No One Likes a Quiz

A couple of members, and I won’t mention their names, said that I should do a new blog this week, since it has been a long time coming.  

   February is one of those funny months.  Never quite sure how many days it has from one year to the next.   It kicks off with all eyes on Punxtsatawney Phil, the most famous groundhog in the entire world.   And before you know it, Cupid is flinging arrows or delivering cards and candy.   Presidents’ Day comes next, which means the banks are closed, not much more.   So far it is quite boring and little fodder for a blog.

   This year Lent begins in February.  It will arrive without a meteorological prediction, card, candy or flowers and of course, the banks will be open.

   So, what is up with Lent?  Here is a little quiz to keep you warm.  See how you do.  The answers will be given out at our first Lenten Breakfast on February 22.  If you miss it, not to worry, I will publish the answers in my next blog.  Take the quiz here.

   The only lingering question is:  will Adrian and Sallie actually notice I put up a new blog!

Here's Looking at You

This week I was daydreaming about the wonderful city of Florence. Not the one in South Carolina. Florence, Italy, is a gem of a city, with so many interesting facets. It is the home of Renaissance art.

One afternoon while in Florence I enjoyed visiting the Galleria degli Uffizi, a huge museum with an overwhelming collection of magnificent Renaissance art. One piece by Jacopo Pontormo pictured at left shows the risen Lord breaking bread with the disciples in Emmaus. It is titled, “Supper at Emmaus.” You can see the eye of God painted above Christ’s head, which art historians say was a later addition. I have no clue why someone would change this masterpiece, but there it is.

The symbol of the eye of God is an interesting one. The eye symbolizes the omniscience and omnipresence of God, who watches over all things. It is also associated with the Trinity (hence the triangle shape around the eye).

I wonder if the artist who doctored the painting with the eye of God was depicting a belief unique to the Christian faith? It’s hard to comprehend the paradox of a God who is beyond our comprehension and full knowledge, and yet came to us in Jesus Christ and is with us even now through the power of the Holy Spirit.

I like the thought that God keeps his eye on us, just as he does the sparrow. I take comfort in thinking that he can’t take his eyes off of us, because he loves us so much. Hope to see you this Sunday as we break bread together with our brothers and sisters around the world.

Take a Hike

My days are probably a lot like yours in many ways—I sit at a desk, reading and responding to emails and phone calls. Sometimes I have meetings with staff and church members. I put out the most urgent of the fires that flare up, and let others just burn to a crisp. Where you might prepare a report I’m working on a sermon. Where you meet around the water cooler I have counseling sessions. Where you might call on a client I go visit the hospitals. Much of my time is driven by deadlines, holy interruptions, and my inbox. I’m sure you can relate.

Yes, there’s a “dailyness” to most of our days. Sometimes, in our routines we can forget the reasons why we’re doing what we do. So yesterday afternoon around two o’clock I broke away from the desk and decided to take a walk across our church campus.  I had heard the construction team was starting to install the roof trusses on the Sardis House, and wanted to see for myself. Catherine and Jessica were in their offices nearby, so I invited them to join me. We grabbed our keys and headed down the hall.

When we got down to Richard’s office we found Richard, Jason, and Alice, who were unpacking and testing out a set of drums that Richard has ordered for Collide, a Bible study and jam session program that he and Catherine have cooked up for the middle schoolers on Wednesday nights. I don’t know if you can picture Alice Johnson beating time on a drum, but let me tell you, she’s got rhythm.

Before you know it, there were six of us heading out the door of the administration building. I felt like a papa duck leading my gaggle of ducklings. We saw Eleanor Beaugher, who I must say, looked a little startled to have this parade of church staff approaching her on the walkway by the Sanctuary. We caught up to Renda walking to her office, and she got swept up in the procession too. Somewhere along the line, almost out of nowhere, Jane joined the parade.



want to see pictures of the Sardis House
being built? Click here.

So then there were eight of us, all headed through the Education Hall and out the back door, just in time to see a giant crane lifting one of the massive wooden trusses into position. It’s amazing to see this structure rise up where before there was just grass and some trees. I can’t wait for the not too distant day when you will be able to walk inside this new building and we’ll all be able to expand our ministry to our homeless neighbors, to clients of the Presbyterian Samaritan Counseling Center, and to our own families.

Our little parade headed back to the office. We were right at the cloister garden when we saw a ladder leaning against a wall, and high above our heads, a figure scaling the side of the bell tower.



here's George with his climbing gear.

