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TLDR: We must find ways, even when we are busy to put God first. Also, enjoy the Pineapple whip recipe!
The Collect for the week caught my attention:
Let your continual mercy, O Lord, cleanse and defend your Church; and, because it cannot continue in safety without your help, protect and govern it always by your goodness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.1
This week, the texts were about being focused on God being in control of our lives. I had even more to say on the topic on Sunday than I could fit into a Sunday. Perhaps this is because for me, it is a challenge to give up control. As I have said previously, I want to have a plan, and when we make a large decision in our family there is almost certainly a spreadsheet for it. Okay, even if it is a smaller decision, such as which chores a child does, there is probably a spreadsheet involved. However, with God, I cannot make a spreadsheet, I must simply let God lead.
In the epistle reading for the week, Paul told us, “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth, for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”2 With school restarting soon, and looking at taking on my side job as a glorified Uber driver for two children under 10, it is sometimes hard to focus on heavenly things. What I appreciate about how the church has given us opportunities to be reminded of heavenly matters while the secular world pulls at our attention.
Still, this is a necessary challenge for me. It is one of those times when it is important to recognize that the church is helping others focus back on these heavenly matters. For example, on Sunday, August 7, we are having an open house for the Sunday School Godly Play Classrooms. St. Dunstan’s has made a whole slew of Back to School activities, including the Coffee, Cake, and Prayers on August 10 at 10 a.m. These are meant to remind us that our earthly concerns are proportional to our heavenly faith.
Looking again at the parable of the Rich Fool,3 the words used in this parable are important, because Jesus could have easily given a lesson on the ten commandments or the prophets (particularly Micah) warning about coveting:4 Who was the brother serving? It was certainly not God, but instead was wealth. If I want to serve God, I must pray regularly using the collect for the week in order to make the words an authentic part of my life. This takes time and reflection. It is something I am committing to, even during this busy week.
Now, taking the time to do so does not mean that we cannot have fun and relax during the last week of summer, and so I am going to close with the drink that I referenced during my sermon. It is called a Pineapple Whip, we had the Dole Whip in Disneyland when we took Grace years ago; it is refreshing and we made ours low in added sugar (I am not calling it healthy).
Pineapple whip
Ingredients
4 cups frozen pineapple
1.5 cups canned coconut milk (or almond or cow milk)
1 tsp vanilla
Directions: Place ingredients in your food processor/blender and blend to necessary consistently. Add an umbrella and enjoy by your pool or on a patio!
My prayer for you this week is to take time for reflection and realize that every blessing comes through God’s grace from fun drinks to busy times. It is with God’s grace that we can change ourselves, the church, and the world.
In Peace,
Reverend Beth Anne Nelson +
1 Book of Common Prayer p.232
2 Colossians 3:2
3 Luke 12:13-21
4 Craddock, F. (). Luke: Interpretation: A Bible Commentary.
