Pastor Don's Ponderings

Yesterday Nancy and I were blessed with the privilege of attending a Belleville Masterworks Chorale Concert at the Russel E. and Fern M. Hettenhausen Center for the Arts on the beautiful campus of McKendree University in Lebanon, Illinois. Saying the concert was fantastic would be an understatement, yet the entirety of the concert is not what caught my attention. As a part of the concert, the Masterworks Chorale had invited internationally acclaimed operatic soprano, Ms. Christine Brewer, to perform with them and, as she delivered a most memorable performance of George Gershwin's, Summertime , the thought crossed my mind, "I wonder if Gershwin ever imagined the incredible instrument of Christine's voice singing this beautiful and powerful piece?" In the time between then and now, that thought has been mulling around in my mind. Written in 1935 as a part of the opera ' Porgy and Bess' ,   Summertime  is sung by Clara as a lullaby to her baby - and its melody is...

 I stepped out of our home early this morning just to breathe in the dawning moments of the day when, unexpectedly, it struck me, 'Spring!' There was something about the very smell of the air, whether in something which is budding or blooming, something in the nearing weather system that my arthritis is pinging on, or something of the very day itself, my mind just instantly nearly yelled the word, 'Spring!', and I was transported back to when I was a kid growing up on our family dairy farm. As I stood outside our home this morning, my heart transported me to the twelve year old boy standing at the water hydrant waiting for a five gallon bucket to fill with water to be carried to the calves. It was there this morning's air was first consciously thought of as 'Spring!', overflowing with the sound of robins, cardinals, redwings, finches and blackbirds singing at the top of their lungs, layered with nearby wheat fields greening and pastures rising out of dormanc...

 We had just completed a fantastic dinner in the home of our good friends, Linda and Bob Noland, when my wife, Nancy, brought to the table a bowl of fruit to have for dessert. As she prepared to set the bowl on the table, she asked that a pad be put down on the surface to protect it from scratches or denting, since the bowl is a rather heavy cut-glass type. Linda responded, "Oh, gosh! Don't worry about a pad! This table has seen everything from everyone! From all sorts of dinnerware to playdough putty, from class projects to toys of every shape. Don't worry about a glass bowl making a mark." Then Bob observed, "If this table could talk, it would tell some tales." There it was, the essential truth of so many of our homes: "If this table could talk, it would tell some tales." Think about the table in your home where your family is most likely to gather, whether in the kitchen, in a dining room, on a porch or maybe at the counter alongside the cooking...

Today is Shrove Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday and the beginning of the Lenten season throughout the Christian community. Many are the parties and much is the 'fat' which is being enjoyed today before the period of 40 days, not including Sundays, begins. There is nothing quite like the suggestion of scarcity which will make us take in and hoard as much as we can, then add to that thought the notion of spirituality, repentance and humility - and, well, it is no wonder Mardi Gras is at its height today. Make hay while the sun shines, party while the food is abundant, sin before the confession starts, and give yourself a good reason to be repentant before the Lord - it is all just our way of giving Easter Sunday morning more meaning. Oy! Through the years, I have come to truly value the Lenten season, if for no other reason than the intentional journey of faith this time calls each of us to be on. Huckleberry Finn's adventures on the mighty Mississippi were all about th...

It is finally here! A new Lenten Devotional for 2023! Written by Rev. Dr. Don Wagner, with Photographs by Fr. Jerry Schweitzer, this new Lenten Devotional entitled, "Beginnings - Living Into the Spirit's Vision of the Beloved Community", is a daily opportunity to walk the road to Jerusalem in a mindful, meaningful manner. Focused on the scripture text from Acts 2.42ff, this Lenten Devotional explores what brings the emerging Christian community together, Who sustains and shapes it, and to what they are called to be doing as a new community in mission. We pray you find this Lenten Devotional to be a helpful way to explore your own spirituality on the Lenten journey! JUST CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW! Feel Free to share the link with others and to support the designated ministries as you are able! Blessings on the Way! Don & Jerry Beginnings - A Lenten Devotional