THE FIRST PORTION OF THIS POST IS FROM THE UCC SUNDAY BULLETIN PRINT OUT. THESE IDEAS ARE NOT MY OWN I JUST LIKE THEM AND I'M NOT MAKING MONEY ON THESE THINGS. MY THOUGHTS WILL FOLLOW.
"God is still speaking! God is a god of thunder and wind and rain. But we also know that God speaks in a still small voice whenever and wherever hearts are open and there is a cry for justice. That experience of a still speaking God, addressed by our denomination's identity materials, has given the United Church of Christ an unusual brand: the comma! Of course, that comes from the Gracie Allen quote, "Never place a period where God has placed a comma."
The good news is we are not uni-punctuational. Just as Elijah experienced God in a new voice on that mountaintop, there is more than one punctuation mark that might express how we feel about this still speaking God.
The question mark is always a faithful witness to every question we ask from the heart in our seeking and wondering. We express joy and emphasis with exclamation points, and parentheses embrace us, not as an afterthought, but as an included part of the story. There's the greater than mark, which calls us all into communities that make us part of something larger than ourselves.
We are the way we communicate; we are how we express our best thoughts and hopes as the church of Jesus Christ. We are Christians looking ahead to a new century unfolding before us.
In this new century, God will have more surprises, more punctuation and more evidence of the genuine promise and hope that the Gospel offers all of us. There is no definitive period after hope. It is always an expression of what is yet to be, even if seen in a glass darkly. We're not just commas anymore."
MY THOUGHTS
Forever, the sign of Christianity has been the cross. But, I love the fact my church uses punctuation to symbolize things too.
I LOVE punctuation. I love sociolinguistics, if I were to go back and get a second bachelors degree it would be in sociolinguistics. I am a fan of slang, punctuation, emoji, and just the general evolution of our language. I think its important. I am thrilled that my church feels the same.
There are a few more punctuation marks that I would like to briefly talk about, because they hold special significance to me.
The Ampersand. The Ampersand reminds us that you can be more than one thing. It reminds me that I CAN be a writer, a librarian, a friend, a girlfriend & more. I don't have to be just one thing.
The Semi-Colon. The Semi-Colon tells us not to stop, but to take a breath, and move on. To end one thing, and then start something new.
Punctuation goes beyond grammar. Beyond what we learned in elementary school. And I'm glad that its not just me who thinks so.
"God is still speaking! God is a god of thunder and wind and rain. But we also know that God speaks in a still small voice whenever and wherever hearts are open and there is a cry for justice. That experience of a still speaking God, addressed by our denomination's identity materials, has given the United Church of Christ an unusual brand: the comma! Of course, that comes from the Gracie Allen quote, "Never place a period where God has placed a comma."
The good news is we are not uni-punctuational. Just as Elijah experienced God in a new voice on that mountaintop, there is more than one punctuation mark that might express how we feel about this still speaking God.
The question mark is always a faithful witness to every question we ask from the heart in our seeking and wondering. We express joy and emphasis with exclamation points, and parentheses embrace us, not as an afterthought, but as an included part of the story. There's the greater than mark, which calls us all into communities that make us part of something larger than ourselves.
We are the way we communicate; we are how we express our best thoughts and hopes as the church of Jesus Christ. We are Christians looking ahead to a new century unfolding before us.
In this new century, God will have more surprises, more punctuation and more evidence of the genuine promise and hope that the Gospel offers all of us. There is no definitive period after hope. It is always an expression of what is yet to be, even if seen in a glass darkly. We're not just commas anymore."
MY THOUGHTS
Forever, the sign of Christianity has been the cross. But, I love the fact my church uses punctuation to symbolize things too.
I LOVE punctuation. I love sociolinguistics, if I were to go back and get a second bachelors degree it would be in sociolinguistics. I am a fan of slang, punctuation, emoji, and just the general evolution of our language. I think its important. I am thrilled that my church feels the same.
There are a few more punctuation marks that I would like to briefly talk about, because they hold special significance to me.
The Ampersand. The Ampersand reminds us that you can be more than one thing. It reminds me that I CAN be a writer, a librarian, a friend, a girlfriend & more. I don't have to be just one thing.
The Semi-Colon. The Semi-Colon tells us not to stop, but to take a breath, and move on. To end one thing, and then start something new.
Punctuation goes beyond grammar. Beyond what we learned in elementary school. And I'm glad that its not just me who thinks so.
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