Pastor Brian's Blog

A popular meteorological aphorism for March is: “In like lion, out like a lamb.”  It suggests that if the weather is cold and nasty early in the month, it will become warm and pleasant by the end of the month.  While the Farmers’ Almanac gives no credence to this saying, it traces the origin of it to the belief “that there should be a balance in weather and life.” 1   In a religious context, the two metaphors of lion and lamb have nothing to do with weather, but both have been used for Jesus.  In Revelation 5:5-6, the seer describes Jesus as both Judah’s victorious lion and the sacrificed lamb that lives.  If we were to apply these metaphors to our spiritual lives, I would suggest that the idea of balance is a good one.  The lion metaphor implies courage and power.  The lamb metaphor suggests humility and gentleness.  Being a lion without the lamb could lead to arrogance and temerity.  Being a lamb without the lion could resul...

In March, I will begin a new series called “Organic God,” inspired by Kate Moorehead’s devotional book for Lent with the same title.  The idea of an organic God may sound like nonsense.  How can God be organic?  In fact, Christians affirm the incarnation of Jesus Christ as God in the flesh.  Jesus is our organic God.  Jesus taught with organic metaphors, too.  He spoke of the sower who scatters seeds on the soil.  He taught about the good tree that bears good fruit.  He explained how our relationship to God is like the life-giving connection of a vine and its branches. Jesus lived in a land of farmers and fishers, and he had a deep connection to the Earth.  The less we share that connection, the less we understand his message.  With a focus on the Earth-centered teachings of Jesus, we will look for meaning in the details, as nature reveals the life of God with us every day.  As Moorehead says, “By meditating on t...