Faith in Progress

11 Pentecost, Proper 14 Hebrews 11:29-12:2 August 15, 2010 (The congregation got involved in this sermon, which made for a great conversation!) Near the end of our parish retreat last weekend, my daughter and I walked the outdoor labyrinth at Shrine Mont. They’ve built it out of rough rocks into this beautiful clearing in the woods. It’s not entirely dissimilar from our labyrinth here, but bigger, so it takes longer to walk. And because it’s built with rocks rather than tape, the path feels much more structured. Somehow, it seems more like cheating to veer off the path. I was watching Sophie’s face as she walked and wondering what she was thinking when sometimes the path seemed to be taking her further and further from the center. But she was smiling as she walked and seemed to trust that she’d get there eventually. It made me think about faith. Our reading from Hebrews this morning is all about faith. But “faith” is a tricky word. It means different things to different peopl...

Join us for next year's St. Aidan's parish retreat, August 2011! Sunday morning service at the Shrine As someone commented, "It's like being in Mayberry!" Candlelight service across the pond Hay ride (sans hay!) Swimming in nearby Lake Laura Kids enjoying each other Hanging out on the porch Kids' Drama Program with Heather Sanderson Eating at Shrine Mont

August 1, 2010 Pentecost 10, Proper 13, Year C Luke 12:13-21; Ecclesiastes 1:2, 12-14, 2:18-23 Raise your hand if you know what these are? How many of you have them? Anybody wearing them right now? Well, for those of you who don’t know, these are Silly Bandz. (That’s bandz with a “z”, mind you.) These rubber-band-like plastic bracelets come in all kinds of shapes – animals, princesses, dinosaurs, flowers, food - even letters. You can stretch them out, but they always, rather disturbingly, return back to their shape. And they seem to be everywhere. One day I was in Bed Bath and Beyond with my kids and Sophie noticed a huge bin of silly bands near the register. She really wanted some. She said that almost all the kids in her class had them. They would wear a bunch of them and trade them during recess. We’d recently started her on an allowance and so I told her she could use her own money to buy some if she wanted to. So she proudly came home with a pack of 24 princess-themed Silly ...