Its been a quiet week along the Lake in Sheboygan.

Mrs. Schwartenbach called her church’s Martha Circle, of which she is a member, secretary in fact, that there was a great sale on at the local Pick ‘N Save: Buy a half of ham and get a free turkey, a dozen eggs, and some breakfast sausage. “I got all that for a mere $14.00,” she giggled.  Gladys Dorfmulder asked her what she, a widow, was going to do with all that food, since she hardly cooks anymore and eats her meals at the Senior Center.

“Well, Gladys, I’m going to ask my sons and their families over for Thanksgiving this year.  I bought the food and they can cook it right here in my kitchen and we don’t need to go out to the Buffet at that Golf Course. Plus, I can show the girls how to make good gravy and not something out of a jar.”

“Making it from scratch is the best,” insisted Gladys, ” because convenience foods just make the younger women lazy.”

A similar conversation was happening around the corner table at Jume’s Diner.  There, by the life-size poster of James Dean, were Pastor Smoot and Father McMann stirring their coffee. They watched the newly ordained Rev. Jenkins walk in and motioned him over to sit with them.

“What’s up, guys?” asked Rev. Jenkins as he took off his black leather jacket and draped over the back of the chair.

“We are here to discuss what new thing we can develop in our Thanksgiving sermons this year,” bemoaned Rev Smoot.

“Hey guys,” Jenkins said,  “check out the internet. Loads of sermons online. Don’t you subscribe to the “Preachers Saturday Night Special?”

Father McMann perked up. “Sermon subscriptions? Is that like my “Homily Helps” magazine put out by the Jesuits?”

“Man, get into the digital age!  No need for magazines and paper.  You can copy and paste tons of great sermons onto your Microsoft Word page and print it out.  Very cool, and very time saving,” said Jenkins as he ordered his coffee with soy milk.

“I can’t believe you use canned sermons!  You have to work the Text of Scripture and make it your own message,” challenged Pastor Smoot.

“But there is nothing new under the sun, according to Ecclesiastes. So, why not borrow similar ideas you may come up with after hours of pondering in the rectory. I could use some help since priests are not known for being great preachers,” said Father McMann.

Rev. Jenkins leaned over the table and asked, “Do you bake a potato in the oven for an hour or put one in the microwave for 8 minutes? Either way it comes out a potato ready to eat, right?

“Fast food sermons, I think are unhealthy. I like a “crock pot” approach to feeding the flock.  It has to simmer slowly in my mind and heart until it is delicious to deliver,” countered Rev. Smoot.

Father McMann, senior among the clergy took a sip from his coffee and said, “The way I see it I have to preach a message out of MY experience with the Word. What am I thankful for this year?  What about the Lord makes me grateful? Where do I see his Grace active in our city and world? Those homilies in the magazine I get often leave me as inspired as a Jew being served pork sausage at the YMCA pancake breakfast.  Let’s just avoid the cliche’s of Pilgrims and Politics and lift people up to the Lord.”

“There’s a sermon in there somewhere,” said Rev. Jenkins

“Thanks Father McMann,” said Pastor Smoot.  ” The coffee’s on me this time. Thank God it wasn’t INSTANT!”