7 January

Saturday.  Down to church (belatedly, having not looked at my calendar book) for a pre-marital counseling session with a lovely couple from Orange, and then some quick work on the computer, then some errands and back home for the rest of the afternoon.  Over to Dean’s for his Twelfth Night party, and an enjoyable time catching of with a very eclectic group he had gathered.  Home fairly early to finish prep for tomorrow, then to bed early.

6 January – Feast of the Epiphany

Friday.  Day off.  Eye exam with Dr. Levacy at 8:00.  Some new small cataracts that will have to be dealt with eventually–bah humbug.  The dilation for the exam took all the morning and a bit of afternoon to wear off, so the day was spent with naps and listening to music, but otherwise a thorough bore.  Out to supper with Betty and a late night on the computer.

5 January

Thursday.  MP with staff.  Ginger out for the day to take her dad out of town for a medical appointment, though we later found out she ended up finding she needed some tending herself.  Celebrated HC for the Thursday group at 9:45 and got in trouble for preaching longer than Dean does… not feeling very guilty about that though:  time does not exist in the Liturgy, if it is properly preparing us for eternity.  Of course explaining that to irked parishioners is not always the easiest sell, and distinguishing when you’re just gushing because you like hearing yourself gush isn’t either: ah well, it all works to our sanctification.  Helped tend the office and worked on the Weekly Word and other publications.  Got a shocker in the afternoon when I got a call that a younger former parishioner had lost her mother in a tragic family shooting in Corpus Christi; had a chance to talk to her later in the day, but one is never sure what to say in the face of that kind of such hideous evil.  Bonhoeffer was right that simple optimistic confidence in human progress  and perfectibility cannot have the steel in it to face the evil that is loose in the world.  We are ever sheep in need of a shepherd.  Come, Lord Jesus.

Met in the late afternoon with the group planning the parish arts festival for next month, and excited for the possibilities with that.  Afterwards some further office work and calls and then home.  Spoke with Dean to be sure he was home from his travels.  Supper at home and a quiet evening to a pretty challenging day.

4 January

Wednesday.  MP with staff.  Called to Harbor Hospice to be with Dick and Gertrude Cherry, with him in his last hours this side of time, and then when he was gone we said the prayers of the Church for the dead and waited for the Broussard’s folks to arrive.  Gert is in as good a place as you can be in such a time, and very much in command of herself; we will get clearer on their plans as the week moves on, but the service will be later in the month when family can get back here.  Took lunch at home and then back to the church.  Good office visits in the afternoon with Gerald Condon and Charles Teel, Charles poring over old blueprints we found in the vault cleanup yesterday like a young ‘un with a new batch of Christmas presents.  Worked a bit on finishing touches on the budget for the new year, and then visited briefly before service with Doug Travis, dean of the Seminary of the Southwest, passing through town.  Celebrated HC with Paul Howell’s able assistance, and then out to supper with Dean Travis and Betty to catch up and visit.  Home about 8:30.

3 January

Tuesday.  Met with staff for Morning Prayer and staff meeting, having missed that yesterday.  Much the rest of the day spent catching up from being gone last week and returning calls.  Celebrated HC at noon, and then a pleasant lunch out with Brian Shajari and his wife Rachel, on leave but headed back to Hawaii where he serves in the USCG.  Back in the office afterwards, spent part of the rest of the afternoon cleaning and reorganizing the vault, which appears not to have been done in a long while–still a ways to go with that.  Mission committee met at 5:00, working on the annual calendar of mission projects and events.  On the way home stopped at St E’s to visit with Ed Stedman, who had gone in for an appendectomy but who seems well on the way to recovery and will go home tomorrow.  Ate out with Will for supper, then some computer work at home for most of the evening.

2 January

Monday.  Kept the holiday so the church was closed for the day, though it looked like most of the business world around town was hard back at it.  Quiet day at home, ate out for supper, and did a certain amount of getting ready for the week through the evening.

1 January 2012 — Feast of the Holy Name

Sunday.  Well, I was extremely pleased to be completely wrong about how many folks we could expect to get up and go to church on New Year’s Day.  Better than average at 8:00 and only a bit below at 1015; Dean preached both services and I celebrated.  We sat around and visited in between services since Sunday School was off, but we only solved about half the problems of the world in the group sitting around the church office and I haven’t had time to catch up with those scattered around other parts.  Very relaxed morning all together and all those here seemed really happy to be here. Home for the afternoon til we headed over to Mary Jane G’s for her lovely New Years party, which is a beautiful experience with the art works she has collected and displays so wonderfully in her home.  Dropped Betty off afterwards and headed to church to celebrate for the 6:00 o’clock service and a fine group there too, with a few refugees who usually attend earlier services.  Holy Name makes a great way to start the calendar year, and gives us plenty to chew on as we ponder the passage of time and the coming of a new cycle.

You just have to love it . . .

The End of the World as a tourist attraction and marketing opportunity:

Huffington Post

 

This is what it’s all about…

But the object of divine action in the Incarnation is man. God’s free decision is and remains a gracious decision; God becomes man, the Word becomes flesh. The Incarnation means no apparent reserved, but a real and complete descent of God. God actually became what we are, in order actually to exist with us, actually to exist for us, in thus becoming and being human, not to do what we do-sin; and to do what we fail to do–God’s, His own, will; and so actually, in our place, in our situation and position to be the new man. It is not in His eternal majesty–in which He is and remains hidden from us–but as this new man and therefore the Word in the flesh, that God’s Son is God’s revelation to us and our reconciliation with God. Just for that reason faith cannot look past His humanity, the cradle of Bethlelhem and the cross of Golgotha in order to see Him in His divinity, Faith in the eternal Word of the Father is faith in Jesus of Nazereth or it is not the Christian faith.
–Karl Barth (1886-1968)

28-31 December

Wednesday-Saturday.  Vacation at home.  Will to San Antonio for the (victorious) Baylor performance at the Alamo Bowl.  Did some serious house and garage cleaning and rearranging, got old family furniture shipped off to Mary, ate out some, movied, and mostly rested.  To the office Friday to interview a new sexton helper; other than that frolicked and played, and very grateful.  Happy New Year, y’all!