Vicar's View

February 2008

I'm just going to come out and say it - until recently, February has always been one of my least favorite times of the year. The days are short and dark. The weather is…well you live in Iowa; you know how the weather is. (We always had an expression at KCRG that February is when Joe Winters earns his paycheck!) The church enters the season of Lent, and I find myself longing for the warm renewal of spring and Christ's resurrection.

Our advantage as we grow older in life is our wisdom gained through experience. We, who have 'weathered the storms,' know that the snow will soon melt, the ground will thaw, and new life will spring forth. We know that February is the shortest month of the year. We also know that in the dark and difficult times of our lives, God can be the most present.

Last February I experienced one of God's little miracles, the birth of our son. When I was in the hospital someone said to me, "I always wonder how anyone can look at the miracle of childbirth and then say there is no God." I have to agree. There are certainly dark and lonely days where I have my doubts like everybody else, but not in February. May God be present with you this month.

Vicar Craig