Ancient and Modern

Some things are Universal. Egyptians, Roman, Greeks, Mayans, Aztecs, Anasazi - - - - Everyone has made an emotional linkage between the returning/lengthening of days in the winter solstice, and the assurance of new life - EVERYBODY. Take a moment to look at the enormous effort to carve out Chaco Canyon.

There are just some Hard-wired Human-Nature Universals:

1) Blood and Sacrifice secure blessings - universal. Look at the phenomenal Mayan-king ritual requirements.

2) Death/crossing the river/sunset - universal poetry from the Egyptians to the moderns.

3) New life/Sunrise/New Birth - universal pictures from Easter Eggs through Roman holidays through the basic building blocks in all of us.

When God sets his sights on a target, He hits the target! He built the heart and connects to it in His greatest Act: incarnation

When we set out to preach the Incarnation and Advent, we tap into a whole reservoir of poetry and imagination, pictures and remembrances, in which 20 minutes of preaching may contact hours worth of imaginings within the mind of the hearer. When we celebrate Christmas and solstice together, we've linked powerful, mind-changing concepts.

My devotional readings begin early, re-visiting the incarnation passages, and the theologians who celebrate incarnation, from the Philippians hymn to the moderns.

The Book Stack

A friend in college was a debater of some skill. When he wrote a paper for a seminar, he had a pattern learned from debate competition.

He began with an outline, and beside the desk, a stack of books, all marked with passages to use. With an outline and a stack, he could produce a defensible seminar paper in an evening.

Another friend retired years ago. His present devotional life is to outline, stack the books, and prepare a lectionary sermon every week. Occasionally he actually does get to deliver one. But the spiritual exercise is ongoing. It is who he is.

So, it's September now. The faith-building, faith-expressing ritual that expresses who we are is leaning toward the last Sunday of November. Some of us will deliver sermons, some of us will simply do the spiritual exercises we love, that make us who we are.

Either way...... take heart, it's a godly calling, isn't it?

Nouns Become Verbs

That's a mark of distinction! Like Google. It was a noun, now it's a verb. Here's one to show how it happened: George Washington Carver. Google that.

What a great biography. Pick it up in Wikipedia or a handful of other full-coverage spots, and it gives a great insight.

Here was a man who looked at poverty, lack of opportunity, discrimination, other negatives, and just seemed to say: "OK, never mind that - what's to do?"

He developed a program to grow more peanuts. There was a surplus and angry farmers. He very quickly began discovering/inventing alternative uses.

It's an old story, but a workable story for this year's work. Whether you use Sullenberger or Carver, or want to be challenging and re-correct the current re-writings of the story of the founding fathers, there's lots in biography to get your attention.

I like using a modern bio, an OT bio, and maybe a parable together. How's your preference?