AGENDA:
(Picture: Dusty-grey and black typewriter… tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, clack, clack, tick tick, tick)
My car’s wheels need to be realigned.
Assignment 3b, 3 Continued and 4b… by midnight.
Sunday School in the morning. Nooma 008—Luggage.
The Bridge music…
Learn to hold my tongue…

Everyone has an agenda. From the tasks of the day to the way you understand God.
What’s the difference between belief and agenda?
Pisteuo (greek)—Faith, Belief, Trust.
Agenda—what I can do now to get what I want later.

Our ministries have an agenda. Let’s invite the community members to our “most awesomest” community picnic, welcome them, give them a name tag (try to learn their names), hand them a flyer with all the other “Church events” listed and hope and pray something stuck so that we can “save one more soul” or … … … “save our budget deficit.”

The way we should care for the marginalized
The way we should respond to the outcast
The way we should give to a hungry person, but what if they’re on drugs, I don’t want to give them money because maybe they’ll buy more drugs, or maybe a weapon…
The way we should vote
The schools our kids should be in
The way we should eat our meals, and who’s invited

And tonight…(more or less) “Are you going to continue pursuing ordination with all the things that are happening now in our Church? I am just not very happy with the things that are happening because if we allow homosexuals to come in and have authority, teaching, mentoring, counseling, and breaking this bread before us, well they’ll try to get us all on their side. They’ll just try to push their own agenda. I’m okay accepting them into our churches and praying for their sins. I just think we need boundaries.”

Can the PC(USA) have more boundaries?!!! We have a statement, a rule, and a committee for everything. From the “proper” way to administer sacraments to the “proper” way for a small group of people to gather together as a response to the mysterious and wonderful work of Jesus Christ, God Almighty and the Holy Spirit.

What is more tragic. Examining and allowing another broken person, who doesn’t have their life together, who seeks God, asks for forgiveness and has a community of believers who support them, taking a risk by stepping into a position of scrutiny and ridicule by the grace of God?

Or an entire community of people spread over hundreds of thousands of miles who hate one another because “you just don’t understand” or “you aren’t filled with the Holy Spirit” or “The Word of God strictly says________”

... Or was that my grandmother? My sister, or my father who has given up everything so that I would be safe, educated and happy? Who has given up promotions for me? Who has stayed up all night because I wasn’t feeling well because they love me so much? My pastor who prayed over people and they were healed?



Or our Lord, who said “It is finished.”