Letter from the Pastor December 2022
Letter from the Pastor
Dear Emmaus Ev. Lutheran Church,
If you use the Internet, you are aware that Substack is a thing. Substack is a way to distribute an electronic newsletter. I receive several of these including Granola written by Gracie Olmstead. In November-December, she is leading a book study on Henry David Thoreau’s Walden. A couple of years ago, after reading yet another reference to Walden, I decided to finally (finally!) read the book. I enjoyed it far more than I thought I would. So, when Gracie announced her book selection, I was eager for a re-read.
When Gracie leads us through one of her projects, she begins with an essay that raises issues, concerns, and questions. She often includes links to other essays or books. Her first essay brought a link to Lauren Groff’s essay “Wild Apples” published in the blog for The Paris Review. “Wild Apples” is excerpted from a book edited by Andrew Blauner called Now Comes Good Sailing: Writers Reflect on Henry David Thoreau. Well, that book looked interesting and since it is available, as, well, a book, at the St. Joseph County Public Library, I borrowed it. I have enjoyed and learned from almost all of the essays.
Turns out that Lauren’s initial reaction of not caring for Walden upon first read in high school or college and then reading it later in life and liking it a lot more happens quite a bit. Several of the writers in Now Comes Good Sailing report a similar experience.
But, the real reason I am writing all of this is because of another essay in the book. (For me, with books, it is often the journey, not the destination.) This other essay is titled “Is it Worth the While?” and written by Geoff Wisner. Geoff observes that in Walden and in Thoreau’s extensive Journal, “Thoreau marks certain ideas, projects, or experiences as worth the while. These are the things whose value measures up to the amount of life they cost. In a life lived deliberately, what things did Thoreau think were worth the while?” (Page 249) Geoff then takes us through small quotes from Walden and the Journal to illustrate the many things that Thoreau thought “worth the while.”
I read Geoff’s essay on Tuesday, November 22. Fresh in my memory is the first Voter’s meeting that Marie and I sat through. It was lengthy. Then, there was the marathon Voter’s meeting of November 20th of nearly 3 hours. Then, again, we met in the Voter’s meeting on November 21 after Vespers to prayerfully deliberate and select a pastor to extend a call to. This meeting was not lengthy, but it was long enough.
As I am reading Geoff’s essay, I am also reflecting upon those meetings. I appreciated the respectful and orderly conversation, disagreements were shared and discussed, business was attended to, all who wanted to speak were given an opportunity. On November 20th, as you were discussing a salary and benefits package for the new pastor, I was particularly impressed with and grateful for the realism that all of you exhibited.
I have sat through more meetings than I care to remember and many of them were unnecessarily lengthy. But these Voters meetings I participated in, they were definitely worth my while. And, I thank you for that.
Yours in Christ,
Pastor Jeff Zell
Comments
Post a Comment