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To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:31-32
I returned this week from a trip to Minnesota to help my brother with harvest. I dropped into the middle of this busy season which lasts about two months, starting with soybeans and then field corn (not sweet corn! This grain is fed to livestock, used in corn flakes, ethanol, etc.)
As soon as I landed I jumped into a tractor and chisel plowed until midnight on one farm. The next day I drove a grain truck, hauling freshly harvested corn to the local grain elevator where it is stored, sold, shipped by rail. My brother has 4-5 other guys that help truck the grain or drive tractors to get all the work done, and custom harvests for other farmers, too.
It is an exciting, fast paced environment, with a lot of pressure to get the grain in the bin before the cold and snow comes. I have remind myself I need to be safe; I don’t do this every day! It can be quite dangerous at times working long hours, sometimes in the dark, and around large machines with many moving parts.
The fourth day we had over an inch of rain and everything stopped.That means time to rest after weeks of 16-plus hour days. It’s also time to catch up on other things and to repair or prepare equipment for the season. I helped replace broken wiring on the lights and camera on the grain cart. I mowed my mom’s lawn for three hours. I got together for dinner with a friend and neighbor that I grew up with. I also went to church for a bake sale on Saturday and worship on Sunday, where I saw a lot of people I knew. They had a lot of questions about Florida, including about all of you. It was good to be “home”.
While the rain stopped the harvest, it was also an opportunity to rest. We all need rest. Like the commandment to “remember the sabbath”, I remembered the days when most businesses were closed on Sundays. Remnants of those “blue laws” can be seen in restrictions on sales of alcohol, automobiles, and certain events on Sundays. These laws also gave room for workers to attend worship services – and rest. What a good idea!
This is true for the farmers, where the machines don’t need a rest like horses used to, and where the light bulb means you can work all night long if you want to. The rain was a good excuse to rest. By Monday we were back in the field and going full speed ahead.
Now that I’m home, I realized I needed some rest from farming! I was more tired than I realized and am still catching up on sleep. A few sore muscles, too. It’s good to be home.
This Sunday is Reformation Sunday – WEAR RED! We remember this Sunday how Martin Luther rediscovered that righteousness and freedom are unearned gifts of God’s grace, not achievements of human merit. True freedom comes from our faith in Jesus. Praise God!
In the name of Jesus Christ;
Pastor Dan
ANNOUNCEMENTS
- Join us for worship with First Evangelical and Holy Cross churches. We pray you experience God’s love and grace in worship this Sunday. A delicious lunch will be served following worship in the Fellowship Hall.
- Help us build a safe and secure fence for the new playground! We will have a “Noisy Offering” during worship this Sunday. Drop your loose change in the buckets as they pass and make a lot of noise! Your loose change and paper donations will go toward the fencing equipment needed to keep the kids safe from the cars in the parking lot for years to come.
- Help us make a joyful noise unto the LORD! Join the Church Choir in rehearsing before worship next Sunday and singing during worship, for All Saints Sunday. We will name and ring a bell during prayers for those who have joined the saints triumphant this past year and pausing during communion to light candles in memory of loved ones.
- Join us on Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m. in the chapel for our Bible Study, “See Through the Scriptures”. We are going step-by-step through the biblical narrative from Genesis to Revelation, putting everything in clear context.
- Holy Cross Church Council will meet on November 8th after worship, with a Congregational meeting on November 15th after worship, all Holy Cross members are encouraged to attend.
- First Evangelical and Holy Cross will no longer providing numbered offering envelopes. Please use envelopes provided in pews if you need one.
