S
now,
like life’s
troubles, can
stop us in our
tracks. Snow
and ice become
costly to deal with -removal, repair
of sagging roofs and unexpected
ice dams- and they are certainly
disruptive. Speak to travelers stuck in
transit or children and teachers going
to school deep into June; storms such
as the ones we have endured this
winter are more than an interruption,
they can be crippling or life altering.
It’s amazing that something as simple
as frozen water can lead to a bad
month for commercial enterprises
or force an overload on utility repair
crews. It’s amazing the power God
has placed in nature’s hands. Bring
on spring – enough of this snow.
Coping with a winter like we have
had may be instructive about how
to handle life’s overloads and
interruptions. This winter, more
than any other winter in the last
decade, we have had to close
down the church and ask people
to stay safe and warm at home. In
these storms I have come to see
that the more we strive to keep
up the normal routine, the less we
appreciate the unexpected gift of
time given to us to just “hibernate”.
Snow days are great days to pull that
book off the shelf that we have been
meaning to read or to call a friend
we haven’t spoken to in a long time
and reconnect. For families in the
habit of moving 100 miles an hour in
five different directions, a snow day
can be a time to come together and
enjoy the “forced community” caused
by impassible roads and cancelled
activities. Blessed are the interrupted,
for they shall find the gift of rest.
Set backs in life that surprise us like
storms - a lay off, a necessary surgery
or unplanned illness - can bring us an
opportunity to pause and regroup, if
we take time to discover God’s plans
or purpose. We may not like being
sidelined or having our schedules
and plans interrupted, but behind
every burden is a possible blessing
in disguise. Friends who come to
our rescue or new opportunities
that come after a sudden loss make
us aware of what we might have
been ignoring or have been closed
to, without this change happening
in the first place. Our daughter
didn’t get a job in California but was
then available for her next interview
that took her to Virginia. She loves
Richmond, but it took a loss to get
there. In Lent, our faith teaches us
to look at the cross in a similar way.
Through this painful episode in the
The Spire
March 2014
Noroton Presbyterian Church
n
2011 Post Road, Darien, CT 06820
n
203-655-1451
Blessed Interruptions
Worship Schedule
Chapel - 8:00 a.m.
Sanctuary - 9:00 & 10:30 a.m.
Open Doors - 5:00 p.m.
Upcoming Preaching Schedule:
3/2/14 -
Pastor Sam Schreiner
“Keeping the ‘Royal’ Law”
James 2:1-13
3/5/14 - AshWednesday
12:00 and 7:30 p.m. Chapel
Imposition of Ashes services
Pastor Greg Doll
5:00 p.m. Family Friendly Ash
Wednesday Service
3/9/14 -
Pastor Sam Schreiner
“Deadly Faith, Living Truth”
James 2:14-26
3/16/14 -
Pastor Brandi Drake
James 3:1-12
3/23/14 -
Pastor Sam Schreiner
“
The Perils of a Divided Heart”
James 3:13-4:10
3/30/14 -
Pastor Sam Schreiner
“The Uncertainty Principle”
James 4:13-5:12
Table of Contents
Adult Spiritual Formation.................3-4
Caring &Women’s Ministry.............5-6
Children’s &Youth Ministry..............6-8
NPNS....................................................8-9
Tot Drop...................................................9
Congregational Life Ministry......10 -11
Membership Ministry.......................... 11
Mission Ministry............................. 12-13
Music & Fine Arts................................ 14
Flower Team.......................................... 15
NPC Calendar of Events.............. Insert
NPC News & NPC Staff ................... 16
continued on page 2...
