What an intese couple of days. Yesterday, our group went to þingvellir, as Kjerstin eloquently described. It was my task (thanks to Prof. Giere's appointment with friends in the Faroe Islands and thus his absence at þingvellir and thanks, as well, to a coin toss) to preach a brief sermon in þingvallakirkja, a 150-year-old church in one of Iceland's most sacred sites. It was, I have to admit, a huge honor to have this opportunity, but at the same time, it was a monumental responsibility. Not that preaching God's Word isn't always a monumental responsibility, but I definitely felt the pressure this time more than usual.
To add to the stress, I found out 17 hours before the sermon was meant to begin that Iceland and the US attend to different lectionaries. The sermon I had been cooking up in my head corresponded to an entirely different set of texts. Oy gevalt! I spent about 12 of those 17 hours stewing over what to write, beginning sermons only to scrap in frustration, praying the whole time, "Veni, Sancte Spiritus!" After literally 2 dozen or more attempts running late into the night, I finally gave up, went to bed and began afresh the next morning. At 6 a.m. I finally found a bit of inspiration and just went for it. I don't think it was "good," in the classic sense, but at least it was heart-felt and quite literally the best I could do under the circumstances.
Once the sermon was over, I felt as though a thousand-pound weight had been lifted off, so I was able to enjoy all of the awesome things Kjerstin described in her blog entry. The only thing I would add to her version of the story is that we were guided by Hregviđur (Hreggi) Norđdahl, my "Host Father," who is a research geologist at the Univerity. There's nothing quite like being guided by an expert in the field! What a blessed day!
To add to the stress, I found out 17 hours before the sermon was meant to begin that Iceland and the US attend to different lectionaries. The sermon I had been cooking up in my head corresponded to an entirely different set of texts. Oy gevalt! I spent about 12 of those 17 hours stewing over what to write, beginning sermons only to scrap in frustration, praying the whole time, "Veni, Sancte Spiritus!" After literally 2 dozen or more attempts running late into the night, I finally gave up, went to bed and began afresh the next morning. At 6 a.m. I finally found a bit of inspiration and just went for it. I don't think it was "good," in the classic sense, but at least it was heart-felt and quite literally the best I could do under the circumstances.
Once the sermon was over, I felt as though a thousand-pound weight had been lifted off, so I was able to enjoy all of the awesome things Kjerstin described in her blog entry. The only thing I would add to her version of the story is that we were guided by Hregviđur (Hreggi) Norđdahl, my "Host Father," who is a research geologist at the Univerity. There's nothing quite like being guided by an expert in the field! What a blessed day!
Our dinner at Fjöruborđiđ ("Crazy Lobster" or something like that, I guess) was beyond exquisite. By the time I walked home from Gunnar & Thora's I was utterly spent.Today we visited the University of Iceland's Theology Department, where we met a bunch of the Theology faculty and met (and re-met) a few of the students. We also attended a lecture by Dr. Olson about pre-marital counseling. It was thought-provoking for me on a number of levels. Maybe I'll blog about that later.
After lunch we went to the Pearl. Most of the gang went out on the roof for a view of the city. I'm extremely afraid of heights and had to skedaddle back indoors after only a few seconds. We went to the Saga Museum on the ground floor (much to my satisfaction), which was a lot of fun.
Some of us then went downtown, and some of us went to the mall in search of yarn. Long story. After that, we had dinner with the local deans in this area of Iceland. After all the visiting today, I am once again completely knackered and ready to turn in. Tomorrow we meet with someone in the Bishop (of Iceland)'s office, and I'm sure Gunnar has a great deal of stuff in store for us. In the meantime, off to Sleepyland.
God of the universe and God among us, we give you thanks again for your gifts of natural beauty, for your grace and for cultivating graciousness in your people. Continue to bless this place and those who make it their home, just as you bless those of us who come to enjoy it as guests. In Christ's name we pray. Amen.
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