Springing Forward

A devotion by my wife Beth, written for our church to complement the Sunday sermon. 

Springing forward

By Beth Stroble

It is the season for welcome rituals, returns of long-awaited traditions, and a mix of life changes that are surprising, delightful, and in some cases, dismaying.  For me, as the university has embraced a mask-optional policy and begun to convene in-person events, I have felt like the groundhog coming out of my hole.  It is wonderful to see so many smiling faces, to feel safely present with others, and to have warmth and sunshine reappear in our midst.

I am happily re-potting indoor plants, transitioning garden flags from winter to spring motifs, participating in a virtual Nowruz event that celebrates the spring equinox, and making a few travel plans for the coming months. It’s time to send winter coats to be cleaned, to wear bright colors, and to change the clocks for more evening daylight.   

At the same time, this season has brought farewells to the forefront—a dear friend in Florida and two beloved faculty members whom we will memorialize this spring. So many have left us during this time of isolation, departing without the customary gatherings of family and friends. The return of formal leave-taking captures our need for communal mourning, comforting, and celebrating, and for that I am grateful. This spring brings our first in person commencement since 2019—a joyous and fitting occasion for wishing graduates well in their journeys.  And, of course, at Webster Hills, we, too, will experience a time of transition as Linda's ministry takes her to a new community and congregation.

It is a time to reflect on what we can create anew in a season of growth.  How will we spring forward?  How will our gardens grow? Will we turn over a new leaf? Is there a spring in our step? Will what we undertake bear good and abundant fruit?

Jesus’ parable of the gardener and the fig tree should encourage us in this season and always.  Just as the gardener extends grace to the fig tree that has not yet produced figs, we should feel God’s affirming and all-encompassing love for us simply as we are—people on a path to greater love, service, and sacrifice in Jesus’ name.  The warmth of God’s love for us should spur us on to a season of renewal, a desire to fill ourselves to the brim with love and care for members of our community, near and far.  When we revert to thinking that somehow our own efforts and results are the basis of God’s acceptance and salvation, we deny ourselves the true gift of God’s grace and limit our ability to embrace those around us, flawed as we are ourselves.

Let us turn our faces to the Lord in this season, seeking to change our hearts and our lives in ways that reflect the love of the Lord.  May our cup runneth over.  Praise God!

Under God's Wing

A devotion written for our church to complement Sunday's sermon. 

Under God’s Wing

Luke 13:31-35, Psalm 27

Paul Stroble

I told Pastor Linda that “full to the brim” was such a wonderful and different focus for Lent. She commented that the last couple of years has felt like Lent! I agreed and was glad to write an upbeat devotion this month.

For me, Lent has been a great time (among others) to be reminded of God's vast love. Psalms 42 and its companion 43 are examples. "For you are the God in whom I take refuge; why have you cast me off?" (Ps. 42:2). What a terrible concern, that God is not only silent but has rejected the psalmist! Fortunately, that isn't the last word, for the psalmist knows to "hang on": "Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my help and my God" (vs. 5). The psalmist isn't feeling praiseful now but will eventually.

The Bible is filled with images of comfort, consolation, and trust in God’s care. “Fear of the Lord” is respect for God’s sovereignty, which doesn’t mean we go around being afraid of God. God is abundantly safe and loving. Think no farther than the story of the Prodigal Son, or of the thief on the cross.   

A wonderful Hebrew word is machseh, translated as “dwelling place” (Deut. 33:27 RSV), or “refuge” (KJV and NIV).  Psalm 46:1 affirms that “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” Imagine God as a welcoming "place" to go when you're downhearted.

Another similar biblical word is mishgab, “stronghold.” Our Psalm 27 lesson has that word, which we find in other psalms as well.

The Lord is my light and my salvation;

   whom shall I fear?

The Lord is the stronghold of my life;

   of whom shall I be afraid? (NRSV)

Our passage from Luke also has a wonderful, “maternal” image of God, in verse 34:

“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!”

According to one of my commentaries, Jesus is alluding to several prophets killed in Jerusalem: Uriah (Jer. 26:20-23), Zechariah (2 Chr. 24:20-22), prophets killed by Manasseh (2 Kings 21:16, 24:4), and non-biblical traditions about Isaiah. The passage alludes to a fact that many of us forget about Jesus: he elicited excitement among people who perceived him to be a prophet. Since Luke is writing these several years after Jesus’ earthly life, Luke is probably also alluding to the death of Stephen (Acts 7:58-60).

But can you imagine God as a mother bird who gathers the chicks beneath her wings, against the warmth of her body? Even now, I have an emotional (rather than theological) image of God as a parent who says, “Why did you get that B?” when you’ve otherwise made all As. No surprise that Jesus gives us a more loving and tender vision of God than our self-made and wrongheaded feelings! I’m going to take some time during Lent to meditate on that image of God as a sheltering and warm place.

Prayer:  Dear Lord, guide us this Lent and deepen our knowledge of your love for us.  Amen.

Dred Scott anniversary

The U.S. Supreme Court case Dred Scott v. Sandford was handed down on March 6, 1857, 165 years ago today. Chief Justice Roger Taney gave the majority opinion, that all people of African descent were not U.S. citizens and could not sue in federal court; that the Fifth Amendment protected the property rights of slaveowners, for whom slaves were property; and that the Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional, and therefore Congress could not prevent the spread of slavery. The decision further divided the nation.