Pastor Don's Ponderings

What appears below is my most recent 'Pastor Don's Corner' article in the St. Paul UCC newsletter, The Caller. I pray you find it helpful on the journey. Blessings of Health, Strength and Faith in all your pondering! Pastor Don’s Corner . . . 23  When Jesus got into a boat, his disciples followed him.  24  A huge storm arose on the lake so that waves were sloshing over the boat. But Jesus was asleep.  25  They came and woke him, saying, “Lord, rescue us! We’re going to drown!” 26  He said to them, “Why are you afraid, you people of weak faith?” Then he got up and gave orders to the winds and the lake, and there was a great calm. 27  The people were amazed and said, “What kind of person is this? Even the winds and the lake obey him!”   Matthew 8:23-27 CEB Today I am thinking of stories which make me smile – and this story makes me smile. Imagine, if you can, Jesus as a child playing with the lightning in the same way other chi...

Farming is a very solitary vocation, even while done in community. Just ask a farmer. This is Bob Lehman, a neighbor of ours just a few miles away. He and my Dad have known each other for years and, though none of the ground we farm adjoins Bob's, still he and we are members of that steadily shrinking number of folk who can claim that, indeed, they are farmers. The vocation names them together, the isolation identifies them singularly: They may all be doing the same task at the same time, but there is only one who farms the fields you farm, the way you farm them, with the interest and commitment with which you approach it. When you are running the combine, you - and only you - are responsible for the outcome. Drive by any field being harvested. Ever notice stalks of corn standing where the rest of row is gone? Or a strip of wheat in the middle of a pass? Or a short row of soybeans standing where none others are left? Did you ever wonder why that happened? Only the farmer know...

What are the chances the ashes make a difference, a real difference in the heart of the one receiving them? What truly is the power of the words, "Remember, from dust you were made and to dust you shall return"? Is it possible this day that folk will rend their hearts before God, rather than just make an appearance to receive a cross of ash? Will the liturgy of the moment speak to the mounting apathy of the culture? Only God knows, and God does know. So it is that we gather, so it is we worship, so it is that we listen to the Word Made Flesh, so it is that we wait on the Spirit, so it is that we humbly bow before God. God does not care about church membership or frequency of attendance. God wants to be in relationship with you, with me, with us all. God calls us to live as the community of the blessed in the midst of creation. Ashes remind us that we are here but for a few short days, so we make the most of our days. Today, the first day of Lent, Ash Wednesday, we r...