organ. The weather was beautiful and the grounds looked great, especially since we spent Saturday cleaning up: thinning irises and tulip bulbs, mulching, washing windows, deep cleaning the nursery. The front doors of the church were a picture of welcome with new wreaths, and inside, a brand new Welcome flyer was ready for visitors. No visitors came, but we are ready! People have put their heart into these efforts. In fact, a few people have been giving so much time to the church that I’m a little concerned about burnout. But I’m hoping it was just a busy stretch and each person will find his/her own balance between church and family commitments. Seasons have their way of restoring balance. The next night, Monday, was a Session meeting, with plans to be made. Next Sunday our Transformation Team meets to apply for a grant. These activities will inevitably lead to more new beginnings. I’m glad that getting older only intensifies my sense that everything is always renewing itself. A new beginning is never far away. What new beginning are you excited about these days?

This is cross-posted from Rev. Ruth's personal blog, titled Work in Progress: Today was a teaching sermon, where I literally went through the text verse by verse. The gospel was from Mark 7, Jesus talking about “what defiles a person” and you need background in order to understand his point, as it involves ritual cleanliness. I thought it was rather a “workhorse” sermon, meaning to say that it got the job done without any frills. I put the text on the screen up front, and off we went. No images, just words. I felt like I used up all my time on exegesis and didn’t have time for the application, could only suggest a few directions to take these words. The pericope ended with Jesus’ list of sins, which alone was fascinating, and could have used a lot more scrutiny. Also, this text was so body-positive that I wished I could really plunge into some related subjects. But I am very committed to keeping within certain time lengths, so I restrained myself. Is it an “age thing” that it takes effort to constrain a sermon to 18 minutes? You’d think that the more years I preached, the less I’d have to say. But instead, the texts just seem richer and richer, every time I lap around the calendar. Afterward, a few people were effusive about the sermon, felt like they “got it”. Which was a good reminder that the Holy Spirit can work through each hearer to do the necessary application. The preacher can leave some things unsaid. What a privilege it is to preach every Sunday.

Be. Real. This was the slogan emblazoned on the T-shirts of the folks who went on a week-long mission trip to Panther, West Virginia through Son Servants. The 17 participants were a mix: adults and high schoolers, first-timers and many-timers, outgoing enthusiastic types and quieter hang-back types. Today in church, many of the participants shared from their experience. It was like listening to little pearls, dropping. We in the congregation were absolutely silent, drinking it in. A few pictures were shared. Then some participants told stories. Some shed tears. Some told jokes. One showed off a Golden Toilet Plunger Award. Each of the participants had had remarkable and memorable experiences. Each had been moved in some way, in a direction that was closer to God. Each had become more aware that their faith was something real and precious. What a gift! Thanks be to God

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