The Scroll
A Periodic newsletter
for SAM's Lambs
http://www.samslambs.org

Why God Will Never Get Tenure at Any University

1. Only published one book.
2. It was in Hebrew.
3. It had no references.
4. He did not publish it in referenced journals.
5. Some doubt He even wrote it Himself.
6. He is not known for his cooperative work.
7. Sure. He created the world, but what has He done lately?
8. He did not get permission from any review board to work on human subjects.
9. When one of His experiments went awry, He tried to cover it up by drowning all the subjects.
10. When sample subjects do not behave as predicted, He deletes the whole sample.
11. He rarely comes to class. He just tells His students to read the Book.
12. It is rumored that He sometimes lets His Son teach the class.
13. Although He only has 10 requirements, His students often fail His tests.
14. He expelled His first two students for learning.
15. His office hours were infrequent and usually held on a mountain top.

(From faculty members at Kansas State University and instructors at Allen County Community College)

Internet References:

Singles in the Church: Is There Seating For One In The Church?

From The Rev: 
    Resurrection DOES Follow Destruction 

by Reverend Lance Robbins
Rector, The Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd

T.S. Eliot once said, "Humankind cannot bear very much reality and part of this reality is change."

Change will happen, some of it good, and some change we will consider to be less than joyful. How will we be able to deal with life's ups and downs in a creative rather than a crippling way?

I am reminded of a story told by a Hasidic rabbi. He was fond of saying that he had discovered the meaning of love from a drunken peasant. The rabbi was visiting the owner of a tavern in the Polish countryside. As he walked in, he saw two peasants at a table. Both were gloriously in their cups. Arms around each other, they were protesting how much each loved the other. Suddenly Ivan said to Peter, "Peter, tell me, what hurts me?" Bleary-eyed, Peter looked at Ivan, "How do I know what hurts you?" Ivan's answer was swift. "If you don't know what hurts me, how can you say you love me?"

What made Jesus so loving was that he knew what hurts people. He knew then, and still knows now. Our Lord knows our joys and sorrows. How did he become that way? By experiencing grief and hurt as well as joy. He did not discover poverty by reading the unemployment figures in the Bethlehem Times-Union; he had no home of his own. Tears did not happen to others; he wept over Jerusalem and Lazarus. Have you ever felt unloved or misunderstood? Jesus's own townspeople tried to throw him off a cliff.

Even more important, Jesus not only knew what troubled folks back then; he knows what hurts people today. Our God is not some shadowy figure in the sky. At this moment, not only does he know our doubts, grief, uncertainties, but he seeks us out. He promises us, "Come unto me, all ye that travail and are heavy laden, and I will refresh you."

Let's remember there will always be change in our lives and in our communities. There will also be some anxiety. Let us also remember that Christ is present in all of life. Like our Good Friday experiences, resurrection in our lives follows other destructive experiences. Grief perhaps is a necessary prelude to the promises that lie ahead.

Faithfully,
The Rev. Lance D. Robbins
Rector, The Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd,
Webster NY       Tel: 585-872-2281