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Out of the mouths of preachers
Jan. 11th, 2009 01:19 pmI made it to First Church for worship this morning despite the snow. Parking during a snow emergency was...interesting. I had to go around the block twice, but then I found the magic parking space on College Ave. and managed to do a perfect parallel park into it, as I only had one shot to do it in the deep snow.
I've heard three interesting preachers in the past three weeks, with very different perspectives. Rev. Jim Mattarazzo preached Dec. 28. He's based in London working on AIDS issues in Africa. He talked about how early Christians were uncomfortable talking about God becoming a man, Jesus' birth, God in diapers...too fleshy! And how many people feel that way about dealing with the front lines of the AIDS fight, but it where the work of Christ is being done.
Then January 4, Rev. Laura Ruth Jarrett, the minister of outreach, preached about the Magi, the wise men who followed the star to Jesus, and how important it is to welcome strangers and visitors and accept their gifts.
Today, Rev. Kerrie Harthan preached. She is a grocery clerk in Aisle 2 at Whole Foods during the week, and always has an interesting perspective from her post stocking shelves. She talked about the need to re-connect with people, to put the custom back in being a customer. She shared a great quote:
"His Holiness, the Dalai Lama describes two kinds of selfish people: the unwise and the wise. Unwise selfish people think only of themselves, and the result is confusion and pain. Wise selfish people know that the best thing they can do for themselves is to be there for others. As a result, they experience joy." (When Things Fall Apart, Pema Chodron, Shambhala Publishing, Boston, 1997, p. 88).
Coffee hour was especially good today - there were people I hadn't seen in over a year, and breads from When Pigs Fly and a great vegan chili, with sweet potatoes in it, to warm us for the journey home in the snow.
Church can be a strange and wonderful place.
I've heard three interesting preachers in the past three weeks, with very different perspectives. Rev. Jim Mattarazzo preached Dec. 28. He's based in London working on AIDS issues in Africa. He talked about how early Christians were uncomfortable talking about God becoming a man, Jesus' birth, God in diapers...too fleshy! And how many people feel that way about dealing with the front lines of the AIDS fight, but it where the work of Christ is being done.
Then January 4, Rev. Laura Ruth Jarrett, the minister of outreach, preached about the Magi, the wise men who followed the star to Jesus, and how important it is to welcome strangers and visitors and accept their gifts.
Today, Rev. Kerrie Harthan preached. She is a grocery clerk in Aisle 2 at Whole Foods during the week, and always has an interesting perspective from her post stocking shelves. She talked about the need to re-connect with people, to put the custom back in being a customer. She shared a great quote:
"His Holiness, the Dalai Lama describes two kinds of selfish people: the unwise and the wise. Unwise selfish people think only of themselves, and the result is confusion and pain. Wise selfish people know that the best thing they can do for themselves is to be there for others. As a result, they experience joy." (When Things Fall Apart, Pema Chodron, Shambhala Publishing, Boston, 1997, p. 88).
Coffee hour was especially good today - there were people I hadn't seen in over a year, and breads from When Pigs Fly and a great vegan chili, with sweet potatoes in it, to warm us for the journey home in the snow.
Church can be a strange and wonderful place.
