Talkin' 'Bout an Evolution!

So, this upcoming Sunday is the day I am scheduled to supply my annual "Auction Sermon." For those of you who do not know what that is, the Auction Sermon is a topic selected by the person who made the highest bid at the annual church auction to do just that. This year's topic: Evolution, Science and Faith.

Basically, the high bidder (Virginia Walker) has asked that I speak on how scientific discoveries are/can be integrated into a liberal religious faith. It is a good, meaty topic. However, this is also a special service and I would like to make sure that Virginia gets her money's worth. Therefore, I am solicting thoughts, comments, or ideas that you think might be useful for this Sunday. Please! I am begging you! If you can think of something, post away!

Also, I highly recommend that you check out the Daily Show Special Report "Evolution Schmevoltion." It is more nuanced than one might think and, yes, it is funny...

Back to Church!

Sunday is the big day here at Eliot. The Religious Education program gears back up (I am about to meet with the teachers for September) and the new curriculum will be unveiled. This, of course, brings back the families-with-children, the majority in this church. It is all very exciting and we hope people come!

Incidentally, Eliot Church is looking for a Church/RE Administrator to start as soon as humanly possible! If you or anyone you love might be interested, please do not hesitate to call the church.

Sunday is, of course, also the anniversary of the WTC/Pentagon Bombings. Combined with the situation in the south, we will be in a thoughtful mood this opening day...

Here is the Psalm I read last Sunday. When you read it, I think, you will know what I had in mind. I was praying for those people trapped at the Convention Center and in other pockets along the Gulf.

Psalm 13

How long, O God? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
How long must I bear pain in my soul,
and have sorrow in my heart all day long?
How long shall my enemy be exhalted over me?

Consider and answer me, O God my God!
Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep the sleep of death,
and my enemy will say, "I have prevailed";
my foes will rejoice because I am shaken

But I trusted in your steadfast love;
my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.
I will sing to God,
because God has dealt bountifully with me.

Obviously, I am an optimist. Like you, I pray that we will be singing and rejoicing sooner, rather than later....

Jerry Rice Retires

Very few people ever get even close to being the very best at something. That is part of the human condition. There always seems to be someone faster, smarter, or stronger than we are. It is true. Those of you who think you are the fastest, strongest, or smartest are probably kidding yourselves! When I see someone who has broken out to become the best at something s/he loves, all I can do is cheer. Jerry Rice is someone worth cheering for. He has shown the amazing potential of the human body and the human spirit.

I don't care if you don't like football. There are a lot of things that do not interest me (modern dance, country music, poker, chess...), but when I see greatness there, I am still amazed by it. Jerry Rice is amazing that way. He is an artist. He has taken the sometimes brutal, always competative world of football and made it beautiful. Go ahead, look at the pictures on the internet, watch the highlight films on the NFL Network. They will be showing them, no doubt, for a very long time. As one reporter said last night, "No one doubts that he is the greatest Wide Reciever to play the game. The only question is whether he might also be the greatest football player ever."

Now I know that there are people out there who are as passionate about football as I am. I know that there are many casual fans who will be interested. There are others for whom football just isn't their bag. However, I know that there are others who feel that they are above watching professional sports. Even you, oh cynical ones, you should be impressed. I have never played football outside of pickup games. I am not an athlete in any real sense of the term. However, I cannot play the drums either and I appreciate the work of Lars Ulrich. I cannot dance (modern or otherwise), but I enjoy watching people like Savion Glover. So it is with Jerry Rice. May he have a great and productive retirement. At least one uncoordinated geek will miss him on Sundays.