30 November 2006

Advent Worship

Ever since dad passed away this summer I have felt like work here at the church is at least a month behind, if not more. But the church has surprised me with their pickup and determination. I was ready to tank in Sunday School, now it is thriving and the best since I've been here. I was ready to delay and cut back the 175th events, but it was spectatcular. Now it is stewardship season, I barely got the information out, we'll see what kind of response we will get. I trust it will the results will be what we are hoping for.

SO we begin Advent and I wish more than anything that we still had a couple more weeks of plannig. The calendar doesnt stop for me, so advent here we come.

Worship Order

Ringing of the Bell
Prelude
Greeting
Opening Hymn O Come, O Come Emmanuel (building verses)
Collect of the Day (Rite I from the BCP)
Prayer of Confession of Sins
Kyrie (sung by choir)
Pardon
First Lesson
Second Lesson
Anthem
A Time with the Children
Gospel Lesson
Sermon
Invitation to Discipleship
Hymn of Discipleship
A Call to Prayer (Psalm for the day)
Prayers of the People
The Peace
Announcements
At the Offertory
Communion Hymn
Invitation to the Table
Sharing of the Bread and the Cup
Hymn of Thanksgiving
Advent Blessing
Postlude

As I think about this week's text I am drawn to the line Be on guard that your hearts are not weighed down (Luke 21:34)

A look around perhaps shows a world that has let its guard down. I'm sure a look at my own life reveals a guard down, how else to describe the sudden placement of an extra ten pounds. Diligency doesnt seem to be our virtue. But Advent is a pale of cold water in our faces, calling us to wake up and be on guard. Be on guard for what? For the destruction of the temple? the Son of Man descending on a cloud? I'm not too concerend with the coming eschaton, perhaps I should be. Why? well i'm sure nature will lemme know when the Son of Man will return. I'm too worried about my father-in-law, my mother making in life without her husband, a parishioner who is in the grips of cancer, kids who are ill, not to mention terrorism, torture, war and hunger in our world. I'll save my worries about the Son of Man for a later time, right now today has enough worries of its own.

What's that JC?

And I heard, as it were, the noise of thunder: One of the four beasts saying: "Come and see." And I saw. And behold, a white horse.
There's a man goin' 'round takin' names. An' he decides who to free and who to blame. Everybody won't be treated all the same. There'll be a golden ladder reaching down. When the man comes around.

The hairs on your arm will stand up. At the terror in each sip and in each sup. For you partake of that last offered cup, Or disappear into the potter's ground. When the man comes around.

Hear the trumpets, hear the pipers. One hundred million angels singin'. Multitudes are marching to the big kettle drum. Voices callin', voices cryin'. Some are born an' some are dyin'. It's Alpha's and Omega's Kingdom come.

And the whirlwind is in the thorn tree. The virgins are all trimming their wicks. The whirlwind is in the thorn tree. It's hard for thee to kick against the pricks.

Till Armageddon, no Shalam, no Shalom. Then the father hen will call his chickens home. The wise men will bow down before the throne. And at his feet they'll cast their golden crown. When the man comes around.

Whoever is unjust, let him be unjust still. Whoever is righteous, let him be righteous still. Whoever is filthy, let him be filthy still. Listen to the words long written down, When the man comes around.

Hear the trumpets, hear the pipers. One hundred million angels singin'. Multitudes are marchin' to the big kettle drum. Voices callin', voices cryin'. Some are born an' some are dyin'. It's Alpha's and Omega's Kingdom come.

And the whirlwind is in the thorn tree. The virgins are all trimming their wicks. The whirlwind is in the thorn tree. It's hard for thee to kick against the pricks.

In measured hundredweight and penny pound. When the man comes around.

And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts, And I looked and behold: a pale horse. And his name, that sat on him, was Death. And Hell followed with him.

28 November 2006

Biscuits, Hospital, and Thanksgiving

Last week the family piled into the Dodge Grand Caravan and headed south to WV for the holiday week. We left RI after church around 1pm and arrived in WV at 3am Monday morning. When we got there mrs. theobilly's father got up and said hello to the kids then went back to bed. He woke up Monday morning not feeling well, by 3pm he was in the hosiptal for evaluations and tests.

Tuesday morning I began my sausage and biscuits feast with a stop by Tudors's Biscuit World, locals refer to it solely by Tudors. I purchased a Sausage and Biscuit and an order of biscuits and gravy. The next morning my father-in-law called from the hospital saying they were going to do some tests and he wanted his wife there. So I got ready and drove my mother-in-law to the hospital. On the way back I stopped at Suzy's Hamburgers for a Sausage Biscuit and Biscuits and Gravy. THanksgiving morning I headed down to Hardees for the same order. After all was said and done I have to rank Suzy's first, Hardees second and Tudor's last.

My father-in-law is still in the hospital, hoping to get out of the ICU today or tomorrow. Hard to see family members suffer, hard to be so far away, but we will do it again after Xmas.

On the way home #2 accidentaly (still debatable) deposited a pantload. He said he had to go but there was nowhere to pull over. At the next exit we pulled off and discovered the pantload. The Mrs. cleaned him up and said what do I do with this mess and these pants (his favorited pair of sweatpants)? I said leave 'em and jump in the car and lets go.

I know you maybe thinking are you kidding me, you just left the pants and all the evidence right there? Well yes. We were out of bags and an enclosed space and a pantload doesnt make for a nice combination. We will atone for our sins.

18 November 2006

Antiques Wordshow

On Tuesday mornings I hold a Bible study at the church. For the first 10-15 minutes I shoot the breeze about news items, politics, updates on the kids, church news, aches and pains and all the rest. About 8 people, sometimes 12, show up every week.

This past Tuesday a woman was talking about President Truman and referred to him as a real balderdash. Balderdash, when was the last time someone was called a balderdash? Personally, I like discovering old words that arent in contemporary use.

13 November 2006

Time Travel

As I travelled to WV from Columbus I followed the south easterly direction of Route 35. By taking this route you can imaginatively travel back in time thousands of years. Travelling from Columbus you notice how flat that section of Ohio is. The table top finish is primarily the work of a an ancient glacier that settled over much of the midwest. Then all of sudden you come to Chillicothe and there are hills all over the place. Why? This was the end of the Wisconsinian glacier. It also marked the spot where The Great Teays River, North America's Nile, ended. (The river before the glacier stretched from Illinois and travelled eastward into Virginia.) Route 35 once you reach Gallipolis, OH follows the Kanawha River into Charleston. But once you exit 35 and travel on I-64 you are smack dab in the middle of the Great Teays River basin. It must have been some body of water. Today if you dig around you can easily find ancient remains of aquatic life in the soil.

12 November 2006

Dressy Sweat Pants

There has been a great lapse in the blog lately. Why? I had to go to WV, I flew to Columbus, rented a car and drove one way to Charleston via the old Great Teays River Valley, turned the car in, picked up a 16 foot Penske Truck, loaded it with stuff and drove back to RI.

All of that time to drive and this is the best idea I can come up with.

How many of you have a hard time picking out a nice outfit for a night out on the town? I bet plenty of you have had faced this dilemma. So what do you do? Well most of us force some clothes that are too tight. We suffer through dinner, we get all gassy, then as soon as the lights go down in the movies we unbutton the top button to relieve the pain.

Is that how you want to spend your time out? No way.

Do you know what you need?

I do.

A pair of pleated khaki dressy sweat pants.

Sold exclusively here at theobilly. Call now for your order, please specify either elastic or free bottom cuffs.