One of the things I was looking forward to with a month in the USA was being in the right time zone for the Friday Five posted on RevGalBlogPals each week. What I didn't factor in was the irregular access to the Internet as a traveller! And the one housebound Friday was Christmas Day when the RevGals were either superbusy or taking a well-deserved rest
So here I am on a very hot Saturday, responding to Jan's invitation to participate in an activity inspired by her current EFM task. She writes:
In EFM this week, our question was, "If you were a color, what would you be?" So that's where this Friday Five comes from, at least its jumping off place.
1. If you were a color, what would you be? This is kind of different I think to my favourite colour. The immediate response is soft yellow. The colour of early sunset and late sunrise. A touch of warmth and rather luminous. 2. If you were a flower (or plant), what would you be? A rose like the ones in our garden. Blooming somewhat unpredictablyand enjoying freedom to grow as well as seasonal care 3. If you were an animal, what kind would you be? Something surprising and contextual. Platypus or wombat, echidna or gecko.
4. If you were a shoe, what type would you be? Josef Siebel with flowers (sensible and quirky)
5. If you were a typeface, which font would you be?
This morning a member of our congregation delivered a sermon he has been working on for months, on the book of Philemon. The theme was grace. Well expressed. It was such a privilege to support him as liturgist. Here are our prayers:
Call to worship:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ
Brothers and sisters, may we be like Philemon, known for our love for all the saints and our faith towards the Lord Jesus.
May the sharing of our faith may become effective when we truly perceive all the good that we may do for Christ.
May we receive much joy and encouragement from the love of others
And the hearts of all the saints be refreshed
Praise and confession:
Godde of grace
When we feel useless
You proclaim us useful
When we wrong others
You enable us to set things right
When we are estranged from those who matter
You find friends who can bring us together
When we cannot make restitution
You pay the price
Even when we grieve you and fail to perceive your presence
You welcome us with open arms and call us beloved children
Your grace is unbounded
Filling the very depth of our being
Opening us to see your Spirit
Moving over the waters of our world
And enlivening our sensibilities to the values of your kingdom
We praise you
When we become preoccupied with our shortcomings
Fearful to face those we have wronged
Or when wrongs perpetrated against us or against others
Disproportionately occupy our thoughts and paralyse our hearts
Please keep us mindful of your grace
And strengthen us to pass on in full measure
The truth we hear week by week
Your sins are forgiven
Thanks be to God
Let us pray together the prayer that Jesus taught his disciples:
Our Father …
Let us bless each other as we say, in the words of Paul:
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit
Offering:
Through this offering, O Godde, may we Through these gifts that we bring, may we be able to show hospitality to all you send our way, restoring relationships, living lightly on your precious planet, advocating for justice: learning to walk each day in your unforced rhythm of grace.
Prayer for others
Wednesday of this coming week is the 11th day of the 11th month, and at 11 a.m. in many countries around the world people will be remembering the end of the Great War.Last weekend in Wagga Wagga I spent time at the war memorial in centre of city and noticed that the inscription was 1914-1919 – realised how much longer the end of the war took to reach our countries down under.
Our prayer for others was adapted from Sally Coleman's Remembrance reflection; her blog Eternal Echoes is always an inspiration. With full acknowledgment I'll reproduce it below:
Over at RevGalBlogPals this week Songbird writes: There's a new baby on my street, a double PK whose Mom and Dad are Methodist pastors and church planters. I'm hoping to go over and meet her today. I love new babies, the way they smell and their sweet little fingers and toes. Little K has me thinking about all the new things that please us with their shiny freshness.
Please share with us five things you like *especially* when they are new.
Well yes I do have to agree with Songbird about babies. Within the family I like the genealogical continuity as great-nephews and nieces arrive.
Cakes. Nothing like a cake fresh out of the oven in all its newness. Doesn't seem to last that long in our household before it's time for another new one.
Sheets. Not so much new, as newly laundered. Tonight I will snuggle into those fesh sheets and enjoy! The first shower with a newly laundered towel is also a smaill pleasure greatly enjoyed.
Scriptures. Again not so much new as newly discovered. I'm in a group collectively internalising the Gospel of Mark for a performance in Advent. I find that my four paragraphs come naturally to mind as I sit on the train in the mornings. Living with scriptures in this way unveils new ironies and perspectives I enjoy greatly.
Places. Always something interesting to learn about geography or history when in a locality for the first time. Flying in to Wagga Wagga last weekend I was struck, for example, by the tortuous course of the Murrumbidgee river. And once there our hotel was right on the riverbank so I got to walk along it and see markers from the 1974 flood, see replanting work undertaken as part of employment projects for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and people of all ages enjoying the recreational opportunities for swimming, kayaking and fishing.
Spending the weekend in Wagga Wagga is a clear demonstration of my lack of geographical nouse. I thought it was almost to Melbourne and therefore would be cold! So I absolutely sweltered in the allegedly 32 degree heat yesterday and gave a lot of financial support to the local taxi service to avoid arriving at appointments dripping with perspiration.
