THEOLOGICAL CLUE

Churches in the Northern Hemisphere will be acutely aware of the fact that the Eighth Sunday after Pentecost will occur in late summer. Many pastors will be deeply concerned about attendance and stewardship in their congregations if they themselves are not on vacation. At the same time, it is only a month to Labor Day, the beginning of school, Rally Day, and all of those other activities which return life, including "church life," to normal, once more. In all of this, the kerygmatic "noises" of the church year, quietly announcing the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, as well as the promise of his coming again, tend to diminish even more. Deep into the season after Pentecost (about one third of the season/cycle will be completed today), it might seem that new life is…