1.9.2025 Detail

     Like many, I am behind in my work this week. We cancelled Church Sunday, and most people in my part of Illinois are only now, really able to move about freely today—Wednesday January 8. I talked about snow last month in leading up to Christmas. If I were to write about snow today, the tenor and content would be substantially different. Yesterday I walked down from the Parsonage on the Hill. I worked steadily through the day and got quite a bit done. Then slogged my way uphill from the Church House. In the afternoon the parking lots at the Church were cleared and my driveway as well. Today allowed me to pretty much get back to work. 

    Actually, I am both behind (this piece should have been drafted yesterday) and ahead (I will preach the sermon intended for last Sunday on the coming Sunday). Good ministry (as I never tire of saying) requires large uninterrupted blocks of time for study—reading, writing, and thinking. Even today, when there are few people about, I’ve had many other ministry opportunities. I had someone come by for conversation, followed by two ministry colleagues calling or texting for differing kinds of consultations. 

    Ministry has a variety of opportunities. My visitor today has been going above and beyond in caring for a sick neighbor. I routinely thank him for his acts of kindness and grace. One of the reasons I never get tired of my work is this continuing variety it brings and the wonderful flexibility in the grace of God. He uses us to bring comfort, peace, hope, and kindness to those in need. When a Pastor is able to commend others for being pastoral it is one of the true pleasures of the calling. 

    So now I turn my attention to matters of Study. I will be lecturing on NT Survey this winter. I made great progress yesterday but there is much remaining. I am working my way through Matthew until June. Lots of exegesis, examination, and thinking through the teaching of Jesus. Church organization and administrative issues need attention at the beginning of a new year, as well as time spent tweaking personal productivity systems. 

    One wants to be on top of the details without shifting into patterns of undue worry. Jesus warns us about worry in the Sermon on the Mount. It can be challenging to be faithfully attentive to our necessary tasks without being motivated by misplaced worrying. The details matter but the result, the outcome is the point. 

Yesterday when I was walking to the Church I noticed and photographed an interesting phenomenon resulting from the storm. A drain culvert allowed me to see—in almost sedimentary fashion the actual composition of the various layers of precipitation laid down over the weekend. For many of us this storm contained several differing kinds of wintery mixed precipitation. In some combination and varying order most of us had snow, sleet, ice, even freezing rain.

     The result was quite interesting. Here in Grayville the final tally looked like this. We had about 4-5 inches of snow which was compacted by about 2 inches of ice—heavy ice. On top of the layer of ice was another (very icy) layer of about 2-3 inches of snow. Grayville is very hilly, so it is difficult to calculate exact depths at any one place. But where I stood, looked, and photographed the layers laid by the storm these were the details I was able to observe. 

    The life of ministry consists of similar details laid throughout the course of living and serving. At various times of our lives the first layer of snow will be light and airy, easy to move and no trouble. At other times life offers a dreaded “wintery mix” that causes us to slip and slide. Things will feel out of control and the wise will move with increased care. And there are times that feel kind of like this storm, Snow, ice, snow. 

    The details of life change. You will not always face the same challenges throughout life and ministry. There are times when we simply must put on our muck boots, open the door and see what things feel like. So, tie on your scarf grab a walking stick, open the door and see how the winds blow.