This week when I was researching Paul at the Areopagus I found several references to Socrates.  Being totally ignorant of this Greek philosopher I did a bit of quick online stuff to find out a bit more about him.

Yesterday and today I've been doing some research for our new Theological Reflection group, due to start in a couple of weeks, and blow me, if the books I've bought on the subject requested don't start talking about Socrates.

The two connections are, independently, appropriate, but I wouldn't have imagined meeting both in the same week.

I'm not planning on talking about Socrates in either context but it was a little curious.

Related to my last post, I wonder how many people when they read the Bible are aware of the characters ageing processes?  Do we notice that Moses or Daniel (to name but two) get to be old men before a lot of the exciting stuff happens - how many old guys do you know of who spend nights in lions' dens?  Do we inadvertently perpetuate a cult of youth or deny the inevitability of growing older because we fear we will drive away the few youthful folk we have?  Do we dis-empower or excuse from activity anyone over 35 because we fail to recognise that many, maybe most, were older before God called them?  And what might that say to those who bemoan the greyness of Baptist ministry (hey, I'm only 47 I'm really quite young!).  It's not that we don't don't need young ministers, we absolutely do, but we need also to recognise that growing older is not a reason to exclude or opt out.

I have a feeling that as life expectancies in the west have increased, and the age of majority has crept generally higher (it was around 12 in Jesus' day) we have come to see the Bible characters as younger than relatively (or even literally) they were.  That and the fact that we can move on thirty years in a few pages with minimal dating clues for our 21st century minds to recognise.

Those of us who preach maybe have a responsibility to think a bit more about the ages (actual and relative) of the characters in the stories we employ so that we don't portray either perpetual youth or relentless antiquity, neither of which is valid or helpful.

Yesterday I read through Acts 28 ahead of next week's service preparation on Paul in Rome.  I was struck by the fact that when he could no longer go to the people, he inivted the people to come to him.  This seems to suggest a ministry of/by 'shut-ins' rather than a ministry to them.  Granted Paul was not frail elderly (though he must have been into his fifites, some writers suggest early sixties, which was a good age back then) but his open-house approach is something that I suspect many could emulate.  What if rather than Roman guards it was carers and home-helps who happened to overhear talk of faith, Bible study or prayer?  What if the neighbours were invited in for coffee and genuine conversation on big questions?  My experience down south, and that of my friend who is an older people's specialist minister, is that 'ultimate questions' which often weigh heavy in the minds of older folk can best be discussed with other older folk who are, as the old hymn says 'ready to rest.'

Being shut-in rather than an excuse to opt out is a different opportunity to opt in.  Something of this will find its way into next week's sermon I think.

Yesterday I was working on my service based on Acts 17 and Paul at the Areopagus.  This whole little series has been fun to prepare and has given me time to think a bit more about the possible way in which the early church emerged.  If, as the commentaries and timelines I'm working with suggest, Paul reaches Athens around 20 years after the events that occurred for Peter in Joppa and Ceasarea, this will be a significantly different church than the one then.  For example, as I will note on Sunday, a whole generation will have have grown up since Jesus' Ascension - eyewitnesses are less and less part of the 'norm.'  Lots to ponder.  Overnight it struck me I needed to check the suggested dates for Acts to cross check if this stacked up... it seems it does, phew!

I did wonder, though, if I was having just too much fun when I'd glanced up from my computer to discovered that it was 6:35 p.m. and I'd been typing away for about four hours...  Just hope the final, edited sermon (it is currently way too long) makes sense and justifies the fun I've had along the way.

Last night I was at a planning meeting for the joint churches evening services, which went really well.  One of the ideas, something that's been done here before, is to take the evening service folk out to support a small congregation elsewhere, offering to lead worship and provide a joint choir.  I flippantly observed, given the date this will hopefully occur (26th Sept), that we were having 'Out From Church Sunday' rather than 'Back To Church Sunday'.  I think ours sounds more missional ;-))