A Pastor’s Thoughts: Ideas for 2025

By Bruce Gillette, First Presbyterian Union Church, Owego —

“To Act Justly, Love Tenderly, Walk Humbly” is a wonderful book written jointly by an Old Testament scholar, a psychologist, and a religious educator reflecting on the three elements of Micah 6:8. How do the scriptures require us to respond to the problems of the real world? 

Walter Brueggemann writes about how to live a just life by sharing the poem, ‘The Cookie Thief’ by Valerie Cox:

“A woman was waiting at an airport one night,

With several long hours before her flight.

She hunted for a book in the airport shops,

Bought a bag of cookies, and found a place to drop.

She was engrossed in her book but happened to see,

That the man sitting beside her, as bold as could be,

Grabbed a cookie or two from the bag in between,

Which she tried to ignore to avoid a scene.

So she munched the cookies and watched the clock,

As the gutsy cookie thief diminished her stock.

She was getting more irritated as the minutes ticked by,

Thinking, “If I wasn’t so nice, I would blacken his eye.”

With each cookie she took, he took one too,

When only one was left, she wondered what he would do.

With a smile on his face and a nervous laugh,

He took the last cookie and broke it in half.

He offered her half, as he ate the other,

She snatched it from him and thought… oooh, brother.

This guy has some nerve, and he’s also rude,

Why didn’t he even show any gratitude!

She had never known when she had been so galled,

And sighed with relief when her flight was called.

She gathered her belongings and headed to the gate,

Refusing to look back at the thieving ingrate.

She boarded the plane and sank in her seat,

Then she sought her book, which was almost complete.

As she reached in her baggage, she gasped with surprise,

There was her bag of cookies, in front of her eyes.

If mine are here, she moaned in despair,

The others were his, and he tried to share.

Too late to apologize, she realized with grief,

That she was the rude one, the ingrate, the thief.”

We live in times when people are too quick to judge and condemn others. A better way for 2025 is a disciplined commitment to both the inward and the outward journey. It is both the way to follow God and the way to God. 

I like the “Yokefellow Disciplines.”  

Jesus said, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11.29.

The Discipline of Prayer: To pray every day, preferably at the beginning of the day.

The Discipline of Scripture: Read reverently and thoughtfully every day, a section of Scripture following a definite plan.

The Discipline of Worship: To participate, at least once a week, in public worship of God.

The Discipline of Money: To give a definite portion of my annual income to the promotion of Christ’s cause.

The Discipline of Time: To use my time as a sacred gift, not to be wasted striving to make my daily work, whatever it may be, a Christian vocation.

The Discipline of Service: To try, every day, to lift some human burden.

The Discipline of Study: To develop my mental powers through careful reading and study.

Any pastor in Owego would be happy to be asked how you can follow these disciplines. I hope they will help to make a joyful new year for you.