Difference between revisions of "Sermon for April 28th, 2019"
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I know a thing or two about wandering. Fourteen years ago, my two younger brothers and I had the brilliant idea that we wanted to hike part of the Appalachian trail. We had the perfect plan--it involved packing two large inflatable kayaks (and paddles) into our gear, hiking North at a section of the trail that ran more or less parallel to a major river, then floating back down to our basecamp. It should be noted that our combined hiking expertise at the time consisted of one college degree in English Literature, and two partially completed degrees in Social Work. I was 29, and my brothers were 21. What could possibly go wrong, right? | I know a thing or two about wandering. Fourteen years ago, my two younger brothers and I had the brilliant idea that we wanted to hike part of the Appalachian trail. We had the perfect plan--it involved packing two large inflatable kayaks (and paddles) into our gear, hiking North at a section of the trail that ran more or less parallel to a major river, then floating back down to our basecamp. It should be noted that our combined hiking expertise at the time consisted of one college degree in English Literature, and two partially completed degrees in Social Work. I was 29, and my brothers were 21. What could possibly go wrong, right? | ||
| − | The first mistake was when we left the Appalachian trail to climb a nearby mountain, which our $3.00 map and trail guide | + | The first mistake was a few days into our hike, when we left the Appalachian trail to climb a nearby mountain, which our $3.00 map and trail guide indicated had a well-marked, easily accessible path to the top, with a nice scenic view. Probably the trail *was* well-marked and accessible in the 1970s when the map was produced. We quickly lost any semblance of a trail, or our location--on a map or otherwise. It was an overcast day, hard to tell where the sun was...by the time we got to the top it was dark (so much for the scenic view). The next day (still overcast) we wandered down the mountain, no idea which direction we were headed, and ended up going through the thickest part of the underbrush, with our very heavy inflatable kayaks, and oars sticking out all over the place getting caught in trees and bushes. |
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| + | At one point in the midst of all this, my cell phone must have picked up a connection, and without my knowledge, I must have butt-dialed Amy who was back at home, seven months pregnant with our first child. She could hear us talking about being lost, and whether the large animal droppings we kept seeing looked they belonged to black bears or brown bears. | ||
Revision as of 17:22, 26 April 2019
Deuteronomy 26:1-11
1 When you have come into the land that the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance to possess, and you possess it, and settle in it, 2 you shall take some of the first of all the fruit of the ground, which you harvest from the land that the Lord your God is giving you, and you shall put it in a basket and go to the place that the Lord your God will choose as a dwelling for his name. 3 You shall go to the priest who is in office at that time, and say to him, “Today I declare to the Lord your God that I have come into the land that the Lord swore to our ancestors to give us.” 4 When the priest takes the basket from your hand and sets it down before the altar of the Lord your God, 5 you shall make this response before the Lord your God: “A wandering Aramean was my ancestor; he went down into Egypt and lived there as an alien, few in number, and there he became a great nation, mighty and populous. 6 When the Egyptians treated us harshly and afflicted us, by imposing hard labor on us, 7 we cried to the Lord, the God of our ancestors; the Lord heard our voice and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression. 8 The Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with a terrifying display of power, and with signs and wonders; 9 and he brought us into this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey. 10 So now I bring the first of the fruit of the ground that you, O Lord, have given me.” You shall set it down before the Lord your God and bow down before the Lord your God. 11 Then you, together with the Levites and the aliens who reside among you, shall celebrate with all the bounty that the Lord your God has given to you and to your house.
Wandering, Wondering, and Seeking Wisdom - Part I
I know a thing or two about wandering. Fourteen years ago, my two younger brothers and I had the brilliant idea that we wanted to hike part of the Appalachian trail. We had the perfect plan--it involved packing two large inflatable kayaks (and paddles) into our gear, hiking North at a section of the trail that ran more or less parallel to a major river, then floating back down to our basecamp. It should be noted that our combined hiking expertise at the time consisted of one college degree in English Literature, and two partially completed degrees in Social Work. I was 29, and my brothers were 21. What could possibly go wrong, right?
The first mistake was a few days into our hike, when we left the Appalachian trail to climb a nearby mountain, which our $3.00 map and trail guide indicated had a well-marked, easily accessible path to the top, with a nice scenic view. Probably the trail *was* well-marked and accessible in the 1970s when the map was produced. We quickly lost any semblance of a trail, or our location--on a map or otherwise. It was an overcast day, hard to tell where the sun was...by the time we got to the top it was dark (so much for the scenic view). The next day (still overcast) we wandered down the mountain, no idea which direction we were headed, and ended up going through the thickest part of the underbrush, with our very heavy inflatable kayaks, and oars sticking out all over the place getting caught in trees and bushes.
At one point in the midst of all this, my cell phone must have picked up a connection, and without my knowledge, I must have butt-dialed Amy who was back at home, seven months pregnant with our first child. She could hear us talking about being lost, and whether the large animal droppings we kept seeing looked they belonged to black bears or brown bears.
