February 2010 Archives

View from the Mountain

Luke 9:28-36 (CEV)

February 14, 2010

Rev. Nancy Pfaltzgraf

Jim Smith went to church one Sunday morning. He heard the organist miss a note during the prelude, and he winced. He saw a teenager talking when everybody was supposed to be praying and he scowled. He felt like the usher was waiting to see what he put in the offering plate and it made him boil. He caught the preacher making a slip of the tongue five times during the sermon. As he slipped out through the side door during the closing hymn he muttered to himself, "I'll never come to this church again! What a bunch of clods and hypocrites!"

Ron Jones went to church one Sunday morning. He heard the organist play an arrangement of "A Mighty Fortress" and he thrilled at the majesty of it. He heard a young girl take a moment during the service to speak her simple moving message of the difference her faith has made in her life and he was moved, almost to tears. He was glad to see that this church was sharing in a special offering for hungry children in Nigeria and he gave generously. He especially appreciated the sermon that day -it answered a question that had bothered him for a long time. As he left at the end of the service he thought to himself, "How can someone come here and not feel the presence of God?"

Caught by Grace

Luke 5:1-11

February 7, 2010

Rev. Nancy Pfaltzgraf

The end of the day, that's what it was for Simon, James and John and the other fishermen who spent their nights working and their days sleeping. That was my schedule before seminary, when I was a nurse; except for the sleeping during the day part. When I went back to work full time after my second child was born, I chose to work the 11pm-7am shift so that I would be gone while my 3½ year old daughter and my infant son were sleeping and at home to care for them during their waking hours. I would catch a nap when my daughter was at pre-school and my son took his nap and then head to bed when their father came home to take over the child care responsibilities. It wasn't so bad at first, but when my son gave up his morning nap and their afternoon nap times never seemed to be in sink, I found myself completely exhausted most of the time. More often than I care to remember I would leave the hospital at the end of my shift and find myself driving into my driveway -some 10 miles away- with no conscious memory of having driven home.