Forest of the Plains

Each week I look forward to reading the newsletter from the congregation I grew up attending. I wonder how many people are impacted by publishing the newsletter online? While I read the newsletter to help stay connected to my home community, many times I am also impacted by the column written by the pastoral team.

From the January 7, 2007, newsletter, this is written by Firman Gingerich, Lead Pastor.:

“On my days off you will likely find me at my wood lathe puttering around looking to create something of beauty from a piece of wood. As we begin a New Year, I invite you to join me in reflecting on some perspectives from my woodturning hobby that I think parallel my faith and role as a pastor.

I often start with a piece of wood that has rough bark on it. It’s truly remarkable what is uncovered as layers of wood are removed and the piece takes shape. I can’t predict what the grain patterns will be. The first piece I turned on the lathe offered me a wonderful moment of celebration when I discovered an amazing inner beauty. We each share being created in God’s image; sometimes it takes hard and creative work to discover each other’s inner and unique beauty.

Wood that has been stressed or damaged from age actually offers the most potential for a beautiful vessel. Sometimes the stress of insect invaders, mold, and decay leaves some remarkable patterns in the wood. I certainly know in my life and in my journey as a pastor that most of us experience significant stress and woundedness in our lives. None of us lives in a perfect world. One experience I really love about pastoral ministry is listening to life stories. It’s remarkable the way stress and pain shape us. There is an inner beauty to our life stories as we connect them to ways God meets us in our pain.

The longer I keep turning wood, the more convinced I am that each piece has its own beauty, and once that is seen it is up to the artist-craftsman to help reveal the inner beauty. This gives me a great frame of reference on relating to people as a pastor.

The sad reality is that without attention some beautiful pieces of wood rot and decay. This reminds me of the power and strength of a healthy Christian community. It is in our relationships with each other that we have opportunity to discover and notice the uniqueness and beauty that God has created within each one of us.”

Right now part of my family is dreaming of creating something beautiful. I look forward to seeing what is created, once the stress and pain is behind us. To build on Firman’s metaphor, I think we’ve just bought the wood lathe.

I love Firman’s last sentence, so here it is again: “It is in our relationships with each other that we have opportunity to discover and notice the uniqueness and beauty that God has created within each one of us.”