Through Stained Glass: A Mid-Week Reflection-Suns and Skies

“O suns and skies and clouds of June, 
And flowers of June together, 
Ye cannot rival for one hour 
October's bright blue weather;…”

These words are the opening lines to Helen Hunt Jackson’s poem October’s Bright Blue Weather. As I sit reading this poem and looking outside, I notice the bright blue sky and the white clouds gracefully floating by. I also hear the leaves that are now golden and orange rustling in the wind. Slowly the tree is beginning to lose its splendor.

This is one of my favorite times of the year. Though I’m not a fan of it getting dark at 6:30pm, the changing season invites our senses to come alive once more before the cold of winter returns. With that said, here is a top ten list for the month of October.

The Presbyterian Pastor’s Top 10 Favorite Things About Fall

1. Bonfires, S’mores, Hot Cider, and Weiner Roasts (Our annual wiener roast is almost here, by the way! It will be at the Boss’ on Sunday, October 25^th!)
2. Baseball Playoffs. I’ll leave it at that…
3. While I love donning my bowties and suits, I also love a good pair of blue jeans and my favorite hooded sweatshirt!
4. We haven’t been in the season of fall that long and I’ve already had some of the best chili and vegetable, meatball soup ever! Thus, I love the return of soup weather!
5. Harvest Time. Seeing the farmers in their fields gathering the fruit of the earth. One night while driving home from a session meeting at a nearby church I noticed the moon had a bit of a hazy-glow to it—I prefer the haze of the country than I do that of the city.
6. Reformation Sunday. Who doesn’t like to celebrate the Reformed tradition while wearing a…kilt?! (By the way, you are encouraged to wear your kilts and plaid on Sunday, October 25^th to worship!)
7. Geese. There is nothing that makes me run to the window quicker than the sound of a flock of geese passing overhead. Their migration reminds me that change is happening and that…warm weather is eventually on the way!
8. Golden dogs amidst golden leaves. Getting out on those early crisp, fall mornings for a walk is a great way to begin a new day. Fall isn’t Chloe’s favorite season, though. The crunching leaves cause a bit more anxiety on our walks!
9. The leaves. Their colors, their smell, and the grace they display as they fall to the ground. Recently I heard someone comment on one of the smells of fall they enjoy the most is the smell of burning leaves. As a boy I remember raking leaves into large piles and then jumping on them. The staleness of the dying vegetation, along with the dampness of the earth, is a smell I shall not ever forget.
10. Change. It is inevitable. Time marches on and the seasons help remind us of this. Along with this reality, nature reminds us of how God isn’t done yet either. As the prophet Isaiah notes, “I am about to do a new thing…do you not perceive it?”

Friends, our part of the globe is now ablaze with the colors of fall. What are some of your favorite things about fall? What are some of your memories about this time of the year?

What is God about to do you in your life?

May you find peace and joy, a sense of newness amidst October’s bright, blue weather!

Through Stained Glass: A Call To Pray for Peace

Oct. 1, 2015

Beloved Church and Community Family, the grace and peace of Jesus Christ be with you.

I write to you this evening as both your pastor and fellow community member of Lincoln, Illinois in regards to the tragic shooting that took place today on a community college campus in Roseburg, Oregon.

First, I write to you as a pastor. When I heard the news of today’s shooting that took place on the campus of Umpqua Community College my heart broke. As many of you know, our church is engaging in a four-week study on gun violence and our gospel values. Just last night we talked about recent shootings that have taken place. Today, we add another to that list. As a pastor, I urge you to pray with and for those in Roseburg, Oregon. Pray for the victims, their families, those wounded, those who will do the difficult work of bringing order to the chaos, and, yes, pray for the one who committed the act of violence. What exactly do we pray for? That is up to you. But, perhaps we could pray for peace.

            As your pastor, I encourage you to take time to ponder your baptism. Why this during such a time as this? In our baptism we are claimed, named, and etched into the family of God, not as sinners but as God’s very own. In the waters of baptism we are affirmed of our goodness, of our beauty, and gifted with faith—a faith that believes, even in the darkest of times, that God is present. Somehow. Someway. Somewhere. More importantly, by returning to the waters of baptism, we are reminded of our shared story as human beings, that God calls us to protect the lives of all within the human community, as each is loved by our creator, God. No one, and I mean no one, should ever be victims of violence.

            Finally, as children of God, we are called to be ambassadors of God’s love, ushering the reign of God with our financial and material resources, but especially with our lives. Thus, I would like to extend an invitation to you to join us regularly before worship during October at 9:30am on Sunday mornings for a prayer service where we commit ourselves each week to seeking new and active ways of effectively bringing a life-saving change, both to our community and to our own lives.

Now, as a concerned citizen of the United States, but specifically of Lincoln, Illinois, I write to ask the question:  what are we in Lincoln, Illinois doing to prevent such an event from happening in our community? As a member of this Logan County membership, I ask the question:  how is my local government educating our community about gun safety?

            The statistics are alarming in regards to deaths caused by firearms. According to a 2007 report from the International Association of Chiefs of Police 2007 Great Lakes Summit on Gun Violence, over 100,000 people are shot by guns. 30,896 of these victims die yearly. Perhaps the main question I ask, as one who loves the city of Lincoln, a city that houses two college campuses,  which make up our membership:  what are we doing, or can we do to prevent such an event from happening in our schools, our churches, our places of social gathering, and in our homes?

As one who grew up walking the fields, small game with my grandfather, a veteran of World War II, I am not advocating for a ban on all guns. But as a pastor and concerned citizen, I plead with my neighbors, hunters, and law-enforcement officials who regularly handle firearms properly, to be wise examples in reducing risks and teaching others how to prevent these senseless acts of violence.

            More importantly, I write pleading that we, as a community, begin engaging in conversation as a way to prevent us from becoming numb to gun related events, because they happen, not in our backyards, but across the country or upstate.

Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, they will be called children of God.” My beloved community, I invite you to join me on the corners of Kickapoo and Broadway, Thursday morning, October 8^th at 10am, for vigil and to plant a peacemaking seed through prayer.

Sincerely,

The Rev. Adam Ryan Quine