Generations

THIS SUNDAY

March 2, 2008

Nancy Davis preaching: THE TOWEL

A Sermon On Jesus washing the feet of his disciples. If the Lord would get down on his knees to serve others, what does that say to us?

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I’m writing from Detroit. It’s currently 7:30 PM here, which is 6:30 in Omaha, which is, I think, 1:30 tomorrow morning in Paris, where this day started. My connecting flight to Omaha has been delayed, waiting for a crew to show up. I was supposed to leave a half hour ago, now I’m hoping the plane in fact leaves at 9:00, as currently scheduled.

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MANDY B. introduces our newest members:

KIM & JOHN K., Kim is in sales for Hampton Inn and Suites, John is a Physical Therapist Assistant at Fremont Area Medical Center.

LEE & TESSIE H., Lee is a fuel sales rep at ConAgra and Tessie is a stay at home mom. They have a 2 year old daughter, Lilly and another child due in June.

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THE NEW WORSHIP SCHEDULE LAUNCHES THE WEEKEND AFTER EASTER:

Saturday, 5:00 PM

Sunday, 8:30 & 10:00 AM

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CONGRATULATIONS!! To Reid R. who will be receiving his Eagle Scout rank at a Court of Honor in April. The rank of Eagle is the highest distinction a Scout can earn and it is only gained through lots of determination and hard work. Reid is the son of Richard and Treyse R.

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It’s hard to describe the joy I experienced with my granddaughter and her parents in Bordeaux. Madeline is six months old now. We first met in October of last year, when she was six weeks old. Suffice to say, Madeline did not remember me. You may be familiar with the story Jesus told about the sheep who knows the shepherd’s voice, but will not follow the stranger. I thought of that teaching my first afternoon of this visit: the baby was all smiles for mommy and daddy, but scowled at me. Who is that old fellow? But the scowls turned to tolerance, and by the next day, the tolerance had turned into smiles for grandpa, too. An exception was Saturday night. I was to baby sit while Mary and Remi went out to dinner. I gather they don’t get to do that very often now, and I suspect young parents reading this letter may be able to identify. As soon as mom and dad were out the door, Madeline went into a hissy-fit. I tried playing piano and singing her a little tune to calm her down--which made her even madder. I had forgotten how loud these little creatures can get. Truth be told, I found it endearing. I started laughing and taking photos to commemorate the moment. Perhaps Madeline thought I didn’t understand her position on the matter, because the volume got turned up even louder. Finally, I just put her in her bed, by which time she had sobbed so loud and so long that she quickly went to sleep. I have never had so much fun with a crying baby. But now I get to thinking: There was a time in this culture where generations of families lived in the same community, within a few miles of each other, and grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc. were a very present source of help and support to new moms and dads. These days, of course, everyone’s spread all over the country—all over the planet. New parents like Mary and Remi, with a high-maintenance baby, may wonder if they’re doing something wrong. I was happy to assure them they have a typical first-born on their hands. Being a first-born myself, I like to think Madeline reminds me of me! Anyway, to young parents reading this, who may be far removed from your biological family, please know that one of the reasons that St. Andrew’s United Methodist Church exists is to be supportive of you and your children. We want to offer the kind of extended community support system that is otherwise lacking in this migrant culture. That's very important to us.

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I found a great internet deal on a room in Paris. The hitch: it was on the 6^th floor of a hotel with no elevator. Very bohemian; not much rhapsody. Speaking of which, I intended to find where Camus is buried and pay him a visit, but never got around to it. Didn’t visit Edith Piaf, either, though I’m glad she won the Oscar for best actress.

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See you in church, BRD