by the Rev. Barbara Mraz
Everyone in lighter clothes due to the heat (well except for Cameron, Jayan and me who aren’t about to abandon our black!); hymns that are easier to sing (more “Amazing Grace” and less “Hail Thee Festival Day”), sermons with more jokes and lighter theology (more “Jesus loves everyone” and less “Five Objections to the Atonement”), maybe even you sneaking a few radishes out of your bag from the Farmer’s Market to munch discretely during the sermon…
These may be part of your associations with summer church.
Unfortunately, this week’s lessons are not exactly “light.” Jesus seems to be in a bad mood talking to his disciples; Paul is disgruntled (which isn’t that unusual for Paul); and I still haven’t figured what’s up with Elijah and Elisha but I think it has something to do with grilled oxen for lunch.
Mostly, we will consider if Jesus can possibly be serious about what he is asking from his potential followers, and then move on to a debate I am having with myself about Church 2022 (Post-Covid, sort of) in which I will daringly pose the question about the church and boredom.
Yeah, I know.
When scouring the Internet for ideas, I came across the work of “The Undercover Pastor,” a clergyperson who assumes a disguise to find out what people are “really thinking” in his congregation. This is about as light as you can get.
See you in church,
Barbara
