I thought this was one of the neatest stories I’ve heard in awhile. 

I have a truly amazing ability to stumble into goofiness.  It’s a gift really.  In 2000 a friend of mine sent me a poll to see which presidential candidate I most agreed with.  Several of the questions I remember to be sort generic ‘faith based’ things.  Anyway, about third or fourth down on the list of results for me was the Natural Law party’s candidate.  Not sure how that popped up…anyway, I was intringued and visited the website.  It was a kooky, new age thing and for a laugh I signed up on the mailing list for more information.

A few months later I recieved a call from the party’s headquarters, I figured they were about to ask me to vote, but no, I was to be called to a higher duty.  The person on the other end of the line explained that in order to get on the ballot in Alabama they would had to have a candidate for elector…the folks who are actually elected to be part in the electoral college that makes the actual vote for president.  Apparently two people in the state of Alabama had actually visited their website and signed up to recieve information, one of which was me.  In the spirit of democracy I agreed to be their candidate for elector and was FedExed the forms, signed them and sent them back.  Possibly the only electoral college forms to have been mailed from Iuka, MS.  Thankfully, I don’t remember my name showing up on the ballot and, as hard of a choice as it was I didn’t vote for myself.  (I think that was the year I made all my uncertain votes for the best nickname, I believe ‘Rodeo Clown’ was running for Lt. Governor…but I digress.)

I had not thought about that event for quite a while until I googled my name…to my horror the only hit that came up was some sort of political graveyard name, listing all candidates from past elections.  There I was, Charles Scott Sealy, Natural Law party electoral candidate for the presidential election of 2000.

I shared that with a friend in Scotland who told me there’s a Natural Law Party in the UK as well, apparently known for sitting crosslegged and pretending to ride through the sky or something.  That was never mentioned in the information packet I received.  Anyway, my political career has been over for 7 years now, but I continue to stumble into goofiness.

A few years ago I wrote a paper on spiritual theology in the form of a commentary on the seasons and days of the liturgical year. I’ll be posting those here over the next several days.

Advent

We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies.

A pagan year would begin with the rebirth of the god, showing the continuous cycle of death and rebirth in agriculture. A civil calendar would start with the birth of a new ruler or the inauguration of the ruling regime. The Church calendar begins with confession. The Christian year begins not with the celebration of Christ’s birth, but with the confession that we need the Redeemer to come. Before we celebrate the incarnation, we spend time preparing for the Coming One and remembering that all creation yearns for a Savior.

In Advent we state that everything is not all right in the world. Through the sin of the first Adam, God’s good creation became cursed. Through Adam and Eve sin entered into the world corrupting what God had created through His Word and His Holy Spirit. In the first chapter of the Bible and in the first act of history God is revealed as Holy Trinity, each Person participated fully in all the work of the Godhead. Sin effects all of creation – rocks, trees and chipmunks long for deliverance from the same sin that corrupts the authorities, powers and principalities. The sons of Adam and daughters of Eve, though bearing the image of God are corrupt as well, “in all aspects of their being.” (Confession of Faith, 2.03)

Due to our fallen nature, we need someone to liberate us from our “bondage to decay.” (Romans 8:21) As the Nicene Creed states, “For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven, was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary and became truly human.”

Also, Advent reminds us that there is an end to history. We are not in a continuously unending cycle, but hope for the return of our Lord. This hope pulls us into the promised and certain reconciliation. Christ’s immanent Kingdom is not something we accomplish; nevertheless it is something in which we participate.

I think it’s also an anagram for ‘best in prayer’.

Fr.  Robert Hart’s Blog The Continuum had this post about Elaine Pagels.  Good insights about modern scholarship and criticism.

About a year ago I discovered David Allen’s Getting Things Done. I was feeling completely overwhelmed with my PhD research and this guide to productivity really helped me get a grip on what I was doing. It is also a very effective system for a pastor, especially the idea of dividing lists of things to do into contexts so that you only look at what needs to be done when you are at a place you can do them. Since ministry can be so ambiguous, take place in so many settings and inherently based on responding to crises and being available to people with all sorts of needs Allen’s concepts are especially fitted for this type of work. To begin the year, I’ve been doing a review and check up on my system.

There’s all sorts of resources and discussion on the net, apparently GTD has become popular among IT type folks as well. Lifehacker.com, one of my favorite sites to follow recently posted this GTD Roundup.

Here’s a site I check regularly for ideas of being more productive in the pastorate: pastorhacks

The title comes from the term hack, formerly applied to computers, being applied to life in ways to simplify things and make the most of your time.  Three others I keep up with regularly: 43folders    lifehacks    lifehacker 

Touchstone ran an article on one of my favorite movies: Napoleon Dynamite.

The point of the movie seems to be this: “Flying solo,” that is, the individualistic pursuit of one’s own happiness apart from the good of others, culminates in misery, and the only way to grow as a human, or even to become human, is through a thick community of support, responsibility, and love. Playing by oneself, as Napoleon is wont to do at the tetherball pole, is unrewarding and pitiful.

Read it Here. Discuss.

I preached on the story of the calling of the first disciples from John this past Lord’s Day.  (I’ve been using the historic one year lectionary.)  I introduced the sermon by asking what people think of when they hear the words ‘evangelist’ or ‘evangelism’.  I used examples of people knocking on strangers’ doors, handing out the ‘four spiritual laws’ on the beach or a slick-looking TV preacher. 

As I continued the sermon the point I made was that evangelism is usually something simple like sharing the gospel with a neighbour, like Philip and Nathaniel in the town where Andrew and Peter were from, or sharing with a relative, like Andrew with his brother Peter.  I went on to explain how Peter had a prominent position among the disciples, but it was throught he invitaton of the lesser disciple Andrew that he came to Christ in the first place.  The point I tried to make was that through the seemingly small act of inviting someone to ‘come and see’ the Lord, we can have an even larger impact than we imagine.  To further illustrate this point I said that someone, somewhere once invited Billy Graham to meet Jesus.  Most of us don’t remember who that was, we couldn’t name them, but God called Billy Graham through someone’s invitation.

Anyway, as I was greeting folks on their way out someone told me that when I asked for what came to mind when I mention ‘evangelist’, they thought of Billy Graham.  I felt like there was a point in there somewhere.

I went to the elementary school this past week for their ‘reader’s theatre’ where I witnessed a stellar rendition of ‘the Little Red Hen’ featuring my own 5 year old daughter.

While there I shared small talk with other parents and grandparents who I normally wouldn’t have run in to.  As other grades performed their skits I thought about how the common interest of our children brings a community together.  I’m in a room with folks I don’t have much else in common with, certainly no abstract ideals or causes, just a shared interest in the welfare of our children.  It made me wonder how much of our national polarization and breakdown in our communities is a result of our lower birth rate and selfish attitudes of children as a ‘choice’.  Just pondering…