Trinity-Summer Time.

This time of the year in Sweden the evenings are long and bright and there are flowers in bloom everywhere. Even in church at the alter you can see the green color that is prevalent this time of the year. It is the color of Trinity that is the name and the period in church from June far into the fall.

Trinity I would say is ”vardagstider”- THE ORDINARY DAYS IN THE CHURCH- The big days of celebration- Christmas, Easter and Pentecost are in the past. Trinity is a time when the bible texts want to help us grow as individuals. It is sort of a walk with God through life, through ordinary simple days. The texts in our services deal with themes like: Not to judge one another, how we ought to live and  behave, lost and found, solidarity with our fellow human beings.

In the world of the church just as in our private lives we can not just have parties, live in a festive mood. We must live our ordinary lives. But it is also true that festivities and celebrations give us strength to live the ordinary days.

I want to share a poem with you. It is a poem that I found 20 years ago in a magazine.

It is written by Nadine Stair, then 85 years old- from Louisville, Kentucky.

The title is: If I had my life to live over again.

If I had my life to live over again, I´d dare to make more mistakes next time.

I´d relax. I´d limber up. I´d be sillier than I´ve been this trip.

I would take fewer things seriously.

I would take more chances. I would eat more ice cream and less beans.

I would perhaps have more actual troubles but fewer imaginary ones.

You see, I´m one of those people who was sensible and sane, hour after hour, day after day.

Oh, I´ve had my moments. If I had to do it over again, I´d have more of them.

In fact , I´d try to have nothing else- just moments, one after another, instead of living so many years ahead of each day.

I´ve been one of those persons who never goes anywhere without a thermometer, a hot-water bottle, a raincoat, and a parachute.

If I could do it again, I would travel lighter than I have.

If I had to live my life over. I would start barefoot earlier in the spring, and stay that way later in the fall.                                                                                                                                             I would go to more dances,

I would ride more merry-go-rounds.

I would pick more daisies.

God bless you all during this Trinity-Summer Time./ Gun Kemperyd Olson ( Chair of The International Church of Stockholm)

Amen

Previous  Sermons:

-Sunday before Pentecost