Normandy United Methodist Church

PASTOR’S MESSAGE  

SPRING CLEANING

One of the interesting traditions regarding the spring season is the concept of “spring-cleaning”.  Many cultures have associated this custom with the idea of gaining a fresh start or initiating a new beginning. The Jewish tradition of Passover and the “sweeping” clean of all leaven from the house can be tied to this springtime activity of cleansing, both physically and spiritually. But is there more than just a preoccupation with cleanliness?  Can this springtime ritual be a spiritual and physical discipline of radical hospitality?

I remember visiting with Ann during this season.  Rugs hung across the backyard laundry lines.  Windows were open and sparkling clean. Curtains were off to the laundry.  The remnants of winter leaves and trash were raked into piles and the trash barrel was smoking from a busy morning. Ann greeted me with a big smile and said, “Preacher you’re just in time for spring-cleaning!”  Ann had been widowed for many years and the family home, which had experienced the joys of sheltering four children, was now quiet with the exception of an occasional grandchild’s visit.  Following her 91^st birthday, Ann had been told by her adult children that, in no uncertain terms, she was to stay off the ladder! She assured me, in no uncertain terms, she knew what was best for her. Kitchen walls and ceiling were to be washed down, cabinets reorganized; dusting and seasonal decorations were to be set out.  The flurry of activity was amazing. This visit turned into a little more than simply conversation and prayer.  Ann had work for me to do.

In my mind I was thinking: “Why go to all the trouble?  If you’re the only one living here, why not give yourself a year reprieve?”  Almost as if reading my mind, Ann answered all these questions.  Spring-cleaning was something her mother and grandmother had always done. “It’s not spring if you don’t get a fresh start.  Cast away the winter sadness and welcome the bright new day! I like to celebrate life just for the sheer pleasure in it. Besides, when unexpected guests arrive, you want to offer them your very best!”  I realized I was that guest that day. Ann had offered her very best and her testimony of joy and renewal changed something in me!  Ann had marked the day with her appreciation for LIFE and her gratefulness for all who might pass her way. She not only was preparing for me, she was using it as an opportunity to work with me.

I have not forgotten the principles of “radical hospitality” that Ann taught (years before this language was part of our Annual Conference Vision.). It is springtime and “preacher you’re just in time for spring-cleaning!” It’s a great time to seek renewal, rid ourselves of the clutter, and get prepared for the possibility of welcoming others into those spaces we have, perhaps, long neglected. It is time, to not only prepare for the inclusion of others, it is time to invite them to work beside us. In that experience, we are all renewed.

How can we create a welcoming environment that is free from negativity, free of the stale old dust of ignored opportunity?  How can we fling open the windows and see a fresh vision of the world outside, and know that others can look in and see us and experience our ‘house’ of God---- clearly, without distortion, and unmarred?  It is both a spiritual and physical issue.  The rugs need aired out, the storm windows need removed, the gutters freed from debris. It can be an exhausting exercise, but how good it feels when it’s been accomplished! We need fresh opportunities to see the world through the eyes of a Risen Savior, to seek renewal, and to discover it blooming inside of us!

Grace and Peace,

David and Elizabeth