(This is a cohousing sermon I preached in 2003.)
A reading of the word.
Chapter five, the sixth page, the third paragraph, the eighth word.
“The”
Here ends the reading of the word of Chris Scott Hanson.
The people will respond with “Let it be so”.
Hmm. “the”. Not much of a word.
Perhaps we should consider a sentence. Yes, lets consider a sentence.
A reading of the sentence.
Chapter five, the sixth page, the third paragraph, the first sentence.
“The more flexible your group can be, the more opportunities there are when identifying potential sites”
The people respond with “Let it be so”.
Now there is a sentence, brothers and sisters, there is a sentence from the handbook. “The more flexible your group can be, the more opportunities there are when identifying potential sites.”
Listen closely now brothers and sisters, can you hear what our brother Chris is sharing with us in this text? “flexibility” brothers, can I hear “Let it be?”
“Opportunities” sisters! Can I hear “let it be?”
“Potential sites”. Can you hear the word, can you live the word. We are talking about LAND here. Potential land. Our brother Chris is offering us community with this very powerful words brothers and sisters. This is an offer of community, of housing, this is the promise of HOPE.
Do you feel the hope in the air? Can I hear “let it be so!”
You don’t sound hopeful. The word is offering us the promise of hope.
Let me share with you another text from the word of Chris.
Yes indeed, if you will turn in your pew Handbooks to the fifth chapter, the first page and the very first sentence. “Land is always available.”
Listen to the consistency of the word, listen to the beauty of the message. “Land is always available.”
This is the opening of the chapter. And then, just a bit further in we hear today’s word: “The more flexible your group can be, the more opportunities there are when identifying potential sites.”
Do you see how these are related?
Remember that word flexibility. For indeed as our brother tells us, we have control of our own destiny. It is in flexibility that land is found. It is in flexibility that opportunities are found. Do you feel the significance of this text my brothers and sisters? Listen closely now:
“potential sites”
Do you hear the sense of the future? Do you hear the sense of land? Do you hear the way word builds hope just in the reading???
The gift of hope is freely offered to all who are in our presence. Is it not so? Let me hear it! Let it be so.
And yet we do not always feel a sense of hope. Sometimes we are worn down by the struggle. Some days we feel we cannot do enough. Turn to your hand books and you will find the word there in the fifteenth chapter, the seventh page and the first word. The word is there again in the second chapter, the twentieth page, the fifth paragraph and the fifth word.
You know the word. Burnout. Everyone say it: burnout. Now say it louder: burnout.
The gift of hope is freely given, but we are faced instead with burnout. With dissatisfaction. With frustration. We start to nit pick. We start to dim wit. We start to hissy fit. Before long we are likely to nose pick. All from the pain of burnout.
And yet we need only to turn to the word. Our brother Chris Scott Hansen has given us the word and we need only to turn to that word. “Land is always available.”
Indeed it is true. And yet what should we do when we are overwhelmed and cannot feel the truth of these words. We should then, we must then, we need in our very hearths then, to turn then to today’s word:
“The more flexible your group can be, the more opportunities there are when identifying potential sites.”
Flexibility produces opportunity. Flexibility produces land. If we want land we must be flexible.
Can you say it? Flexible
Say it again: Flexible
Say it louder: Flexible.
Let it be so.
A reading of the word.
Chapter five, the sixth page, the third paragraph, the eighth word.
“The”
Here ends the reading of the word of Chris Scott Hanson.
The people will respond with “Let it be so”.
Hmm. “the”. Not much of a word.
Perhaps we should consider a sentence. Yes, lets consider a sentence.
A reading of the sentence.
Chapter five, the sixth page, the third paragraph, the first sentence.
“The more flexible your group can be, the more opportunities there are when identifying potential sites”
The people respond with “Let it be so”.
Now there is a sentence, brothers and sisters, there is a sentence from the handbook. “The more flexible your group can be, the more opportunities there are when identifying potential sites.”
Listen closely now brothers and sisters, can you hear what our brother Chris is sharing with us in this text? “flexibility” brothers, can I hear “Let it be?”
“Opportunities” sisters! Can I hear “let it be?”
“Potential sites”. Can you hear the word, can you live the word. We are talking about LAND here. Potential land. Our brother Chris is offering us community with this very powerful words brothers and sisters. This is an offer of community, of housing, this is the promise of HOPE.
Do you feel the hope in the air? Can I hear “let it be so!”
You don’t sound hopeful. The word is offering us the promise of hope.
Let me share with you another text from the word of Chris.
Yes indeed, if you will turn in your pew Handbooks to the fifth chapter, the first page and the very first sentence. “Land is always available.”
Listen to the consistency of the word, listen to the beauty of the message. “Land is always available.”
This is the opening of the chapter. And then, just a bit further in we hear today’s word: “The more flexible your group can be, the more opportunities there are when identifying potential sites.”
Do you see how these are related?
Remember that word flexibility. For indeed as our brother tells us, we have control of our own destiny. It is in flexibility that land is found. It is in flexibility that opportunities are found. Do you feel the significance of this text my brothers and sisters? Listen closely now:
“potential sites”
Do you hear the sense of the future? Do you hear the sense of land? Do you hear the way word builds hope just in the reading???
The gift of hope is freely offered to all who are in our presence. Is it not so? Let me hear it! Let it be so.
And yet we do not always feel a sense of hope. Sometimes we are worn down by the struggle. Some days we feel we cannot do enough. Turn to your hand books and you will find the word there in the fifteenth chapter, the seventh page and the first word. The word is there again in the second chapter, the twentieth page, the fifth paragraph and the fifth word.
You know the word. Burnout. Everyone say it: burnout. Now say it louder: burnout.
The gift of hope is freely given, but we are faced instead with burnout. With dissatisfaction. With frustration. We start to nit pick. We start to dim wit. We start to hissy fit. Before long we are likely to nose pick. All from the pain of burnout.
And yet we need only to turn to the word. Our brother Chris Scott Hansen has given us the word and we need only to turn to that word. “Land is always available.”
Indeed it is true. And yet what should we do when we are overwhelmed and cannot feel the truth of these words. We should then, we must then, we need in our very hearths then, to turn then to today’s word:
“The more flexible your group can be, the more opportunities there are when identifying potential sites.”
Flexibility produces opportunity. Flexibility produces land. If we want land we must be flexible.
Can you say it? Flexible
Say it again: Flexible
Say it louder: Flexible.
Let it be so.
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