Sermon struggles

I'm meant to be writing a sermon this morning. Sometimes that's an easy task, but on occasions like today, I just don't know where to begin.
I've been given the story of Jesus healing a woman in the synagogue on the sabbath, to the indignation of the religious types, who think that he's making a point against them. "There are six days on which he could do a miracle!" the protest, "Why does he have to do it on the sabbath?"
Jesus in reply calls them hypocrites, says, that even on the sabbath they look after their animals, leading them out for water and so on, so shouldn't they look after their people as well? What sort of religion is it that cares for rules more than people?
Mine, I suppose.
Rules are easy and safe. You know where you are with rules.
Yep, I like rules. Do this, do that. If x happens, don't do y. Easy.
Much better than the horrible feeling of "Did I say the wrong thing? Have I offended her? Did I misunderstand what he was saying?"
But I can't stand up and say that. Play safe! Rules are easy.
So what can I say?
There's always recent experience to draw on - have I had an experience recently that's relevant that I can bring in?
Errrrrrr ... nope.
What books have I been reading?
Aha! I've just finished Graham Poll's book, Seeing Red. All about a football referee.
There must be something in that.
Something about applying the rules but knowing when to break them? Something about rules being a good servant but a bad master? Poor old Graham Poll will always be remembered for making a mistake - showing three yellow cards to a player before sending him off. Like a goalkeeper who fumbles the ball, (remember Robert Green, Scott Carson or Paul Robinson?) one error ruins your career.
Yeah maybe.
I need to go away and think. What does God want me to say this week to these people?
Hold on, I need to consult the rule book.

The blog of despair

What do you write in your first blog post? Something optimistic, surely? Some words of hope about the blogging marathon you are cheerfully committing yourself to?
Well, I had to be different.
I have a realistic impression of how many readers I'm going to get.
None.
There, I've said it. I'm talking to myself, and I know it.
I can only hope that at least God is listening in. If he had any junior angels spare with nothing much to do, surely by now they're all fully employed 24/7 keeping up to date reading the latest posts from the world's lonely bloggers. Of whom I am the latest.
Not that I'm lonely - far from it. Often I crave more time to be alone, or at least, alone with God.
The hermits do much the same - justifying loneliness in order to get close to God.
My trouble is that I'm lonely for God. I miss him. I don't find enough time to be with him, and I feel stretched too thin, like butter on too much bread, as Bilbo says.
First blog posts should contain a mission statement. What I intend to achieve with my new window on the (cyber)world.
Do me a favour, gentle angel reader. Read again the sentence about being stretched too thin and wanting to be with God more.
Will that do as a mission statement? Is that something worth your time in reading this?