tool name

Saturday, Oct. 10, 2009

Religion 101: What fall memories do you cherish?

I love autumn; these crisp mornings that give way to beautiful afternoons, and cooler evenings.

Great memories are created for me in the autumn months. Memories make up an enlivening part of my life, and so it seems the lives of others.

In the autumn season when I served a church in Carlin, Nev., the parsonage (where the pastoral family live) had a huge white birch tree whose leaves would turn vibrant colors each season; yellow and rust in autumn that showered down like snow.

When I served the church in Galt, the trees that offered the friendship of shade in the summer, let loose in the autumn, shedding their leaves that needed to be raked all autumn long (not such a great memory, at times, except when you jumped into the huge piles of raked leaves!)

A recent memory created for me was being invited to dinner where I got to help create the meal, giving new meaning to "working for my supper." What a privilege to be included in the family rituals; prayer time, play time, story-telling and the making of shared memories that warmed my heart as I headed home.

Some memories come back to haunt us, but some memories become rekindled with empowering new information that reminds us that "life goes on."

Case in point: a friend of mine grew up in Weirton, W.Va., where, after securing her teaching credential, returned to her neighborhood to teach third graders for four years at the Marland Heights School.

Years later, the school was badly in need of repair. The property was sold to someone who not only did the repairs but transformed the school into a church.

It is the only church serving that community, and the most recent addition to that property is a kindergarten class. Imagine, a church helping young people grow and create powerful memories!

This autumn I am remembering my growing up years in Daly City, where my home church would transform our multi-purpose sanctuary into a country harvest barn and invite the neighborhood to an extravagant Halloween party.

There was a haunted house (as youth we loved creating peeled grapes for eyeballs, and cold slimy spaghetti noodles for brains), dunking for apples, fish toss and apple donuts and cold apple cider.

Then there was the eccentric woman, who transformed into a fortune teller that could "read" the best messages from her crystal ball.

Did I say that I just love autumn?

These memories are such a gift from God; ways in which I have been nurtured and strengthened by my faith in community; encouraged with fun, strengthened by loving mentors, and taught the wonders of God's creation.

I couldn't have had a better introduction into faithful living.

This year, I'll miss trick-or-treating, but I'll linger for a moment around that childhood memory of receiving special homemade treats from neighborhood families when safety wasn't such a threat.

This year, I'll be in Las Vegas, creating a new memory with my daughter who turns 21 on All Hollow's Eve. I anticipate a rich new memory, by the grace of God,

What autumn memories do you cherish? What new memories does God have in store for you?

Religion 101 runs every Saturday written by a different pastor each week. Jay K. Pierce is pastor at United Methodist Church of Merced. You can reach him at (209) 722-5777.