From the Pastor

August 2007

As many of you know, I love to ride my bike. I ride as much as I can in the summer, and it is a wonderful time of refreshment for me. (And yes, the hotter, the better!)

I have noticed, however, a rather interesting tendency on my part. Even though the trail that I typically ride on is quite lovely—moving from open farm land to areas full of trees and back again—I often am too preoccupied or "in the zone" to notice. I usually either have my brain as disengaged as possible, or I am looking down at how fast I am traveling and comparing it to the speed of the day before. I tend either to think hardly at all or to think about the mechanics of what I am doing and how I might improve them.

I recently became aware of this tendency, and since then I have tried to look up and around more often, so that I do not "miss the forest for the trees." I have been rewarded by seeing beautiful wildflowers and trees, scores of rabbits and chipmunks, the occasional fox or deer, cardinals, gold finches, and blue jays.

It occurs to me that a lot of life is like this. I can think of many situations where we become so focused on one particular piece or facet, that we run the risk of losing the bigger picture. Do any of these strike a chord with you?

In our relationships with family, friends, or neighbors: Often, we only focus on the "quirks" of others or the things that those around us do that we find annoying. When we do this, our view can be very narrow and clouded. Perhaps we should remember that we are all flawed and that we all have quirks. And perhaps we should consider the many ways we are blessed by the relationships we have—despite the moments of irritation!
In our congregational life: When we worship, do we focus on that hymn that we do not like; the fact that we use two books to make use of a rich tradition of liturgy as well as the hymns most appropriate to the day of the Church year; or the fact that worship was 65 minutes instead of the allotted 60? Or do we raise our eyes and see the big picture, finding ourselves grateful for a place to worship, people to share the Word and Meal with, resources to use, and the privilege of being God’s children and messengers of the Good News?
In our relationship with God: Do we only focus on our perception of the quickness or slowness of God’s action in our lives? Do we look for splashy, elaborate signs of God’s presence and fail to see the multiple and daily small ways God is at work among us—in the kind words of someone, in the beauty of nature, in a moment of prayer?

Yes, we do live in a world where details matter, we often have to focus on small, intricate items, and small irritations and annoyances can occasionally fill our field of vision and obscure the whole picture. But I encourage you to lift up your eyes every now and then. See how all the pieces come together to form the diverse, blessing filled world in which we live ... and which is entirely encompassed by the grace of God.

In Christ,
Pastor Brenda