The media have made much of the new Bishop of Rome and his uncharacteristic way of being the Pope. He lets children sit on his papal chair, he embraces disfigured men, and he generally refuses to enjoy the customary luxuries of the papacy. The Guardian went so far as to call him the “un-Benedict,” in reference to his more traditional predecessor. Continue reading
Do you ever get the sense that who you are on the inside looks nothing like who you present to everyone else? If not, good! If you’re unsure, I have a challenge: take a look at your last five posts on Facebook, and then compare it to how you spent the last five hours. I believe some people’s inner self and their public self match up. As for me, if my Facebook is a full reflection of myself, then the entirety of who I am is: A proud divinity student looking to change the world, passionately concerned for the lives of the suffering, a dedicated defender of human rights everywhere, and a damn good fiancée.
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An hour and a half of bland highway scenery passed before the occasional pot hole began to break up the monotony of pavement. Another couple of minutes of resistance, then the asphalt finally submitted to the gravel’s reign, as the smattering of trees on each side gradually grew into full-fledged forests. After only a few nauseating curves of bumpy gravel road, the path turned sharply to the left, exposing several football fields worth of flat pasture out the right window – the foreground of a painting dominated by rolling, tree-covered hills, the occasional winding trail, and bordered by the bowing Cahaba River. The small sign on the side of the road read, “The Future Home of Living River: A Retreat on the Cahaba.”
I thought since I am currently delivering my first sermon ever, I would schedule the written form to go out over my blog simultaneously. Ah, the wonders of technology. Anyways, it is based in the text Romans 12:9-21, which might help to read first here. Also, I apologize for editing mistakes, grammar, and the like. I wrote it like I would speak it, so if it doesn’t sound right, just imagine Martin Luther King Jr. orating it, and it should sound better…
Good morning! Paul says, “Contribute to the needs of the saints; Extend hospitality to strangers.” As a stranger to ________, you have extended much more than your fair share of hospitality to me. From the time Harold jumped up to greet me on my first Sunday here, through Vacation Bible School where the ladies welcomed me with so much excitement each day – I even arrived late to the Swiss Steak Dinner, and you still let me eat! The church’s and Pastor ___’s willingness to include me in the work of the church for this month was an offering of acceptance that I think embodies the essence of hospitality. From my experience, I would say that you all have set a pretty good example of the way Paul instructs us to be hospitable.
Life Reconciling 