eye on the Clock

Sunday morning, keeping an eye on the clock, still have a few extra minutes, so Rambling Time, eh? sermon past the at home prep stage (prep is actually finished about the Time I say "The Gospel of the Lord" and "You may be seated" and head for the pulpit: Time, a moment for last and final second thoughts before I step up into the sound box and look at the People, reminding myself to seem oblivious to the camera streaming Fool's Name and Monkey's Face beyond the Room to Public Place(s), that's actually when sermon prep is wrapped up, so be it this morning.

What about, and where to let the mind wander to? as some other FoolFussBudget chides me to get my prepositions in order.

Reading in the PCNH about what's going on around town makes me wish I were thirty-seven instead of eighty-six. New oyster bars downtown? A new seafood restaurant as part of the new downtown marina? This morning, a crawfish & seafood restaurant on W 5th Street, at 302 West Fifth: that must be about where A&P and later Miss Lillian's of Lillian Kilpatrick had her store, where later was Smith's Ladies Shop? Or, I don't remember the even or odd numbered side of the street, maybe it's to be where Angelo's was around its beginning, next to where the bus station was? IDK, but it's said to be opening in January 2022, so Bubba's clinging to life so as to try it.

Can, do, will things get even better after the hurricane? Are they, is it really happening? It'd be difficult to deny what one sees going on.

Still a few minutes, the Time change gave me a most helpful extra hour this morning, I watched it happen as I worked early, it was 1:55 and ten minutes later it was 2:05, and an hour later it was 2:05 still or again. As I noted, helpful extra Time this morning, because last evening I was so overwhelmed with exhaustion that I went to bed at five o'clock, and slept until one o'clock, waking up just in Time to watch the little march of Time exercise of setting itself back an hour.

So, the homiletical endeavor is as ready as it's likely to be, and I still have a few minutes before stepping into the hot shower. What to think about? I'm thinking about my mental struggle with whatever christian Faith is working itself out to be for now, next, and the near future. There will be a Time, already in process judging by the growing population of "Nones", when people think they are too intelligent for the superstitions of religion. And I keep thinking of Schleiermacher's assertion that in each of us there is planted a sense of the Infinite. So, who knows?

What to preach about this morning? Every preacher's sermon has an ignition point, when maybe s/he just started writing to see what developed, or maybe even there was a flash, Ah Ha! Whatever mine for today, it started when I read the lectionary Propers for this Third Sunday before Advent, realized I'd preached on all that numerous times over the past forty years and more, so backed up a step to look at the Proper Collect for today:

O God, whose blessed Son came into the world to destroy the works of the devil and make us children of God and heirs of eternal life: Grant that, having this hope, we -- wait, WHAT? Came WHY? "to destroy the works of the devil", are you kidding me? I mean, this is the EPISCOPAL Church, what's this about the devil?

And it goes from there.

Time to close down and hop in the shower.

Nonsense now, sermon later.

RSF&PTL