I need a diversion from some other heavy work this weekend so I thought I would share a couple of lighter thoughts…

From MSN Lifestyle we have the 75 Best Dressed Men of All Time, and thanks to The Contemporary Calvinist we know that none other than John Calvin is number 52.  I tried to find a direct link to #52 but as far as I could find you need to click through the first 51 to get there.  So to save you the time of clicking through all that the citation says:

John Calvin, theologian Because the most famous minimalist in world history knew a man didn’t need expensive clothes or bright colors to convey authority. Black and white, worn with the requisite gravity, can be powerful and intimidating. Just look at the Secret Service. Or the Reservoir Dogs.

It is interesting to note that Calvin is the figure on the list who lived the longest ago, with the exception of the generic caveman that starts the list.  Almost everyone else on the list is “modern.”  It is also interesting that the only other religious figure on the list is the next one, #53, Malcolm X.  (And in an interesting and unrelated observation, Sean Connery makes it onto the list twice, once as himself (#13) and once as James Bond (#19).)  But from my knowledge of Calvin, I have to think that it would greatly disturb Mr. Calvin, the theologian who was so clear that it was not about him that he insisted on a secret grave, that he would be honored in this way.

One of the heavy tasks I began this weekend is to start work on my sermon for the Easter Sunrise Service.  It is not just the writing of the sermon itself but the fact that part of the sermon is to insist that in order for the resurrection to be exceedingly good news you have to deal honestly with the bad news of death.  Yes, this will probably not be your typical Easter sermon, but when did I do anything typical?

So related to that I see that a Vatican official, in a collection of advice on preparing homilies, suggests that homilies should be no longer than the eight minutes a person can focus their attention.  (Interesting that in all that advice, some if it like starting early in the week I could endorse, the 8 minute mark got the headlines.)  I know of few preachers who could regularly stop at this point but I have worked with a couple of pastor nominating committees who considered something only slightly longer than this a positive skill of a potential pastor.  And if you keep the length short, you don’t have to worry as much about the fine print in yesterday’s Beetle Bailey comic strip.

Now related to pastor searches I bring you a final lighter note for today… If you are not familiar with the blog Beaker Folk of Husborne Crawley you might be interested in the Archdruid Eileen’s commentary on their community life and religious perspective.  It provides a humourous look at religions in general and organized religion in particular.  With a hat tip to Ruth Gledhill, here is one of my favorites from the blog, a job posting:

Situations Vacant — The Dispersed Communities of Spalding

The Dispersed Communities of Spalding are looking for a male or female druid with vision, capable of leading our communities forward into new challenges.

We are a group of 12 Beaker communities scattered across the hamlets to the east of Spalding.  

Well, when we say communities, strictly speaking four of these communities have only one member each and there’s only twenty-three of us in total. But we are dedicated to keeping true to our roots.  Which is why we insist on worshiping only each within our own Moot Houses, coming together only for the annual Falling Out ceremony where we remember why we don’t get together any more often.

In order to help our communities to reach out to the people in the Spalding area, the new druid must be capable of vision, bringing forward radical ideas to transform the way we “do community”.  Which we will ignore.  They must be capable of relating easily with the young, teenagers, the old and the middle aged.  They will be up to date with the very latest ideas in Beaker Worship, but still willing to keep on with the same old pebbles and tea lights regardless.  

They must be good at dealing with frustration, and able to keep their thoughts very much to themselves.

A gifted evangelist and strategist, the main role for the new druid will be to try to work out how to raise the funds to patch up the roofs of 12 Moot Houses, all of which are in dire states of repair.  The boilers have gone in 6 as well.  The new druid must be able to inspire a giving attitude amongst our Folk, without at any point ever mentioning money.  It tends to depress us.

We are a modern and equal-opportunities group of fellowships, and will welcome the right druid, regardless of marital status, sexuality and gender, as long as his wife is good  at baking cakes and they have a couple of kids.