On the lighter side

On the lighter side, someone passed on this video to me today. Whether or not it actually happened or if it's a fake, nonetheless in addition to it giving me a chuckle, I think it's "a soundbite moral tale" for a couple of reasons. First, it teaches us not to mess with little old women with shopping bags. Second, it's a great example of NOT living by the Golden Rule, and NOT loving your neighbour as yourself. Enjoy.

14 Things you shouldn't say to your Pastor

The folks at preaching.com have listed the following 14 things parishioners shouldn't say to their pastor.

1. I wish I had a job like yours, where I could work only one day a week.

2. What do you do with all the free time you have?

3. Can I have a couple of minutes before you preach?

Image Credit: www.almy.com

4. I love you pastor, but _______________________________ (fill in the blank).

5. I like your preaching, pastor, but I really like ____________________________ (fill in the blank with television or podcast preacher).

6. Can your wife/husband play piano?

7. Your kids shouldn't behave that way. After all, they are pastor's kids.

8. Your low salary is good for you. It keeps you humble and dependent on the Lord.

9. I bet you don't spend any time preparing your sermons.

10. Pastor ________________ (predecessor pastor) didn't do it that way.

11. You don't have a real degree. You went to seminary.

12. How much longer do you think you'll be at our church?

13. Did I wake you up pastor? It's only 1 a.m.

14. Did you hear what they are saying about you?

Another Short, Short Story

Once upon a time, in the imperfectly perfect city of Purfeckt, lived some imperfectly perfect citizens who were in the process of electing a new mayor and city council. 

   The present mayor and 3 of the 7 city councillors were electioneering again, hoping the citizenry would re-elect them. 

   However, there were other candidates running too, most of whom were young, and inexperienced in civic politics. They were Sally, Mary, Harry and Barry. Or the 'rhyming Simons' as many citizens called them-some in jest because they alleged that these newbies had nothing unique to contribute to civic politics, they were all blowing the same trumpet so-to-speak, offering no viable alternatives to the present council.

   Then, at the last moment, a new candidate registered, with only a handful of citizens actually knowing her. 

   She was a recent refugee from Rwanda, a feminist, a devout critic of the status quo on matters of politics in the state and the church. 

   Her campaign was simple, yet profound. Zero umemployment rate, zero poverty rate, perfect peace with justice policies and love with mercy policies that guaranteed living wages for everyone, free education, free music, art and literature events that involved the whole city every week at city hall. There would be no need for police or jails or guns or emergency shelters and homes for the abused, since no one would have the need to break any laws, no one would be abused, no one would resort to violence to solve problems, no one would be bullied, or manipulated or hated, all would be loved, accepted and equal in the city, all would look after all.

   She was elected mayor for life, her name was Shalomie, and everyone lived happily ever after in the now perfectly perfect city of Purfeckt. One day, she observed, "This is all possible because the Messiah has come."    

Chief of Sinners?

Cartoon credit: Agnus Day www.agnusday.org

 

 

I like the irony in this cartoon, although I'm not sure I understand the humour in it. This is tomorrow's epistle lesson, wherein the apostle Paul gives himself the "honour," or "privilege" of being regarded as the "chief of sinners." I get the concluding remark regarding self-centred, and its irony. Luther, of course, defined sin as being turned in upon one's self. So does not being called "chief of sinners" epitomize that reality? Why did Paul want that honour or privilege? Was it because he had an overly guilty/shameful conscience, as some commentators try to make the case for? I'm doubtful of that, since he describes himself in Philippians as a very zealous, and advanced Torah-keeping Jew, so I don't think he'd be filled with a guilty/shameful conscience. Or perhaps is it that Paul just simply has an overly big ego or super-ego and needs/craves attention? Or related to that, is it because he insists on having authority as an apostle over those whom is is supposedly "serving," i.e. the Gentile congregations?  The phrase "chief of sinners," may very well be an honour/privilege of every human being, since we are all equals in God's eyes and presence - i.e. we are all sinners, and we are all in need of forgiveness, mercy and grace, and in Christ, recipients of the same. So, in that sense, Paul is not of a higher rank of class or status than any other human being.

   All in all, I think Paul is a rather "loner," "maverick" apostle - who ironically seems to insist in his own correctness theologically and the claim of authority to buttress that correctness; yet, ironically, in Galatians, he doesn't seem to have a lot of respect for the authority of the other apostles, since it was at least three years before he went to visit the apostles Peter and James in Jerusalem. In this same letter, Paul records a dispute with Peter regarding the latter's dietary habits, which Paul thought hypocritical. However, we don't have Peter's side of the dispute, so is Paul merely running Peter down, taking a cheap shot at him in order to exonerate himself and his authority? It's hard to come to a clear conclusion. 

   When all is said and done, regarding Paul's life and work however, I think we are left with the sense of irony and paradox that he does come across on the negative side as being patronizing toward the Gentile congregations, self-centred and overly heavy handed, and an advocate of women being submissive to men in marriage and in church leadership roles, while at the same time seeming to rethink that view in Galatians by stating there is neither male nor female, slave or free, Jew or Gentile, all are equal/one in Christ, and, of course, in terms of his theological reasoning powers and creativity, he is likely the most sophisticated of all the New Testament authors, with the exception of the author of the Gospel of John. One wonders where or how far Christianity would have gotten without Paul, since he was instrumental in founding many of the Gentile congregations in the Mediterranean world.