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Showing posts from July, 2017

Living With the Tension

Romans 7:15-25           Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30 I want to begin today by sharing a painting with you that I painted several years ago. Most of you have probably seen it before, but it’s been laying in the corner of my office for a while. It’s not the most cheerful thing, and it’s kind of abstract. Some of you may even remember what this painting represents for me, as I have shared it before relating to today’s reading from Romans. For those who haven’t seen it before, you may note that there are three panels that make up the image, and there is a figure hanging cruciform in the middle. There are chains above each arm, but the shackles are off to the side. What you may not know is that it didn’t start out as a reflection on Romans 7. Instead, it was the passage that helped me understand the image. It happened something like this, some time ago I was looking over some old sketches, and I found an image that repeated itself. It was a person hanging from chains at the wrists

Center

Center – The Rev. Zachary S. Sasser Genesis 22:1-14         Romans 6:12-23        Matthew 10:40-42 As many of you know, my family has recently engaged in that great American tradition known as the family road trip. While it is a very different experience today than it was when I was a child, it still has its moments of trial and bonding. I will admit that we enjoy the modern convenience of movies in the car. In fact, for our family, a key component of a road trip is watching the movie, Rise of the Guardians . 1 For those who are unfamiliar, this is the story of all the childhood holiday heroes (Santa, the Easter Bunny, Sandman, and the Tooth Fairy) joining forces against the Boogey Man. Along the way they come to find that Jack Frost has also been selected as a Guardian, and North (Santa) tries to help him find his true center. There’s a great scene where he’s opening Russian Matryoshka Dolls, and at the very center is a wide-eyed child representing North’s sense of wonder and