2015 Festival Journal - Just Arrived

Festival of Homiletics, 2015 – Denver Colorado.

My favorite annual continuing education event is called the Festival or Homiletics (which is fancy talk for preaching)  And each year I write reflections on the event.  It is an amazing experience.  I hope through this journal, you might see why.

Day One

After much ado about traveling, I arrived in Denver a little ahead of schedule.  Get this, I left Indy at 2:15pm and arrived in Denver at 3:00pm, wow that’s fast. OK, a two hour time difference, but still.  Going home on Friday will be very slow, by contrast.

The big struggle about traveling to Denver is that the airport is a long way from the city.  And no Denver hotel runs a shuttle to the airport, just isn’t cost effective, I was told. So, taxi, city bus, or super shuttle.  Super Shuttle sounded right up my alley, so I got a ticket and went to where I was told.  Along with a lot of other people who didn’t have a clue what was going on.  Waiting and waiting, shuttles came and went.  Waiting and waiting some more.  Super shuttle one arrived and drove way to the other end of the island we were on.  Traffic island, Denver isn’t on the coast.  Super Shuttle number two came and when we lined up, most of us were told wrong shuttle, he was going to Bolder.  Nice town Bolder, but not on my itinerary.  Finally a lady in a super shuttle came and asked who was going downtown Denver.  I said I was and she looked at my ticket.  You’re not downtown, she said.  That was my first indication that something was wrong.  The driver said, but he’s on my list.  So, I got in the black unmarked SUV.  I felt like a politician or something driving an unmarked car into town.

Got to my hotel to find out that it wasn’t within walking distance of the venues for the festival.  And I like to walk a lot.  I was pretty bummed about it all and resolved to have a terrible time.  Then I discover that the hotel has an hourly shuttle that goes to the sites, free of charge.  OK, better, but still too limiting.  Grump, grump, grump.

Then I rushed in for the first session.  Almost missing the start time because of having to wait for the shuttle (both the airport one and the hotel one!).  And by almost missing I mean not being at least an hour early, like I prefer!

The opening session is usually something significant, powerful and this year did not disappoint.  Nadia Boltz-Weber is an edgy Lutheran pastor here in Denver who is breaking molds all over the place, even while she claims a tradition that is ancient and postmodern at the same time.  She and her husband and a musician friend named Kent Gustavson composed what they called a Bluegrass Eucharist.  It was fun and lively and foot-stompin’ good.  But would take the right kind of musicians to pull it off.

As usual, though, my favorite part was the sermon.  Nadia preached on the text where Jesus came in from Capernaum and asked the disciples what they were talking about and they were embarrassed because they has been talking about who was the best.  So Jesus grabbed a child and said whoever welcomes one such as this welcomes me.  A text we all knew and had all preached.  And for a while she took a fairly typical approach about hospitality and welcoming the stranger and she affirmed all those meanings.  

But then she paused and said but I wonder if tonight we need to hear something different.  Over 1800 preachers had gathered for this week here in Denver.  And most of us were worn out trying to do too much and feeling guilty about what wasn’t done or wasn’t appreciated.  So, she says what if tonight this isn’t about hospitality, about welcoming anyone, but was about being the child.

What if we were able to rest in Jesus arms and that he was willing, because he is willing, to love us even when we don’t or don’t know how to love him back.  What if, like children in Jesus day, we weren’t valued because we were cute and cuddly and were marginalized and only valued for what we might someday be able to produce, basically replacement parts for adults, and yet we were loved by Him?  What if we knew, really knew that we don’t have to earn that love or be worthy of that love, it was just given?  

When I left the service and called the shuttle for a ride back, I realized that I hadn’t eaten since breakfast.  Nothing was open in the section of downtown where I was, well nothing I could get a take home bag from in the few minutes before my ride would arrive.  So, I went back to the hotel, only to find the restaurant there was closing.  We had passed a Dollar Store on the way, so I set out.  Only about a mile away, it turned out.  I got there and got a few things and walked back.  

While I walked on tired feet through an industrial/railroad area of town where the hotel was, my daughter texted from home.  They couldn’t get the internet to work, and then the tv in her room wouldn’t turn on and they were asking me, some 800 miles away to trouble shoot.  I finally gave up when every suggestion I had was met with a “tried that. Nope” response.  Told her to go watch TV in the main room.  At that moment as I was walking past one business their sprinklers turned on and I was tired and sore and now wet too.

And loved.  That was the point.  Loved in spite of, loved through it all, loved.  Somewhere in the night, it all turned around and I’m having the time of my life.  As I usually do here at the Festival of Homiletics.  

And just wait until you hear what happened the next day!

Shalom,

Derek