Vacation Bible School has been great this week! There is good
attendance and a great spirit this year. It seems as if each night we
have gained momentum. Thanks to all the leaders from the chefs to the
teachers to the music and craft leaders and everyone else. Mary
Sterner did a good job creating a camp atmosphere in Fellowship Hall
in keeping with the theme of "Camp E.D.G.E. - Experience and Discover
God Everywhere." Tonight, Thursday, you are invited to the final
evening with dinner at 5:45 pm in Fellowship Hall and a closing
program presented by the children. All ages from 3 years old to adults
have enjoyed VBS.
Last night I led the VBS Adult Class in considering whether the 00's
have been the worst decade in history. As the decade of the '00s came
to an end with the close of 2009, commentators and news media declared
it an era memorable for tough problems -- in fact, difficult for
Americans in the way no decade before it has been. AOL's Sphere news
asks, "Was this the worst decade ever?"
Among the evidence cited for such claims are 9/11, the decade's two
stock market crashes, the recent financial wipeout and job losses,
America's wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, scandals, corruption,
increased political polarization, Hurricane Katrina, mass shootings,
school massacres, greater threats to homeland security from increased
terrorist activity, the anthrax letters and more.
And the majority of Americans agree. A recent NBC/Wall Street Journal
poll found that nearly six in 10 of those surveyed said the decade was
either "awful" or "not so good." Most of the rest rated it as "fair."
At the same time, three-quarters of those surveyed said that economic
prosperity declined and two-thirds agreed that America had lost moral
ground.
Of course, it is difficult for most people living in the midst of
time, to objectively compare their own age to previous ones, but when
examined statistically, there were more mass shootings and school
attacks in this country and more large-scale terrorist bombings
worldwide than in any previous decade.
Some observers, while agreeing that it has been a a difficult decade,
prefer to say only that it is the worst since the end of World War II.
During the discussion, I referred to the book "History Begins at
Sumer: Thirty-Nine Firsts in Recorded History" by Samuel Noah Kramer.
This is a collection of 39 essays on daily life taken almost
exclusively from information recorded on 4,000 year old cuneiform
tablets. There's an essay on a tablet where a father tries to convince
his son to study hard and become a scribe and another about how a
farmer should tend to his fields. There is a lot of concern expressed
about taxes and banter about beer. What is striking in this book is
how human life has not changed that much in the past 4,000 years. We
still have similar concerns as the ancient Sumerians.
A high school friend of mine recently lost her 3 year old grandson who
drowned in a river. How is it that parents and grandparents may go
from enjoying a frolicking swim in the river with their 3 year old on
a Saturday morning to attending the child's funeral service on a
Monday afternoon? How are we to live in a world of such uncertainties?
Psalm 77 was written for such times and we will explore its meaning in
the sermon this Sunday, called "A Path Through Mighty Waters."
Shelia Johnson and Frances Stanley are home after stays in the
hospital. My brother, Tim, is recovering from surgery yesterday and is
doing well. Thanks for prayers. Keep them coming.
Peace of Christ be with you,
Pastor Jon
--
St. John's Presbyterian Church
5020 West Bellfort / Houston, TX 77035
T. 713.723.6262 / F. 713.723-4015 / Email: office.sjpc@gmail.com
Worship Service: Sunday, 10:30 am / Sunday School: 9:00 am
