On Earth As In Heaven

Then what??

Immanuel Lutheran Church, Cashton, WI

From www.ntwrightpage.com

"When the New Testament speaks of God’s kingdom it never, ever, refers to heaven pure and simple. It always refers to God’s kingdom coming on earth as in heaven, as Jesus himself taught us to pray. We have slipped into the easygoing language of ‘the kingdom of heaven’ in the sense of God’s kingdom being ‘heaven’, but the early church never spoke like that. The point about heaven is that heaven is the control room for earth. Heaven is the CEO’s office from which earth is run – or it’s supposed to be, which is why we’re told to pray for that to become a reality. And the point of the Ascension, paradoxically in terms of the ways in which generations of western Christians have seen it, is that this is the moment when that prayer is gloriously answered.

"Paradoxically, of course, because we have been used to seeing ‘heaven’ as a place separated from earth, somewhere far away, way beyond the blue. But that’s not how the Bible sees it, not at all. Heaven is God’s space, and earth is our space. ‘The heavens belong to YHWH,’ declares the Psalmist, ‘and the earth he has given to the human race.’ But the point of God’s split-level good creation, heaven and earth, is not that earth is a kind of training ground for heaven, but that heaven and earth are designed to overlap and interlock (which is, by the way, the foundation of all sacramental theology, with the sacraments as one of the places where this overlap actually happens), and that one day – as the book of Revelation makes very clear – one day they will do so fully and for ever, as the New Jerusalem comes down from heaven to earth."

This is all explained further in the book, Surprised By Hope, by N.T. Wright.

Have a blessed Lord's Day,

Amish Photos and Hodgepodging the Generation Gap

I'm finishing up the Amish pics from our visit to southern Wisconsin a couple weeks ago. 

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 She writes the questions;

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1. What's something you might say runs in your family?

Humor. My dad and his siblings all had a wonderful sense of humor and although I think my mom had a more difficult life and saw things more seriously, her siblings were all fun and funny, and my cousins are all a little crazy and funny. It's quite wonderful. Mr. C.'s parents both had a good sense of humor and so do his siblings. Our kids do, and for an example, last weekend (see previous post) family was here and we were watching White Christmas with Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye.  At one point in the afternoon, I looked at our daughter and said with all sincerity, 'You are a beautiful woman, Honey.' She turned to me and said, 'Muuutual, I'm suuuuuure,' like the annoying blonde from White Christmas. Of course it cracked me up. We can't have a conversation without laughing. Or occasionally crying.

2. I read here a list of ten things you should do before 2017 arrives (in less than six weeks!)...which tasks on the list might you do? What would you add to your own 'before the year ends' list?

visit your Dr. or dentist, deep clean your home, donate unwanted items to charity, look someone in the eye and tell them you love them, write an honest letter to yourself, clean up your inbox-desktop-photos, travel to a place you haven't been, compliment a stranger, watch the sunrise, think ahead to your goals/plans for the new year.

I think the only ones I've not done are travel to a place I've not been and deep clean my home. This is not the time of year to venture into unknown territory.

Brussels Sprouts on an Amish farm

Waiting at the Hardware Store

3. What's something other generations (not your own) misunderstand about your generation?

Yes, we may look ancient, but we still have a few synapses firing. Well, usually. And we could teach you a thing or two.

Amish farm

Same farm, zooming in on the popcorn hung to dry

4. Sweet potato casserole, mashed potatoes and gravy, cornbread dressing-which would you miss the most if it weren't on the holiday dinner menu?

I didn't know there was any stuffing other than sage and onion. I would miss nothing else.  Just give me the stuffing.

5. What are you overthinking right now?

The kittens.

6. Your favorite slang word lately?

Whaaaaat???? (said with my son-in-law's voice)

SE of Westby
Winding, narrow roads

7. Write an acrostic for the word grateful.

God

Rules

Always.

Truth

Eternal,

Faithful.

Unsurpassed

Love. 

And on those winding roads, a huge grain semi

 8.  Insert your own random thought here.

This relates to the over-thinking question. I put a listing on Craigslist for the three adorable kittens and their wonderful mama. I was so sad to have to do that, but Tuppence Meowed at me in no uncertain terms that I was 'RUINING HER LIFE.'  I don't want to ruin her life. She's been a wonderful cat and apparently old dogs aren't the only ones that are rigid and inflexible. She's in no mood to be nice to anyone but me, and especially to some upstart whippersnapper kittens and their mother. Did I say how sad this makes me?  I was really truly hoping...But, the day I placed the ad, I received a text message from a family who wants to come look at them and may be interested in the whole kit and kaboodle. To me, this is an absolute miracle. Of course they haven't visited yet, but once they see those kittens, I can tell you it will be a DONE DEAL. 

He made it.
The end.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, Everyone!

 

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Good Fences and Churches

Fall is coming to Wausau!

 This contribution from our daughter!

 

The grands with their newest mode of transportation

I couldn't resist...

Ash, Spruce, and a bit of fence

Westby, WI

Moen Cemetery

A fence around the cemetery.

Coon Prairie Lutheran Church (and cemetery fence)

where some of Mr. Cranberry's relatives are buried

 Neighborhood sumac

Neighborhood horse and foal

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