Pastor's Blog
Lessons from the patch - When we unloaded the truck on Oct. 8, I found myself thinking that the long line of volunteers passing pumpkins from one pair of hands to the next was a lovely visual metaphor of the church - each one of us is needed to share the Lord's work.... there's joy in working together.... all ages and abilities have a role to play....
When it felt that we'd been passing pumpkins for a LONG time, someone checked the back of the truck and shouted, "We're half-way there!" A semi-truck full of pumpkins is a LOT of pumpkins! It made me think of how we serve a God of abundance not scarcity. God's grace is always more than we can imagine!
Have you heard the "pumpkin prayer"? It talks of how Christians are like pumpkins... God picks us up, scoops out all the yucky stuff inside (such as seeds of greed or hate or envy).... then the Lord puts a smile on our face and lets LIGHT shine through our lives. What yucky seeds need to be scooped out of your life? Meditate upon Psalm 51 which includes the phrase: "Create in me a clean heart oh God."
I must admit, I've never seen the variety of pumpkins that are available in our patch this year.... there are three different kinds of miniature pumpkins (including fun nicknames like WeeBeeLittles and Spookies).... there are the green "turbin" pumpkins, white pumpkins, classic orange pumpkins of all sizes, bumpy ones, the "cinderella" pumpkins that are reddish orange and highly textured, and a new variety with pale orange veins on a white background.... For children's time a few weeks ago, Jenny Black held up samples of all the different kinds of pumpkins and talked about how each one of us, as a child of God, is unique - we come in different colors, sizes, and shapes, but ALL of us are beloved by God.
YOU are beloved by God! Even if you're feeling ugly and bumpy today, remember GOD LOVE YOU and so do I.
Blessings, Pastor Cynthia