Pastor's Message
                                                                                          

SPIRIT STEPS JANUARY 2009 

It was a beautiful late December day.  Six inches of snow had fallen during the night and the sun rose on a world now covered in white.  By noon the cloudless sky was a bright blue and the temperature had risen to a very comfortable 28 degrees Fahrenheit.  It was a perfect day for cross country skiing, but I still had a number of hours of work to do before I could get out there.  I decided to dig in, get my work done, and then ski for whatever daylight was left.

When I got to the park it was after three and the sun was already casting long shadows on the landscape.  I parked alongside the road and quickly slipped into my ski boots, clipped on my skis and headed off into the woods.  Everything was even more perfect than I imagined as I silently slipped across the fresh snow.  Each stride offered a new perspective of this winter wonderland.  The snow clung to the tree branches and shrubs transforming the forest into a scene that could easily provide a cover for thousands of Hallmark cards.  As I skied deeper into the woods I became aware of the silence.  There was no wind, no birds chirping, just the sound of my skis swishing on the sparkling white snow.  It was beautiful.

About a mile from the road, I stopped to admire the scenery and catch my breath.  I had just skied down a rather large hill and was in a little valley with a climb stretching out before me.  I was enjoying the peaceful beauty when it suddenly occurred to me that I was all alone here.  The western sky was a bright orange and I realized that in another thirty minutes the sun would slip below the horizon.  I wondered whether I could complete the loop back to where I was parked before it got dark.  Maybe I should turn around now.  If I continued, there were still a number of good sized hills ahead and I probably should not try to navigate them in the dark.  I wondered what would happen if I fell and broke my leg.  Once the sun set the temperature would drop and if I were lying there it would not be long before hypothermia would set in.  I looked at the climb stretched out before me and thought, “I could have a heart attack.  If I broke my leg I could probably crawl to help but if I had a heart attack I might not be found for hours.”  With these thoughts, the beautiful scenery took on a menacing look and the silence became the silence of the grave.  Everything changed and was no longer peaceful and beautiful; it became terrifying.

What struck me was how powerful an emotion fear is; it had the capacity to change beautiful to ugly, good to evil.  I recalled the Scriptural exhortation, “Do not be afraid, for I am with you” and it took on a whole new meaning.  I am not alone…  With this thought, that I am not alone, the fear subsided and the peace and beauty returned.  I started up the hill determined to finish the loop before dark.  When I got to the top, a long downhill lay before me.  The idea of breaking a leg intruded again, but I quickly and consciously replaced it with “relax into the hill,” and enjoyed the ride to the bottom. 

As we, the people of God, begin a new year, may we begin it with the peace that comes from knowing that we are not alone.  May our fears always be quickly replaced with the knowledge that we are in God’s hands.

As a nation, may we once again replace fear with hope and promise, such that we may again see the beauty of the world and its people as the masterpiece of our creative God.

HAVE A PEACEFUL, HEALTHY, AND JOYOUS NEW YEAR!  

Pastor Bob