Pastor Nancy's Reflections

Here at First Pres Valpo we are blessed with a wonderful music ministry led by the amazing and multi-talented Jeff Whitney who provides such variety and excellence to our worship experience every Sunday. I love all kinds of music -- traditional hymns, praise hymns, spiritual hymns, drums, guitars, strings, flutes and rolling glorious organ music. The organ at the first church where I was ordained fresh out of seminary and called as an Associate Pastor, surrounded half the sanctuary. When the organ was played at full throttle one could literally feel the music pounding in one's blood. 

One Sunday, I was sitting in the chancel holding a guitar that was to be used for the children's sermon later in the service. As the organist began the Prelude on the great pipe organ, I could feel the strings of the guitar begin to vibrate in my hand. There was no audible sound from the strings, and there was no visible movement. Yet the music of the organ was drawing an invisible response from the guitar. Since I am not a musician, I have no idea what scientific or musical principle was at work, but it was clear that the guitar was responding to the music of the organ. 

I have always thought of that surprising response as a metaphor for the way the invisible love and power of God’s Holy Spirit works on us. We were created for a relationship in harmony with God. God calls us to himself, and the instinct planted within us responds, even though we may not always be aware of it. 

Saint Augustine in the third century prayed a very famous prayer in which he said, “O Lord, You have created us for yourself, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.”  We human beings were born with a built-in desire to seek God.  

The psalmist said, “The Lord is near to all who call upon him, to all who call upon him in truth.” (145.18)

 Jesus said, “The Kingdom of God is within you.”  (Luke 17.21)

The restless striving that is so much a part of human life is actually seeking for God. And until we follow the inner response that draws us to trust and obey God, our lives will be limited and incomplete. 

We can know that the Lord is with us.  We cannot create this assurance through hard study or self-sacrificing labor. But the Lord makes his presence known to us as we quietly turn our lives over to Him.

On these cold, dark winter days, let us just take time to listen quietly, with our souls, to the presence of the Lord in our hearts and in our midst, and to drink deeply of the living water of God’s presence.  Such practice will give us joyful spiritual energy to follow him in the life God has given to us.

Blessings and peace,

Pastor Nancy Becker

Parish Associate