A Funeral Sermon I Won't Preach

"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind. When it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into containers but threw away the bad. So it will be at the close of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
(Mat 13:47-50)

And so the kingdom of heaven is like a net. Why? Because destruction was to come upon Israel. The net is where all are lumped into suffering and torment. Jesus' disciples were going to experience the sword of Rome falling upon the nation of Israel just as much as those who rejected him. So this parable, though it includes judgement as what is already coming, it says that for those who follow Jesus they will be save at the last.

What does this ancient parable from the lips of a Jewish peasant 1970 years ago have to do with the death of Samuel Hearne on January 25, 2007? Because Samuel Hearne died of a long battle with cancer. Samuel Hearne trusted Jesus as the conqueror of death. The net of the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem is very similar to the net of the destruction all around us. We are not spared, yet when all hope is invisible Jesus Christ comforts us and says that those who belong to him will be delivered finally. Death is the great enemy of man. In the face of death God seems to be far off and pointless, and indeed fear typically takes over. We cannot defeat this enemy, merely stave off his advances as he cackles faking effort. In the face of all the tragedies we see, and in spite of all evidence to the contrary Jesus Christ promises to save his own. How can he make such a promise? Because Jesus Christ willingly succumbed to death in order to use this great evil against all evil. In the moment where hope seemed lost for all, as God's great savior died and his band of followers returned to the day to day, God gave us his promise by resurrecting Jesus Christ to indicate that his plan for saving creation from the power of sin and death is inagurated. In the resurrection of Jesus Christ his followers have hope in the net of destruction that overtakes us all and crowds out all evidence to the contrary

On Customers, Irrationality, and Pedagogy.

So lately I have discovered that irrational behavior by rational agents such as human beings is very offensive to me. Looking back at the lack of respect I have had for politicians, some family members, and the majority of customers I have served at service oriented jobs makes me think that this has been a major undercurrent in my life for years now as all of these people are irrational.

Even today a co-worker actually got upset with me and chastised me for being sarcastic in my dealings with customers. This person also was being irrational.

1. Rationality (the capacity to reason) is a learned skill.
2. Learned skills require pedagogical method.
3. Negative reinforcement is a pedagogical tool.
4. A form of negative reinforcement is belittling a person for their incompetencies.
5. Belittlement is accomplished by well placed sarcasm.
6. Sarcasm will help people learn to reason more clearly.

Preaching

Absentee parents have no right to expect anything from their children. They are never with them to form them into good people.

Absentee preachers have no right to expect anything from their children. They are never with them to form them into good people.

Damn busy-ness.


On a slightly related note. I remember the role of Evangelist in Bunyan's Progress. He was pretty much a constant help for Christian. I also remember Spurgeon's manual soul winning. The point was that the church become a group of people intensely and intimately concerned about the salvation of souls, which for Spurgeon meant deliverance from sin guilt, guilt feelings, eschatological wrath (hell), and from the reign of sin. I also remember meeting evangelists and itinerant soul winners who only cared to preach sermons and give tracts to people they may not ever meet again. It seems a highjacking of two important pieces of terminology for the Christian.