January 30, 2024
Winter Weather
This week, one of the most prestigious weather events of all year is going to happen. Yes, you know what I am talking about: Punxsutawney Phil, Seer of Seers, Sage of Sages, Prognosticator of Prognosticators, and Weather Prophet Extraordinaire. (I tried back in December to get tickets to this year's events, but I was not quick enough to snag a spot.)
This very minor annual holiday draws attention to the fact that, at this time of year, we feel stuck in the middle of winter. Thanks to the phenomenon of El Nino, we have had a mild winter – lakes are not even freezing like they normally do. But mild or not, there’s no mistaking that the season we are currently in is cold and mostly barren.
This last week at Senior High Sunday School, Kaley O’ Donnell brought a book that helped us reflect in different ways about the metaphorical seasons of our lives. You can think in terms of the seasons of our whole life span: spring is our youth, summer is our adult years, and so on. The book also asked us to focus on the briefer, more fleeting seasons of life that we fall into depending on our current life situation.
Winter can be one of those seasons; metaphorically, the “winter” seasons of our lives are times when things “outside” are just brutal, and all we want to do is stay inside. This season can be marked with grief, struggles with self-confidence, or other incidents that make us close in. Some call this the winter blues.
Having grown up most of my childhood in North Dakota, the physical season of winter is familiar to me. It started in October and ended around Mother's Day. There was no arguing with Mother Nature: once winter had begun, it was here to stay. We had to learn how to best navigate the long, cold, dark season. It was impossible to just stay inside that long. So, we learned to thrive off of winter mottos.
One such motto was “Be Prepared.” This might sound funny at first, but winter comes every year. Yes, it will snow; yes, there will be ice; yes, it will make you feel uncomfortable and wish for warmer days. But, if you have the proper support and equipment, the season is manageable, and you will be able to get to spring.
Another motto that the Scandinavians have exemplified is something like “Lean Into Winter.” Yes, winter is long, dark, and cold; but with the right people, it can also be cozy, invigorating, and renewing. There are certain events you can only do in winter, foods that taste best in winter, and no matter how much of a Grinch you are, that first snow is still at least a little magical.
The same mottos can help us with our metaphorical life-season of winter. Be Prepared: no matter how much we would like to pretend differently, tragedy, major illness, and even death will occur at some point in our lives. How can we prepare our hearts, minds, finances, and life situations now so that we are not caught off-guard when the first “blizzard” hits?
And “Lean Into Winter:” how might we surround ourselves with the kind of people who will not only support us through the wintry times but perhaps even shed light on its unexpected blessings? I hope you count your church family and pastors in that crew! And as always, if either the metaphorical or the literal winter blues are getting you down, please reach out and call one of your pastors.
God’s Peace,
Pastor Tim
This week, one of the most prestigious weather events of all year is going to happen. Yes, you know what I am talking about: Punxsutawney Phil, Seer of Seers, Sage of Sages, Prognosticator of Prognosticators, and Weather Prophet Extraordinaire. (I tried back in December to get tickets to this year's events, but I was not quick enough to snag a spot.)
This very minor annual holiday draws attention to the fact that, at this time of year, we feel stuck in the middle of winter. Thanks to the phenomenon of El Nino, we have had a mild winter – lakes are not even freezing like they normally do. But mild or not, there’s no mistaking that the season we are currently in is cold and mostly barren.
This last week at Senior High Sunday School, Kaley O’ Donnell brought a book that helped us reflect in different ways about the metaphorical seasons of our lives. You can think in terms of the seasons of our whole life span: spring is our youth, summer is our adult years, and so on. The book also asked us to focus on the briefer, more fleeting seasons of life that we fall into depending on our current life situation.
Winter can be one of those seasons; metaphorically, the “winter” seasons of our lives are times when things “outside” are just brutal, and all we want to do is stay inside. This season can be marked with grief, struggles with self-confidence, or other incidents that make us close in. Some call this the winter blues.
Having grown up most of my childhood in North Dakota, the physical season of winter is familiar to me. It started in October and ended around Mother's Day. There was no arguing with Mother Nature: once winter had begun, it was here to stay. We had to learn how to best navigate the long, cold, dark season. It was impossible to just stay inside that long. So, we learned to thrive off of winter mottos.
One such motto was “Be Prepared.” This might sound funny at first, but winter comes every year. Yes, it will snow; yes, there will be ice; yes, it will make you feel uncomfortable and wish for warmer days. But, if you have the proper support and equipment, the season is manageable, and you will be able to get to spring.
Another motto that the Scandinavians have exemplified is something like “Lean Into Winter.” Yes, winter is long, dark, and cold; but with the right people, it can also be cozy, invigorating, and renewing. There are certain events you can only do in winter, foods that taste best in winter, and no matter how much of a Grinch you are, that first snow is still at least a little magical.
The same mottos can help us with our metaphorical life-season of winter. Be Prepared: no matter how much we would like to pretend differently, tragedy, major illness, and even death will occur at some point in our lives. How can we prepare our hearts, minds, finances, and life situations now so that we are not caught off-guard when the first “blizzard” hits?
And “Lean Into Winter:” how might we surround ourselves with the kind of people who will not only support us through the wintry times but perhaps even shed light on its unexpected blessings? I hope you count your church family and pastors in that crew! And as always, if either the metaphorical or the literal winter blues are getting you down, please reach out and call one of your pastors.
God’s Peace,
Pastor Tim