Prairie Pastoral

This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

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February 15, 2025 | Leave a Comment

No means no…really

No is no                                                                                                                                                                  No is always no                                                                                                                                                       If they say no,                                                                                                                                                         it means a thousand times no                                                                                                                           No plus no equals no                                                                                                                                          All nos lead to no no no

They’re lyrics from an old They Might Be Giants song titled (appropriately), “No!” When our kids were toddlers and a little older, we sang it to them. A lot. That’s probably why they’re in therapy now. (Here’s the song.)

In the early 1860’s, John Brett proposed to the poet Christina Rossetti. Christina said no. John didn’t give up. Without a They Might Be Giants song to play for him, she wrote him a poem instead. It’s titled (also appropriately), “No, Thank You, John.” Here are a couple of its more memorable verses: 

I never said I loved you, John:

Why will you tease me, day by day,

And wax a weariness to think upon

With always “do” and “pray”?

Let bygones be bygones:

Don’t call me false, who owed not to be true:

I’d rather answer “No” to fifty Johns

Than answer “Yes” to you. 

Poor John. Maybe he needs therapy too.

Jesus had something to say about our yes’s and no’s. Early in his Sermon on the Mount, he’s teaching about swearing oaths. They’re not necessary, He said. Oaths, after all, are just a concession to the fact that we human beings like to tell fibs. We’re called to be different and better.

“All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’,” Jesus taught, “anything beyond this comes from the evil one” (Matthew 5:37).

“When a Christian says, ‘I will be there,’ the Christian will be there,” wrote Frederick Dale Bruner in his commentary on Matthew. “When a Christian says no, the Christian means no. When a Christian joins a group or enrolls in a course or accepts an invitation, the Christian fully means what that act entails and is faithfully there.”  

In other words, a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ ought to suffice. Mistakes happen. We forget. But, we sincerely intend to do whatever we say we’re going to do. Yes. No.

Of course, many of us–maybe too many of us–have a hard time saying that no even when we know it’s necessary. There’s not enough time in the day or energy in one ol’ body to say yes to every little thing. 

I’ve gotten better about saying no in the past several years. Being an instructor at our college helps a lot. Students actually appreciate a simple yes or no. They might not like it, but they know where they stand and what they need to do. Church members, colleagues, community folks, they might not be as appreciative, but they get it. If someone judges me for saying no to one more thing, then the judgment is on them.

It occurs to me, too, that there’s a flip side of this teaching. Followers of Jesus, if our simple yes or no suffices to say to others, then a simple yes or no ought to suffice when other followers say it to us. 

This is hard too. Sometimes, I really need someone to say yes. Yes, I will usher this Sunday. Yes, I will help with youth group. Yes, I’ll organize the Rotary Easter Egg Hunt. Yes, I’ll cover your class for you when you’re out of town. Yes, I’ll send that email for you.

If the friend or colleague or church member I’m asking is honest and faithful enough to say no, when they know they don’t have the time or interest or capacity, then I’ve got to trust their answer and trust God that someone else will be available or maybe it (whatever it is) just doesn’t need to get done. I’m not above begging, granted, but I try to use it sparingly.

And, a final note, a final reading of Jesus’ simple instruction, is this. Sometimes God says no too. And we’ve got to take it for what it is, trusting again that His timing and His will are perfect.

Discernment, Expectation, Jesus Christ, Trust, Uncategorized Tagged: Jesus, Limits, No, Yes


July 14, 2024 | Leave a Comment

Making it to shore

It was the fifteenth day of the storm. The sailors were exhausted and scared. And hungry. 

“For the last fourteen days,” their prisoner Paul told them, “you have been in constant suspense and have gone without food—you haven’t eaten anything. Now I urge you to take some food. You need it to survive. Not one of you will lose a single hair from his head” (Acts 27:33-34).

Not bad advice, especially coming from one of the criminals they were transporting back to Rome. 

But that promise? Not losing a single hair? Not even a scratch or a scrape or a bruise? After enduring fourteen days of the perfect storm, they had to have been dubious. 

What Paul did next, though, was about way more than providing a few calories to sustain them.

“After he said this,” Luke continued, “he took some bread and gave thanks to God in front of them all. Then he broke it and began to eat” (27:35).

It was no simple dinner he was serving. It was the eucharist, the thanksgiving, the breaking of the bread Jesus had celebrated with his disciples that last night of his earthly life.

The sailors were “encouraged” (27:36). That’s what Jesus does. He gives courage.

When the ship finally runs aground, the soldiers’ first impulse was to contain the damage. “At least let’s not let the prisoners escape “, they say to themselves (27:42). The commander Julius had other ideas. He wanted to save Paul, but he couldn’t save Paul without saving the others. He had to let them all live. So be it.

Julius gave orders. If the men could swim, they could jump overboard. If they couldn’t, they’d jump anyway and grab one of the planks of wood from the busted up hull. They all made it to shore.

It’s been a long week. What I had chalked up to a little stress and lack of sleep turned out to be an infection that I let go too long before getting help. Even as I write, I’m drooping and looking forward to bedtime.

But, dinner is soon and prayer at the table. Jesus encourages. And as I picture a bunch of prisoners, maybe sailors and soldiers too, clinging to pieces of wood as the storm pushed them closer to the beach, I’m assured. I’ll make it to the shore. The infection will pass. 

Everything–even me, even you–will be all right. 

Acts, Encouragement, Trust Tagged: Acts 27, encouragement, storm, weariness


August 24, 2023 | Leave a Comment

The Habit of Prayer

Prayer is basic. Prayer is Faith 101. Prayer is to faith what breathing is to life. We just gotta do it.  Eugene Peterson writes in his The Jesus Way, “Prayer is the street language that we use with Jesus who walks the streets with us. It is the only language available to us as we bring our unique and particular selves” to God.

The challenge of prayer, though, is how easy it is to cheat. I’m thinking about God. Doesn’t that count? Maybe, but not necessarily. I’m singing along to Q102.7. Doesn’t that count? Maybe, but not necessarily. 

I’m trying. Doesn’t that count? Actually, yes, that does count every time. 

Jesus taught us to pray, “Our Father in heaven…” (Matthew 6:9-13; Luke 11:1-5). This Lord’s Prayer is not the only prayer we’re ever to pray. Jesus himself uses other words in prayer, so clearly he can’t intend these to be the only words we speak. Instead, we understand that his prayer serves also as a sort of outline for authentic prayer as God intends it. 

The Lord’s Prayer teaches us that authentic prayer is God-centered. It’s addressed, after all, to God. Not luck. Not fate. Not the universe. Prayer begins with God. [Read more…]

Parenting, Prayer, Trust Tagged: authentic prayer, hope, Lord's Prayer


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This is the day that
the Lord has made;
let us rejoice
and be glad in it.

– Psalm 118:24
Rev. Dr. MJ Romano

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For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
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