Pastor Craig - March 2022

          Will Rogers for those of you who don’t know was quite a force and one who was not to be ignored. He said that he made fun of every prominent person of his day. He was born in 1879 and died in 1935. As an entertainer and humorist, he traveled around the world three times, made 71 films.  By the mid-1930s, Rogers was hugely popular in the United States for his leading political wit and was the highest paid actor in Hollywood. Rogers also had a weekly column that reached around the globe. He died in 1935 with aviator Willy Post when their small airplane crashed in northern Alaska. One of Rogers's most famous sayings was "I never met a man I didn't like”.

          What made Rogers so popular is that he gave you his wisdom in short bursts that went right to the heart of the matter. In his folksy way, you could picture him sitting in a rocking chair on the porch and giving you those little nuggets that you will remember. I came across this one a few months ago and put it in my computer for this month’s article.

          It is too simple to tell people of all ages “Not to Worry.” I believe it is part of our human condition. Everyone worries about something. You wake up in the morning and you start to worry about what you should wear, what is the weather like, will such and such happen, will I get an “A” on my homework, will the appointment at the doctor go OK, will my car start, or something more like as we get older “Will I remember my friends and kids names?” The worst thing you can do is to allow worry to paralyze you. 

          Worrying is nothing new. In Luke 12 Jesus addresses it head-on when he gives his “lilies of the valley” speech. He goes on to say, “And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of Life? If then you are not able to do so small a thing as that, why do you worry about the rest?” (vs 25 and 26) “Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” (vs 32)

          Several years ago, I heard our national ELCA Bishop speak and he was asked about how he could sleep at night with all of the turmoil and issues surround the 10000 plus congregations under his care as well as all of the international situations that he dealt with on a daily basis. His words were simple. As I remember he said something like; “Before I close my eyes, I prayed that God would give me the strength to trust that God would take care of all of these things. So that I could sleep and wake refreshed for another day.”

          In a nutshell, it is trust. God knows what we are dealing with and sometimes what is a crisis or worry in the moment when we look back on it we see how foolish it was to worry. I always feel sorry for those who are in their 20s-40s that have not had the life experience to be able to look back and see how God is operating in their lives, what seemed a worry perhaps turned into a blessing.

          God did not promise a “worry free” life. He did promise that he would be with us always.

In Christ

     Pastor Craig