I’m back from a lovely vacation.  Thank you for the time off.  Jim and I spent two weeks in Venice, Florence, and Rome and a third week in London.  We saw amazing art, went to the opera, had a marvelous time everywhere and took a bunch of pictures, but I most wanted to share the one above with you.

I’m standing in front of a Unitarian church we happened to walk by in the Islington neighborhood of London.  The name of the church is Unity, but you can see the name Unitarian near my right hand, and the chalice at the center.  On the left you’ll also see the date of the founding of the church, 1667.  

It looks like I’m dressed for church, but actually this was a Tuesday evening and we were going to the theater, a few blocks away.  But what’s the difference?  A Sunday worship service is a kind of theater, and what I enjoy about theater:  the art, the ideas, the emotions, the community, are what I enjoy about worship, too.  This blurring of work and play, time away from home and work and finding that home and work have followed you wherever you go, and then bringing a piece of your time away back home with you again, is what I plan to preach about this Sunday.