Another day, another mass shooting in our land. How discouraging! When we look at the collective upset in our nation and in our world, it’s easy to become numb to these events and label them as such; just events that don’t really impact us, of course until they do. I must admit when I consider the complexity of the challenges we face, I find hope in the words of Isaiah in the 25th chapter starting at the 6th verse:

            On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wines, of rich food filled with marrow, of well-aged wines strained clear. And he will destroy on this mountain the shroud that is cast over all peoples, the sheet that is spread over all nations; he will swallow up death forever. Then the Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces, and the disgrace of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken. It will be said on that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, so that he might save us. This is the Lord for whom we have waited; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation! For the hand of the Lord will rest on this mountain. (NRSV)

            The season of Advent speaks of a time of waiting but also a time to prepare. When taken together it is a time of active waiting, where we can’t allow the complexity of our challenges to keep us from acting. A great place to start would be to engage one another and be agents of healing, where we awaken hope, restore dignity, and give and receive forgiveness. As disciples of Christ, are we not called to do exactly this?

Thanksgiving is a great time of year to get together with family and friends and celebrate all the blessings in our lives. It’s so easy to give thanks to the Lord for blessings of family, a bountiful harvest of plenty, safe harbor, heath, long life, etc. But I came across this list of “blessings” which I think we ought to consider giving thanks for.

~Give Thanks (A Different Kind of List)~

For Not Having:

            Be thankful that you don’t already have everything you desire. If you did, what would you look forward to?

For lacking knowledge:

            Be thankful for when you don’t know something. For it gives you the opportunity to learn.

For difficult times:

            Be thankful for the difficult times. During those times you grow.

For limitations:

            Be thankful for your limitations. They give you opportunities for improvement.

For challenges:

            Be thankful for each new challenge. It will build your strength and character.

For mistakes made:

            Be thankful for your mistakes. They will teach you valuable lessons.

For exhaustion:

            Be thankful when you are tired and weary. Because it means you made the effort.

For setbacks:

            It’s easy to be thankful for the good things. A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who are also thankful for the setbacks.

For troubles:

            Gratitude can turn a negative into a positive. Find a way to be thankful for your troubles and they can become your blessings.

This list comes from deep within my files and unfortunately- the author is unknown. So if anyone reading this knows who penned this, please notify us so we can give proper credit. Whoever it was, I give thanks for its content which helps us to truly distinguish the depth and breadth of the abundant life that God has in store for us!

The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims Godʼs handiwork. Day to day pours forth speech, and night to night declares knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words; their voice is not heard; yet their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. (Psalm 19)

What a truly marvelous time of year to live in the village of Westfield. There is something about Autumn that truly stirs my soul. Be it the beautiful warm weather we’ve been having, or the magnificent color of the countryside, or the smell of concords wafting through the air, or the harvest itself, where one senses urgency, purpose and gratitude all mixed into one, or a combination of all these things! Autumn touches me in a way that no other season does.

On a recent Sabbath day, I mounted my bike and headed into the hills surrounding the area. The harvest is in full swing and those I encountered working the machinery had nothing but smiles and waveʼs for me. The sunshine was bright but there was a crispness in the air. The wind blew gently, stirring up the leaves that had already fallen to the ground. I had to maneuver my bike to miss the large Black Walnuts that had fallen from the trees into the street. Two lake freighters plying the waters in the distance caught my attention bringing to mind a vastness that goes well beyond our little village. Yet as I took all this in, I couldn’t help but sense the order to it all. Humanity working in conjunction with the firmament that God had created. Not fighting the created order, but working within it. And what a beautiful thing it was.

As I took it all in, there was no denying the presence of God in and through and around it all. There was no speech, nor were there words, but the creative power of God was obvious, and through and around it all. There was no speech, nor were there words, but the creative power of God was obvious, and everywhere on display. How truly blessed we are to be alive and part of it.