And sez John, "Welcome in, Everybody.
Readings:
Proverbs 8, 22-31, I was his delight day by day playing before him all the while. ( A Good One )
Psalm 8, You have made him little less than the angels ( A beautiful Psalm )
John 16, 12-15, I have much more to tell you.
And Geri, too, tells everybody, "Hurry up and get in before it rains again."
A Metaphor of Life, The Icy Straight Point Zip Line
Anybody know what a zip line it? Ever ridden one?
For those unfamiliar with a zip line, it is a cable strung between two tree tops or multiple tree tops. A rider gets into a harness, hooks onto the cable, steps out, and rides the cable to the next tree top.
Claire & Patricia, What are you two cooking up?
The one Rosemary & I took some years ago was outside Ashville, SC. We were there to celebrate the wedding of Lori Bayer. This zip line crossed a valley and involved landing 4-5 times on platforms set up in trees along the way. Great fun.
There is another zip line. The Mother of all zip Lines. Guess where. Yep, Alaska. Specifically on an island inhabited by the Tlilgit Indian tribe, an island called Icy Straight Point. The Indians are mining gold today from their welcoming tourists.
Who let you out on the streets this morning, Mike?
Why the Mother of all Zip Lines? In the whole world it is the longest and the highest, over one mile long with no stops from start to finish. Instead of one cable, six, with six riders simultaneously. How long to cover the mile from the top of the mountain to the base? About one minute! Figure out how fast this is? Yep! 60 mph.
Our cruise ship the Orion with 900 passengers, moored at their dock one morning. Unfortunately, it was rainy & chilly. So Rosemary decided to take a guided trip to watch some bears. It was not that either one of us was interested in riding the zip line with such weather. I was just hanging around when 15 minutes later the sun came out and the rain stopped. I had to go. It was the last bus load up the mountain.
Would somebody please go sit with John?
It was so worth it, including the price of ca. $150. I’ve never parachuted, but it must be similar. The attendants buckled me into no. 4, my 5 companions all seemed ready, the guys said, “Here you go,” The gates swung open, we were pushed from behind, and I was flying down my cable so fast I stuck out my hands like wings, and started laughing almost hysterically.
Jan, watch that Denni closely or she'll be putting extra bread in her purse for snacks during Mass. Just like the kids.
Why talk about a zip line in a Sunday homily? This world class zip line is a metaphor for our lives.
First, there is overwhelming beauty. Every day we encounter and are surrounded by beauty, the beauty of nature, the beauty of human creativity, the beauty of people, big as well as little ones. Look at Georgie & Buddy, Zoe and Tori.
This is a shout out for Rick. He needs a kidney transplant, Blood type O negative. Please spread the word.
Like my minute on the zip line, our lives, too, go by with enormous speed. Before I knew it, I’m almost 80 years old.
Finally, the exhilaration at the end of the ride. I was so high when I stepped out of that harness and so was everyone in my group.
How is your life like a one mile long Indian zip line?
The Best Music in town, Shonda, Ben, & David.