Hello friends of Elm Park & Otego UMC’s! I hope the month of September this year brings you all peace and happiness in the name of Jesus.
As many of you know I used to drive a 2013 Toyota Tacoma. You may not have known it had a name. I affectionately always called her “Liza.” We spend so much time in vehicles, they sometimes become like family members.
Family Liza was. That truck got me out of some very dangerous situations including the blizzard of March 2017. It also accompanied me on so many mountain climbs. I’ve never felt so safe inside a vehicle before so I was expecting and hoping to have that truck forever.
But then the air conditioning failed. And the media player failed. And the leaf springs needed to be replaced. And the rear bumper needed to be replaced. And don’t forget that Upstate New York rust problem we tend to always deal with. Her engine was expected to far outlive the frame. It seemed to be time for a change. Ugh…who likes change? I put it off for a couple of years, but this October it would have failed inspection requiring thousands of dollars to be pumped into it.
During the car shopping experience, which I am in no way a fan of, I decided on going with a car this time. It was the practical decision. It was a tough transition. I hadn’t driven a car since 2004. I don’t like cars too much. I don’t fit in them well, and generally don’t feel as safe inside them during our winters as I would in a truck. Ultimately, I went with a nice little reliable car. Front-wheel drive though…not all-whell, not four-wheel. Ugh.
“Are you excited for your new car,” I’d be asked? No! It’s too close to the road! I plop down inside of it instead of climb up! It’s not going to be nearly as safe for our winters! And I can’t haul anything anymore! It’s a disappointing downgrade! Well maybe you should name it, so it’s more personal? “I don’t need to name it, it’s just a car.”
“It’s just…..a car.”
I slipped, but I caught myself. Just a car? Just a car?! In that moment I remembered what a car would mean to someone who desperately wanted one, but couldn’t afford it. So yes, it’s a car, not a truck. But it’s a vehicle that will take me from A to B.
Just a car? It’s not just a car. It’s a vehicle loaded with blessings. Speaking of which, next year in worship, you’re going to have some homework. Homework I really hope you will commit to doing. Each day for a week, I want you to write down 20 blessings in your life. You’ll end up with 140 blessings in just 1 week!
Let’s count how many blessings this car brought me. It’s a 2025, so the air conditioning works! The media player will allow me to listen to music and podcasts again. A tank of gas just got a lot cheaper. There’s a LOT of work I’ll no longer have to do not being equipped with a truck. If I creep over that center line just a tad, this car warns me. Forgot to lock the car? No worries, it locks itself once you leave it. Oh no! But I left the keys inside! No worries, it won’t lock itself if it detects that the keys are inside. Just a car? There’s SEVEN blessings right there, and I could keep going.
"Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have.12 I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little.13 For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength." Philippians 4:11-13.
Your brother in Christ, John W. Buddle, Pastor
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