Sunday after

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So now the marathon begins.

I work some part of every evening until next Sunday. Of course one of those evenings is a staff party, and it's not at my house, so maybe that's not work. But I'm out of the house for 7 evenings.

Tonight I gave the 'oration' at a lodge. I've never been in a lodge before. This lodge is the type that has antlers. They were very nice to me. It was a little service, about the memories of the members no longer with us so I adapted a funeral sermon. They told me they once had 700 members and now have 100. Only about 10 members were there, from what I could tell. Like many organizations (including the church) they have lost the next two generations, their children and grandchildren.

Preached the final lesson on Stewardship. The fun part was preaching on Luke 2:8-19 - the angel's song to the shepherds - and doing that outside of the usual pressures about it being 'CHRISTMAS EVE.'

And it was a busy day all around. The youth hosted coffee hour (stewardship asked them to do that - but I think it should become a tradition - it was good for the youth and the takers of hospitality as well). There was a silent auction and a cookie walk.

I taught my section of 'what's so amazing about grace' with a pretty good crowd. Christine Amapour's book & special 'Cry Bloody Murder' came up. It sounds like an astonishing, but difficult subject. Rwandan forgiveness, among other things, was, as my friend Sue said - so hard to get our heads around.

It felt like a lively church - we don't always get that when everyone scatters out of different doors. My prayer is that God blesses others with enthusiasm and hope for this community of faith.
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