“Do I really want the discount?”

by Pastor Wade

“For you, O lord, are my hope, my trust, O Lord, from my youth…Do not cast me off in the time of old age; do not forsake me when my strength is spent.”               Psalm 71:5, 9

 

It was late and I had just dropped Kelsey off at Concordia so I decided to stop at McDonald’s on my way home and pick up a cup of coffee.  They have a $1 for any size coffee special going on, so I thought I’d get a large for the road.  I placed my order to the nice young man behind the counter and watched as a $1.07 rang up on the register.  As I handed him the money, he looked back at the register and said, “Wait, I entered something wrong here.”  He tapped a couple of keys and I saw the numbers change:  “Senior coffee - $.53.”  As I stood there not knowing what to say (I hadn’t asked for “senior coffee;” he hadn’t looked at my ID), the nice young man took my money, made change, and handed me my coffee.   “Have a nice day, sir,” he said with a smile.

I wanted to hand him the extra fifty-four cents and say, “But I didn’t order ‘senior’ coffee.”  But I didn’t.  (I am my father’s son and savings is savings!)  I wanted to know why he would assume I was eligible for senior coffee without my asking.  Well…maybe I didn’t…

I don’t want to appear to be getting “older,” but I will…and I am.  I don’t want to think that my children who have been living in my house for what seems my whole life will move out and begin a life of their own, but they will…and they have.  I don’t want to think that those whom I love and enjoy the company of will leave me for the life that is to come, but they will…and they have.  We are always changing.  Our relationships are always changing.  Much as we might like to, we cannot stop the change.  We can only grow with it and in it.  God help us!

And God will…and God’s Church will.  Part of what we do here in the church is to “equip the saints,” as in “helping each other with the changes.”  In addition to what we offer to our children and youth to remind them of God’s presence with them in the changes of their lives, we offer to our adults help for the journey that is life.  We offer adult education and learning for parenting and marriage and managing our resources (See upcoming classes offered by Pastor Dave and myself).  We offer adult education and learning for aging and grieving and serving our world (See upcoming classes offered by Dr. Jensen, Dr. Goreham and the Parish Health Committee).  We offer adult education and learning to remind us that in all the changes and challenges of life the promise of Jesus is still true:  “Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (See Bible Studies and topical studies offered by Susie Honea and Holly Dutton and others.)

As believers we begin and center our lives in worship, but worship is only the beginning and focal point of life as children of God and followers of Jesus.  Other learning and community times grow out of worship and prepare us for one of the few certainties in life: change.  Find your way into a study group and join others in learning and growing together…so that when life surprises you with a change you had been holding at arm’s length (and maybe a cheaper cup of coffee), you can smile and say, “Lord, I’m not sure I’m ready for this…but I know You are already preparing the way.  Thank you.  And thank you for sending help!”  

 

Learning and growing with you,

 

Pastor Wade

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