Greetings! On January 8, the Racial Justice Team of the Indiana-Kentucky Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America hosted a virtual networking event. We had a group of 11 folks who gathered to meet each other, and to share helpful educational and worship resources. I decided to capture everything here in my blog. I hope these might be helpful to you!

Finally posting the video of my sermon, when I preached at Christ Church on January 1, 2012.

I have been taught that in baptism, God gave me the gift of His Holy Spirit, to reside within me and accompany me throughout my life, instilling me with the faith that I cannot myself construct. I am reminded of Luther’s Small Catechism, regarding the third article of the Apostles’ Creed. This class has been teaching me about the means of grace, administered to all of us assembled in worship. So, I see every worship service as my re-baptism. Each time I participate and experience the Holy Spirit given to us through Word and Sacrament, the experience seems like a repeat of the same transference that happened in my own baptism.

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I hope this is my final draft. Well, I mean, is it ever really final?

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Behold, the third draft of my sermon. Quite a few changes. My brain is utterly worn out at the moment. All I can say is that I had no idea how hard this would be. To all of you who have been so gracious to give me your responses and suggestions, I can’t thank you enough. I hope this shows you all that you can trust to give me your honest thoughts. I am willing to submit myself for molding and shaping by the word, and by all of you who serve it. It doesn’t not hurt, but this is the path that I’ve been called to, and the challenge that I’m finding myself being pulled toward.

In your responses, I find support and care. I just pray that I’m getting closer to at least a mediocre diagnosis, so that I don’t do a complete disservice to the Gospel. I hope my education will continue, because this really is hard stuff. There’s just no way to grow without your help. I know this lays out my shortcomings, but I hope it helps you to know where to find me and they ways I need to be shown toward.

Oh, one note – I’m just including the scripture reading here in my blog for reference, while reading my sermon.

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Here’s draft number two. I did a little rearranging after reading part of The Homiletical Plot by Eugene Lowry. Using the opening story to more clearly illustrate the homiletical bind of the stress of waiting revealing our fears, which indicts our faithfulness. And moving from there into deeper diagnosis, clarified with the Henri Nouwen passage. Or at least, that’s the theory….

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