Monday Morning
A winter cold is expected but a spring cold is miserably untimely. Friday morning surprised me with a cold upon awakening. Bad words, some with four letters. Surprised because avoiding a cold is almost a fetish with me. Annual flu shot. Never touch door handles in public places except with tip of finger. Never use handrails going up or down stairs in public places. Always use a cleanser tissue for grocery carts. Always use the hand cleaner dispensers in hospitals and nursing homes. Don't touch eyes or nose. On and on. Soon as there’s a cold symptom, load up with zinc drops. Nothing worked, nothing helped. So Sunday morning gulped coricidin antihistamines, cough syrup, cough drops. All that medicine plus the standard heart medicines made me a bit wobbly at church yesterday. Hope nobody else noticed, but I noticed. At least my voice was clear and there was no coughing or sneezing from six o’clock to noon.
Cold notwithstanding, in spite of Low Sunday low attendance both services were great. Thanks for coming! Thanks, choir. Thanks, Marqua. Thanks, Sunday school class! Thanks, James for opening up. Thanks, everyone who helped and served -- Altar guild, greeters, lectors, chalice servers, acolytes. Thanks, everyone for tolerating my liturgical eccentricities. Thanks, kids, for taking my cookies. The hardest working person was Scott, because there was only one chalice server at ten-thirty.
Love is not a feeling. Love is doing something for someone. Two examples at church yesterday. Cookies for the kids, to illustrate that love is something you do for people. And the love of God in sending Jesus to come amongst us, to teach us that the Way of the Cross is the way of life, and to walk his talk by returning to us anyway after the horrifying anguish of Good Friday.
Almighty and everlasting God, who in the Paschal mystery
established the new covenant of reconciliation: Grant that all
who have been reborn into the fellowship of Christ's Body
may show forth in our lives what we profess by our faith;
through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you
and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
established the new covenant of reconciliation: Grant that all
who have been reborn into the fellowship of Christ's Body
may show forth in our lives what we profess by our faith;
through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you
and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
TW+
This morning’s news is most welcome though the terrorist operation has outgrown the leader.