December, 2005

Pastor’s Corner

Stated Supply Pastor — Rev. Jay Kanerva

“The Light at the end of the Tunnel”

I am a city boy. I was born in a small town in Vermont, but I was raised in the city of Cincinnati. I lived there through college. I then went to seminary in big city of Chicago. I am comfortable in the hustle and bustle, the noise and smells, and the varieties of people that inhabit the city. Again, with a certain sense of pride, I say that I am a city boy through and through. So, when I married my wife, Liz, a little over nine years ago I had the opportunity to experience a drastic shift in my living space and geography.

Liz was serving Pilgrim Presbyterian Church in Vinita, Oklahoma. Vinita is an interesting town of about 5,000 people. It is in ranch country 65 miles northeast of Tulsa. In Vinita everyone waves to each other and the pickup truck is the primary mode of transportation with Ford, Dodge and Chevy being the big three. Therefore, my little Honda Civic stuck out. Most every household had a dog or two and it was not unusual to see someone’s horse grazing in their front yard. Main Street closed at 5:00 p.m. and there was not a 24 hr. grocery store. Culture shock, to say the least, for this City Boy.

I was struck by the awesome and incredible expansiveness of the landscape. You can see for miles over the plains and the gently rolling hills dotted with cattle. The air is crisp and it smells clean and fresh. Because the air is so clean everything seems extra vivid. It was humbling for this boy from the northern city to be in such a place—a place of room, beauty and friendliness.

The last characteristic that I discovered to be so fantastic about this part of Oklahoma was that it got dark. I mean. . . REALLY DARK!

On our first Christmas in Vinita, my, Dad and his wife Ellen, came to visit. In looking for things to do, Liz found a column in the Vinita Daily Journal about a display of lights located outside the town limits that was “well worth the trip”. As we drove out of town it got darker and darker. We eventually came to the rural route where the display was located. It was pitch black and the road was covered on both sides by large trees. This created the feeling of being in a tunnel.

Then, all of the sudden, there it was. Light just flooded the road and as we emerged from the darkness there was the most extraordinary sight… . . a giant lighted cross was at the center of the display. The light at the end of the tunnel.

This is the season of advent. We are looking forward to the birth of the babe Jesus. Jesus the Christ who is the Light of the world. We are on the road to Christmas, the light is becoming visible. We know he’s coming and we have great anticipation and excitement. This is what the season of Advent and Christmas is about. It’s not about store hours, shopping trips, the perfect gifts, holiday parties attended, and dinners to be held. This season is simply about a light that is to come into the world. The light that casts away all darkness and will not be overcome. We can see it, we know he’s coming let us celebrate. There is a light at the end of the tunnel and his name is Jesus.

Happy Advent and Merry Christmas,

Jay