This week there are no doubt many preachers trying to figure out how to deal with Sunday. It is the Seventh Sunday of Easter. It also happens to be two other things: the Sunday after the Ascension and Mother’s Day.

To the church, it is Easter 7.

This isn’t to say that people in church shouldn’t be thinking of Mother’s Day. But that isn’t a church holiday. I’m all for dealing with cultural holidays in the context of church. This is just one (like our patriotic days, btw) that gets out of hand. White carnations for Mom’s are OK. I just don’t see how it relates to the gospel.

And perhaps more challenging is that the Ascension is kind of a big deal. It is one of the 7 principal feasts in the church. And like the Epiphany and Holy Week, we tend to ignore what can’t be celebrated on a Sunday. So many will be compelled to observe the Ascension on Sunday.

We won’t be. We observed it on the day (a link to the sermon audio will be posted shortly).

I’m not a snob about this, really. There is a place for all of this. Our problem is that we are inclined to put things in the wrong place. This Sunday’s gospel takes center stage this Sunday. Everything else can take its place accordingly.