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Cal's Pastoral Epistles
Standing Out In The Forest
January 25, 2007
It was cold and the wind was whipping across the road so hard that I had
a hard time keeping it in the right lane. I’ve been told that this is typical for
winter weather in New York State. I was driving home from a visit to my
daughter at Ithaca College. I kept thinking to myself that at least I didn’t
have snow to contend with. Then I saw a few flurries.
Route 17 meanders through the Catskill Mountains. On one side there is a
river where you can see hundreds of fishermen knee deep in the water
every spring casting their lines and trying their luck. You can also see the
railroad ties that mark the route of trains that cross the state through the
mountain pass. The road, the river and the tracks are bound together in
the folds of the mountains.
Now winter is a depressing time for many people. Everything is so dark
and gray. As you drive across the countryside it is impossible not to be
taken in by the dullness of what you are seeing. It is a five and a half hour
ride from Ithaca to home. In the fall the trees are resplendent with color.
In the summer everything is green and alive. But in January the stark
barrenness of the land is overwhelming. So it was for me last week as I
was on my journey home.
Then out of nowhere I saw something that caught my eye and captured
my imagination. There in the haze of gray and brown was a beautiful white
birch tree. It stood out in contrast to everything else around it. As a boy I
was enamored with the birch tree. You just didn’t see too many of them.
It was so different from the oak and maple trees that covered the
landscape where I grew up. There was something exotic about it. So
when I spotted that first birch tree, I took it as a good sign. It was almost
as if God was smiling at me. Along the way I saw more birch trees. It
became a game to see how many there were. It was easy because each
one stood out in the backdrop of empty trees that looked so much alike.
As I thought about this a verse from I Peter came to mind.
“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people
belonging to God that you may declare the praises of him who called you
out of darkness into his wonderful light.”
In a cold, dark world filled with trials and difficulties, you and I are called
to stand out from the crowd as beacons of light and hope. Because we
have known the blessings of God, because we have experienced
forgiveness and the newness of life, we are called to stand up and share
the good news of God’s love. Too often though, we blend in and become
just another tree in the forest.
When I think about how those birch trees, by just being themselves, lifted
my spirits, I have to believe that you and I can do the same thing for
others when we let God’s light shine through us. So don’t be afraid to
stand out in the crowd. Let God use you to brighten the way on someone’
s journey. Be a birch tree for God. Or just be you and open the door for
God to work.
God bless. See you in Church. Cal.
January 25, 2007
It was cold and the wind was whipping across the road so hard that I had
a hard time keeping it in the right lane. I’ve been told that this is typical for
winter weather in New York State. I was driving home from a visit to my
daughter at Ithaca College. I kept thinking to myself that at least I didn’t
have snow to contend with. Then I saw a few flurries.
Route 17 meanders through the Catskill Mountains. On one side there is a
river where you can see hundreds of fishermen knee deep in the water
every spring casting their lines and trying their luck. You can also see the
railroad ties that mark the route of trains that cross the state through the
mountain pass. The road, the river and the tracks are bound together in
the folds of the mountains.
Now winter is a depressing time for many people. Everything is so dark
and gray. As you drive across the countryside it is impossible not to be
taken in by the dullness of what you are seeing. It is a five and a half hour
ride from Ithaca to home. In the fall the trees are resplendent with color.
In the summer everything is green and alive. But in January the stark
barrenness of the land is overwhelming. So it was for me last week as I
was on my journey home.
Then out of nowhere I saw something that caught my eye and captured
my imagination. There in the haze of gray and brown was a beautiful white
birch tree. It stood out in contrast to everything else around it. As a boy I
was enamored with the birch tree. You just didn’t see too many of them.
It was so different from the oak and maple trees that covered the
landscape where I grew up. There was something exotic about it. So
when I spotted that first birch tree, I took it as a good sign. It was almost
as if God was smiling at me. Along the way I saw more birch trees. It
became a game to see how many there were. It was easy because each
one stood out in the backdrop of empty trees that looked so much alike.
As I thought about this a verse from I Peter came to mind.
“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people
belonging to God that you may declare the praises of him who called you
out of darkness into his wonderful light.”
In a cold, dark world filled with trials and difficulties, you and I are called
to stand out from the crowd as beacons of light and hope. Because we
have known the blessings of God, because we have experienced
forgiveness and the newness of life, we are called to stand up and share
the good news of God’s love. Too often though, we blend in and become
just another tree in the forest.
When I think about how those birch trees, by just being themselves, lifted
my spirits, I have to believe that you and I can do the same thing for
others when we let God’s light shine through us. So don’t be afraid to
stand out in the crowd. Let God use you to brighten the way on someone’
s journey. Be a birch tree for God. Or just be you and open the door for
God to work.
God bless. See you in Church. Cal.
Pastor Cal Lord writes these weekly epistles to
help us see God in every day things.
help us see God in every day things.
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