*A warning for what follows - I am tired and grouchy - that is all*
I will refer you back to an earlier post I wrote back for Proper 23 when I thought I was preaching entitled let the seminarian preach. It seems as though the ever intrepid Satan has placed on my plate another set of readings that makes me question my call to preach the good news. Uggg.
Nevertheless I shall persevere. God will supply all my needs. Somehow a sermon consisting of both trouble and grace will come forth. But today I am struck by just how tongue-in-cheek the Collect for Proper 28B sounds in light of apocalyptic suffering in all 3 readings.
Bblessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning: Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life, which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
I mean really. Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning. It just makes me giggle. I am genuinely surprised that these texts actually appear in the lectionary. It is so desirous to ignore the hard words of Scripture that it seems as though we ignore them continually. But alas, not this Sunday. Not when I have to preach short sermon because of the Annual Meeting. Nope, today we get to feel with great discomfort what it means to say that all holy Scriptures have been written for our learning.
Again, let the seminarian preach.
3 comments:
Steve, I guess we balance each other, because I am preaching this weekend on the widow and her copper coins and have not yet started because it's such a familiar story and I wonder HOW to make it come alive for people, and would FAR rather be preaching on your troubling and bizarre texts.
Maybe you will have to retitle your blog while you write your sermon because if you have so much lectionary-induced angst, then you can't really be bored, can you? ;-)
If these texts throw you, I guess you hope I will be foiled in my quest to reform the lectionary so we get even darker stuff...
What if we work out some sort of compromise. You can reform the lectionary as dark as you like, so long as there's one "cheap grace" reading a week. That way, when I'm up to it, I can preach the dark stuff, but when I'm "tired and grouchy" I can lay back and rely on "cheap grace" to get me through.
;-)
Hmmmm...I will consider your proposal.
You inspired me to ask my supervisor if we could swap preaching dates so I could have some Daniel action...and she said yes! Yippee! I am sure the widow will receive much better treatment at her hand, and now I get to immerse myself in difficulty...(I bet next week I will be cursing myself, and possibly you, since I was jealous of you for having cooler readings...)
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