Pastor's Corner
by Pastor Jim Wilson

Pastor John’s sermon last week opened up with what I Peter 3 means in describing Noah and the flood as ‘prefiguring’ our baptism into Christ.  It was great to be reassured that we know how these journeys end, namely, in the presence of a loving God. I was grateful for the reminder.
 
I confess that I have a better appreciation of Noah’s travails now than I had in even February. 40 days and nights quarantined on a floating barn. Can you hear Mrs. Noah, or one of the Noah boys, saying "If it wasn't raining so hard, I couldn’t stand the smell inside!?" I can.
 
We decorated our first son’s nursery in a brightly colored Noah’s Ark wall paper. Very nice, cute animals, peaceable kingdom vibe. Naively, overlooking the parts of the story that prefigured a world full of evil intent on destroying itself. Not to mention the deathly water.  Thankfully, the wallpaper pattern was interrupted by lots and lots of rainbows, which indeed point to the way that story prefigures our own baptismal stories.
 
And at some point it stopped raining. At some point they saw a sunrise. At some point. Look it up, Genesis 8. It was a LOT longer than 40 days. It took 150 days for water to start dissipating, seven months just to notice it was! It took ten months until the tops of mountains began to show! That’s a long time to go without a pedicure, eating with friends rather than just family, and gathering for worship. Insert your own struggle with waiting here. Be honest enough to add in the grief of missed visits, celebrations, graduations, wakes.
 
Noah began opening a window on the ark each day, just smelling for dry ground, eventually sending out a dove each day. I pray you are developing some window opening rituals as you wait for the rainbow. We light a candle each morning celebrating a new day. We’ve connected by phone and zoom with friendships we had neglected. We’ve written thank you notes. We’ve worshipped more, online with you, and with several other churches. We’ve reached out and shared when we’re lonely. And there are moments we can smell a new day, not the old one, but a new one with more compassion and gratitude. I hope you can, too.  We trust, not naively, that a rainbow is coming for all people. I don’t know who chalked a rainbow on the sidewalk in my neighborhood, but my heart is joyful when I see it.
 
Pastor John, your whole staff and council, are working on how and when we might gather again for worship. They’re focused on the love of God and our calling to love each other. It won’t be the same, but we’ll be able smell even more of the grounding earth we miss so much. And it will be good. And we’ll celebrate that once again God has brought us through the storm. God is good like that.
 
Until that bright day, I hold you in my prayers.

The Peace of our Risen Lord be with you all.

Pastor Jim Wilson

Please remember in your prayers… 

the following members: 
Mark Alexander 
Lou Baumgartner 
Dick Branum
Nick Butler 
Bill Killian 
Curt Lindberg 
Skip and Marilyn Shipman 
Judy Smith 
Norah Walrod 
Jack Weigel 
Don Wick


the following family members and friends:
Todd Albert, friend of Mark Russell 
Paul Bean, friend of Cindy Mackensen 
Carmen Bolwerk, mother of Tim Bolwerk 
Jonathon Boyd, friend of Cindy Mackensen 
Samantha Boyd, friend of Cindy Mackensen
Ron Barlow, brother of Bob Barlow 
Jeff Brausch, brother of Renee Jordan
Brooks family, friends of Stefanie Stuart
Jill Byler, friend of Mark Russell
Amy C., friend of Lisa Pohlmann
Theresa Collins, friend of Roe and Debbie Riegel
Conkey Family, friends of Lori Kensler
George Contakis, friend of Cindy Mackensen 
Noula Contakis, friend of Cindy Mackensen
Laurie, Hunter, and Will Corbin
Jennifer Rose Daley, friend of Cindy Mackensen 
Saundra Daley, friend of Cindy Mackensen 
Richard Daubenmore, father of Robyn Lawrence
Bonnie and Frank Deaner
John Falco, friend of Cindy Mackensen 
Pastor Rich Ferne, father of Sara Thompson 
Amy Hopkins, friend of Cindy Mackensen
Cyndi Jolley, friend of Bob and Kay Crosby
Doris Johnson, mother of Barb Hoyt
Jennifer Kasouf, family friend of Cyndi Flowers
Jeri Kempinski, aunt of Laura Rinaldi
Katie Kocher, daughter of Shawn Kocher
Marsha Kuhar, friend of Bob and Judy Barlow
Dyonne Lane, mother of Sue Miller
Carole Lienberger, sister of Joyce Miller
Avery Jane Lumbert, granddaughter of Jeff Pinkham 
Laura and Nick Lumbert, children of Jeff Pinkham
Tom Marxkors, brother-in-law of Barb Hoyt 
Bess Matthews, mother of Sue Brueggemeier
Dianne Moon, friend of Linda Ogden 
Tom Morris, brother of Pastor John Morris 
Dana Pinkham, sister of Jeff Pinkham 
The Rector family: Jessica & Jesse, and Daniel, Alexander and Claire Rector,  
        daughter's family of Harold Moellering and Elizabeth Hart
Donna Rudin, mother of Laura Rinaldi
Jerome Russell, father of Mark Russell 
Alex Schaffer, son of Grier Schaffer 
Judy Schiewer, friend of Cindy Mackensen 
Andie Schmidt, sister of Barb Hoyt 
Alice Schultz, mother of Steve Schultz
Devin Scribner, friend of Lisa Pohlmann
Susan Srivastava, mother of Kiran McCoy 
Emily Stephens, niece of Vicki Evarts 
Jon Swanson, friend of Nancy Rolfing 
Dan Terry, brother of Don Terry 
Sue Timmons, friend of Cindy Mackensen 
Denise Utz, friend of Mark Russell
Jane van Straten
Pam VanRiper, friend of Pam and Eric Reisch
Ed Vicai, uncle of Jess Lweno 
Brenda Walsh, friend of Mark Russell
David Wells, friend of Nancy Rohlfing
Arnold Todaro Welch
Erin Shafer Wilkinson, friend of Cindy Mackensen
Tony Wonderley, brother of Linda Wonderley
Ken Wondra, brother of Evelyn Gandre

the following Prince of Peace families:
Linda Wonderley family
Jean Wood family
Julie & Randy Wood family
Brian & Mandy Wynk family