I recently saw a performance by Shinyribs Russell and heard him tell the background story on his song, " Who Built the Moon ." He told a funny story about a conspiracy theorist's idea the moon was built by someone. I like the song for what it is, never mind the conspiracy. That song went through my head again and again this weekend as the Super Moon rose from the gulf horizon, sailed across the sky, and set over the bay. The moon, "hangin' in the sky, shakin' the oceans, and movin' the tide" has long shaped our human lives. It has helped us mark time, it can guide us in our fishing habits, and it inspires artists, musicians, and fireside philosophers. Life looks different in the moonlight. On Sunday morning, as I finished writing my sermon, I took a break to walk outside to see the Super Moon set, and I caught it hanging in the porch of the church. That night, Laura, Eli, and I went to the beach to watch it rise again. Someone told me it's t
I've heard the story about St. Francis hearing God's
call to rebuild the church: first he went out to stack old bricks of a
ruined church, only later did he come to realize that God was speaking
metaphorically. 
He went on to rebuild not that particular pile of rocks, but to revitalize The Church. I bet that he learned some important lessons about
rebuilding The Church as he sat alone stacking rock on rock, first
clearing away the overgrowth, then selecting the bricks. We learn by doing. Metaphors work because the experiences are how we learn. 
The broad brushstroke lesson is that
church communities have to be tended, looked after, and cared for just
like church buildings. We had an amazing work day. Much more work got accomplished than I expected in a single morning. 
Cleaning out the sacristy, inventorying hurricane protection panels,
and replacing rotten shutter boards (a process with many steps) is
important work. Those tasks we accomplished, the things that just needed to be done are now off the check list. But, the conversations, the sharing of hydrating fluids,
and the relationships build while doing those things is even more
important. The more important work was the relationships. 
I'm thankful to everyone who came out to Trinity by
the Sea Saturday to work away at the to-do list (and to the women who
served yet another Saturday at the Second Time Around Shop); many hands
make light work, as the saying goes. And doing the work with friends
makes it even lighter.
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