Yesterday was Palm Sunday.  Brandi preached on the trend in churches to combine Palm Sunday with Passion Sunday.  The reasoning behind this is that people are too busy, churches are too busy, everyone is too busy to have services during the week.  Therefore, Palms and Passion are combined - or one is left out - and then the congregation moves to Easter.  

I don't like that.  How can you have the Palms without the Passion narrative?  When reading through the Gospels, you see how Jesus spent his last week, before being betrayed and crucified.  It is indicative of us that we want to skip that.  It's like reading  the beginning of a book, skipping the middle, and going to the end.  Or skipping the main course for the dessert.  Or ...

Hosanna is really translated "Save us, we beseech thee!"  Wow.  The people shouted "Save us!"  When knowing that, I find it hard to imagine a festive parade that we typically envision.  A mass of people begging to be saved!  What do we need saving from?  For some, the impatience of the week to skip from the Palms to the resurrection.  Or other, more confining desires and temptations and pressures.  

Save us, we beseech thee.  Hosanna.

Ice Cream and Jesus

Tonight we'll gather in the chapel for a time of fellowship - eating ice cream. I love ice cream, probably a little too much. I like to eat a lot of ice cream every night before I go to bed, which highlights why I haven't really lost a lot of weight even though I have picked up my exercise program. But I love ice cream. And I love hanging out, especially when we can hang out in an environment that is non-threatening and inviting.

Some may ask what ice cream has to do with ministry. I guess you could say, "not much". Unless you count the notion that we are gathering together, in an effort to create bonds, so that we might learn from one another and grow in faith with each other, and eventually work together in service on some project. Then ice cream has everything to do with Jesus.

I don't anticipate tonight being like a story in the Bible. You gotta figure out of all of the stories that spoke of Jesus eating with people and going to parties and stuff, there had to be a hundred that don't mention him hanging out at all. The ones that are talked about in Scripture are there since something profound happened - someone anointed his feet, or he overturned a question by the Pharisees. But more often than not, Jesus ate with his friends, talked about their day, what the teachers were teaching, and the upcoming festivals. And there is no mention of those times in the Bible.

I feel certain, though, that those times were very sustaining for Jesus and the disciples - perhaps more so than the ones we can read about. So in that fashion, ice cream has everything to do with Jesus.

Moving On

Just came back from a meeting at the Chaplian's Office a while ago. We went over details on the year and what is happening on campus with campus ministry. I am really excited about this upcoming year and the potential that it has. We are looking to really grow in our faith, grow closer together as friends, and serve others while serving Christ. For those of you about to move in, I can't wait to meet you. And I can't wait to see those of you who are returning for another year.

Peace.
A

College Conference

Hey y'all. Just got this info and wanted to go ahead and share. Check it out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnZy88llKF8

http://collegeconference.wordpress.com/

This looks awesome and I can't wait to be a part of this week.

Peace.

A

Planning

I have spent a good bit of the summer getting ready for the beginning of the academic year. Meeting with students, email conversations, lunches, talking to pastors, ready and presbytery meetings - in some ways it has seemed like a whirlwind. I just about have the Fall calendar set up, and I am really excited about what we have lined up for the fall.

But then in some ways, planning seems to run counter to my nature. Anyone who knows me knows this, but it seems to me that we can plan and plan and plan, and that in the end the best thing to do might be to sit around and relax or talk or pray or ask hard questions that might not have an answer. In my mind, I know that if the need arises, then we can do that. I also know that a set calendar creates more flexibility for those relax times.

The most important thing we can do is build relationships -with each other, with God, with our neighbors, with our closet friends. When we take the time to build relationships, to foster and develop and maintain those relationships that are sacred to us and that help keep us whole, then we find ourselves better equipped for the service that Christ calls us to.

So in my mind, we have a calendar. We will publish it, post it, and talk it up. But what we will really do, the main plan for the Fall, is to strengthen relationships.