I was listening to a preacher on the excellent podcast, Working, and he talked about his preparations for Sunday. Even though our contexts are quite different, his process was very familiar. He said that you start with either a Scripture or an idea. Once you figure out which one you have, you go get the other one. That’s probably something that my Preaching professor said when I wasn’t listening, but it’s a very helpful way of thinking about it.
So I had an idea: Carnival! For those who were not there last Sunday, Carnival is the time between Epiphany and Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. It is not specifically religious. It is more a secular, cultural response to the demands of the Church calendar. Advent and Lent are both times of reflection and repentance, so people want to cut loose in between. This is why we have Mardi Gras; it is the culmination of Carnival.
Carnival is a time of great reversal – anyone can become the king or queen and ride at the head of the parade. Both religious and political leaders are skewered by the masses. It is debauched at times, but its function is to critique the ways in which our mores become the levers of social and political power. The outcasts and weirdoes get a chance to run things for a while. That sounds like the Gospel to me.
Unfortunately, the lectionary is not helping with that theme of reversal. It would find a great Scriptural tie-in with Luke, but this is the year of Mark. I’d like to give Mark its full due. And, truthfully, when I looked at what the lectionary has in store during this time, it’s some pretty good stuff. In this case – and only this case! – the Word is better than my idea.
So Carnival is cancelled. Well, not really. I can promise that, wherever the Gospel is preached, it is a story of the turning over of the usual order of things. I can also promise that Church in the Cliff will cling to those stories, no matter what the text. This is who we are and that is who God is.
Ironically, this week’s stories do offer something of a reversal, but more than that they speak of calling. A calling is inevitably a reversal. In the story of Samuel, we see the young prophet pronouncing judgment on the old, corrupt, religious order (1Samuel 3.1-20). In Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, he advises young Christians on what it means to overturn the law, to be called as a member of the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 6.12-20). And the Gospel of John bears witness to the calling of the first disciples, uprooting their lives to follow Jesus (John 1.43-51).
Please join us this Sunday, 11am at Church in the Cliff, as we talk about call and purpose and the ways in which the old order – personal, political, social, religious – might be overturned.
Grace & Peace,
Scott
Community Meeting
After church, we will have a community meeting, the primary purpose of which is to vote on the budget that we presented before Christmas. This budget will guide our activities over the coming year. If you are not able to attend the community meeting, feel free to email your vote to board@churchinthecliff.org.
2015 Budget (Monthly)
| Rent | 1375.00 |
| Utilities | 200.00 |
| Pastor | 1000.00 |
| Internet & Phone | 80.00 |
| P.O. B ox | 10.00 |
| Affiliations: AWAB/Alliance/BPFNA | 40.00 |
| Social Justice | 231.50 |
| Yard | 100.00 |
| Pest Control | 50.00 |
| Cleaning | 200.00 |
| Education | 50.00 |
| Insurance | 100.00 |
| Total | 3436.50 |
| Possible Tennant Revenue | 800.00 |
| Proposed 2015 Budget | 2536.50 |
| 2014 Budget | 2546.50 |
| Carnival Cancelled! (Plus: Vote on the Budget!)
I was listening to a preacher on the excellent podcast, Working, and he talked about his preparations for Sunday. Even though our contexts are quite different, his process was very familiar. He said that you start with either a Scripture or an idea. Once you figure out which one you have, you go get the other one. That’s probably something that my Preaching professor said when I wasn’t listening, but it’s a very helpful way of thinking about it. So I had an idea: Carnival! For those who were not there last Sunday, Carnival is the time between Epiphany and Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. It is not specifically religious. It is more a secular, cultural response to the demands of the Church calendar. Advent and Lent are both times of reflection and repentance, so people want to cut loose in between. This is why we have Mardi Gras; it is the culmination of Carnival. Carnival is a time of great reversal – anyone can become the king or queen and ride at the head of the parade. Both religious and political leaders are skewered by the masses. It is debauched at times, but its function is to critique the ways in which our mores become the levers of social and political power. The outcasts and weirdoes get a chance to run things for a while. That sounds like the Gospel to me. Unfortunately, the lectionary is not helping with that theme of reversal. It would find a great Scriptural tie-in with Luke, but this is the year of Mark. I’d like to give Mark its full due. And, truthfully, when I looked at what the lectionary has in store during this time, it’s some pretty good stuff. In this case – and only this case! – the Word is better than my idea. So Carnival is cancelled. Well, not really. I can promise that, wherever the Gospel is preached, it is a story of the turning over of the usual order of things. I can also promise that Church in the Cliff will cling to those stories, no matter what the text. This is who we are and that is who God is. Ironically, this week’s stories do offer something of a reversal, but more than that they speak of calling. A calling is inevitably a reversal. In the story of Samuel, we see the young prophet pronouncing judgment on the old, corrupt, religious order (1Samuel 3.1-20). In Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, he advises young Christians on what it means to overturn the law, to be called as a member of the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 6.12-20). And the Gospel of John bears witness to the calling of the first disciples, uprooting their lives to follow Jesus (John 1.43-51). Please join us this Sunday, 11am at Church in the Cliff, as we talk about call and purpose and the ways in which the old order – personal, political, social, religious – might be overturned. Grace & Peace, Community Meeting After church, we will have a community meeting, the primary purpose of which is to vote on the budget that we presented before Christmas. This budget will guide our activities over the coming year. If you are not able to attend the community meeting, feel free to email your vote to board@churchinthecliff.org. 2015 Budget (Monthly)
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