Sermonette: Feb. 10, 2020

Here it is February already. Can winter really be half over? Didn't we just celebrate Christmas? That seems like so long ago doesn't it. Time does move on and the older we get, it seems as if it goes by faster, but spring is on the way. We've had some very nice weather this past week but those of us who have lived here for any length of time at all, we know there is a lot of winter yet to come.

We have just observed Groundhogs Day. Legend would have it that because Phil didn't see his shadow, we will have an early spring. Don't count on it. First of all, what the weather is like on any one day in early February has no bearing whatsoever on what spring will be like or when it will eventually get here. Another saying from the past that I recall is that we will have precipitation 90 days after a heavy fog. Again, there is no scientific basis for that happening. The occurrence of precipitation depends on current conditions at the time, not what happened 90 days previously. We can't accurately predict the weather much more than a day or so in advance, let alone three months.

One of my favorite authors for sources of quotations is Samuel Clemens, better known as Mark Twain. One of his sayings was “everybody complains about the weather, but nobody does anything about it.” Well, there is one who could do something about it; his name is Jesus. In the Matthew Chapter 8, some time after his Sermon on the Mount, we read of where he and his disciples are in a boat out on the Sea of Galilee and a storm comes up. Jesus is sleeping and the disciples are afraid the storm is so strong that the boat is going to be capsized. They wake him up and say help us, we're going to die. Jesus then chides them for having little faith. He rebukes the wind and the sea and all of a sudden the wind stops blowing and the sea becomes still. The disciples are terrified and wonder who is this guy that even the wind and the sea obey him. The answer is, of course, the sea and the wind obey him because he had a hand in creating them in the first place. In the first chapter of John's Gospel, the author tells us “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him.”

The earth wasn't created by accident. God created it. Different parts of our world have different weather because of their geographic location. We live in North Dakota and regardless of what a groundhog sees in Pennsylvania, we're going to have winter here for a while. Even though we've had a few days of exceptionally warm weather, we know we'll get cold and snow again this winter. It is possible some of our weather extremes are because we haven't taken very good care of the world God created especially for us. Throughout history we've taken what we wanted, done whatever we've wanted, never thinking that we would have to account for it. Until recently, we haven't considered the consequences of our actions.  

We often hear “Today is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in

it.” Let me paraphrase that with, “This is the world our God has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it, and treat it with the respect it deserves.” Also, in closing I ask that you please be mindful of those brave and faithful people who raise cattle and crops that feed our world. I've talked to a number of farmers who've said this last season was the most difficult, weatherwise, they have ever experienced. This is quite evident as no matter which direction we drive, we encounter an unharvested field every mile or so; crops that normally would have been in the bin months ago. Give thanks to our God for His creation and pray for those whose livelihood depends so much on the weather. Blessings to you all.