It's a public holiday today! Thank God. I mean that, I thank God. The weekend that's been has been pretty tough. Mostly I spent the time in an empty house trying to find a sermon to preach on Sunday night.

I've never seen the house so empty as it was over this past weekend. I saw Martin and Matt for 10 minutes on Friday and that was it. No-one. No one else slept in the house till last night. There were tumbleweeds in our lounge room and cobwebs on every chair but mine at the dinner table. Normally this emptiness would be fantastic. I know I live in "Community". But being an introvert the idea of a whole weekend in a Community House with no Community in it is a marvelous one. I was intending on writing my sermon on Friday, then spending all Saturday to enjoy the quietness and the ability to walk around with no clothes on and pee with the door open. But the sermon wouldn't come. Not on Friday and not on Saturday.

On Saturday night I went and saw the CCC production of 3rd Day which was fun. But I had to go home to keep writing sermon. I can tell you by that stage I was starting to get pretty angry at God. I wanted to go out to dinner with friends in Dee Why, but no, I had to go sit in a cold, dark, communitiless house and tap out the ministry of the Word. I was ready to pull out a Psalm of lament and use it on His Eternalness. "My God, My God, why haven't you forsaken me?" Can't I have a long weekend like everyone else! I thought Easter was meant be a religious holiday but it's only people who work in religion who are working. I'm waiting for our pluralist society to start taking public holidays for solstices and Buddha Days, then I might actually get a day off, 'cause I ain't preaching about Buddha's resurrection, I can tell you that.

Anyway, the sermon didn't actually finish coming together till 6pm yesterday. Half an hour before show time. But I was happy with it. And this end of the sermon, I think it's worth the sacrifice. It is a privilege even if it hurts my brain and recreational life.

Yesterday afternoon I went out with Jo and Hannah for some family Easter excitement. Jo busted Hannah out of respite and brought her to meet me. We went off to McDonald's. It was nice, if you ignore the McDonald's bit. Jo helped me find my last illustration for the sermon. She suggested talking about the outing we were in the middle of, and it turned out to be a winner. Thanks Jo.

And while I'm on it, I just want to publicly correct what I said last night. When I preached I may have given everyone the impression that Hannah lives in an institution. She doesn't. She was just staying in respite for the weekend while Mum and Dad are in Vanuatu. My little sister lives with my parents. And they love her very much.

Hopefully that clears things up a little.

Anyway, today I slept in. I celebrated the end of Lent by buying some CDs. I had a beer with Phil. This is the joy of not having sermon to write.