Archives: August 2006

Rector's Reflections

“It's so hot you could fry and egg on the sidewalk!”

When I hear people talking about the unusually warm weather we been experiencing, I am reminded of my parents' response to hot weather when my older brother Gilbert and I were children. We had no air conditioning in our home, so our parents set up cots in one particular room in our house that seemed from time to time to receive a breeze. Each night they brought a small block of ice and put it in a large pan and placed the pan near a window. They then plugged in an electric fan and placed it in such a way as to blow over the ice and towards our cots: thus an “air conditioned bedroom.” This summer time memory also tends to rise to the surface when people start talking longingly about the “good old days.” While we cannot change the weather, we can change our response to uncomfortable times, including those produced by summer climate conditions.

There is a famous sermon called "It's Friday - but - Sunday's a comin" . One of the ideas expressed in the sermon is that even God decided to wait a few days between the crucifixion and the resurrection. When things seemed so dark and without hope, there was all hope and all joy about to burst through the tomb into the light of an eternal day. The sermon also focused on our impatience. When we live in a “fast food” society, it is all too easy to expect fast food religion and fast food answers to prayers and all other religious matters!

One night while on vacation, Brenda and I ate at a very nice restaurant in Orlando , Florida . Before the waiter even passed out the menus, he warned us that the chef did not cook the food until after we had ordered, and that if we needed faster service, there was a restaurant just around the corner. The message was clear. Sometimes we just have to be patient and wait if we are seeking the best and are not willing to settle for less than the best.

We are all on a journey with Christ. Hopefully our journeys will be long, which means we will all need to be patient and to persevere. Patience is a virtue. All our prayers will be answered in God's time. The weather will change, but in the meantime think cool and all will be well.

 

 

Fr. Ken †