Anticipation

October 8, 2015

A good friend from Canada sent me a music video that pretty much sums up what I like about Western New York winters. It's all about the childhood experience of tobogganing. At one point the artist sings about tobogganing off a roof. I've never done that, but I did snowboard off one once at midnight. I was at Watson Homestead for a Board of Ordained Ministry retreat that happened to coincide with a blizzard. I had to wait till all the brass were in bed, but I did have a couple witnesses, just for the record. That's all beside the point, however.

It has not escaped my awareness that some of my friends are not too happy at the thought of winter's advent, but I am looking forward to it. My major good weather projects are almost done, we have October's crisp air and bright colors to lead us into November with the anticipation of Thanksgiving, Advent, and Christmas. And snow. I actually love the snow, even though I cannot get excited about snowmobiling and have nothing but bad (or funny, depending on how you look at them) memories about downhill skiing. But I love plowing the snow, cross-country skiing, sitting by the fire watching the cardinals at our feeder, a hot cup of coffee at hand and a book in my lap.

Right now, it's the anticipation for which I'm grateful. Sadly, there are countless people in this world whose anticipation of the future is filled with fear and uncertainty. This evening I watched a couple videos about the Syrian refugees desperately risking open seas in flimsy boats just to escape the fighting and destruction in their homeland. If they make the crossing, it is with only the clothes on their backs and a long and uncertain trek ahead of them. Anticipation is not a happy word for them. Why we should be so blessed I cannot fathom, but I know what these blessings mean. The Bible is clear: "To whom much is given, much shall be required." Being able to anticipate winter with joy is a far cry from what these folks are experiencing tonight, and I am not given the freedom to simply ignore their plight. As far as humanly possible, I am prepared for winter. Now it is humanely possible for me to dig deep and do what I can to help. If I cannot go, I can give, and give I will, with deep gratitude for my experience of the truth of Jesus' words, "It is more blessed to give than to receive."

Mercy Over All His Works

October 7, 2015

My morning Bible reading took me to Exodus 25, where God instructs Moses in the construction of the Ark of the Covenant. In verses 21-22 we learn that the tablets of the Law were to be placed inside the ark, then the mercy seat, a golden lid crowned with figures of cherubs was set on top. "I will meet with you there, and will commune with you from above the mercy seat..."

It is common for Christians to speak of God's love when talking about salvation, ignoring the biblical doctrine of the wrath of God. This morning I read an article in which the author supposes that the reason for this is that we think of God's wrath as petulance. We experience human anger and cannot see how it has any place in the character of God. The problem with this reasoning is that it sets human anger as the touchstone, imagining that God's anger must be similar to ours. It's not. God is angry over sin's destructiveness, mutilating and corrupting everything he once pronounced good.  

St. Paul tells us that the Law was never intended to be a means of salvation apart from it's purpose of revealing to us our need for a Savior. The image of the tablets of the Law covered by the mercy seat is an illustration of what God has done for us in Christ. The Law hasn't disappeared, but it is covered by the mercy of God, and it is in the place of mercy that he meets us. This is Good News indeed! The Law pronounces us guilty, but in his mercy, through the blood of the Lamb that is sprinkled upon the mercy seat, God meets with us, forgiving our sin and pronouncing us righteous not because we kept the Law, but because Christ did, then died in our place, rising in new life which he bestows on all who believe. It sounds incredulous, but it is the foundation of our faith, the source of our confidence, the silencing of all accusation, the hope of our future. I am grateful tonight for this illustration I found this morning, and for the time I had meeting with my God above the mercy seat that covers every violation of the Law I've ever done.

Judge Be Fair

October 6, 2015

I didn't like it twenty years ago, and I still don't like it today. It's not a matter of fairness; I have no doubt that they are trying to be fair. But like gymnastics or figure skating, judging diving is by its very nature subjective. The tightness of the tuck, the snap of the pike, the cleanness of entry into the water; are the diver's feet together, toes pointed? These, and many more details are the nuts and bolts that make up the numbers on the judges' scorecards. When our kids were swimming, I took the training course for judges and attended enough meets to have developed a pretty good sense of what the scores would be unless the judging were sporadic and arbitrary. I was tutored under Shirley Smith, a daunting experience in itself. Shirley had judged Olympic meets; there was no one who knew more about judging swimming than Shirley. She brooked no nonsense and could be scathing in her criticism of an official who didn't know their job. Just being a bystander to a few of her diatribes was enough to make me tremble. Being on the receiving end of one was an experience I was fortunate to dodge. But I learned. And got to the point where I could often match the judges point for point.

The final outcome of the meet was never in jeopardy, but at times watching the scoring was painful for me. Which leads me to my gratitude for tonight. The day is coming when I will stand before the living God who judges fairly and knows every detail, every extenuating circumstance of my life. He will miss nothing, make no mistakes. The bad news is, there is no way I could stand before that bar. I would stand condemned; guilty. The good news is that the God who judges me is the God who loves me in spite of my guilt. Jesus received the judgment of God in my place and set me free. The God who judges righteously also forgives freely. And because of that, I am free. And thankful.

Door Foam

October 6, 2015

Compared to most of the world's problems, it's a pretty minor matter, but tonight I'm grateful for a small blessing. I had bought some spray foam insulation to fill the cracks around our new front door, and this morning it was time to get the job done, so I shook the can, attached the nozzle, and started filling cracks. If you've never used this stuff before, trust me when I say, "follow the directions." Don't ask me how I know. As you spray, it doesn't look very impressive, so it's tempting to add just a bit more. But they aren't kidding when the label says that it doubles in size as it cures. I knew this, and followed the directions to a "T." Nonetheless, in places it ballooned out of the gaps like a swarm of third graders pouring out the school doors on the first day of summer vacation.

