Hello ICC Family!
Well… it’s winter. That was quite a layer of frost on the ground this morning. Our heater is working overtime trying to keep the house warm. And twice this morning I have thought about doing something, but then remembered I would have to go outside to do it, so I changed my mind. Now, it’s not bitter cold. There have been times that I have been colder:
Several times camping as a Boy Scout in the snow. The lesson there is to not let your feet get wet or even sweaty or else you will be miserable with no hope of warming up.
When we first arrived on the Tibetan plateau. I had to walk about a mile to the university where I was studying Chinese. Supposedly there was a bus, but you had to decide whether to freeze to death while you waited for it, or just go ahead and start walking. I found that freezing while you were walking was slightly preferable to freezing while stationary at the bus stop.
Every time I would take a trip to southern China in the winter. Back in the day, the northern half of the country was well heated. The southern half… well, the central planners didn’t think that it got cold enough for those people to have heated buildings. Yet it would be cloudy and humid and get pretty chilly. I remember one weekend on a supervisory trip getting chilled to the bone and lying in bed at night under several blankets with all my clothes and socks and even a hat, yet still freezing to death. I finally jumped into the hot shower for about half an hour which raised my core temperature up. But until then I was worried about dying from hypothermia.
Being cold helps us to think about how wonderful it is to be warm and comfortable. It is ok to make forays out into the cold air to do something enjoyable, but there would be absolutely no enjoyment if you didn’t have a warm place to go back into. So I welcome the cold weather, because it makes preparing my mind and my heart and my soul for Christmas even easier. Because it reminds me that I want to be warm. And there would be no warmth or comfort in my life without the presence of God in it. A presence that was made real to me as God the Father sent God the Son to be Immanuel - God with us. A loving God that revealed himself and his love to me and then invited me into his loving arms - into his kingdom and into his family. There is a peace that comes from knowing the warmth of God’s love expressed through the gift of his Son that is better than any campfire or cup of hot cocoa, or even a hot shower. I hope that thought brings some warmth and comfort to you no matter what situation you find yourself in today…
Blessings to you all. And know that I am praying for you! I hope to see you this evening for our fellowship meal and for discipleship time at 6:15.
Pastor Aaron
Comments