fog the window and marvel

I did not marvel at the falling snow last night. To be quite honest, I was never impressed that every snow flake was a different shape, though willing to admit it is an astounding fact. I was more impressed by its unity and freedom, its disregard for fashion and bribe. Snow is no hired militia. It is a vast army that comes and goes together, reminding governments that there is One greater and delighting children everywhere. As a child I knew inherently that snow could be trusted. Anything that made the mountains its permanent home must have a beautiful soul. And how it added to the decor of the remote lodging! When I was a child the snow beckoned me to come outside and catch it up in my hand as soon as it touched the ground, throwing it up to see it fall in large edible clumps. Lick my lips to catch the remnants. Tossing, moving, fashioning pieces of impermanent art, this was a snow day! Last night I ignored the snow. I did not mind it falling. The snow soldiers quietly set up camp around my house in typical fashion. It was only visiting for a night. I didn't mind. I did not fog the window by pressing my face against it to see the army enter my yard and I did not exhaust myself in play until they melted away. I wish that I had. I wish that I still had that desire. I wish that I still heard the snow beckoning.

This Sunday we start a new sermon series on the book of Ruth. Here is the summary of the first week:

Date: Sunday, January 16, 2011
Chapter: Ruth 1
Title: Following a Strange God
Abstract: In the time that the judges ruled in Israel God moves two widowed woman back to Israel. One is a sojourner, who left hopeful and returned stricken, and a foreigner, of whom we know very little about. Why would Elimelech take his family to Moab? What would make Ruth stay with her mother-in-law? Why does Naomi appear unmoved by Ruth’s sacrificial commitment? Bitterness has not allowed Naomi to see the blessing of Ruth. It is important to not jump into the brighter points of the following chapters. This chapter is very real. It is a struggling heart trying to make sense of tragedy. Naomi does not doubt that it is God who is acting in all these affairs, she only wonders why He would do such things. Chapter 1 does not give the answer. What chapter 1 does offer is a first look at is the strong and developing character of Ruth. She has chosen the God of Israel as her God. A husband is not her hope; it is the God, whom Naomi reluctantly serves, that she follows to Bethlehem.