Tuesday 3 July 2007

Mind your feet

As I reflect on the idea of faith footprint (it proves a little harder than I thought), I am thinking a bit about the footprints I, and we, made last week. Some of it seems Ok, some of it seems indifferent, and some of it seems well just wrong.
I felt OK, but sad by my visit with my declining friend. I tried to cheer him up by helping him to connect with the outside world...sometimes he would try, but other times he wouldn't
I enjoyed talking with someone who is thinking about what it means to be a priest, and another who is having some real difficulty on the ministry front. I had a fruitful time talking to someone who will be ordained quite soon about some of the contemporary issues of ministry.
I tried to pray and meditate with some quality each day.
I prepared a couple of sermons, and various entries for my weblog, and my preaching site.
I said the Eucharist three times
I had a couple of snappy exchanges
S & I went to the pictures to see Knocked Up
I drove up and down to school umpteen times
I read a whole lot of material on Jung
I visited my sister
I went to a 2 year olds birthday party
I baptised two children
I had more than a few moments when I felt depressed

What all this means and what sort of picture it begins to paint. I continue to reflect on

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

For what it's worth, baptisms and the Eucharist (the Lord's Table as my lot seems to prefer to call it - the former Presbyterians possibly find "Eucharist" a bit too "catholic") are among my favourite times in the life of the congregation.

Baptisms, because it is a celebration of new life (in all its forms).
The Eucharist, because then more than most other times, I get glimpses of the community which the Body of Christ can be.

Shallow responses? Sloppy theology? Emotional clap-trap? Dunno - but I respond positively to those 2 sacraments more than most events in congregational life.

Cheers from (very hot) Salt Lake City.

Stephan Clark said...

Yes, I think many Christians would agree that Eucharist and Baptism are profoundly transforming.
As a priest it is a great privilege for me to share Communion with God's people, as I address people by name....Mary, The Body of Christ and they respond AMEN, I am quite often awed by the privilege of being with people at this most intimate point.
When I baptise, as I did on Sunday the privilege of being close to a family is so multi-faceted. Some I know really well, others not so well and the door is open to be there.
What do I think of all this?
Well I guess apart from all the claptrap, God must be doing something in the sacraments, and we encounter it.

Stephan Clark said...

I envy the very hot Salt Lake City...from the cold and wet Adelaide!!