Last time I preached in Wendell, I wanted to sit on a stool. But I couldn’t find a stool in the whole church [which, when I think about it…why would my church have a bar stool?]! So, since I am preaching this Sunday, I thought it was high-time for me to purchase my preaching stool. I don’t know how many Princeton professors of Preaching would recommend a preaching stool, but I’m going to try it out I think. I thought Pier 1 would have some nice preaching stools…nope; this one comes straight from Target. I’m very happy with it. I may paint it someday…
I’m preaching on Deuteronomy 15.1-11.
Walter Brueggemann, in his book Texts Under Negotiation: The Bible and Postmodern Imagination, mentions this text and it really got me thinking more creatively about it. It should be a pretty good message, I’m hoping. The text is about the Sabbatical Year, and calling all financiers to cancel all debts at the end of every 7-yr cycle (aka, the Sabbatical Year). I’m going to look at the text a little bit, talk about the Sabbatical Year/Jubilee, what a radical social upheaval that law was, the fact that God was calling his people to put the good of the community above the good of the individual. Then we’ll translate that to Wendell. Forgiveness in the community, how we can make an effort to live a sabbatical-year-lifestyle and be constantly canceling the debts we’re owed (or we THINK we’re owed). Then we’re going to give them a chance, in the service, in a prolonged (5 min) “meet-and-greet” time to talk, share and cancel any debts they have with anyone in the congregation. We’ll see how that goes over.
But, I mean, really…I got my preaching stool now, so…
