Pastor Larson’s Corner: Light and faith
When I graduated from the Seminary 50 years ago, I was assigned to a congregation in North Battleford, Saskatchewan, Canada. Last month I had a chance to return to North Battleford for a week-long visit. During my visit, I was struck, once again, by the beautiful lush green countryside in that part of Saskatchewan. While I was there, one of the families I visited gave me a tour of their vegetable garden. I was surprised to see that their garden was just as far along as my garden back in Minnesota. Because they are a thousand miles north of us they get a late start with their gardens. However, because their days are so much longer than ours, the increased daylight enables their gardens to catch up very quickly.
My time in Saskatchewan reminded me that plants grow according to the amount of light they receive. It also brought to mind the fact that our faith grows according to how much we allow the light of Christ to enter into our lives. If we desire to have a living, strong, and active faith, we must pay attention to how much the light of Christ shines into our life.
As we approach the end of another summer, churches all over the country are gearing up for fall. In many congregations plans are being made for “Rally Day” when Sunday School and adult learning programs start up once again. These programs have as their main purpose the strengthening of our faith by shining the light of Christ upon both our hearts and our minds. As we participate in these learning opportunities, Christ’s light will shine upon us and we will grow in faith and love. May the light of Christ shine brightly in your life as another season of growth in faith begins in your congregation.
Pastor Larson’s Corner is written by Jerry Larson and appears weekly in the Norwegian American Weekly.
Pastor Jerry Larson retired to his cabin in Zimmerman, Minn., after 39 years in parish ministry for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. In 2011 he published a book entitled “Speaking the Word Freely: Writing with purpose, preaching with power.” Contact him at jerlarson@visi.com
This article originally appeared in the Aug. 28, 2015, issue of the Norwegian American Weekly. To subscribe, visit SUBSCRIBE or call us at (206) 784-4617.
