cracked up

My feet have issues. Major issues.

1. I have some sort of toe fungus so my second to last nail on my left foot is all fat. I've had this since high school and it really didn't bug me too much, but now it's starting to get too fat. Plus, I think it's starting to spread to the nearby toes.

2. My feet crack. This is the worst thing in the world. My heels get all cracky, but even worse, the side of my foot right next to my little toe starts to crack too. *Right now I am lucky to feel both of my feet cracking. It's an amazing feeling. I love it! It's really fun to be walking on the upper right hand ball of my left foot and the upper side of my right foot. It's really fun to feel the cracks splitting with every step. Wonderful.*

3. Speaking of my messed up feet, I'm pretty sure I have athlete's foot, but it's such a normal thing for me I don't notice it anymore.

So my feet have always been like this. It's not because I'm suddenly in a new, dryer climate. I'm the queen of lotions and potions and the like. I really know what I like in that department. I am pretty good at covering my feet with lotion, but that doesn't always help. In fact, it sometimes speeds up the cracks so one night I put lotion on, the next morning I walk in pain to the bathroom. I also have one of those buffer type things for your rough spots, so I scrub my feet with that to try and help get rid of the dry calousy stuff, but sometimes that just hurts a lot. I don't know how much it really helps honestly. I try to sleep with socks on (even though I hate it) and I don't think that makes too much difference either. So I just do my thing and deal with it, but I really wish there was a way to fix it. I think what I need to do is go to the foot doctor.

I remember when I was little and running around barefoot everywhere (I guess that really hasn't changed much). My toes would crack so my mom would hold me down and rub this lotion in for me. Eventually that went away, but I guess my feet are just destined to be to' up. Haha. Get it?

So it's just about 3am. I think I woke up because I went to bed kind of tipsy and my body woke me up and was like, "hello. you need water before you can safely sleep the rest of the night." So now I'm drinking water like it's nothing and typing in my blog. My cute puppy dog is curled on on the couch all snuggly and soft. She is the cutest. My boyfriend just got a new place to live that seems to work out pretty well, so we're both really excited. It's furnished and he's roommates with two women about the same age as him. Basically, the house is fat. Or is that PHAT? Anyway, they have 3 dogs and a big back yard which Lola will love. I'm pretty excited to get to know two new people and the house will give me a chance to get away from my own place.

I guess the thing that bugs me the most about being up right now is that there is nothing to watch on tv except an old Leno rerun. My Letterman loyalty is feeling very betrayed right now, but Letterman, you understand right? There's nothing else on! I still love you as much as ever! Oh yeah, I also hate being up right now because my feet are throbbing. Ouchie. Mommy they hurt! (don't worry, I'd never ask you to kiss them and make them feel better)

*This is called sarcasm. I hate the feeling I described between the two astrics. It is painful!*

stuffing

I don't let Lola play with stuffed animal toys because she has this way of finding it's weakest spot, gnawing on it til there's a hole, and pulling out all of it's stuffing. Of course this means as she chews she ultimately ends up swallowing it too...and I kind of think she means to eat it. Anyways, I hate that because it messes with her body, so I try to keep her from that stuff(ing).

I feel like one of those stuffed animals right about now. Someone found a hole and is working as hard as they can to pull out all of my stuffing. What they're realizing is that they've underestimated me from the start. I'm not made of pudding inside. I'm not that easy to tear apart. The fact that they question my life experience is proof enough that they don't know me or what makes me who I am. Simply put; that God is the center of my life; that I try to live as honestly as possible and learn from every situation; that I always strive to make decisions out of faith and hope...these are the reasons you're not going to pull me apart so easily. I know life is more than this and I choose to learn from it. I choose to show them, no matter what a surprise it may be to them, how strong I really am. And through it all, of course I'm praying. Of course I'm reading the bible and talking to people I trust. It's not easy and I know how those stuffed animals get thrown around, but... that's not me. I'm no stuffed animal. There's more to me than just some fluff inside. Thanks for that God. You're always good at reminding me who I am and who you made me to be.

sermon 5

Luke 2.22-40
22 When the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the law of the Lord, "Every firstborn male shall be designated as holy to the Lord"), 24 and they offered a sacrifice according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, "a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons."
25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; F12 this man was righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested on him. 26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Messiah. F13 27 Guided by the Spirit, Simeon F14 came into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him what was customary under the law, 28 Simeon F15 took him in his arms and praised God, saying, 29 "Master, now you are dismissing your servant F16 in peace, according to your word; 30 for my eyes have seen your salvation, 31 which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, 32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel." 33 And the child's father and mother were amazed at what was being said about him. 34 Then Simeon F17 blessed them and said to his mother Mary, "This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed 35 so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed—and a sword will pierce your own soul too." 36 There was also a prophet, Anna F18 the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, having lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, 37 then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped there with fasting and prayer night and day. 38 At that moment she came, and began to praise God and to speak about the child F19 to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem. 39 When they had finished everything required by the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. 40 The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him.

