Peace in the Midst of the Storm

I really love a big snow storm like the 10 inches that we had this past weekend. Yes, you read that correctly, I love it when we get a storm with a significant amount of snow. Despite the work it takes to clean the driveway and walks there is just something about a good snow storm.

I know there are many that don’t agree with me. Some of you have jobs where you have to work outside in the elements which makes your job tougher. I am grateful for the hard work of our police officers, road crews and other service workers that keep us safe in the midst of a storm. I’m also aware that a storm can cause extra strain on agencies that help low income families and those without adequate housing. I am grateful for a warm house where I can enjoy the beauty of the snow through my window without having to worry about having enough money to pay this month’s heating bill.

Some agree with me that the snow is pretty but then also make the point that two inches of snow is just as pretty as ten but a lot less work. This is true but what I like about a big snow storm is the peace that comes with the storm. You see, a big snow storm makes us all stop our normal routines. Instead of running two or three errands after work or driving the kids from this event to that one, we stay home. In the midst of a storm, we get a reprieve from the expectation that we can do all and be all. We get a moment of peace.

When I opened the back door last Sunday morning to let our dog outside, I was struck not just with the beauty of the fresh snow but also by the sound. The blanket of fresh snow had made an acoustical foam over nature. It was so quiet and peaceful, I was in awe of God’s presence in the stillness. In John 14:27a Jesus said to his disciples “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives.” The world gives us many demands, brokenness and pain but God, through the gift of the resurrected Jesus, gives us peace.

Sometimes life is going full speed and we feel like we’re in the midst of a storm. It is in those times that we have a hard time feeling God’s peace. The big snow storm helped me to see, hear and know the peace of Jesus Christ. But we don’t need a big snow storm to know God’s peace. God has given us peace through the gift of Jesus Christ, crucified and risen. If you want to know more about “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding” and are not already active in a church then come visit Good Shepherd Lutheran Church for Sunday morning worship at 9:00 am or visit one of the many vibrant churches in our community. There is peace in the midst of the storm.

Pastor Kristine Dohrmann
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Knoxville

Home for Christmas?

Here in central Iowa we are preparing for our first major snowstorm of the year. If I don't have anywhere I need to be, I just love a good snowstorm. I think it's because it causes us to slow down or sometimes literally stop and take a break from the busyness of life. There is also something about the stillness of the falling snow that no words can accurately describe.

As beautiful as it may be, I worry about my family members and others who are traveling this weekend. With this being the weekend before Christmas, there are many people on the roads and sitting in airports trying to get home to celebrate the holidays with their loved ones. The eight years we lived in North Carolina we always drove the 950 miles to come home for Christmas. We couldn't image Christmas celebrations without being with our families. What is it about "home?"

When my husband and I called a family meeting to tell our three children we were moving from Iowa, the only home they had ever known, to North Carolina, I remember saying to them, "Home is wherever we are together." I'm not exactly sure what I meant by that but I thought it sounded good as I tried to reassure our children who were 13, 11, and 8 that this major life change would be just fine.

As it turned out, the move was a very good thing for our family and I do believe there is some truth to my words of comfort to our children. Home is more about who you’re with than the physical place that you are in. I’m finding even more truth to these words as we prepare for yet another move. We felt very much “at home” in North Carolina when we celebrated Thanksgiving, Easter and other holidays with our neighbors and friends from church.

So what about those that will not be home for Christmas? In 2007, Josh Groban released his Noel album with “I’ll be Home for Christmas” that features soldiers speaking greetings to their family members. Six years later, that song still brings tears to my eyes for all of those soldiers and families that will be apart during the holidays. I also find myself thinking of those whose home life is anything but pleasant. There are people that are alone with no families, some who are physically or emotionally abused by their families and some that can only be described as dysfunctional. For these people, home can be a painful word and Christmas is anything but a joyous celebration.

As we prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus, Emmanuel, it is my prayer that people will know and be assured that God is with us, the literal meaning of Emmanuel. Since we are all created in God’s image, there is a longing and desire to return home to God. So on this Christmas, even though some people will not be able to physically be home with their loved ones, we are all able to be home with God, our Father and creator. Through God’s gift of a baby born to Mary, we are able to have a personal and intimate relationship with God. God has come to dwell among us and to bring us home. Will you be home for Christmas?