Of course we had to investigate—wouldn’t you do the same? It was George Riggsbee, all geared up with a climbing harness and carabiners and carrying a high powered blower. Apparently every so often he does this—climbs up what looks like at least 75 feet, scaling hand over hand to the top of the bell tower using first his ladder and then the rebar posts embedded in the walls of the tower (don’t worry, George is an experienced climber and is using proper safety gear). He goes up there with his blower and sometimes a shop vac to dislodge all the flakes of iron rust that accumulate, and eventually fall on top of the head and shoulders of the usher ringing the bell on Sunday mornings. George said that one time his shop vac was so heavy with the accumulated iron flakes that he had to have help to lift it into his truck afterward.

It is humbling to realize that, while I’m busy in my own little world, the mission of our Sardis family is happening all around in ways that are sometimes big and explosive, and sometimes quiet and easy to miss. In a simple walk across our campus, on any day of the week, everywhere you look you practically trip over members at work being the hands and feet of Christ.

It’s easy to spot huge trusses being lifted by a giant crane. It’s another thing to spot a guy 75 feet up in the bell tower. So often we miss all the little things that make Sardis such a special place. Even now as I write this, there’s probably someone, maybe it’s you, who is quietly making a difference in this place we all love. God bless you, and thank you, to all you Sardis saints.

No pressure George, but I hope the bell works on Sunday!

 

the MUST READ book of the summer

According to a Pew Research Center poll conducted last September, only a minority of PC (USA) laity reported reading the Bible on their own during the prior week. White mainline Protestants surveyed got an average of 15.8 correct answers out of 32 that were asked to test Biblical knowledge. (Want to take the test? Click here).

So this summer I will be reading through the Bible by way of 50 key passages. Will you join me? If you start June 1 and read a passage a day you'll get through the entire list by the time I return from sabbatical...twice! You can even get a message with the day's scripture delivered daily right to your inbox: click here to sign up.  

Even though I will be physically away from the church, I like to think we'll stay connected as we journey through the Bible together.

Stay Tuned...

Thanks for all the feedback on the blog. A new Sardis website will be launched soon after Easter; based on your responses I will resume the blog once the site is up!
Tom

Where Do We Go From Here?

We’re coming to to the end of the Ten Commandments preaching series. Dr. Kort is out of the office for the first part of this week, seeing his new grandchildren, so I figured in his absence I'd drop in a post to ask you all for some feedback.

I think Dr. Kort has enjoyed writing this blog more than he thought he would. I hope you enjoyed reading what he had to say. So, we need to figure out where the Tom Kort blog goes from here. Can you help? Tell us what, if anything, you would like Dr. Kort to write about. Is there anyone else on staff you want to hear from? Let us know your thoughts using the polls at right, or leave a comment here or at Facebook.

Thanks for reading!

Jessica (Dr. Kort's assistant)

The Preacher and His Pinot Noir

You may have read in the paper recently that, for the first time ever, overall U.S. wine sales have topped those of the wine-loving French. Walk through the vast display of bottles at your local Harris Teeter and you will be able to see why. Even in North Carolina there are over 100 wineries. I  have only ever toured one winery, Shelton Vineyard, which is located in the Yadkin Valley near Mt. Airy.   It is the largest family-owned winery in the state. I don’t remember much about the tour except that it was clear my taste buds aren’t all that trained. I could hardly tell the difference between a merlot and a chardonnay, except one was red and the other white.  But I did detect the taste variance between wine stored in oak barrels and metal barrels. Trying desperately to show I had some knowledge of wine, I asked the tour guide if they grow grapes for Pinot Noir. He said they tried, but the grapes were so delicate and sensitive to growing conditions  that the effort wasn’t cost effective. I nodded sagely and said, “just like they said in the movie Sideways.”   He stared at me like I had already been sipping the good stuff.

No one knows for certain when they first smashed a grape into wine. Some say the earliest firm evidence of wine’s presence is in Iran, and has been dated from between 5400 to 5000 B.C. In fact, Egyptians from this time left behind records about wine making.

Most in the medical profession will tell  you that red wine is good for you. The Bible even says “ take a little wine for the sake of  your stomach and your frequent ailments.” ( I Timothy 5:23 ) This is of course just one of many references to wine in the Bible.

This week we look at the 10th Commandment:  “Thou Shall Not Covet.”   We’ll explore this final commandment through the story in
I Kings 21, which is a tale of a plot to take a vineyard. It’s the intriguing tale of King  Ahab, who coveted the vineyard that belonged to his neighbor, Naboth. You’ll also meet Jezebel, Ahab’s queen. It’s a tale of murder, jealousy, and intrigue, like something out of one of those CSI series on television. The events in this chapter are all fueled by Ahab’s covetousness, and the ruin and destruction brought by it. 

     

By the way, I gave up wine for Lent. I'm looking forward to celebrating the glorious day of Easter, and then going home to a delicious dinner of Easter ham and a glass of Pinot. Am I coveting that glass of red? Hope not…hope I only covet the one thing that all of us really want. Come Sunday when I will share what that is.   See ya then.