When you get to my age you spend lots of time with doctors.
I had 3 appointments this week but missed the one on Wednesday because I was a the funeral for my friend's wife.
Cardiologist on Tuesday and Cancer doctor today.
Good news from both.
But the beat goes on.
I'm not getting younger.
More doctors to come.
I went to a funeral for a friend's wife today.
I never met her, but he is a good friend and I needed to be there.
It was at a church I'd never been to and the church was packed--200 people, I'd say.
A bishop was there to lead the service and celebrate communion.
I knew bishop's came to priest's funeral--but priest's wives?
I won't tell Bern, she wouldn't like to know that.
A sad but hopeful day.
I don't really know what I think about the afterlife--but I'll hope for the best.
I almost always go to Big Y--one of the two large supermarkets in Cheshire. But I needed ground beef and rice to make food for Brigit and I went to Stop and Shop because it's closer.
I only had two pounds of hamburger and two bags of white rice so a kind lady let me go ahead of her.
The guy in front was putting his large order in bags, along with the store cashier. He was and elderly guy--or 'another elderly guy.'
He came to put his credit card in the machine and thought I was too close.
"Back up!" he yelled. "Don't stand so close to me."
I was about a yard away and didn't get it.
"Honor my personal space!" was his last comment before telling the cashier how rude I was.
I told the woman who had let me ahead of her, "all the good folks are back here."
He was still mumbling as he left.
Another reason I like Big Y.
Daylight savings time started today.
I lost an hour's sleep.
I was afraid to sit down in church because I thought I'd fall asleep.
Driving the 33 miles up and back to Milton was a challenge.
I love to sleep.
I should have had a nap today when I got home.
Don't think I can stay up and watch the Oscars tonight.
LIFTING THINGS UP
The title of this sermon is “Lifting things up.”
It’s the Old Testament lesson and the Gospel that the title comes from.
Remember how in Numbers the people of Israel had turned against Moses and God because they thought they had been too long in the Wilderness.
So, God punished them by sending poisonous serpents to bite them and make them die.
When the people repented God told Moses to make a poisonous serpent of bronze and ‘lift it up’ onto a pole and when anyone was bitten, they needed only to look up at the bronze serpent and they would be healed.
Then in John’s Gospel, Jesus reminded the people that Moses had “lifted up the serpent” in the wilderness and tells them “the son of man must be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.”
He, of course, is talking about being ‘lifted up’ on the cross to be crucified and how, after he is Risen, he will be “lifted up to heaven” to sit on the right hand of God.
That got me thinking about what we ‘lift up’ in our lives.
I came up with quite a few and want to share them with you. I’ll begin with the mundane and move up to the holy.
1. A thoughtful man lifts up the toilet seat when he’s going—oh, you know what he’s going to do….
2. We lift up a hat to put it on our head.
3. We lift up windows to open them on a warm day.
4. We lift up our bodies getting out of bed or up off a chair.
5. We lift up our glass to drink our wine.
6. We lift up our pets to put them on the table when we visit the veterinarian.
7. We lift up flags and banners to show our patriotism or display things we like.
8. We lift up our children as babies to hold them or lift them up over our heads to give them joy.
9. We lift water from the baptismal font to put on someone’s head to baptize them.
10. We go out of our way to lift up a friend or a little child who has fallen.
11. The priest lifts up the bread and the wine during the communion service.
12. As we will do after the Nicene Creed, we lift up our hearts to God in prayer.
You probably have other examples.
“Lifting Things Up” has many uses.
So, lift yourself up, stand up tall and offer your life and your belief to God.
Shalom an Amen.
I was going through the line and a cashier said to me, "you look like a sea captain!"
I told her I was an Episcopal priest.
She thanked me for my work.
I had her again today and told her my story, since no one was in line behind me.
How I was and English major and wanted a Ph.D. and to teach in a small liberal arts college somewhere north of Virginia.
How two of my professors nominated me for a Rockefeller Fellowship for a trial year in seminary. I got it and when they asked 'where?" I said, "Harvard".
I stayed another year to get a degree--rather useless "Master of Theological Studies."
Went back to Morgantown, so Bern could finish college, and started an Episcopal House Church in our attic.
Then Maria Cartledge told me to go back to seminary...and I did.
The cashier is an Episcopalian and said, "God guided you...."
I guess she's right.
Two people in my life have died in the past two weeks, so I remembered a poem I printed in the student magazine, which I edited in college.
It was written by a friend of mine after someone she loved was killed in Viet Nam.
Here it is.
Lean into it.
When people die
It's like a bird flying into a window
On the coldest morning of the year.
When people die
It's like the bears have escaped from the zoo
And are eating children on the street.
When people die
It's like a maniac has taken over the power station
And the lights go off and on and off
And on and off...
When people die.
I agree.
