Pastor Ray’s Corner
Chit-chat overheard at Walmart:
Man: It is so hot outside today!
Woman: It will be cooler soon.
Man: I can’t wait – autumn at last!
Woman: But after that it will get even colder.
Man: Yeah, I don’t like winter at all. Too cold! I’ll stick with autumn.
Ah, if only our perfect season (whichever one that is) could just stay forever! But that wouldn’t be good for agriculture, food production, etc. We need the wonderful year-long cycle of nature that God has graciously established.
For years, I completely misread Matthew 5:45 (part of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount), where he says that your Father in heaven “makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous.” All those years I thought that God was punishing the good people by sending rain on them. Why couldn’t God just send rain on the unrighteous people? Rain would mess up my day. I’d have to stay indoors, cancel any outdoor plans, etc. I did NOT like rain!
Years later, and living in a rural area that depends on agriculture, I now realize that I had been misreading this passage all along. We NEED rain. (Most of Pennsylvania only came out of a multi-year drought this past August!) So when Jesus says that God sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous, he is saying that God is gracious enough to send rain not only for the righteous, but even for the unrighteous. Bottom line – rain is a GOOD thing! And our Father in heaven has created a world designed to benefit everyone, whether they deserve it or not.
How many blessings in creation do we take for granted, even though we couldn’t survive without them? The cycle of the seasons gives the land rest so that it can be productive again. Hunters help keep the deer population in check and share the meat with others. And this year, it seems that everyone is sharing (aka trying to get rid of) cucumbers and zucchinis and tomatoes because their gardens have been extra-productive.
As you enjoy the turning of the seasons and the colors this fall, hear the Godspell version of an old hymn:
We plow the fields and scatter the good seed on the land
But it is fed and watered by God's almighty hand
He sends us snow in winter, the warmth to swell the grain
The breezes and the sunshine, and soft refreshing rain
Refrain: All good gifts around us are sent from Heaven above
So thank the Lord, oh thank the Lord for all his love.
We thank thee then, O Father, for all things bright and good
The seedtime and the harvest, our life our health our food
No gifts have we to offer for all thy love imparts
But that which thou desirest, our humble thankful hearts! [Refrain]
I really wanna thank you Lord!
This fall, may each and every one of us thank the Lord for ALL his blessings!
Peace and Blessings, Pastor Ray
Chit-chat overheard at Walmart:
Man: It is so hot outside today!
Woman: It will be cooler soon.
Man: I can’t wait – autumn at last!
Woman: But after that it will get even colder.
Man: Yeah, I don’t like winter at all. Too cold! I’ll stick with autumn.
Ah, if only our perfect season (whichever one that is) could just stay forever! But that wouldn’t be good for agriculture, food production, etc. We need the wonderful year-long cycle of nature that God has graciously established.
For years, I completely misread Matthew 5:45 (part of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount), where he says that your Father in heaven “makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous.” All those years I thought that God was punishing the good people by sending rain on them. Why couldn’t God just send rain on the unrighteous people? Rain would mess up my day. I’d have to stay indoors, cancel any outdoor plans, etc. I did NOT like rain!
Years later, and living in a rural area that depends on agriculture, I now realize that I had been misreading this passage all along. We NEED rain. (Most of Pennsylvania only came out of a multi-year drought this past August!) So when Jesus says that God sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous, he is saying that God is gracious enough to send rain not only for the righteous, but even for the unrighteous. Bottom line – rain is a GOOD thing! And our Father in heaven has created a world designed to benefit everyone, whether they deserve it or not.
How many blessings in creation do we take for granted, even though we couldn’t survive without them? The cycle of the seasons gives the land rest so that it can be productive again. Hunters help keep the deer population in check and share the meat with others. And this year, it seems that everyone is sharing (aka trying to get rid of) cucumbers and zucchinis and tomatoes because their gardens have been extra-productive.
As you enjoy the turning of the seasons and the colors this fall, hear the Godspell version of an old hymn:
We plow the fields and scatter the good seed on the land
But it is fed and watered by God's almighty hand
He sends us snow in winter, the warmth to swell the grain
The breezes and the sunshine, and soft refreshing rain
Refrain: All good gifts around us are sent from Heaven above
So thank the Lord, oh thank the Lord for all his love.
We thank thee then, O Father, for all things bright and good
The seedtime and the harvest, our life our health our food
No gifts have we to offer for all thy love imparts
But that which thou desirest, our humble thankful hearts! [Refrain]
I really wanna thank you Lord!
This fall, may each and every one of us thank the Lord for ALL his blessings!
Peace and Blessings, Pastor Ray
St. Paul's United Church of Christ
2300 East Main Street
Sacramento, PA 17968
570-682-9828
[email protected]
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