Worshipped this morning and sat through 2 annual meetings - actually, they were bifuricated annual meetings. In attempting to get more participants, the practice developed in previous years of holding one session following the 8 a.m. service and then another session following the 10:45 service. The HUGE assumption made is that no changes, nominations, or resolutions would be made at either session from the floor. If this happened, there would be big problems and probably another congregational meeting would have to be rescheduled in the future. It was a classic case of "we have done it this way before" and have consoled ourselves by saying more people attended the two sessions as compared to the time when there was only one session. Spell us "quiet Lutherans."
Speaking of spelling (which is really the reason for this blog entry), I was given by one of my Rosie's Diner 10 a.m. coffee cronies a piece he had pulled off the internet. It had a special appeal to those, like my wife, who enjoy "word games" and involved shuffeling letters around from one word or phrase to spell another. Example: Presbyterian can be rearranged to spell, "Best in prayer". I wonder how many Presbys know that? Or George Bush can be respelled as "He Bugs Gore". And my favorite was "Eleven Plus Two" rearranged to spell, "Twelve Plus One." Maybe I'm "Johnny come lately" in discovering this blurb. But it seems to me Epiphany's message also seeks to rearrange the assumptions and understandings people made before the time of Christ....and afterwards...regarding God's plan for salvation and the recipients of God's grace and mercy.
Why should the Son of God get baptized? Why was the good wine saved until last? Why would Jesus alienate his home town folk to the point of they wanting to throw him off Nazareth cliff? Jesus didn't just rearrange spellings - he threw all the conventional religious assumptions up for grabs. Which reminds me....I have more than a few patterns of behavior which need to be rearranged....patterns like prayer, Scripture reading, use of my time, etc., etc., etc. What about you? Yes, it is much easier to sit quietly in the pew and let the world go on as is. There still are a few more weeks of Epiphany to find some answers or surprises. As for spelling, I'm stumped. Dean is Dean
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4 comments:
Hey Dean!
Wanted to let you know that the blogger over at www.iamachristiantoo.comhas posted some comments on your pal Richard Niebuhr.
As for word rearranging, Jonathan Rundman can be rearranged to spell "Dr. Jan on a manhunt."
Jonathan
Dean Peterson can be rearranged to spell these phrases:
A deep stern no.
Ensnared poet.
Parson end tee.
Keep writing these, Dad!
Get this, Dean Peterson can also be rearranged to
"Padre Not Seen"
which, from my point of view conveys a true reality.
Glad to see you're blogging. Hope the couple week's hiatus isn't a sign that you've fallen into the 50% of blogs that have failed after one month.
Sounds like you've slipped into that community like an old pair of pants. That's great. Hope the transition is going well. Keep on posting...I've got you bookmarked.
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