(Posted August 15, 2019)

“August is the Sunday of Summer.”  -- Anonymous

August is that time when people most notice the change that’s starting to occur around us. And they don’t necessarily want to be reminded of it. 

Change is Upon Us

I notice it myself, as the evening ends in darkness earlier, meaning that the option of sitting out on the deck and reading ends earlier with each passing dusk. This week someone decided that they would post on social media how the sunset that night was the last one to occur at 8 p.m. this year, and there wouldn’t be another one as late as 8 p.m. until May 20, 2020. Well, the online outpouring of anger toward that person simply telling the truth was astounding. You’d think that he had uttered some great blasphemy, instead of telling it like it is: The seasonal time of change is upon us.  

Sunday Church Services

All are welcome to worship with us. Service begins at 9:30 a.m.

As the katydids begin to sing each night signaling an approaching Autumn, I hear that noise and remind myself to savor the best things of the “now.” Backyard gatherings with fireflies. The taste of watermelon. The first corn of the season. And, of course, ice cream. There is simply nothing as good as ice cream when the summer warmth clings to us like a damp towel. Ice cream in winter is fine, but it cannot come close to ice cream dripping down your hand from an August cone.

Ice Cream Sunday

So in the spirit of that truth, this Sunday will be Ice Cream Sunday. We’ll finish the service with do-it- yourself ice cream sundaes, weather permitting out under the trees. We’ll have a moment for being together, of catching up with one another. Gary will be available to do magic with the children during our service as well. And we will savor a little bit of change.

Encountering Intense Opposition

The interesting thing is that Jesus actually spent a good deal of his ministry preparing us for change, especially the kind we don’t want. This Sunday’s gospel scripture is that perplexing one where Jesus announces that he has come, not to bring peace, but division, even within families. He lets us know that those of us who follow him will encounter intense, even dangerous opposition, when we stand up against those in our culture who want to take the easy way out with dealing with our neighbors. So that leads us to the question of “good guys and bad guys.” Is there really such a thing? And why do we differ so much when it comes to what we perceive as right and wrong? We’ll touch on all of this on Sunday, before the ice cream.