Hanging In

The blog had some "issues" over the weekend, and I came within an eyelash of moving to another blog-hood, but that would have been a pain for me and anyone else who was interested in following, so I'm gonna stick it out with blogger.

Used my broken-pieces-of-seashells collection (that I collected from Panama City Beach last Thanksgiving) in both worship services to remind us all that:

[1] the church's call is not to try and super-glue our cracked and shattered lives back together in HGTV fashion, but instead to embrace the path of Eucharist-- to allow ourselves to be Blessed, Broken, Poured Out and Shared;

[2] we are all broken pieces of something much larger-- God's plan for our individual, family, and corporate lives.

Oh yeah, and we also sang our way through the rubrics of worship with "Parting Union." The change of pace in singing so many times was a little challenging, but I think it all fit together to provide us with musical guidance through worship.

Sabbatical Journey

Can you consider yourself to be on a journey if you are not leaving home? My answer is “Yes” on two levels. First, you do not have to leave home to take a journey. You do not have to abandon your daily or weekly routine. You do not have to alter your calendar or schedule. “Journey” is as much a state of mind and a perspective as it as a change in physical geography.

Second, anytime someone with whom you are in a relationship sets out on a journey, you—by virtue of the impending shift in relationship—will also journey. When a child, sibling, or spouse leaves home to go off to college, work, or for some other purpose, other members of the household experience the movement of journey. The shift in relationship can be one of measurable distance, frequency of contact/interaction, emotional/mental/spiritual development, or any combination of these three (plus other things, I’m sure).

Thus, I contend that all who are reading this are about to begin a journey with me. I invite you to not miss this journey. I am making plans of all sorts for this journey; plans to travel, read, learn, think, reflect, rest, grow, and experience things and places I’ve never known or seen. I hope you will do the same, even if your life’s circumstances or your personal preferences preclude changes of scenery and schedule.

I have challenged our church’s leaders to intentionally plan and execute a journey of their own during my sabbatical, and to invite and include the entire congregation in that process. I challenge members of the congregation to both hold our leaders to their challenge, and to support and journey with them along the way. The theme for their journey is “Make church…” I encourage you to help and join them in “making church” this summer.

One of the ways I invite you to journey with me is to follow our sabbatical blog. In it, I’ll be relaying information about the books I’m reading, places and people I’m meeting, and the questions this journey is revealing. If you have and use internet access, you can follow right here. Become a “follower” of the blog (by clicking the “Follow” button on the left hand side and following the instructions), and you can receive notifications when new posts are made.

Grace and travelling mercies,

© 2011 Todd Jenkins

WMDs

Words, the stealth-like weapons

we can unleash with relative ease,

whose half-life far-exceeds plutonium,

exacting force for generations to come.

Mass, not just the orthodox celebration

of Eucharist-focused worship,

but also measurable weight and

that overarching sense of totality.

Destruction, the dismantling of that

which has been constructed,

without the least concern for

design, purpose, material, or inhabitants.

We are forever facing two extremes:

“I couldn’t help but let that out!”

“I’ll never let you forget you did!”

Both of which enlarge the chasm.

Somewhere in the darkness lies

a tongue well-bitten,

a conversation purposefully forgotten,

hands of grace extended, embraced.

As morning finally arrives,

we will recognize its presence when

forgiveness is as fully self-accepted

as it is freely other-given.

Until that first light shines,

we can only limp away,

Jacob-like from our Peniel,

ever-seeking to see the face of God.

© 2011 Todd Jenkins

Preach it Yourself

Here's a link to a music/video representation of my May 8, 2011 TouchPoint scripture and sermon. My voice/words are not included, requiring that you preach the sermon yourself as you watch the video and listen to the music. I would be interested to hear what your sermon sounds like.

In the Breaking of the Bread