Dear Snow-Packed Pilgrims,
What a difference a day makes.
This is now my sixth Iowa winter. And while we’ve had worse winters since the time I arrived, I can’t ever remember as jarring a change in the weather as what we saw this weekend. On Friday and Saturday, we enjoyed a long, soaking rain, as it washed away the last of the ice and gave our soil some desperately needed moisture. Then, on the same night that we lost an hour of sleep, we lost our early spring, as a blizzard blew through northwest Iowa, whipped us with over thirty mile per hour winds, and buried us in a thick layer of snow that last all day and into the night. By the time we woke up on Monday morning, we looked out of our windows at the deep blanket that smothered our town. We had gone from no snow on the ground to fourteen inches on the ground in about twelve hours. This may be old hat for some of you winter veterans, but I’d never seen anything like it.
Like many of you, I spent most of yesterday morning digging, shoveling, and clearing my way back into a normal routine. I came inside to warm up, and the preacher instinct in me kicked in, the one that tries to turn misery into sermon illustrations. I wondered if people in the Bible ever had to contend with a snowstorm.
Nope. As it turns out, they did not. The word snow occurs twenty-one times in Hebrew and three times in Greek, but it is never used to describe an actual weather event. Instead, the word is used literarily, as a figure of speech to describe a human condition. Sometimes, it is used to depict leprosy, as in Exodus 4:6, when Moses looked at his hand and noticed it was “leprous as snow.” Other times it is used to describe garments, as in the Transfiguration of Jesus in Matthew 28:3, when Jesus’ clothing turned “white as snow.”
Many times, however, snow is used to describe a soul wholly devoted to God, which makes this blizzard a timely occurrence, given our current sermon series on “Tending the Soul.”
Consider these verses:
“Purify me with hyssop and I will be clean; wash me and I will be whiter than snow.” (Psalm 51:7; King David, confessing his sins to God)
“Come now, and let’s settle this, says the Lord. Though your sins are like scarlet, they will be white as snow. If they are red as crimson, they will become like wool.” (Isaiah 1:18; A word from God to a wayward people, offering them forgiveness of sins.)
“Just as the rain and the snow come down from the sky and don’t return there without watering the earth … so is my word that comes from my mouth; it does not return to me empty. Instead, it does what I want, and accomplishes what I intend.” (Isaiah 55:10-11, describing the power of the word of the Lord to transform lives.)
Yes, the timing and volume of the snow came as a surprise. But as you look out your window at the blanket of pure white that surrounds us, ask yourself this question:
“How is it with your soul?”
FASTING EXPERIENCE
Last Thursday, twenty-four members of the church joined me in a congregation-wide fast. For just about everyone, this was the first time they had ever fasted for spiritual reasons. Given their permission, I thought I would share anonymously just a few of their reflections on the experience.
The fasting experience was definitely good for me. I have never fasted for the correct reasons and, truthfully, I thought it wasn’t for me. The peace and trust that came from the surrender of food was wonderful. To give “my” control up – or, better yet, the control that food has on me – and know that God is in control is what surrender is all about…A hymn that came to mind was “Make me a captive, Lord / And then I’ll be set free.” How beautiful is that? If I choose to be a captive of God’s will and be free of the “somethings” in life having control over me, I will have peace.
Yes, I would participate again. I was able to focus on the devotions and I made an effort to give each lesson meaning to myself as to how it applies to my life. I especially like being spoon-fed the scriptures and the focus questions that followed them. I find that this is the guidance I need when reading scripture.
This morning I drove to Omaha to catch a flight to Denver. The back road along the Loess Hills is always beautiful, but since I wasn't snacking I was even more aware of it. Even in the brown drear of March I sensed the peacefulness of nature and the impending change of seasons - it made me very happy to be aware of this. And when I drove through Rodney, I saw a goat sitting on a picnic table. I wished I'd had the nerve to stop and take a picture, but I won't forget it! For me, the renewed appreciation of the beauty of our Earth and the pleasures we can find if we only take time to observe them was the gift I found from God through fasting. I hope to try this again.
This last message comes from Charlie Leissler, our wonderful resident guitarist/lyricist:
I had not fasted in this way before. During trying times or just needing to clear my mind I would always sit and play a guitar. That eases and relaxes me. What I found out during the last 24 hours is that there is one more window, or level that I can get to through prayer and fasting. What a find! So, the refrain to the song I wrote last week fits nicely.
“Keep my eyes wide open
Keep my heart wide open
To His unending light
That fuels my soul”
If you were not able to join us on the fast last week and would like to try it on your own, I’d be happy to share with you the seven messages I emailed participants every three hours during our fast. You can use them to guide your own experience at your convenience. Just let me know.
Grace and Peace (and Happy Shoveling!),
Magrey
The Rev. Magrey R. deVega
St. Paul's United Methodist Church
531 W. Main St.
Cherokee, IA 51012
Ph: 712-225-3955
Email: mdevega@sp-umc.org
SERVICE RECORDING AVAILABLE
If you missed the service last Sunday because of the weather, audio CD recordings of the service are available for you by request from the church office at no charge. I would be happy to email you a manuscript of the sermon as well, if you would like.
THIS SUNDAY … A CONCERT BY THE KLEES!
Join us this Sunday as our own David and Judi Klee offer their wonderful ministry of music for the full worship hour. As you know, they are now actively putting God’s love into action through their music in churches all throughout northwest Iowa. You won’t want to miss this very special time of praise, prayer, and testimony from these two talented musicians.
MAGREY OUT OF TOWN
The girls and I will be out of town from this Thursday, March 14, to Wednesday, March 20, spending part of Spring Break and into next week celebrating Grace’s birthday. We drive to Chicago, from which I found inexpensive airline tickets to take the girls on their first ever visit to New York City. We’ll be taking in a broadway show (“Wicked!”) and perhaps pay a visit on Monday to the Rockefeller Plaza to hold up a “Happy 12th Birthday, Grace!” sign outside the set of the Today Show. Thanks for prayer for safe travel, and in the event of an emergency, please contact the church office. The Mid-Week Message will resume during Holy Week, March 25.
To view past editions of the Mid-Week Message, visit http://mdevega.blogspot.com.
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