| +Hartley - May, 2010 |
As we prepare for Synod, I ventured into my archives of writings and stumbled on an old piece I wrote in
2005, about the of the UHK. It dawned on me that now would be a good time to re-present it. I, who am
privileged to lead the church at some point set foot in the halls of the UHK. As we await Synod’s arrival,
we share this article with you again.
A few years ago, I heard a sermon in Washington D.C . about this University. If you did not listen
carefully you would have thought it was an institution placed on the grassy hills of the countryside. It
was not, but it is an existing institution that lies in the path of all who are privileged to be alive. The UHK
needs no special qualifications to enter, or a waiting list, neither is there a graduation date set,.
Professors are not hired, there is no tuition, neither do you have to wait nervously for the postman to
arrive with that long awaited letter from its Board of Admissions accepting or denying your application.
The UHK accepts everyone, there are no rejections about.
Everyone in hi life meets the curriculum of the UHK. You do not look to find its doors, it finds you and
bids you enter. It is a place where life's struggles, pain and even death is abound. The UHK brings to
you the battles of life, in some cases they never go away. Even the lottery winner will enter the UHK,
worried about the taxes he will pay from his unexpected lofty winnings.
The UHK has only one course. It is called Life Saddled With Many Addendums. Every aspect of your
journey is touched by this course. The heartbreak of failed marriages, the destruction of lives brought
on by gangs and violence, the troublesome acts of governments that will send our young people off to
a war in places they never heard of and where many die and return to their families in neatly flag draped
body coffins and body bags; the ongoing burden of finances brought on by the ever increasing
economics of daily living. Within the family home ,the UHK enters, quarrels, disputes that sometimes
ends with tragic results, bringing acts of despair, even untimely death.
Why then will anyone enter the UHK? In a manner of speaking, there is not much of a choice.Daily
struggles give a wondering thought that troubles may never end, as life’s continued woes keep
popping up. There is no retreat, the UHK will never close its doors.
But, yet if you look closely, peering through the windows of the noisy halls of the UHK, there is hope
within all its drudgery. There are life lessons to be learned. Looking on the flip side of the UHK, it
teaches us to do better, learn from our mistakes, breath new life into our personal future, and move
away from old things and begin anew. Some pray for graduation, by asking God, "Why me? What have I
done wrong? How can I get out of my situation? Why my children are not more obedient? Why can’t this
war come to an end?" There are a thousand questions a day, but we stay on the rolls of the UHK.
Perhaps, if prayer was not removed from schools!
Perhaps, if famiies went to church and dined at the dinner table together!
Perhaps, if mothers did not take their 13 year old daughters to the doctor for birth control pills!
Perhaps, if fathers spent more time with their sons!
The UHK would falter in admission.
The UHK has been around, and will be for more centuries, as long as there is life. If in our journies of
life we take a good look at ourselves not asking, "Why me?", but making an effort to improve our lives,
being the best we can be, we will find that while the UHK will not go away, life’s challenges and burdens
can be lifted. If we turn our lives over to God, He and He alone can put a damper on the rolls of the UHK.
As always,
Watch how you go.
+ Hartley, Archbishop ACW
The University of Hard Knocks (UHK) |
| Silent Sermon |
| +Hartley - May, 2010 |
As we prepare for Synod, I ventured into my archives of writings and stumbled on an old piece I wrote in
2005, about the of the UHK. It dawned on me that now would be a good time to re-present it. I, who am
privileged to lead the church at some point set foot in the halls of the UHK. As we await Synod’s arrival,
we share this article with you again.
A few years ago, I heard a sermon in Washington D.C . about this University. If you did not listen
carefully you would have thought it was an institution placed on the grassy hills of the countryside. It
was not, but it is an existing institution that lies in the path of all who are privileged to be alive. The UHK
needs no special qualifications to enter, or a waiting list, neither is there a graduation date set,.
Professors are not hired, there is no tuition, neither do you have to wait nervously for the postman to
arrive with that long awaited letter from its Board of Admissions accepting or denying your application.
The UHK accepts everyone, there are no rejections about.
Everyone in hi life meets the curriculum of the UHK. You do not look to find its doors, it finds you and
bids you enter. It is a place where life's struggles, pain and even death is abound. The UHK brings to
you the battles of life, in some cases they never go away. Even the lottery winner will enter the UHK,
worried about the taxes he will pay from his unexpected lofty winnings.
The UHK has only one course. It is called Life Saddled With Many Addendums. Every aspect of your
journey is touched by this course. The heartbreak of failed marriages, the destruction of lives brought
on by gangs and violence, the troublesome acts of governments that will send our young people off to
a war in places they never heard of and where many die and return to their families in neatly flag draped
body coffins and body bags; the ongoing burden of finances brought on by the ever increasing
economics of daily living. Within the family home ,the UHK enters, quarrels, disputes that sometimes
ends with tragic results, bringing acts of despair, even untimely death.
Why then will anyone enter the UHK? In a manner of speaking, there is not much of a choice.Daily
struggles give a wondering thought that troubles may never end, as life’s continued woes keep
popping up. There is no retreat, the UHK will never close its doors.
But, yet if you look closely, peering through the windows of the noisy halls of the UHK, there is hope
within all its drudgery. There are life lessons to be learned. Looking on the flip side of the UHK, it
teaches us to do better, learn from our mistakes, breath new life into our personal future, and move
away from old things and begin anew. Some pray for graduation, by asking God, "Why me? What have I
done wrong? How can I get out of my situation? Why my children are not more obedient? Why can’t this
war come to an end?" There are a thousand questions a day, but we stay on the rolls of the UHK.
Perhaps, if prayer was not removed from schools!
Perhaps, if famiies went to church and dined at the dinner table together!
Perhaps, if mothers did not take their 13 year old daughters to the doctor for birth control pills!
Perhaps, if fathers spent more time with their sons!
The UHK would falter in admission.
The UHK has been around, and will be for more centuries, as long as there is life. If in our journies of
life we take a good look at ourselves not asking, "Why me?", but making an effort to improve our lives,
being the best we can be, we will find that while the UHK will not go away, life’s challenges and burdens
can be lifted. If we turn our lives over to God, He and He alone can put a damper on the rolls of the UHK.
As always,
Watch how you go.
+ Hartley, Archbishop ACW
The University of Hard Knocks (UHK) |
| Silent Sermon |