Monday blues and gossip

Sunday is so important to me. I start looking forward to Sunday early Monday morning. It often seems Monday is a reentrance of sort to purgatory. Even when there were exciting and engaging events on a Monday, there always seems to be a lingering handover from the engaging conversation and deep fellowship with God an the community on Sundays. I shared the sentiment of what Peter said at Christ transfiguration, “Let’s make three tents, one for you, one for Moses and one of Elijah and let us just stay here.” In out era glory does not come as often as we wish so whenever and wherever we have the experience we tend to stay as long as we can there. For me the experience is not limited to Sunday. At time I read some writings often by exceptional theologians where they elucidated profound biblical truth, I had this feeling of divine presence that paled everything else. There and then I look around and may that be the scene outside my study window or the people in the library or the just my workstation I became depressed and asked why the world is so poor in spirit. Yet Monday was created as good according to Gen 1, it may be not very good as on the Sabbath but still good. Monday is the reality and if the incarnation message of the gospel cannot be real on Monday then Sunday is just a dream. Monday is not inferior to Sunday or any divine moments. Monday is a different kind of moment. Yes, it certainly involves struggles. But, without the struggles the Sunday would be so meaningless. Worship, what is it? Why do I find it more meaningful to talk to someone in depth about his or her life than sing a bunch of worship songs? Subsequently why are we putting so much effort in singing worship songs and not talk to each other meaningfully in edifying speech? Why do musicians try to be theologians? Why do leaders let/ask musicians be theologians? While I was thinking about worship and community, for some reason I ended up with lines from the movie Jerry McGuire: “Help me help you.” (say to people who are not talking when you try to help them) “You complete me.”(say to people you apprecaite in the community, yeas, it is theological correct) “You had me at Hello” (say to the ushers to encourage them) Gossip I thought about not posting this but I cahnged my mind. Recently, it had come to my attention that the title of the Sunday school class “Romancing the Bible” had created a little stir. Apparently, I was told someone (or some people) took to wonder what I was about to teach. Fortunately, someone came to my aid and defended for me while I have no knowledge of what had transpired. I initially took that as a joke, and may I add quite a funny one, then I took seriously offence by it. The simple fact is why not talked to me? Am I such a scary person to talk to? If we are truly a community of faith should not there be some simple communication? And if there are real concerns should not the concern be deal with in a serious and open manner instead of bouncing through a couple of intermediate channels? The fact of the matter is whoever took to wonder obviously has no idea I took the title partially from a book about the history and lore of bible translations, “Romance of the Translators and Scholars”. And he/she/they have likely never read Keats, Tennyson, Blake and Wordsworth or for that matter little interest in Schubert, Schumann and Tchaikovsky. I was hurt because it seems all my years of teaching in the church mean little in the confident given to me. The hardest part is I believe that when you serve in the church the church needs to give the person support by endorsement. In fact that should be the case in all organization. I ask then how may you build up people? That really hurts. It hurts even more when I got the hint that the comments may have come from a leader in the church. A few years back I would have just quit. Now, no way, not even if I was asked to. I know my students enjoyed the time we have every week and I do have the confident that this is where God had given the opportunity for me to serve. So I am staying where I am. However, I do pray whoever made the comments can talk to me face to face.