Never Understimate The Power...

...of Calvin and Hobbes.

I attended the Ordination service on Sunday of a former intern from our church, a sister in Christ, a friend. It was a emotionally moving service for me; from her presentation for Ordination followed by the hymn "Here I Am, Lord", to the laying on of hands by eight assembled Pastor sponsors and the Bishop of our Synod. I will long remember the joy and the majesty of the service, but it's the words of our Bishop, spoken to her in his sermon, that have given me great comfort in these last few days. He spoke of his own sermon preparation rituals and how he would sequester himself away with a pile of books in a small room as he prayed and wrote his message for the coming week. He explained that his pile of books always saw the Bible at the bottom of the stack, that his sermon would likewise be grounded in The Word, the foundation for what was to come. Then, on up the stack were books on Lutheran doctrine and various devotional guides. He explained that the top book was always a comic book, reminding him not to take himself too seriously. That's where I found my comfort! Whose day, regardless of the importance of the tasks at hand and even the most grave of circumstances, can't be lightened with a measure of levity? I'm happy to understand that the Bishop recognizes that, and that he deems it important enough to pass along to Pastors, to all of us. Long live the little boy and his tiger!

Life is Good!