05/22/2026
It’s Friday…
And what’s with the weather?
As a pastor that is one prayer request I used to get all the time in both my Wisconsin and Iowa parishes—to pray for good crop weather.
Not so much here in Chicagoland.
Yet… there is that phrase in the Prayer of the Church in our hymnal that I don’t always want to pray…
That the Lord give us “seasonable weather”!
That is not what I usually want!
Especially in February! No, Lord! Please give us the weather of May this February... is what I am thinking…
But imagine it! God having to listen to everyone about what kind of weather they want! And we think He should answer us!
One would want the weather of Arizona, the next of Hawaii, and then I know a pastor who lives near Mankato Minnesota (I think I have mentioned this before) who actually loves snow and winter! And he is older than me! Just thinking about it hurts my joints!
So, we blame him for all the snow… as he has to be more pious than the rest of us…
I mean, every winter, God seems to be answering his prayers and not mine, for Hawaii weather in January! God must be listening to him! He gets the white stuff in buckets… and I might see one day of 35 degrees F!
But you gotta blame someone!
So, but that is why we also pray “Thy will be done, O Lord!” Even if it means snow.
What’s with this weather though?
Sign of the times? What times?
Let’s not go all conspiracy theory on us, now pastor…
What was it? A certain president was blamed for a certain hurricane? Just like the earth is flat and we never went to the moon!
Sorry if I am dashing anyone’s closely held ideas in the mud!
I remember an airplane ride from Boston to California… way back when I was young… (30)…. I was sitting next to an Air force Colonel. He worked in weather. Our flight had been delayed because of it. So we talked about it. I was wondering if ever we could get to the point where we could do the Star Trek thing and have weather “nets” and control it.
He laughed. He was like, “Son, do you know what kind of forces this planet brings to bear? Even a nuke couldn’t disrupt a hurricane! We are a long way from being able to do that.”
I sat silently amazed. Back to my book... or was it the in-flight movie....
Why are we talking about weather, again? Oh, yeah…
Cold, then hot… cold the next day, then hot…
Why? The weather guys really have not a clue! They like to pretend and give you their so-called educated opinion…
I mean, let's get real here… how many times have they been wrong? I wish I had a job that I could be wrong that much and still keep it! What a racket, as my grandfather always would say…
Have you seen the sights coming from the James Webb telescope?
One reason God made such a BIG universe was to keep us in perspective. He is bigger, and we are such small fellows (fellowesttes? Maybe it it ladiettes….) after all!
And as Bilbo said to that-- “Thank goodness…”
Yes, as that means that God CAN control the weather… and planets-- hey in Joshua’s day there was a DAY THAT THE EARTH STOOD STILL… (not the movie, but… just read Joshua 10:12-14.)
From Joshua’s point of view God caused the sun and the moon to stand still in the sky for a full day (24 hours)!
He made them, so why not? Galaxies too!
So maybe I can have my little bit of Hawaii weather on my street and my pastor friend can have his horrid good for nothing white stuff over yonder?
There is nothing saying God could not do this. Gideon asked God to control how the dew was distributed... or how it evaporated. God never said how He went about it.
But why? Why ask for such things when SO MUCH MORE IMPORTANT things need doing? Not that God cannot do them all. He can, but why would we be even thinking about these things unless there was a reason like Joshua or Gideon.
There are people in need of their sins forgiven. There is suffering aplenty that has nothing to do with weather most of the time. Then there is that too.
Let us pray. Let us give thanks. Let us pray.
And yes, we can even ask for those little things too. Hey my bones ache when there is too much “weather” about. People get depressed from too much cloud and too little sun.
But we are to bring not just our needs and the needs of others to Him in prayer. Yes, even our wants and would-likes. Nothing wrong with that. All things.
We are simply to look to Him. But do so informed. Shaped by His Word. We learn how and what to pray for by reading His Word. We learn why and what. Who and when.
And we see that God always answers and keeps His promises. Not always the way we would like or when, but He does and will.
So yes, even though this is Friday, thank God that Sunday is only 2 days away…
Where we will once again see the Mercy and Grace of God come to us in answer to the many prayers that came before….
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Feat of Pentecost - Sunday – May 24th 2026
Readings
Old Testament – Joel 2:28-32
Epistle – 1 Peter 4:7-11
Gospel - John 14:23-31
Theme – HE IS STILL BEING SENT TO US – Based on the Gospel Reading
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Prayers: For a lasting peace that would be established and would remain between the people of Israel and Gaza as well as for the People of Russia and the Ukraine. Between the US and Iran. For our congregation that it would please our Lord that we would increase in numbers and there remain in this place a congregation that calls upon Him rightly, practicing the faith according to the Scriptures. For those who are being persecuted and murdered because they call upon the name of Jesus—especially in Africa. For the end of violence in our cites and that our schools and congregations would be protected from those who wish them harm. For our families that parents would courageously discipline their children and raise them in the fear of the Lord, teaching them about salvation in Jesus alone.
