PeaceBang

PeaceBang, Unplugged!!

Friends, I share with you my first sermon done completely without notes. All I took down the stairs with me was my ordination program so that I could read the ordination vows.

A few observations:

1. Wow, what a motormouth! Without the discipline of the ms in front of me, I am breathless, tending to start the next phrase before one is even out of my mouth.

2. Near the end of the service, my volume and articulation drop a bit. You have to listen closely.

3. The sound quality is lesser than usual since we had to put our digital recorder on the piano. I was walking around a lot, so I’m glad the recorder did as well as it did.

4. The sermon ended where you hear it end — with the words Yossi said to me at the Chabad House that night. What happened next, after about 15 seconds of silence, was that our Student Minister gave this prayer immediately before he and I distributed the flowers for our Flower Communion.

I wrote the prayer, and here it is:

God, Holy One beyond naming,
who calls us all into the rich tapestry of life lived in caring community,
Here we are. Send us.
Send us into our days with open hearts and good graces,
make of us emissaries of peace and affection,
each of us as lovely and unique a gift as these flowers which we now distribute,
representing all the ways we bestow our presence upon each other,
all the ways we simply show up in love.
As we pass the flowers, take one that is different than the one you brought.
Receive it as a gift, as we sing together our closing hymn, #298, “Wake Now, My Senses.”

**Thanks and kisses and hugs to Scott Wells for making it possible for me to link the sermon.