Friday September 9. 2016
An eNote from Rodney
Dear Trinity Congregation,
Fall is slipping in on us very nicely this year. I am enjoying these mid eighty degree days. The Fall Festival will soon be here. It will be held on Sunday afternoon, October 9, at 3:00 p.m. There will be music and games for the kids and the chilli cookoff. This has become a highlight of the Fall. I like that the weather is conducive to sitting outside and talking with folks. We are thankful to Andrew and his volunteers for all they do to make it so enjoyable.
I received a notice this week that may be of some interest to you. There is going to be a West Asheville Neighborhood Advisory Committee Meeting on Monday, September 26 at the West Asheville Library. The meeting will cover activities and concerns about our neighborhood. There will be updates about the Comprehensive Plan and West Asheville Police and Fire Department personnel will be on hand to answer questions. The time is from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Contact Elaine Poovey (jepoovey@hotmail.com) if you have any questions.
The Gospel lectionary lesson for this Sunday may be the most known story Jesus tells. It is the parable of the lost sheep and it may be the simplest picture Jesus draws for us concerning his Father’s love for the world. It is found at Luke 15:1-7. I’m calling the sermon “A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words but Sometimes You Need Words to Explain the Picture.” I’m thinking about the balance between complex theology and a story about a shepherd.
This month, the cover story for the magazine Vanity Fair covers the career of rock musician Bruce Springsteen. As he looked back on his life, Bruce had an interesting metaphor for life. “I always picture it as a car. All your selves are in it. And a new self can get in, but the old selves can’t ever get out. The important thing is who’s got their hands on the wheel at any given moment.” Of course the writer of “Born to Run” would use the metaphor of a car. Some of us may have a lot of selves in our car and some of us just have a few. As Christians, we want the self that has been loved and redeemed by Christ to be the one with its hands on the wheel as often as we can manage to let him do that.
Right now I’m thinking about driving myself to lunch so you drive carefully and I will look forward to seeing you on Sunday morning.
Sincerely,
Rodney