Fifth Sunday after Epiphany – C1

Years C
Isaiah 6:1-8 (9-13)

Guilt is very powerful. Whether it is appropriate or inappropriate guilt, it has a controlling presence in our lives. We find ourselves reduced when it is felt and monstrous when it is absent. In some sense, guilt is something we can't live with or without.

Even when we have previously experienced guilt departing from us and the freedom that opens, we usually forget that sequence and hang on to the next guilt as long as ever we can. A great benefit of a congregation is the reminder system available to help us remember that it is more possible than we thought to be relieved of guilt - just in time to be burdened by a particular calling.

The Natural Church Development folks talk about gift-based ministries (pdf). One of the blockages to this is personal and congregational guilt (note: guilt operates on every level in which we do - ideational, national, personal, theological, congregational, etc.).

It makes a huge difference when guilt is taken away or cast away (directionality here probably doesn't make any difference, though it would be very important to some to have it fit their theology/philosophy).

Remember a time your guilt was removed. Apply that to a current guilt. Go ahead.

= = = = = = =

trapped - touched - freed -
an on-going cycle
moves us from stage to stage

the current play of our life
takes a lot of staging
it is hard to take it on the road

the next stage of our life
asks us to put down
guilty baggage

when staging our next act
there will be a different audience
we will know through play

honoring our current stage
honoring our next audience
ahh, play is the thing