Sunday Wrapup--1/13/2013
You know you heard a provocative sermon when one person testifies afterward that he felt like dancing in the aisle and another testifies to being uncomfortable with the sermon's emphasis.
The visiting minister in church today received both of the above responses, as well as several others from our home ministers and other laymen, with grace and openness.
The sermon was on The Kingdom of God. The preacher made a case for the coming of the kingdom being the central emphasis of Christ's ministry, as it should be for us, Christ's followers. While he did not discount the importance of salvation, (It is, after all, the entrance into the kingdom.) the minister saw a primary emphasis on salvation as being more self-focused than is warranted. A focus on staying in the kingdom, living according to kingdom principles, and building and extending the kingdom keeps the focus more God-centered and less self-centered. That's a very condensed version of what was said.
Perhaps another thing you know after having been present for the above incidents is that diversity is alive and well in the group, as is a willingness for people with differing views to speak up and be counted.
For me, the highlight of the service was praying the Lord's Prayer in unison during the sermon:
Our Father, which art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name. THY KINGDOM COME, THY WILL BE DONE ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN . . . " Those words had meaning for me as never before.
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The whole Conservative Anabaptist Service Program (CASP) crowd was present in church this morning. Two of the ten or so are local young men, but all the others came from places like TN, PA, IA, and OH. Two married couples serve as crew leaders and house parents. This group is one week into a 4-week term of working for Interfaith Housing in Hutchinson. Two other terms are planned for this winter and early spring.
The group lives together in a big house in Hutchinson. It was purchased for use by volunteers to Interfaith Housing, and crews from past years did the remodeling necessary to make it suitable for the purpose it's being used for.
The entire CASP board is coming here next week for a meeting and to become familiar with their flagship project. Dad is on the board.
********************
Last week Shane's whole family went trucking--to Oklahoma and Texas. When I asked Shane how Tristan did on the trip, he said, "Well, let's just say Dorcas and Tristan are staying home next week." Last year as a 3-month old, Tristan apparently didn't protest as vociferously at being cooped up as he did this year as a toddler. Dorcas is not too enamored with the prospect of days and nights alone.
Trucking is one of the ways Shane works to provide an income during the winter months when his basement construction job is on hold.
********************
Freeman Yoder was ordained tonight at Arlington. Freeman grew up in Eastern Kansas and then moved to Indiana and married a girl from there. Later, he and Retha moved here with their family. He and Retha already each had a brother living here, and in the meantime, his parents had also moved here. Freeman is a dairy farmer living in the Arlington area.
*********************
We're having several single-digit nights here at the beginning of the week. A warm-up is on the way by the middle of the week. We've had almost no snow, but we got about a half inch of rain last week.
*********************
My Dad's cancer treatment has been subjected to scheduling delays. He's not complaining. The rest of us are trying to keep from succumbing to our complaining urges. We might as well since there's not a whole lot else to be done. The latest problem was that the radiologist got the flu and couldn't see Dad as scheduled.
The visiting minister in church today received both of the above responses, as well as several others from our home ministers and other laymen, with grace and openness.
The sermon was on The Kingdom of God. The preacher made a case for the coming of the kingdom being the central emphasis of Christ's ministry, as it should be for us, Christ's followers. While he did not discount the importance of salvation, (It is, after all, the entrance into the kingdom.) the minister saw a primary emphasis on salvation as being more self-focused than is warranted. A focus on staying in the kingdom, living according to kingdom principles, and building and extending the kingdom keeps the focus more God-centered and less self-centered. That's a very condensed version of what was said.
Perhaps another thing you know after having been present for the above incidents is that diversity is alive and well in the group, as is a willingness for people with differing views to speak up and be counted.
For me, the highlight of the service was praying the Lord's Prayer in unison during the sermon:
Our Father, which art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name. THY KINGDOM COME, THY WILL BE DONE ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN . . . " Those words had meaning for me as never before.
********************
The whole Conservative Anabaptist Service Program (CASP) crowd was present in church this morning. Two of the ten or so are local young men, but all the others came from places like TN, PA, IA, and OH. Two married couples serve as crew leaders and house parents. This group is one week into a 4-week term of working for Interfaith Housing in Hutchinson. Two other terms are planned for this winter and early spring.
The group lives together in a big house in Hutchinson. It was purchased for use by volunteers to Interfaith Housing, and crews from past years did the remodeling necessary to make it suitable for the purpose it's being used for.
The entire CASP board is coming here next week for a meeting and to become familiar with their flagship project. Dad is on the board.
********************
Last week Shane's whole family went trucking--to Oklahoma and Texas. When I asked Shane how Tristan did on the trip, he said, "Well, let's just say Dorcas and Tristan are staying home next week." Last year as a 3-month old, Tristan apparently didn't protest as vociferously at being cooped up as he did this year as a toddler. Dorcas is not too enamored with the prospect of days and nights alone.
Trucking is one of the ways Shane works to provide an income during the winter months when his basement construction job is on hold.
********************
Freeman Yoder was ordained tonight at Arlington. Freeman grew up in Eastern Kansas and then moved to Indiana and married a girl from there. Later, he and Retha moved here with their family. He and Retha already each had a brother living here, and in the meantime, his parents had also moved here. Freeman is a dairy farmer living in the Arlington area.
*********************
We're having several single-digit nights here at the beginning of the week. A warm-up is on the way by the middle of the week. We've had almost no snow, but we got about a half inch of rain last week.
*********************
My Dad's cancer treatment has been subjected to scheduling delays. He's not complaining. The rest of us are trying to keep from succumbing to our complaining urges. We might as well since there's not a whole lot else to be done. The latest problem was that the radiologist got the flu and couldn't see Dad as scheduled.
posted by Mrs. I (Miriam Iwashige) at
8:36 PM
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