Tuesday Tidings March 10, 2026

Dearest Members of Bethlehem,

“What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done; there is nothing new under the sun.” Ecclesiastes 1:9

Every once in a while, I’ll slip up and say something like, “Now I have seen it all!”  But, you know what?  I haven’t, and I never will… there’s always more to see, more to hear, more to learn; and best of all, more to behold (“behold” is a such a spiritually rich word).

When I am at my most morose, I am at my least curious.

I feel for the writer of Ecclesiastes, “What has been will be,” certainly the writer understands that cannot be so!  “You never step in the same river twice!”

And then, “what has been done is what will be done.”  Now, that’s just a bit much.

Come on, we are not robots; pre-programmed to be trapped forever in the same repetitive movement or effort.  I will admit, I like my routines, there’s something deeply comforting about them… but I still have the capacity to innovate, decide on my schedule, and shape the nature of my contributions to the world in any given twenty four hour period.

Finally, “there is nothing new under the sun.”

I am deeply sorry, and I really do not mean to be insensitive, but that quite frankly is the height of absurdity.  First, there is no way the human mind or spirit can absorb the entirety of what the cosmos has to offer us.

And secondly, even if we could, God’s creative power has yet to lay dormant.  Creation is unfolding before us in this very moment.  Something “new” just came to life, in fact lots of things did, just in the span of time it took you to read that last sentence.

We are so profoundly blessed.  If we open our hearts and minds, if we embrace just the slightest bit of hopeful curiosity within our spirits, our days will be filled to overflowing with new discoveries that expand our wisdom and deepen our appreciation of the Divine!   

Question for reflection: Could you try something new today; something that would be slightly adventuresome for you and at the same time a blessing to someone else?

Yours in Christ,

Pastor Dan

God of hope, every day is a new day, in which we remember our baptismal promises, and your promise to guide us into a life-giving adventure of faith.  May we embrace the journey and be filled with more expectation than dread… for serving you faithfully is a pathway toward pure joy.  In Christ’s name we pray, amen.