God is Here

We just celebrated a funeral service. I love having funerals at the church - it's so fitting. Surrounded by reminders of the presence of God - in our sanctuary you can almost be overwhelmed by the setting - huge vaulted cathedral ceiling, stone, stained glass, huge organ. God is here. Yes, I know that God is at the funeral home and the cemetery, but the very architecture and structure of the sanctuary says This is a place where God is worshipped. God is here.

So, Nick, rest in God's peace. It was such a pleasure to know you in life - and to know that God's presence overshadowed - and sometimes overwhelmed - you.

I hope that the setting of my funeral will be as representative of my life in faith (can you have a funeral in a circus tent? Just kidding...) - or, more appropriately, I hope that my life in faith is open and revealed...

Living in God's grace... because God is here.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

When (the Trivially) Wrong Is Right...

I broke the rules, but I didn't do anything wrong. So, why do I feel kinda guilty? Here's the thing. We have this municipal parking lot where you get a ticket when you go in and then when you leave you stop at a little booth to pay your fee. The first half hour is free and then it goes up in quarter increments (okay, this isn't the biggest town in Western PA, okay?). So, I'm only in there like 20 minutes but when I stop at the little booth, it's locked up. Now what do I do with my little ticket? The RULES say I have to turn it in...but, I don't owe anything...um... So, it was a really little moment in my otherwise fascinating and exciting life - but as I was pulling away clutching the ticket I felt...weird. You know, I didn't do anything wrong...but I broke the rules... And I wonder if Jesus ever felt that way when he healed on the Sabbath. Okay, maybe that's a bad example because Jesus is...well...GOD. So, how about Peter and John. Do you think those gu...
Read more

Buzzword Bingo

Image
Everybody has buzzwords - business has theirs, the entertainment industry has a lingo, in sports, and in church work we have ours, too. Dilbert the other day had the pointy haired boss try to lead via catchprhases: copyright Scott Adams I have threatened to make up "Buzzword Bingo" cards for Annual Conference. You know, put words like "Holy Conferencing" and "Inclusiveness" and "Core Value" and, oh yeah, "Jesus" on the card and when you get five in a row you can jump up and yell "BINGO", or maybe "Holy Spirit" I don't know... We're not allowed to play bingo, so we definitely shouldn't yell out that word. Maybe if I had people yell out "Hallelujah!" when they got 5 in a row, the powers that be at conference would just assume that the person was powerfully moved by the point being made.* But we would know - and would secretly give them a prize.** The point being that we like to use the t...
Read more

It's Official

I know that when spring comes our minds all turn to the things that are going on around us - robins singing, flowers blooming - if you're a United Methodist, then you start thinking about pastors moving. So...I can officially announce (well, I HAVE officially announced - but this is for all of you far away) On July 1, 2008 I will be one of the Associate Pastors at Christ United Methodist Church in Bethel Park, PA. www.christumc.net I will be leading the 11:01 and the 6:00 contemporary/modern/non-traditional/emergent... well, whatever adjective we use... worship services. It is difficult to leave Warren. This has been home for 6 years. Elie was born here. Rachel went to kindergarten and first grade here. This church has been an amazing blessing to us and we are so loved. We are stepping into...well, we don't know what. So stay tuned. I know one thing for certain: God is leading us to Bethel Park so I know that God has amazing things in store for us, for Christ UMC and fo...
Read more