Sermon Writing - Week #2 New Parish

Good grief.

12:45am late Saturday night/early Sunday morning... have a service in about 8 hours, and I still don't even really have an outline for a sermon, but lots of ideas swimming around in my head. Bits and snippets and no real direction. *grumble*

I've been more blocked this week trying to come up with a sermon than I normally am. It could be what I see as a difficult text in John 14 and not much speaking to me in the other texts. Could be that while there have been weeks where I've preached 2 or 3 in a row or preached Sunday plus midweek services, I'm not used to being the main preacher in the parish (I do have a deacon for now, but that person indicated that they don't want to preach often).

Or it could be that I've only been in town a week as of yesterday and I've been busy with trying to get unpacked and settled and trying to get to know my way around my new town while fighting off allergies or a cold. I've also been trying to get my internet up and running properly, and I have no TV service yet. A lot more people smoke here in more places than I've been used to and I'm allergic to tobacco.

Things accomplished: I've met some people while out and about in town, I got a recycle bin for the parish (good earthday thing to get in place), and I got a library card.

Or being blocked on the sermon could be that last week seemed to go well and so I feel pressure for this week to go well, even though not every week can be the greatest sermon you've ever preached. And also what makes a good sermon is relative I've found... different things speak to different people.

Fortunately even though I am wrestling and anxious, I can remind myself to rest in the fact that no matter what I tend to come up with that God always seems to show up and speak to folks. I'm grateful and praise God for that.

I've thought about maybe working in my magnetic hematite stones that I ran across while unpacking earlier this week... but I can't remember where I put them. The nature of how they draw together. Or maybe the rocks placed to show you where the path is when you're backpacking and there's only rock - no dirt trail (thinking of "The Way"). I have a couple ideas and if I don't find them right away I'll either chuck that idea, or maybe can just describe how they work without having them in hand. I also ran across a lovely story about a man observing his neighbor mow the lawn and how his young son came out with a toy mower to imitate him. I think about how Jesus and the Father are in each other and are one, and how the context for this is just after the footwashing where we've been told that Jesus has set an example for us.

Last week I preached on how we hear God (how we hear the Shepherd's voice). Since I'm new in this place and we are beginning a new time of ministry together, maybe I could talk about being church, the living stones. Someone else from revgals is preaching on prayer - so maybe I could go the direction of moving from how we hear God to how we speak to God. I know at least one parishioner wants to learn more about prayer, and its definitely a topic I have energy around.

Well, I'd better end this now and go pray and make some decisions about a theme and focus that I can then try to flesh out.

Roadtrip to my new home

The movers came and packed up and carted off most of my stuff before I flew home to San Diego. When I got back all that was left was what I was hoping would fit in my car. I gathered it in one place and tried to pack it for the trip. The apartment was pretty bare. Looked kind of sad with just the air mattress, and also full circle since that's what it looked like as I moved in.



Finally I got everything strategically packed in the car, able to still see out the back and side windows. I don't know if the Christmas Cactus will survive, but it went in the car. :)



The kitties and I hit the road. They were pretty good for the most part. Lilly often slept in the carrier in the passenger seat, with Monty on top. Sometimes they went to the back seat.





Thanks to a little purchase I made, finally bringing me up to date music-technology-wise and the help of my friend Dawn and her son who taught me how to use the thing and loaded it with music... we had music for the trip on my new Ipod Nano. Thanks Dawn and Josh, you rock (and you helped me to rock)! It's the neatest thing, with the help of an Itrip (a small gadget plugged into the bottom of the Ipod) and a static-y FM radio station, the Ipod plays music through the car stereo - no cords, and better yet - no switching CDs.



The first night we made it (through rainy, windy weather) through Texas, Texarkana and Arkansas (stopping for gas in the town where President Bill Clinton was born - Hope, Arkansas) to West Memphis and stayed at Motel 6, which takes pets. The second day was clear until we stopped for the night, though windy in places. We drove through Tennessee and Kentucky which are very beautiful along the interstates. Especially these trees with purple blossoms. We stayed overnight just north of Dayton Ohio at a Super 8. I was starving after a long day of driving and not much food, so I had dinner at the Waffle House.