Reflections of a Retired Pastor

A lot has changed since Bible times. Primarily, planting and harvesting was the way of life. Today, most of us go to Giant Eagle or Walmart. Many young people think food comes from a can instead of the ground.  At this Thanksgiving I encourage each of us to highlight the connection of the harvest to this seasonal celebration. The harvest home signified the bringing home of the harvest at the time of gathering of the crops. Historically, it was accompanied with a feast after the crops were gathered in.  Many congregations sang traditional Thanksgiving songs this past Sunday, probably the only time all year. Some think these aren’t as “singable” as other songs, but that may be a matter of opinión. This song struck me in a fresh way as we sang it at our church on Sunday.   Come, ye thankful people, come,  Raise the song of harvest home; All is safely gathered in, ere the winter storms begin. God our Maker doth provide For our wants to be supplied; Come to God’s own temp...

  Seemingly overnight the retail establishments have swiftly replaced the Halloween merchandise with Christmas wares, once again bypassing a very important observance. This observance is one that I believe involves volition and purpose. Looking at the scriptures about thanksgiving seem to connect giving thanks with action. Psalm 116:17 says, “I will OFFER to you the SACRIFICE of thanksgiving, and will CALL upon the name of the Lord.”  A pastor colleague used to say that worshipers in the Old Testament ALWAYS brought an offering when they came before the Lord. This involved ACTION. The psalmist likened thanksgiving to a sacrifice. This involved ACTION. And people called out to the Lord — they prayed, and this involved ACTION! About twenty years ago, I enrolled in Spanish classes at Butler County Community College and Slippery Rock University to help me to be able to communicate more effectively on mission trips to Guatemala and Nicaragua. I have to admit, a 50 year-old matricul...

  Disclaimer: This is not a political post. We have just experienced probably one of the most divisive presidential elections in recent history. This blog entry has no intention to make a judgment about the outcome, rather it reflects something that has been bothering me for the duration of this campaign. It’s been reported that $15.9 BILLION has been spent on all of the political races in this cycle. I suppose the lion’s share was spent on annoying ads that supposedly tout what the candidates plan to do if elected, but more often than not, viciously attack their opponent’s record or character. If one seriously listens to these attacks and does a little research, they realize that these ads are often flawed at best and downright misleading and untruthful at their worst. And neither side is innocent. But that’s not what bothers me. $15.9 billion is a lot of money. Anecdotally, if one spent a million dollars a day, every day, it would take 43 years to spend all the money. I think som...