On “Palm Monday” the donkey woke up with the afterglow of the day before still in mind. Never before had he experienced such a rush of pleasure and pride. After breakfast he walked into town and found a group of people by the well. “I’ll show myself to them,” he thought.
But they didn’t notice him. They went on drawing their water and paying him no mind. “Throw your garments down,” he thought crossly. “Don’t you know who I am?”
Someone slapped him along the flank and ordered him to move. “Miserable heathens! I’ll just go to the market where the good people are. They will remember me from yesterday!” But the same thing happened. No one paid any attention to the donkey as he strutted down the main street in front of the marketplace.
“Where are the palm branches?” he thought. “Yesterday, you people waved palm branches.”
Hurt and confused, the donkey returned home to his mother. “Foolish child,” she said gently. “Don’t you realize that apart from Him, you are just an ordinary donkey.”
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Pastor's Column March 21, 2010
PASTOR’S COLUMN. Jeremiah says in today’s OT lesson: “But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.”How many ways can you think doing this? Cheri has recently begun attending meetings of the Tanglefoot Historical District, of which Grace Presbyterian Church is a highlight. A number of you are involved in community organizations and civic affairs, in which we Presbyterians have a long history. Good for you. And we can vote in the upcoming elections.
I have recently organized the Twin Cities Bumper Sticker Expiration Patrol. This is a group of citizens, only me so far, who go around ticketing cars with expired bumper stickers. Missouri is a beautiful state. We don’t need ugly old bumper stickers or cars held together with nothing more than aged adhesive.
“I Like Ike,” said one. I liked him too, but that was a half-century ago. Give it a rest. “My Child is an Honor Student at Festus Elementary!” Great, but that child just graduated from college. Take it off your bumper. “The Pope Is Coming to St. Louis!” New Pope now. That was in 1999. Look forward not backward.
The Bumper Sticker Expiration Patrol has no meetings, no e-mails, no com-munication whatsoever. That’s what’s so good about it. If you feel like handing out a ticket, simply do so. Beautify the Twin Cities area!
I have recently organized the Twin Cities Bumper Sticker Expiration Patrol. This is a group of citizens, only me so far, who go around ticketing cars with expired bumper stickers. Missouri is a beautiful state. We don’t need ugly old bumper stickers or cars held together with nothing more than aged adhesive.
“I Like Ike,” said one. I liked him too, but that was a half-century ago. Give it a rest. “My Child is an Honor Student at Festus Elementary!” Great, but that child just graduated from college. Take it off your bumper. “The Pope Is Coming to St. Louis!” New Pope now. That was in 1999. Look forward not backward.
The Bumper Sticker Expiration Patrol has no meetings, no e-mails, no com-munication whatsoever. That’s what’s so good about it. If you feel like handing out a ticket, simply do so. Beautify the Twin Cities area!
Monday, March 8, 2010
Pastor's Column March 7, 2010
Last week we looked at the Beatitudes, Mt. 5: 3-11, during the sermon. It was a lot of info, so for the next few columns, here’s a recap:
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven, vs. 3. ”Poor in spirit” has nothing to do with not liking ourselves or not being confident or not having a personality or being a wimp. What Jesus says here is that we’re on the right path to the kingdom of heaven, or the fullness of God’s rule over our lives, when we know that we’re not the masters of our own destiny. To be “poor in spirit” is to understand that we’re not in control of our lives, God is. We come from God, we belong to God, we will return to God. Live with this reality.
Ours is to rely on the guidance and support of God’s Spirit at work in our lives. What did Jesus say? “The spirit of the Lord is upon me…” Jesus lived by God’s agenda, and we are to do the same. God’s spirit (same word as wind in the Bible) is to fill our sails and take us where God wants us to go rather than our spirit. We’re to be rich in God’s spirit and be poor in our own willfulness.
The “rich in spirit,” in this context, would be those who think of themselves as self-made men and women, persons in control of their lives. The “rich in spirit” are not on the path to the fullness of God’s rule, but are trying to make for themselves a life in which they’re in charge and God can be ignored most of the time. The author of the Letter of James says that we cannot do this. Rather than boast of ourselves regarding tomorrow, James says, “You do not even know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wishes, we will live and do this or that.’ As it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil,” James 4: 14-16.
To be “poor in spirit” is to be humble rather than arrogant, to rely on the guidance and support of God rather than try to go it on our own, and to be headed for the fullness of the kingdom of heaven rather than being full of self.
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven, vs. 3. ”Poor in spirit” has nothing to do with not liking ourselves or not being confident or not having a personality or being a wimp. What Jesus says here is that we’re on the right path to the kingdom of heaven, or the fullness of God’s rule over our lives, when we know that we’re not the masters of our own destiny. To be “poor in spirit” is to understand that we’re not in control of our lives, God is. We come from God, we belong to God, we will return to God. Live with this reality.
Ours is to rely on the guidance and support of God’s Spirit at work in our lives. What did Jesus say? “The spirit of the Lord is upon me…” Jesus lived by God’s agenda, and we are to do the same. God’s spirit (same word as wind in the Bible) is to fill our sails and take us where God wants us to go rather than our spirit. We’re to be rich in God’s spirit and be poor in our own willfulness.
The “rich in spirit,” in this context, would be those who think of themselves as self-made men and women, persons in control of their lives. The “rich in spirit” are not on the path to the fullness of God’s rule, but are trying to make for themselves a life in which they’re in charge and God can be ignored most of the time. The author of the Letter of James says that we cannot do this. Rather than boast of ourselves regarding tomorrow, James says, “You do not even know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wishes, we will live and do this or that.’ As it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil,” James 4: 14-16.
To be “poor in spirit” is to be humble rather than arrogant, to rely on the guidance and support of God rather than try to go it on our own, and to be headed for the fullness of the kingdom of heaven rather than being full of self.
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