Eric’s Sunday Sermon; I Heard It Through the Grapevine, Gossip

Now clearly that title of gossip is inspired in part by the iconic song by Creedence. But it brings us to a lesson about gossip I hope we can learn together here. Gossip is not wrong as gossip. I love it when folks gossip about me. Bring on the gossip. It means that by gossip I matter.

Those there folks think I am important enough to gossip about. Now gossip means to have; casual or unconstrained conversation or reports about other people, typically involving details that are not confirmed as being true. (You know that is off the stuff that comes up first when asking for a definition)

Oh my have I been fodder for gossip. Just fairly recently I was a very handsome buffed out dude and preacher man and Sunday school teacher. Those ladies in the third row would have their day with me. Blue haired, white haired and wigs. Spinsters, and widows. Can you imagine a married man like that with a beautiful wife? A little past half his age as an immigrant.

Fast forward to the PTA and an elder gentlemen with a 7 year old son on the council of the school. Oh Lordy have mercy when his 40 year old wife looking 30 came around dressed to the nine’s. Is there anything better to gossip about?

And never forget about a family of origin having 6 kids and their spouses and a second marriage of their youngest to a gal he met in Saigon.

Fast forward again and a 17 year marriage with a child and all that stuff like a big house and two cars and a garage stuffed with cool stuff. And add to that a husband who makes a living at home writing and a househusband. The family gossip is off the charts.

Now I count my lucky stars they talk more about me than anyone else. I could go on and on but you get the point. And now that crazy thing called Facebook. Throw in some cancer and an older life of globetrotting. Heck if you do not gossip about me you need to check your gossip meter.

Go ahead and laugh and tell your spouse about this crazy old man that acts 30 and wastes his doctorate away with happiness and love that is suspicious in authenticity. Oops you would be gossiping.

Now the Bible in Proverbs really gets down on gossip, like it will send you to hell. Yikes!! Gossip is like a sin? I am not buying that rap. You flatter me by gossiping about me. Truth be damned. Oh heck tell lies. Oh heck tell rumors. Right on for your group. I am having fun and a big old love fest. I go up and hug one of those old gals with blue hair and they are all the twitter. And so much more to gossip about. I would much rather that they gossip than sitting around watching TV which they gossip about too.

I am real and I am worth gossiping about. My wife loves it. She catches some and relates it and we laugh to hard. We are best friends and lovers. We are commited and know each other’s sins. Tell truth that my wife and son gossip about me being a strange person. And even our little family of five gossip about each other.

Now neighbors are so cool. My wife and I have Asian, Irish and Italian in our blood. We do not yell and scream, we yell and scream real loud. It might only be about spending our pennies on something. But that is us. My young son laughs too hard. But we leave windows and door open. Deary me the neighbors love it.

In my previous life with my now ex-wife we lived in a small place with stairs to the Pacific ocean surrounded by multi-million dollar homes. Because of our location in spite of our small place the land was worth over a million bucks. But the Sheriff would drop by to check on us in the beginning. Three kids and yelling and screaming. Neighbors were concerned. But my kids would run out and hug the deputies as I taught them great respect for the lawmen. Later on they would turn their lights on and come in for coffee. What great food for gossip. They just loved our view and my astoundingly beautiful wife who flirted. Can you imagine what the neighbors thought?

I litigated tough cases. Like murder charges. I usually got horrible people off or to lesser charges. What a rascal I was with respect from some and hate from others. Around the local bars you could see the stares and nasty nods. What fun it was as my buddies would laugh at me. Great stuff for professional gossip.

Too much fun around here. Although My knee From Soccer Hurts.

So we get to love. Now because someone says something auspicious of you, you still must love them. The best thing in the world is to walk up to someone talking smack about you and hugging them. Do not worry they will just think you are drunk no matter how sober you are. But if someone likes to gossip they are not loved enough. Probably they have contempt in their heart. Just think how sad that is.

These folks need more love than you or I. And we can give it to them.

Like this. If you are living life so fully that there is cause to talk about you, you are on a pedestal of envy. We must think of that. People who gossip need our attention and our good graces. If you have the time and energy to gossip you do not have a full life yourself. You and I should not have time to gossip. Although I think it is fun to gossip, it is very low on my schedule of loving life. I sympathize and empathize with gossipers.

My all happy friends and I hug in both senses of the verb. We just get happy being with each other. But we might gossip.

Somewhere it is written that our greatest teacher dropped in on some men who were going to stone a lady to death. He spoke to them that whoever was without their own sin should cast the first stone. By golly jingles they all walked away. Gossip is fun for shucks and giggles but no more.

Did I just gossip about hypocrites? And yet I am one. Sit around that table and gossip I say. I hope it is about me. What greater compliment is there? But be aware I will come over and give you a hug and lift your spirit. My gossip is that you need some love. And I act on it. You need some loving if you gossip.

Someone hates me and speaks maliciously about me. I need to find that SOB and give him a hug. From my perspective that is not a choice but a command of my life. I would even hope that you do hate this sermon. But let me know so I can hug you. I will respect you and I will love you. That is my calling. Judging your gossip is not my calling. Loving you is. Laugh and talk about me. I would appreciate it and love you for it. Now go and gossip about yourself, I will listen in love.