Hey - RevCheesehead - post your sermon!!

[Rabrrrrrr]

Did you go with the Isaiah text? Or tackle the eschatalogical Mark text?or skip both, and go for the easy Corinthians passage?

[RevCheesehead]

1. I did Mark.

Um, maybe I should rephrase that, huh?

I don't write sermons, but here's the general idea:

JC talking with disciples about the end-times. Ends with "keep awake", which is hard for all of us this a.m. (it's way too cold and rainy, many stayed in bed today!)
Central question: When will the world end?
Parallel with the question we don't want to ask: when will I die?

How would you live your life differently if you knew when and how you would die? What would you change? Or does this question make you uncomfortable?

Why are we so obsessed with the end of the world, yet afraid of our own mortality? Somewhere in the middle we find the answer to both questions.

If you live life fully, you aren't thinking about yesterday, or even tomorrow, but are fully alive for today. It's not the beginning or the ending of the story that's fascinating - it's all the stuff in the middle that matters.

When Jesus says "keep awake," he's telling us to pay attention to the here and now. We are beginning a new christian year with Advent. We already know the beginning and the ending (of sorts). What will we make of the time in between? And how will we find our place in the story that we retell every year?

(Then we sang, prayed, and had a small lunch with each other.)

[SeattleGirl]

2. Very thought-provoking, Rev

I'll bet you got some brain gears grinding this this one. These are things I think about at times. And yes, sometimes it's uncomfortable to think about them, about what the answers might be. But I think it's good to contemplate, to look at, one's life now and then.

[Wapsie B]

4. Being totally present in the here and now

is something that many of us struggle with. I'm guilty as anyone of agonizing over past mistakes or dreaming about the future. What a great subject for a sermon!

[Shine]

5. Good stuff!!

I LOVE thinking about and having conversations about these sorts of questions.

Being fully present, in each moment, is a life's work.

What type of reverend are you? What's your denomination? I was raised Catholic, but nowadays think of myself as a "born-again Pagan". heheh.

:hi:
Shine

[GreenPartyVoter]

6. Reminds me of this :^)

http://www.theinterviewwithgod.com/

[fishnfla]

7. When JC says "stay awake"

about the here and now.....any chance you checked out that Gospel of Thomas stuff? The kingdom of God here on earth for those with ears?

Bubba Franks: ouch!

:hi:

[Rabrrrrrr]

8. Nicely done! I love it - I'm all about living in the moment,

and not trying to prepare ourselves and ignoring the world in favor of some likely boneheaded eschatalogical theory.

What you say reminds me of a story/illustration I heard a numberof years ago about how it's the hyphen on our tombstones that is the important thing, as in "John Doe, 1933-1995", it's the hyphen that represents the life lived.

[Left Is Write]

3. Our pastor based his sermon on the Isaiah text.

Happy New Year, and welcome to the Year of Mark! :hi: