Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me.   Psalm 51:10

On the third weekend in March, I was blessed to spend time in a retreat at Camp Kirchenwald, near Mt. Gretna. A group of 12 women gathered to learn to make a T-shirt quilt. Our teacher was Holy Trinity’s very own JoEllen Myers. We were instructed to pick out 20 T-shirts for our quilt. Since I have collected many a T-shirt during my years of spending time with youth, I had no problem finding 20 shirts to use in my project.  It was a great weekend filled with laughter, conversation, meals and devotions. Looking through my shirts brought back many wonderful memories of people and places.      

As we sat together sewing on Saturday, one of the participants reflected that it was important to have the appropriate tools when one is sewing. The machine must be threaded properly and in order for the stitches to be good you must have the right kind of needle. One must change the needle when it becomes dull and at times you must rethread the needle.

The group decided that this was a great illustration of what retreating can do for your spiritual life. Through the years I have found that getting away and spending time in one of our Lutheran camp settings really does get my needle rethreaded so that I am better equipped to sew the seams of my days. Life can be so filled with distraction and noise that God’s voice is almost impossible to discern among the things that fill our hearts and minds.

As I walked to our cabin on Friday night, I felt the cold March air and looked up to be overwhelmed with the beautiful star filled sky.   It was rejuvenating. God’s creation was beaming down upon me and I could feel the presence of God all around me.   It was what I needed to remind me of God’s deep and abiding love during this busy Lenten season.  My spiritual life needed a little adjustment or to continue the sewing illustration, my needle needed rethreaded.

Even if you have never sewn a stitch in your life, I am sure that you can think of times when you have felt disconnected from God. There are times when it is important for us to set some time aside to simply spend in God’s presence. That may look different for each person.  I would suggest, however, that you consider taking time to relax and spend time thanking God for the many blessings that are showered upon us. You might even want to consider spending time at one of our Lutheran camps – Camp Kirchenwald in Mt. Gretna, Camp Nawakwa in Biglerville or the Wittel Farm near Elizabethtown. There are many organized programs available for children, adults or families. Facilities and cabins are available for individual families to rent for private time away. Camp has provided me with many wonderful opportunities over the years and has impacted my faith in deep and profound ways.

I would love to learn how you set time aside for God and what activities help you feel rejuvenated and enlightened spiritually. When I am able to spend time at camp I try to take a quiet walk.  As I walk I usually pray Psalm 51:10 - Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me.  Lent offers us the opportunity for introspection and reflection but sometimes we allow our busy lives to stifle God’s ability to speak to us.   As we journey through the last days of Lent, I hope that you find time to spend in prayer and conversation with God so that your spirit is filled with peace and calm. May God’s voice drown out all the other noise that competes for your attention. May you find opportunities to rethread your needle so that your heart is filled with God’s love in anticipation of celebrating the Resurrection of Our Lord on Easter Day in mid April.

In God’s Peace,

Pastor Cindy Brommer