Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, 1807-1882

By the shore of Gitche Gumee,
By the shining Big-Sea-Water,
At the doorway of his wigwam,
In the pleasant Summer morning,
Hiawatha stood and waited.

When many of us Minnesotans hear the name Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, the poem "Song of Hiawatha", comes to mind. I was surprised to learn recently that that the 19th century American poet also penned the words to the Christmas Carol, "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day":
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I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old, familiar carols play, 
and wild and sweet
The words repeat
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
And thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom 
Had rolled along
The unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
Till ringing, singing on its way,
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime,
A chant sublime
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

I have always considered this carol sweet and peaceful and sentimental. But the words of the carol learned in my youth differ from Longfellow's original poem, in that the middle two stanzas were at some point omitted:

Then from each black, accursed mouth
The cannon thundered in the South, 
And with the sound
The carols drowned
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

It was as if an earthquake rent
The hearth-stones of a continent,
And made forlorn
The households born
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Why does the poem begin so pleasantly, but then move into images of chaos? A quick Google search offered me a simple explanation : Longfellow wrote this poem on Christmas Day, 1863, during the Civil War, and had been living in the midst of depression and despair after losing his wife in a house fire two years before. and having just learned that his son had been injured in battle. Life's joy was absent, and hope for a bright future seemed impossible. The peal of bells in the crisp winter morning though, somehow awakened his heart to the presence of God amid the violence and suffering of war:

And in despair I bowed my head;
"There is no peace on earth," I said; 
"For hate is strong,
And mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!"

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
"God is not dead, nor doth He sleep; 
The Wrong shall fail,
The Right prevail,
With peace on earth, good-will to men.

As you listen to Laurie play this lovely carol at the close of this Sunday's online worship, allow the poem's message to settle into your heart and find a comfortable place to rest; for there will likely be days to come--or perhaps they are already here-- when the words of Longfellow, penned amid suffering, death, and despair, will offer you hope for a better tomorrow.

May you experience joy and peace this Advent season!

Living in Minnesota means that before stepping out the front door, you need to make sure you have dressed appropriately for that day's weather. I forgot this necessity for surviving Minnesota weather the other day as I embarked on my daily walk; by the time I had reached the walking path on the SW perimeter of the church property, I knew that when choosing my outerwear for my 40 minute walk, I hadn't taken into account that day's forecast of sunny skies with brisk November winds.
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For a moment, I pondered turning around and heading home to change. But I knew that if I did this, I might just choose to take off my jacket, scarf, and walking shoes and settle into the my comfortable easy chair for a while. Taking into account my love for a sedentary lifestyle, I adapted to the circumstances, changing my usual walking route of turning left onto the trail--which would have brought me to the gusty streets of downtown Stewartville--to turning right so that the forest would protect me from the wind.

Life is sort of like dressing appropriately for that day's weather before stepping out the door. From birth on, one needs to learn how to adapt to life's changing circumstances. Learning to share toys with siblings when little, avoiding sitting next to the bully on the school bus as a teenager, choosing not to apply for a high-interest rate credit card as a young adult, deciding to look for a new job when the work culture at your company becomes cut-throat, and choosing to follow the health department guidelines during the pandemic are examples from my own life in adapting to changes in life's circumstances. Call it 'dressing for the weather of life'.

As you prepare for the Thanksgiving holiday, in light of the gusty winds of the pandemic, may God guide you in 'dressing for weather' to your particular circumstances, bringing you to the other side safe and well and contented.

Eric and I spent a few days last week on the North Shore. The only planning for our time away was to make a reservation at Lutsen Resort for a condo with a full kitchen overlooking beautiful Lake Superior. Our plan originally had been to spend time sightseeing in Milwaukee, with daily visits to Leif and his family in Kenosha. But with the coronavirus running rampant in Wisconsin, we decided it would be safer to spend our vacation away from an urban setting. The North Shore fit the bill!
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The plans we made every day were scheduled around mealtime. We wanted to get out for hikes and sightseeing in Grand Marais, but we did not want to eat in restaurants, due to safety issues. Thankfully, both of us enjoy cooking, so we prepared and ate all meals at our condo. With a cooler full of food brought from home and a quick shopping trip at the awesome Cook County Whole Food Co-op, we created some delicious and nutritious meals. The photo, above, shows a bowl of lentil/farro/kale/tomato salad that I whipped up one morning. A simple salad, a good mystery book (purchased at Drury Books in Grand Marais), and the sound of water lapping at the shore made for a perfect luncheon experience!
As we move into the third week of the worship series, “Come to the Table”, I would invite you to reflect on the influence of mealtime in your life. For some people, eating each meal occurs at the same time, day in, day out, with everything else scheduled around mealtime. When I was a kid, mealtime on the farm was like clockwork: breakfast at 6:30, dinner at noon, and supper after “Hogan’s Heroes” (5:30). For others, mealtime may bow to the schedules of work and kids’ sports. When Hans and Leif were little, and Eric’s work schedule changed from day to day (he was in the restaurant business), mealtime necessarily needed to be flexible. In the end though, the most important element of mealtime—beyond the food—was that our family came to the table to share in a meal.
  
One of the many losses brought on by the pandemic is the human ritual of gathering at the table to share in a meal with family and friends. This loss will be felt exponentially during the upcoming holidays of Thanksgiving Day and Christmas, when the ordinary ritual of mealtime becomes a celebration of life, community, and God’s goodness. This year, Eric and I will not be able to gather with family for these special celebrations. But we will get through it, looking forward with fresh appreciation to that day when we will be able to come to the table again with loved-ones for a shared meal of good food and conversation.
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May the resilience and hope God gifted each of us strengthen us during this holiday season. 

It is a bright, sunny morning as Eric and I prepare for a few days' rest and recreation on the North Shore. The trash has been taken out, dishes washed, and suitcases packed. Felines Sammy and Mikey can sense that something is up with their human family members. They are anxious and a bit out of sorts.

Today is Tuesday, November 3, 2020. Election Day. Like my cats, I am anxious and a bit out of sorts because of the uncertainty of the world around me. A world in need of healing and reconciliation. A world in need of the forgiving grace of God in Christ.

Therefore, as Eric and I head out the door, I am sharing with you a prayer of forgiveness that I will be praying every day while away. This prayer has been written for children in helping them understand the meaning of forgiveness in the Lord's Prayer: in response to God's forgiveness of our sins ('trespasses'), we are called to forgive those who have sinned against us. Although the prayer is written in a 'call and response' style, it can easily be prayed individually.

I hope that you will find assurance and hope as you pray this simple, yet powerful prayer:
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Prayer About Being Forgiven and Forgiving

(Carolyn Brown, from http://worshipingwithchildren.blogspot.com)

Loving God, we admit that we are not always loving and kind. We know that we can be selfish and mean to other people, even to people we love.
Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us.
Forgive us for the words we say and the things we do that hurt other people.
Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us.
But God you love and forgive not only us, but all people. Teach us to be like you. Show us how to love and forgive those who are not kind or loving to us. Give us your power to forgive them when they are as selfish and mean as we sometimes are.
Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us.
Help us forgive them when they do things and say words that hurt us.
Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us.
Forgiving God, your son Jesus taught us this prayer and then died on the cross to prove to us that you do forgive us and everyone else in the world. Teach us how to pray this prayer. Make us deeply aware that we are forgiven. And, help us forgive those who sin against us. For we pray in Jesus name.
Amen.
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May you accept God's forgiving grace, and share it with others!