Bono is telling me he did his part. “all I got is a red guitar, three chords and the Truth. The rest is up to you.†He tells me what I have always known. “The hour is getting late.†[that line is not his, but from my favorite theologian poet, Bob Dylan. Yeah, I know his theology is inconsistent, but cut him some slack. He has a lot of mileage on him…and they were not easy miles.]
It really is the perfect time to write a sermon. I feel the pressure of response and the push to more. What am I really ding to speak Life into the world? Before death is coming. Ash Wednesday just past. Ever think about that one? It was not an popish holiday designed to piss off protestants, but an incredible piece of religious and spiritual performance art.
So I’ve been burning things in the driveway. I ended up with 4 or 5 teens guys on the street hanging out. Ah fire. It is pretty sweet stuff. They wanted to know why I was burning it. They wanted to know what it meant, why I would use that at church? Are you really going to burn a dollar?
I think my kids who passed in and out of the crowd knew exactly where it was going. They just enjoyed the idea, the message or people listening in so intently. Beth has gotten involved. Al has invited friends from school to Terra.
…and me? I am back from Mexico and Texas. Those are two other stories, and good ones, but I have to write now, remember?
“ashes to ashes
dust to dust
if you’re going to be cremated
an urn is a mustâ€
not having a catholic background my bible-beltish protestant upbringing is always tempting me to privately mock traditions like ash wednesday. i must confess that in the past i’ve enjoyed a number of good laughs about topics like this one. terra’s marriage of the ancient and the modern has helped me to turn my thinking around, repent if you will. so keep these topics coming ed and btw… what are you burning in the driveway?
a bunch of things…everyday stuff: a receipt, a plane ticket seating stub, a dollar [tho i will deny it if our terra feds ask]. You will get to see some of it Sunday. I think I may actually put the pic from it on the webpage too.
E
D
My dog told me to post a comment…
I love Terra… where preachers suggest local brews and announce federal law violations… it’s such a refreshing change. :-) What’s scary is no matter how joking that last sentence sounded it’s the truth. :-)
I agree with Sam, bearer of dedicated children and Pac-Man playing spouse, I am enthralled with the merging of ancient and modern from Protestant and Catholic genres (and why not… they share roots), to form what I can only describe as counter-counter-cultural worship. Way cool.