Summer heat

Happy Friday, people of Louisville and beyond!

This morning as I drove to the church building, the DJ on the radio was talking about the summer heat. All week we are expected to experience temperatures in the mid-90s. The DJ also mentioned hearing rumor of part of Highway 36 buckling in the heat. While my Google search has not confirmed or dismissed the claim, I did find a variety of articles about other roads and highways around the Denver area buckling due to the heat this summer.

The DJ's comments and my subsequent Google search - a bit of a proverbial mental rabbit hole - got me thinking about human behavior. The whole thing had me pondering its metaphoric meaning in relation to humans: when we choose rigidity like the concrete, and how we respond when the 'heat' intensifies. How often do we buckle or snap in those scenarios?

As I announced at the beginning of our second service last Sunday, the United States Women's National Soccer Team won the World Cup for the fourth time. As part of the celebrations, the City of New York invited the team to a party that included receiving keys to the city. One of the co-captains, Megan Rapinoe gave a speech and said this, "This is my charge to everyone: We have to be better. We have to love more. Hate less. We got to listen more and talk less."

Choosing to listen instead of respond can be challenging. Learning to bend when set in our ways can be uncomfortable. Accepting our errors and taking responsibility for our words and our actions can be down right frustrating. Not getting what we want can be disappointing.

We're in our second week of a sermon series exploring what the new church looked like way back in the beginning of Christianity. We will be exploring the church of Thessalonica, Paul's relationship with that community, and John Wesley's take on a person's personal responsibility to God's grace. Hint: a significant part of it is self-awareness.

Join me this Sunday. Perhaps you and I, together, can find a path of faith similar to the vision Megan Rapinoe casts instead of buckling due to heat and rigidity.

Peace,
Rev Elizabeth M Jackson