Sweet Spots
Ideas and messages from Len Sweet.
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Joey and Nicky at Skull Mountain
Joey and Nicky at Skull Mountain Story Lectionary 9 April 2017 Palm Sunday / Passion Sunday The Crushing of the Serpent’s Head and the Striking of the Heel of Man (Genesis 3) The Census of Israel (Numbers 1) A Woman Crushes the Head of Abimelech Saving the People (Judges 9)…
Go for it! Preaching Tip for 9 April 2017
Do something different this Palm Sunday! Do something entirely unexpected. One thing that plagues sermons and worship is doing the same thing over and over. While some tradition is good, people should have their interest piqued as to what the pastor might do next! Think about bringing a live lamb…
Pastor’s Prayer for 9 April 2017 Palm Sunday
Bridle of colts untamed, Over our wills presiding; Wing of unwandering birds, Our flight securely guiding.
Rudder of youth unbending, Firm against adverse shock; Shepherd, with wisdom tending Lambs of the royal flock:
Your simple children bring In one, that they may sing In solemn lays Their hymns of praise With guileless lips to Christ their King.
King of saints, almighty Word Of the Father highest Lord; Wisdom’s head and chief; Assuagement of all grief; Lord of all time and space, Jesus, Savior of our race; Shepherd, who dost us keep; Husbandman, who tills, Bit to restrain us, Rudder To guide us as You willest; Of the all-holy flock celestial wing; Fisher of men, whom You to life dost bring; From evil sea of sin, And from the billowy strife, Gathering pure fishes in Caught with sweet bait of life:
Lead us, Shepherd of the sheep, Reason-gifted, holy One; King of youths, whom You dost keep, So that they pollution shun:
Steps of Christ, celestial Way; Word eternal, Age unending; Life that never can decay; Fount of mercy, virtue-sending; Life august of those who raise Unto God their hymn of praise, Jesus Christ!
Nourished by the milk of heaven, To our tender palates given; Milk of wisdom from the breast Of that bride of grace expressed; By a dewy spirit filled From fair Reason’s breast distilled; Let us sucklings join to raise With pure lips our hymns of praise As our grateful offering, Clean and pure, to Christ our King.
Let us, with hearts undefiled, Celebrate the mighty Child.
We, Christ-born, the choir of peace; We, the people of His love, Let us sing, nor ever cease, To the God of peace above.
Clement of Alexandria (A.D. 195) Ante-Nicene Fathers vol.2 pg.295-296
On Living
On Living
by Kerry Egan
–Review by Teri Hyrkas
Kerry Egan, author of On Living (10/2016, Riverhead Books), is a hospice chaplain — a profession that, in Egan’s experience, has been difficult to explain to family and friends, and seems not to be understood or appreciated by most people, including some of her own patients. Egan’s book contains numerous stories of her patients’ end-of-life experiences, but On Living is not a book about how to die well. Rather, it is a rich blending of narratives from Egan’s hospice patients’ lives, the author’s own experience as a young mother afflicted with a devastating, anesthesia-induced psychosis, and reflections on the gracious truths that can come from “loss and tragedy and trauma.”
Egan, a graduate of Harvard Divinity School, wrote On Living in response to a hospice patient named Gloria. Gloria told Egan that in her youth she thought that getting old caused one to become wise. “But here I am , fixin’ to die, and I never did.” Gloria continued, telling Egan that she always wished she would meet a writer and he could write out her stories so other people could hear them and not make the same mistakes she had. When Egan reluctantly admitted to Gloria that she was a published author, Gloria “threw up her hands and looked at the ceiling. ‘All this time I’ve been waiting for a man, Jesus!… I thought you’d be man, Kerry! But this is it!’ she yelled….’the Holy Spirit sent you to me, and I’ve already told you all my stories. Now you’ve just got to write them down. Maybe someone else can get wise from them. Promise me you’ll tell my stories.’ ” read more…
Michelangelo
There is a story told about Michelangelo that I have not been able to document–although the quotes that go with it are authentic. When a little boy, this tradition goes, Michelangelo was given a small Greek sculpture of a human form, half chiseled from the marble. For the rest of…
Jesus’ Humor
I collect everything I can on Jesus’ humor. During Lent he is remembered as a “man of sorrows acquainted with grief,” but we also need to remember that most of the time he was a man of joy, immersed in laughter and food and conviviality. Of course, Jewish humor is…
Fist or Fingers?
Fist or Fingers? Lectionary 2 April 2017 5th Sunday in Lent Ezekiel 37:1-14 Psalm 130 Romans 8:6-11 John 11:1-45 Text to Life Did you get “pranked” yesterday? Did you find salt in your sugar bowl or shaving cream in your shoes? Yesterday, of course, was “April Fool’s” Day. April Fool’s…
Emerging – Exploring
The clarinet was a brand new instrument when Mozart because enamored with it. The Stradivari family was already well-known for building the string instruments that are still considered the best in the world, but the clarinet was a relatively new invention. And anything new was a magnet for Mozart.
The trio that Mozart wrote for his friend, Anton Stadler, was the first trio with the combination of clarinet, viola, and piano, but not the last. The clarinet made an impression on Mozart and other composers of the time, and they began writing new music for the instrument, as well as including it in larger ensembles. read more…
Pilate’s Ruse
Pilate’s Ruse Story Lectionary 2 April 2017 The Fifth Sunday in Jesus’ Lenten Journey Abimelek’s Warning Vision Regarding Sarah (Genesis 20) Pharaoh’s Warning Dreams of Famine (Genesis 41) Washing of Hands in Atonement (Deuteronomy 21:1-8) Israel Wants a King (1 Samuel 8-9) David is Anointed King (2 Samuel 5,6,7) David’s…
Media Shapes Our Life and Our Faith
Building Empathy and Solidarity Through Story
Summary: “Humans spend about a third of their waking hours daydreaming. It’s a survival feature. Our constant imagining of a possible future helps prepare us for the future that actually comes. We’ve already practiced giving that speech at the office, or what we’ll do if when a beloved one grows distant. The only cost is our ability to be fully present in a moment..”
Read and watch at: https://goo.gl/rRpQZe
Digitally mined from: www.sojo.net
The Twilight Zone Can Make You a Better Person. Really
Summary: “Five years ago TV critic Mark Dawidziak watched every episode of The Twilight Zone with his teenage daughter, and in every episode he noticed something important, some lesson that is as valuable today as it was 50 years ago.” read more…