This stuff cures pretty quickly, and once it does, it's about impossible to make any adjustments. We have this foam insulation in the walls of our house, and the fellow who did the job said that it actually adds structural strength to the house. I believe it. When I went to apply it on the outside to seal the top of the door, I noticed that at there was about a 3/4" gap between the door brick molding and the siding. Fortunately, I hadn't driven flush the nails holding the door to the jack studs and was able to pull out the top two, pull the door flush with the siding and re-drive the nails. If I hadn't wanted to seal the outside of the door, I wouldn't have noticed the misalignment of the door at that moment. It would have been impossible to re-align it after the foam had cured. The upshot of it all is that Linda had had trouble unlatching the door; she had to use both hands. If you pushed in while depressing the latch, it worked fine, but I have to admit it was sticky. Today's slight re-alignment fixed that latch issue--an added bonus! One problem avoided; another fixed. Small stuff, but it still fits amidst all for which I give thanks tonight.

Introverted Together

October 5, 2015

I'm really not antisocial; I'm just not pro-social. I introduce myself to new people at church because they need to be welcomed, but I had to train myself to do it. It doesn't come naturally, is not my spiritual gift. Which leads me to observe that while spiritual giftedness is great for discerning one's calling, it cannot become an excuse for not doing what God expects of all his children: kindness, service, and availability. I may not have the spiritual gift of evangelism, but that doesn't exonerate me from the command to bear witness to the grace of God in Jesus Christ. Even if I am a natural born introvert.

You might think that an organized bike ride would be just the ticket for an introvert, but you would be wrong. Today's ride was great; the weather cooperated, we went on roads I'd never before seen, our lead rider didn't let himself go so fast the others had to speed to keep up. Riding a motorcycle is a solitary sport, much like swimming. In swimming, you can be on a team, but most events are solo by nature, even the relays. When you're in the water, it's you, the water, the lane markers, and the ends of the pool. You must be aware of the swimmer in the next lane, but the water isolates you. Riding a motorcycle is much the same. Fellow riders may be strung out in a line before and behind you, but unless you have a helmet intercom, you are by yourself. Until you stop for gas or food. Then the conversation begins in earnest.

Today we rode, stopping only for a single conversation and butt rest break, and for gas. Most of the crew headed for a restaurant at the end of the ride, but I had a commitment back home that precluded any eats and fellowship. I learned something, for which I am grateful tonight. Though I am a committed introvert, the ride would have been much more meaningful to me had I been able to sit down with my friends and share a meal. Even solo activities can be more fun with friends. God wired us to need each other. Even those like myself. So, next time pastor Joe arranges a ride, I'll do my best to make sure I can take it all in. Life, and rides, are better with friends.

Money Can Buy Happiness

October 3, 2015

Anyone who says money can't buy happiness obviously has never gone shopping with a ten year old girl. When each of our granddaughters turned ten years of age, our birthday gift to them changed. When they are little girls, dolls and stuffed animals and frilly dresses work just fine, but there comes a time when that stuff doesn't work anymore; they are developing their own taste and style, so rather than guess, we give them a set amount of money with the promise to take them shopping. By the time we're done having lunch together at the end, it costs us way more than it would to just give them the money, but that's not the point. We've spent a morning together, listening to dreams of the heart and doing our best to fill the day with memories that will last.

Today it was Mattie's turn, her first trip, having turned ten last week. We continue to do this with Alex, Abi, Izzi, and Jo, but this was the inaugural run for Mattie. Old Navy, Payless Shoes, Claire's, Justice, Michael's crafts, and Walmart all yielded their wares to Mattie's eye and purse. Lunch at Panera Bread was a first for her, and a treat for Linda and me as we sat together and talked about the things that are important to her.

Of course, it's not the money that produces the happiness; it's the relationships. At ten years of age, Mattie of course doesn't  fully understand this, but deep inside she knows. And the money Linda and I spent actually did buy a little happiness as we watched our granddaughter growing up before our very eyes.

This evening, after having been gone all morning and well into the afternoon, we were debating passing on our tickets to hear Daryl and Tracy Strawberry talk about marriage. We've had a busy week, and know that we won't have another evening home till at least Wednesday, but decided to bite the bullet. I am so glad we did. We learned a long time ago that the times when we least feel like doing something is often the time we need it and profit from it the most. Tonight was no exception. They talked about how Christ has transformed their broken marriage by transforming them as they learned to give everything to God and do it his way. They talked about the difficulty in blending a family with children from former marriages. Tracy at one point said, "When you say 'I do,' you are saying 'I do' to his children, his family, his issues." Too many people say 'I do' to the ideal person they imagine the other to be, and ignore the reality of the package they're really getting.

There was so much more, but what impressed me the most is how consistently and forcefully they pointed to Christ as the center of their home, the Rock that constantly calls them to himself so they can become their best selves in Jesus. Today has been filled with grace and blessing for which I give great thanks tonight.

Friends

October 1, 2015

For my retirement gift our friends Harry and Beth treated us to dinner at Marco's in Buffalo and an evening at Shea's. It took over a year to make the arrangements, but it was worth it. We saw "Newsies," which was an amazing performance not only with the singing, but the dancing was as acrobatic and energetic as I've ever seen. Tonight I am grateful for people who strive for excellence in performance, whether it be on stage or in a restaurant, and for lifelong friends who have been by our side through thick and thin, good and bad. The commercial says it. Mastercard is for the stuff that can be bought, but this kind of friendship is priceless. It's not for sale at any price. Beth and Harry, thank you for a wonderful evening, but even more for the friendship, for which I not only thank you, but also God.