Monday, December 2, 2024
First week of Advent
(click here to listen to or read today’s scriptures)
Amish
In days to come, the mountain of the Lord house shall be established and raised above the hills. All nations shall stream toward it. “Come, let us climb the Lord’s mountain,” they will say, “that he may instruct us in his ways, and we may walk in his paths.”
Yesterday we visited Amish country, Arcola and Arthur, Illinois, thirty minutes south of our home in Urbana. We didn’t visit either of the Amish farmers where we bought milk, cheese, vegetables and cream in the past. One of those farmers, Willis, has become our friend over the years, and we included stories about him in one of my devotion books, along with a picture of two buggies that gradually merge into one.
Willis’ family grew, and so he built a bigger house. Willis’ business grew, so he built a bigger  barn, for his Brown Swiss cows at first and then for his wood finishing business. His children grew too, and they will soon have their year of Rumspringa, when they experience the outside world before deciding to be baptized and fully commit to the Amish faith and community. Willis is not just a farmer; he’s a preacher too, and when it’s his turn to preach the congregation sometimes comes to his home, his farm, his world, and the buggies abound. While they sing and Willis preaches, the horses stand patiently. And when the people eat their noon meal, the horses too are fed well.
They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, and they will study war no more.
Willis and his workforce of children and wife built a pleasant getaway in full view from their main house, where they can spend warm weekends. Of course they still get up at 4 to milk their cows, and then again milk them in the evening.
Come, descendants of Jacob, let us walk in the light of the Lord.
Willis loved to talk about his life, and his religion, and his world, and we loved to ask him questions about all of that. He sometimes traveled a few miles to shop, to Mattoon or Effingham. Occasionally his family would board a bus and travel to northern Indiana to visit relatives. He never seemed anxious, never worried about the future as far as we could tell. He wasn’t overly religious by any means, not that serious about anything, really – and his laugh was infectious. Still is, I am sure.
We didn’t get to see Willis, though.
Instead we met Chris and Melissa, Jack and Aly at Country Salvage, a grocery-and-other store that closes at 3 on Saturdays and for every Amish religious holiday on the calendar. We exchanged names (which took four tries before no one got their own) and spent $20 on each other, shopping around the store, which was fairly full of other folks looking for the same bargains we were. Like Big Lots only lots better, Country Salvage does what its name implies – finds overstocks and broken semi-loads of anything and everything.
I drew Melissa’s name, and besides Amish cheese curds, apple butter and black raspberry butter, I found small cans of cold brew coffee, 99 cents/lb red licorice, dried kiwi, wasabi peas that were almost free, cannellini beans in a jar,  Organic Lightly Salted Pea Crisps from Whole Foods and a box of Blake’s Seed-Based Strawberry Crispy Treats, all packed up in a Trader Joe’s bag from Chicago. Plus a book of Knock-knock jokes for Miles, which I’ll read before we get together for Christmas in Austin. (Knock-knock, who’s there? Stan. Stan who? … I can’t Stan it anymore, tell me another knock-knock joke!)
We ate our afternoon meal a few miles west, the full meal deal famous Amish buffet at Yoder’s Kitchen in Arthur, and then sitting around our table exchanged our bags of goodies. All this while the Illini were winning their 9th football game at Wrigley Field against Northwestern University.
What a day! The last day of Ordinary Time wasn’t ordinary at all for us. I was pretty sleepy and took a nap when we got home. The day before on Black Friday we ate popcorn and saw The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, Saturday was our Amish day together, and yesterday we visited our friends the Cones in Bloomington for church and chili. Pastor Steve began his Advent sermons from the book of Luke. We sang In the Bleak Midwinter and Steve closed the service with the Book of Common Prayer’s Collect for the first Sunday of Advent, which is very beautiful. We also sang the first verse of O Come, O Come Emmanuel, and Steve’s congregation will sing another verse each week as Advent moves toward Christmas.
Come, Lord Jesus. And ransom captive Israel.
For the sake of my family and friends I will say, “Peace be with you.” Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
(Isaiah 2, Psalm 122, Psalm 80, Matthew 8)
(posted at www.davesandel.net)
#
