Pastor’s Blog

This past Monday was a “Last First” for us, well for our oldest son anyway. It was his last first day of school. Beginning with Kindergarten he has had for the last thirteen years a monumental first day of school and now that he is a senior he observed his last first day of school. I thought about this as both boys were eating cinnamon rolls that we bake, always on their first day of school. This will not be his last cinnamon roll of course, but it will be his “last first.”

 Once you become a parent the seasons mark by school take on a heightened significance. I remember holding his nervous little hand walking with him to his kindergarten class and thinking to myself, “this school is too big for my small son.” Now both of my sons seem too big for any school to contain their dreams and ambitions. The school bus no longer stops for them because they drive to school. It has been years since either one of them brought home a drawing to post on the refrigerator. I am no longer invited to eat lunch with them in the cafeteria. There have been many “last firsts” along the way; I just did not always know it or recognize it.

 This is the way of life. Things come and move and have their being and then are no more. Life cannot be frozen or halted. Children grow up; parents get old; employment changes; friends move and the seasons unfold. In fact growing involves shedding things along the way. Did you know that every five years 100 percent of our atoms turn over and are replaced by new ones? That is basically saying every five years we have a whole new self with no original parts. It is the nature of life to keep on moving. One scientist framed it this way: “We are continually being recreated from dust and returning to dust…we are not things; instead we are processes” (More Than Meets the Eye, Richard A. Swenson, p.18).

 How do you see God in your “last firsts”; those places in your life where you are saying goodbye? What do you think is awaiting you? How do you trust God in these places of transitions? These are big questions applied in the minute particulars of life. They are also part of the life of any community of faith. No one church can ever be exactly the way it was. That is the definition of death. Rather we are always in a process of becoming.

 That is why we need each other in the local church, because together we are on a shared pilgrimage. Together we may confess faithfully: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8) But together we can draw into the mystery: “…forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead…” (Philippians 3:13).

 Indeed like seasons of the year and our own bodies we are growing and becoming. In all of our first lasts and endings that give birth to beginnings, may our confessions be that of the ancients: “The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” (3:22-23)

Grace and peace, now and forevermore.

…that sounds so mysterious, doesn’t it? Well, it is in fact mysterious. Recently I was listening to a podcast where a physicist was interviewed about his ideas of the “consciousness of contemplation” – or something like that!! He kept referring to “dark energy.” “What is dark energy?” I asked out loud to no one in particular, but I was hoping Amy might have an answer. Finally the physicist speaking from my radio answered my question. Dark energy is the most popular way to explain recent observations and experiments that the universe appears to be expanding at an accelerating rate. It is thought that it accounts for 74% of the total mass-energy of the universe. (Thank goodness for wikipedia for convenient statistics!)

The very thought that there is energy out there – that cannot fully be explained, let alone defined – that accounts for most of the energy in the known universe is enough to make one’s neurons pop. A few hundred years ago it was thought that the earth was the center of the universe. Now we know that not only is the earth not the center of the universe, but it is not even the center of the solar system in this galaxy. Furthermore, our galaxy, according to some astronomers, is just one of hundreds of billions of galaxies. Our solar system is more like a suburb among the other galaxies, known and unknown.

The very thought alone draws me into a sense of Biblical awe and reverence. Long before telescopes the Psalmist thought as much. In Psalm 8 David wrote (and no doubt sung) “When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have established; what are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them?” Again in Psalm 19 we read: “The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours forth speech, and night to night declares knowledge.”

There is so much we do not know. Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote: “Knowledge is knowing that we cannot know.” This is not an excuse for ignorance mind you; just a humble reminder that life is vast and ultimately incomprehensible. We do not know about the future, much less our present. We do not know about how it will all work out with our families, our finances, our health and so on. There is only so much telescopes and microscopes can tell us. The rest is mystery…holy, sacred mystery.

It is not what we know that validates our faith. It is who we know that graces us with peace. Both knowledge and ignorance can shackle us to fear and its sibling anxiety. To rest in the “Name above all names” can set us free.

To the one struggling to find a job…may the peace of Christ hold you.

To the one whose family is a disaster…may the presence of God sustain you.

To the one cowed by the “dark cloud” of anxiety…may the Spirit fill you.

To all of us propelled forward in this expanding universe headed into an uncertain future, may we look up and experience the Word that calls forth creation to live, to love, and to hope.

In Jesus name,

Greg

This is our last full day in Rome and I am almost certain my last blog entry from Rome. We decided to make it more or less a full day in the city, squeezing in a rest time in the afternoon. Speaking of rest, I look forward to sleeping in my own bed in our happily air-conditioned house! Last night was a long night with nary a breeze to stir up the disquieting quiet.

We boarded the bus to begin our trek through some of our favorite places in Rome, but first we needed a quick breakfast. In Italy a typical breakfast is a cappuccino and pastry - no bacon, eggs and certainly no grits. The four of us dined for about 7 dollars. We started our day of shopping with the Piazza of Campo de Fioro (translated it means “field of flowers” although the only flowers are the ones sold in stalls and it has not been a field in about two thousand years). At the market I bought some very pungent spices that will go well with olive oil and bread when we are settled again in Augusta. I just hope it will make it through customs. We also bought a few other things along the way that we had putting off until the last minute. In fact, most of our shopping was accomplished by wandering down alley after alley walking in stores that we thought to be interesting. By the time lunch rolled around we were all laden with small shopping bags and the satisfaction in knowing we have done our small part in helping the Italian economy.

One of my many visits to the ATM!

After three weeks of eating pasta, pizza, insalata, and vegetables prepared in more ways than I can remember, we were too tired to think about one more Italian restaurant to try out, so we ate - are you ready for this? - at McDonalds. I don’t eat at McDonalds back home, but this decision seemed to have the support of my two boys and they have been more or less indulgent of us in all of our Roman travels. It seemed a bit wrong to be eating at McDonalds overlooking the piazza before the majestic Pantheon, but travel is filled with ironies.

On the way back to our bus we did a bit more window shopping, had some more coffee, and finally made it back to our apartment for a few hours of rest before the evening. During the “down-time” I walked back to the catacombs to pick up a few more things to remember our visit.

Very soon it was nearing suppertime and our final night in the city. We returned to one of the first restaurants we visited when we arrived. In fact we still do not know the name since the place doesn’t even have a sign, but the locals we know have recommended and we can attest that it was well worth a repeat visit. We finished our evening in my favorite piazza - Piazza Novona - with it three exquisite fountains sculpted by Bernini. While taking in the night lights of Rome we were entertained by street performers and met a young couple from Atlanta. In fact they took what I believe is the only family picture I have of all four of us together.

Thank you dear reader for indulging my ramblings as I have reflected on our time and studies in Rome. Your encouragement and feedback has been welcome. We look forward to touching ground in the grand state of Georgia. It is never far from our minds.

Peace, peace, peace,