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Many people don’t like or relate to the Old Testament very well. Two major reasons for this are: God seems so harsh and angry all of the time. The people are always doing these strange rituals that no one does anymore and, since Jesus, we don’t need to sacrifice and do those things anyway, so it makes no sense. That kind of God and those rituals seem so far off from how we live today. And yet we fill our lives with ritual.
We hear about these rituals of the Hebrew people (like Mary and Joseph going to the temple for purification and blessing). And we are reminded of rituals throughout our world and automatically consider them law – things we have to do.
è Our rituals: brushing teeth before bed, every time you run a yellow light you might bump the roof of your car and say something; but we especially practice rituals at sporting events: personal things like you always get a beer and brat before you find your seat, but then communal rituals like standing for the flag and singing The National Anthem, or singing "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" at a baseball game... Rituals fill our lives. Think about what you did last night for New Year’s Eve. How many of those things do you do every single year? There’s the countdown at midnight, the ball drops in New York, and some lucky people get a midnight kiss too. My family and I used to run outside screaming and banging pots and pans at midnight every year.
è How do those rituals compare to rituals practiced out of faith?
è acts of faith are practices. They are our participation in our faith and relationships... While many of our cultural rituals are done because...that’s what we’ve always done or they celebrate some moment in history...rituals practiced out of faith are just that
è cycle moving out from faith into action as we ritualize, worship, and practice our faith and from there, our faith grow/feed/enhance/renew/enrich. (slinky: explain) And as our faith is enhanced, our rituals are as well. We don’t have to be stuck in the same patterns, they move in the cycle with us. For example the worship life of Abiding Hope is contextual: it reflects the faith of the people in this time and era; but it is also still liturgical, reflecting the rituals of our past. We have our rituals, but it is fluid and alive so that it will continue to move and reflect who we are today.
As we heard in today’s Gospel, the Law of Moses led Mary and Joseph to the Temple and the Spirit led Simeon and Anna…or is the Spirit at work in different ways as all people were led to that same point? It is in this outward action of faith that Simeon was guided to the temple, but we can say the same thing for Mary and Joseph even though the language was different.
What guides us to "the temple"? What guides us to worship? I mean, who knows exactly what you did last night, but I’m sure most of you didn’t decide to go for an early night to bed...and even if you tried to, I’m sure your neighbors weren’t with you on that... So last night was New Year’s Eve...that’s a good excuse to not be here this morning; yet, here you are. And every week, there are always excuses not to be here, but we find ourselves together on Saturday or Sunday worshiping together just the same.
What draws us? We may say it’s guilt or something we have to do because our parents or someone else make us. We may say it’s to see friends or because we have amazing music or it just makes us feel right... We could even say we came according to the law of Moses... Whatever we say, it is still the same Spirit that is calling us together.
The thing with the Law is that it so often compels us to stick to only that. The only reason we do something is because it is a law, because that’s how it’s always done, because that’s what’s "right." But while the law is often what initially compels us to act, it is nothing if it is alone. What I mean is this: What would have been so amazing about Simeon’s proclamation if Mary and Joseph only brought Jesus to "get him done" – get his blessing and then be on with it? While the text continues to point to the law of Moses, it is not to focus us on their religiosity, but rather what Jesus means to the world.
It was because of Jesus that Mary and Joseph went to the temple. They needed purification and a blessing for Jesus’ birth. And though it was under the law that they came, the Gospel was also alive and proclaimed by both Simeon and Anna! From even this early on in Jesus’ life, ever since his birth, Jesus is the ultimate meeting of profane and sacred, as he was fully human AND fully divine. Jesus is the ultimate meeting of law and gospel FOR ALL PEOPLE.
è As Simeon said,
"my eyes have seen your salvation,
which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel."


It is at this point that we see exactly what the point of all of this "law of Moses" talk is about. Jesus is the fulfillment of the law; Jesus is God’s salvation prepared in the presence of all people (not just a chosen few).
Often, when people think of Jesus they think of how radical he was and all of the ways he put all of the Pharisees and religious leaders in their place. However, what we see here is that Jesus isn’t anti-establishment or anti-law. Jesus grew up knowing, living, and following the law: he was blessed, baptized… In Jesus we see that these things aren’t separate or only for certain people, but for all people and evident all around us. However, what Jesus is about is pulling us away from living a law-only lifestyle. Jesus is the fulfillment of all things, the law and Gospel. God isn’t destroying this world or calling us to ignore it, God has sent the Spirit to work in all things, always leading us to reconciliation with God and each other in the freedom of the Gospel.
As this New Year begins, perhaps we can begin to see it as not a chance to throw new laws at ourselves with all of our new, usually unrealistic resolutions, but instead use this new year as a chance to see the Spirit at work in all aspects of our lives, even those aspects and moments that aren't filled with beautiful scenery and wonderful emotions, even those aspects and moments that pierce our souls with the truth of who we are, what we have done, and how God is always there with us despite ourselves.
The Spirit is here always at work amongst us, working within rituals and law, working within our everyday worlds, always leading and moving us to reconciliation in the Gospel/proclamation/revelation and glory for all people.


**Main point: Out of the profane (the world around us, our everyday rituals) the Spirit reconciles us to the sacred. The Spirit works within rituals and law, always leading and moving us to reconciliation in the Gospel/proclamation/revelation and glory for all people.