Uncle Buddy, our McDonnell family patriarch at 94, recently began taking guitar lessons. The last remaining brother of seven with no sisters, his favorite song is Amazing Grace, which he practices often on the guitar and daily in his life. “How did you manage to live so long and so well?” his nieces and nephews wonder. Buddy says, “It’s because God has something left for me to do.”
Hope and fear, laughter and tears have been part of our journey.
Joy and pain, longing and doubt meet on the pathway.
Often we do not believe, O God,
It’s Friday night and fans everywhere are getting ready for the big event this weekend. While most of us understand that event to be the Last Sunday in Epiphany, some people here in the United States seem to think that there’s a football game that might overshadow our Sunday worship.
Queen Elizabeth II has appointed a number of royal chaplains during her reign. Her recent appointment of the Rev. Rose Hudson-Wilkin is slightly different though than many of her previous choices. The new chaplain is promising to not “tone down” her preaching even with her new position.
“The High Court of Zimbabwe will tomorrow hear an application by the Anglican church authorities over the ‘unbecoming’ behaviour of ousted bishop for Harare Diocese, Nolbert Kunonga who is alleged to be defying a High Court ruling ordering him not to interfere with church services.”
Former President Jimmy Carter has enthusiastically embraced the goals of an upcoming “New Baptist Covenant” conference in Atlanta which has the goal of reconciling various branches of baptist congregations.
The NFL has moved this year to stop church congregations from showing the game in their sanctuaries. Showing the game on a screen larger than 55 inches violates copyright law. Many congregations have used the video projection equipment in their sanctuaries to show the game as either a fundraiser or a fellowship event.
Minnesota Presbyterians have voted to restore the ordination of an openly gay man who has refused to pledge celibacy, the latest test of revamped pastoral guidelines in the Presbyterian Church (USA)
Here is an experiment: During Lent set aside half an hour each week, sit quietly in a private place with notepad and think where your tears are. Which are the kinds of tears that connect us with God and ourselves and one another? Do I ever allow any of these tears to flow?
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