"Humble" - The Rev. Dr. Kurt Gerhard, August 29, 2010

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Acceptance of the person…requires a tolerance of imperfection.[i]

My parents are very traditional when it comes to etiquette and, as a result, they passed these social rules to me as I grew up. For one, I was to call an adult by Mister, Misses, Miss, Doctor, Father, etc. This was no problem. But, I became disgruntled learning proper dinner table etiquette. I admit to being quite frustrated with the constant reminders of how to use utensils, keep my mouth closed while chewing, and pass dishes politely. And yet, those lessons formed the way I eat today; I don’t really think about it. I was also corrected when I used a word incorrectly.

This Week at St. Patrick's Episcopal Church August 25, 2010

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"Sabbath" - The Rev. Dr. Kurt Gerhard, August 22, 2010

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Luke 13.10-17, Hebrews 12.18-29, Jeremiah 1.4-10

In you, O Lord, have I taken refuge. (Psalm 71.1a)

I should not be the one preaching about keeping a good sabbath. I struggle, everyday and every week, keeping a discipline for myself. I procrastinate opportunities to relax and to find life’s deeper core of meaning. But the Christian faith teaches, quite enthusiastically, about the need to step away from the busyness of life, in order to find solace in our existence. I do take part in regular worship, some would even say that I am more than regular, but sabbath means more than that.

As I always told my students, the origin of the word sabbath is “seventh day.”