From last Sunday’s sermon, or at least in my notes, . . .
No doubt their have been times when you and I have looked at one another and wondered, “When will it end?” I really hope not. But, I am a realist that it could be. And you thought I meant when will you or I leave.”
Humor. Levity. Many did get it. Others maybe not. But, they are a gracious people to share life with to be sure.
The context for the quote from the sermon is that our world seems to continually offer illustration of brokenness, where it really feels like the question underneath the parables of the Mustard Seed and the Leaven lay. If the announcement of the Kingdom is Jesus’ message and his signs and teaching point to its realities, then why does it seem like it is taking so long to realize this eschatological reality? Good question in light of downed airplanes, missing airplanes, Gaza, Ebola breakouts, and the Southern Border crisis in the US to name a few. Thus the line in the comment above, “When will it all end?”
I mentioned last week that I did not preach on the Sunday of our anniversary as Snow Hill’s pastor and family. But, I did get to include some things from that sermon this past Sunday. It fit.
The text from the RCL for last Sunday included five of the seven parables in Matthew 13. Sunday, July 20, we would have read one of the other two. So, why not work up a sermon on six parables and ignore all homiletical rules. Except that thematically they all tend to touch on the same subject, the Kingdom of God.
Instead of pasting the text of the sermon here or pointing to where it might be on the Interwebs, I wanted to introduce a series I have been thinking about in anticipation of the anniversary of these twenty years. What have I learned over these twenty years? What sort of reflection may be helpful to others considering an illustration of Eugene Peterson’s, A Long Obedience In the Same Direction?
There is little doubt that reading the way this post is introduced failed to convey the humor underneath its attempt. So in hopes you may be enticed to check back for this series as it develops, I offer a bit of humor that is not mine that comes with any number of ways to make connection. One might say that some pastors tend to be tone deaf to criticism and this is what it might sound like.