My colleagues in Sydney were perplexed and asked in disbelieving tones why I was going to Wagga Wagga. Well true, and with reference to the previous post, the person I am with is the key reason, and he is preaching here tomorrow. And it is the location of one of our clinical schools for 2011 so an opportunity to visit Calvary and learn more about Mary Potter. But above all it is an interesting place. With a quilt exhibition. And a botanic garden with a free zoo.
Walking back from a riverside wander yesterday afternoon I came across the 'war memorial'. Such a huge list of names, from what is even now a relatively small community, who served "God, King and Country' in the Great War. Interestingly the dates on the memorial were 1914-1919. Curious. Did they acknowledge the aftermath of war as well as the duration? Did they update to include those who made the 'supreme sacrifice' after warfare ceased? Or did a stonemason just make a mistake?
And behind it an ever-burning flame (with an empty Coke bottle floating in the pond) and a wall acknowledging all who served in previous and subsequent military encounters: Anglo-Boer War, WW2, Korea, Malaya, Vietnam etc. And another curious corrections plaque listing additions, alterations and deletions from the main bronze plaques. Deletions puzzled me, were they later identified as traitors or cowards, or again was this just simple human error?
Such memorial inspire conflicting emotions for me. Pacifist feelings mingle with pride and a kind of patriotism, with grief at needless waste, with sadness at the scale of it. Good to take stock and think. Before shopping for summery clothes.
... is a great novel and in part the inspiration for this post. It's been on my mind since, ages ago, I posted on my wall over at the Book of Face that I 'loved being in love'. People I don't know at all (well except on FB but people I have never actually met just joined up with in a group or whatever and they really would have no idea about my relationships or personal life) liked it, and people who know me really well (like nieces, daughters etc) also liked it. There seemed a conspicuous silence from those 'long time' friends I've reconnected with in the world of virtual networking. Now I'm not so narcissistic as to expect everyone to comment on my every post. In fact most of my mundane or even the subjectively extraordinary status updates draw little comment. But I did get to thinking - "I wonder how I would react if I saw this in one of my long-time friends' status box."
It seems a bit of an indictment on my expectations of relationships that I can so easily slip into scepticism. I think if I did read that about someone else my first unbidden reaction would be along the lines of "who with?" (or "with whom?" if I was in a grammatical frame of mind). I would be timid about responding because I would be wondering if a marriage/relationship had ended/ if the person was engaged in a racy affair/ if there was some gossip I hadn't been privy to.
On a regular basis I feel moved when I see signs of that deep kind of love between two people that has grown and deepened over 30/40/50 years. Recently I met a couple who had celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary. Churches do seem to be a place I see this kind of love - although not the only place - inspiring people who somehow live the phrase 'enduring love'
It was the protagonist couple who most caught my imagination in MacEwan's novel of the same name. How quick the wife was to leap to the conclusion that her now-deceased husband was with another woman in the hours preceding his death. How irritated she was by his altruism, and his persistence, that made no difference to the outcome for the child in the runaway balloon, but which deprived her of his presence. How remorseful when she learned the surprising truth of his meandering country drive that fateful afternoon. How easily I can be like her.
And in case there's any doubt I love being in love with the wonderful man who first mowed my lawn 23 years ago and who has shared my life ever since. Enduring isn't quite the right adjective; it seems to imply hardship or difficulty or something along those lines. I prefer a movie title from a little more recently 'Love Actually'
I love the movie 'In her shoes' so it was a delight to find the Friday Five posted by Jan this week has some connection with that. Jan writes
On Your Feet! Too often the Friday Fives I offer up seem extremely introspective, so here's something that could be fun. I notice as I finish my sixth decade that my taste in footwear is much different than when I was younger, as comfort wins out over fashion. So look at your feet and think about what you put on them!
1. What is your favorite footwear at this time in your life? Gorgeous little grey kitten heel shoes that I bought at the Camper sale in Melbourne when I was visiting that city. 2. What was the craziest shoe, boot, or sandal you ever wore? Well now, also in my sixth decade, I would have to say those platform sandals of the eighties. I had three favourite pairs: Blue, brown with large studs connecting top to sole, and a kind of yellow/orangey pair with flowers on.
3. What kind of shoes did you wear in your childhood? Barefoot as much as possible, or jandals or roman sandals. Gumboots in winter of course, and some shiny black or white patent leather shoes for Sunday. I also remember a brown pair with a darker toe - seemed very sophisticated and grown-up at the time.
4. How do you feel most comfortable? Barefoot, flip-flops, boots, or what? Definitely barefoot, or with slippers in winter. Jandals in the backyard. For walking my Merrill shoes give the best ever support, even if they're not too 'pretty'. But most of the time, as now, you'll find me shoeless!
5. What kind of socks do you like, if any? Merino/possum for warmth. Cotton sports for exercise. And a cute pair with koalas on to help me feel at home in this new country.
Bonus: Anything you want to share about feet or footwear. The gumboot song This link comes with sound effects!
