Blogging?

Ok, so it is official. Hell must have finally frozen over, because I have been sucked into the world that is blogging. I suppose this is not the end of the world, however... at least I hope that it is not, but should it be, my apologies to all for providing the catalyst which will bring about the apocalypse.

So what is it that I am doing with this, when I had been so very adament to avoid falling into the world that so many in my generation have become victim to? Well, truth be told, I think I need a place where I can put down my thoughts, which will hopefully spark some discussion... and if no discussion is sparked, then at least I have shared a piece of my mind out there in the big somewhere (wherever our thoughts go when they are put onto the world-wide web). My intention is to remain at least semi-anonymous, and all names shall be changed to protect the innocent. This will be a place for me to dig through my thoughts on whatever topic I so choose, be it religion, questions of theology, ponderings over scriptural texts (and sermon preparations!), politics, local happenings, world-wide news, sports, art, music.... you get the idea.

So here it is... my first thoughts to be posted. I'm scheduled to preach this Sunday at my internship site. This will be the first sermon that I will be preaching here, and am finding myself stuck in a horrendous rut. I am simply not feeling inspired whatsoever by the scriptural lessons. It's not that they are interesting. I mean, c'mon! Jesus feeds more than 5000 people with only 5 small barley loves and 2 fish? With 12 baskets collected of leftovers? It's a miracle of abundance, that much is clear. And it's exciting to think that God provides such abundance in the face of our needs. The commentaries that I have looked provide some very interesting takes on the gospel. So it's not that I am not interested, and even excited by the good news we are given here. Rather, I am simply feeling uninspired with preaching it. I find that all too often my sermons come across as academic lectures, and people don't want to hear the Word spoken in such a way. They want to hear what it means to them. Yet, how do I speak to a people of such varied backgrounds? This is a semi-urban congregation, and in it we have those people who can easily afford to buy bread and eat in abundance, whenever they desire. At the same time, we also have members who struggle to make ends meet. How do I preach a word to them that God provides for our most basic, physical needs as well as our spiritual needs, when so many of them do not have their basic needs met? Alas, I am caught in that paradox of a Word of hope, over and against the world of reality... there is a terrible tension there, that I am struggling with approaching. And my solution to such a struggle? To procrastinate, in hopes that my desperation at midnight Saturday night will produce a fruitful and brilliant insight which I can carry to the people.

At any rate, there it is for now. I am sitting alone in the church, and finding that perhaps I had best go home to my apartment, sit on my deck with a glass of wine, and continue to ponder the words of the gospel, and ways in which I will take it to the people, the Holy Spirit willing.