PASTOR DAVE’S MUSINGS FROM THE HEARTLAND

December 1, 2021

HOURS OF THE DAY

When I was the pastor of the Trinity United Methodist Church in Kendallville, Indiana, I was a member of the East Noble Ministerial Association.  Tom Novy who was the assistant chaplain at the Presence Sacred Heart Home in Avilla, Indiana, was a member of the association.  We held our meeting at the home.  My last Sunday as the pastor of Trinity before I retired, Tom asked me to conduct the Sunday afternoon worship service at the home.  This was my last official act as an active United Methodist pastor.

When the service was over Tom gave me a most unusual clock as a thank-you for being willing to help out at the home and as a retirement gift.  In a rather humorous fashion the clock traced how  a Franciscan monk spends his hours of each day: one was relax, two was work, four was love, five was help, seven was pray, eight was listen, ten was eat, and eleven was sing.  I am not sure what they did at three, six, nine, and twelve.

Jim Mafhilz has designed a rather interesting clock.  It tells how a grandpa spends his time each day.  The numbers have been replaced by activities:  one has become laughing, two — teasing, three — reminiscing, four– tickling, five (my favorite) — napping, six –snoring, seven ( a second favorite) – hugging, eight –fixing, nine — tinkering, ten ( a third favorite) – eating, eleven — playing and finally twelve –joking.  Diane and I are not sure where I got this clock.

What might the face of a clock designed by the Apostle Paul have looked like?  He gives us a clue to the answer in his letter to the Galatians.  There he enumerates the fruits of the spirit.  They would serve well to substitute for the numbers on his clock: one — love, two — joy, three — peace, four –patience, five — kindness, six — goodness, seven — faithfulness, eight — gentleness, and nine — self-control.

Unfortunately, that leaves us with ten, eleven, and twelve looking for substitutes.  In Philippians 4:8 we find three possible candidates: truth (ten), honesty (eleven), and justice (twelve).  In this passage he instructs his readers to think on these things.  Paul it would seem spent his days thinking about the qualities on his clock.

Each of us has twenty-four hours a day to fill.  Each day some of our activities may be set in stone like the daily schedule of a Franciscan monk.  We may also have activities that are dictated by events from the outside like grandparents responding to the requests of their grandchildren.  All of the hours of our day are somewhat influenced by the values we have and on which we tend to concentrate.

What would be on a clock that described how you spend the hours of your day?  Would you focus on your activities, your relationships, or your priorities?  What do you spend your day thinking about and doing?