Psalm 147:7-11, 14-18 
Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving; make melody to our God on the lyre. God covers the heavens with clouds, prepares rain for the earth, makes grass grow on the hills. God gives to the animals their food, and to the young ravens when they cry. God’s delight is not in the strength of the horse, nor is God’s pleasure in the speed of a runner; but the Lord takes pleasure in those who revere God, in those who hope in God’s steadfast love… God fills you with the finest of wheat. God sends out God’s command to the earth; God’s word runs swiftly. God gives snow like wool; God scatters frost like ashes. God hurls down hail like crumbs— who can stand before God’s cold? God sends out God’s word, and melts them; God makes God’s wind blow, and the waters flow.
In the middle of winter, when there is frost scattered like ashes, and snow like a heavy wool blanket; in the awful middle of winter when we have sleet and hail that hurl down upon us like hard bread crumbs and the cold is unbearable… I turn to Psalms such as these. Psalms to point out that even in the middle of winter ravens find food, owls gather to start their nests, and deer dig into the snow to find little bits of preserved grass. Even in the middle of winter, God is present. God is providing. God is loving and caring.
And when the winter passes, it will come with warm breezes God sends. Then the ice will melt, and the snow will flow into creeks and rivers. Then the land will be covered with new green grass and the sprouts of winter wheat. And we will still be in the presence of God. God is always providing. Always loving. Always caring.
I’m still not a fan of winter. I don’t think I ever will be. However, with the Psalms to guide me, I can see how our awesome God is just as present in the cold and the silence as in the joy and new birth of spring.
Let us revere – respect and love – our God who is always with us season to season and year to year. Amen.
Published in the Towne Crier, Feb 2018, Fairfield County, Ohio.
Pastor Whitney Bruno Sermons 