<> Ask the Pastor The Rev. Walter Snyder The end of a year is traditionally a time of retrospection. Religions, cultures, nations, and individuals use the closing of the annual cycle to look back, examine themselves, and plan their coming activities. Believe it or not, many of you have been with me for an entire year. This is the fifty-second "Ask the Pastor" column I've written - the last article for the old year. In a related matter, this is also the last issue of the Sunday Newsboy's first year. So get out your party hats and paper horns. Sing a few bars of "Auld Lang Syne." And, if you're so inclined, join with me in giving thanks that the Lord has allowed us this time together. "There is a time for everything," from Ecclesiastes seems appropriate for us now. During the past year, we've made space and time for numerous topics. It's been your interest, your questions, and your comments which have turned the chore of sitting down to put words on the page into a pleasure. Which column was the "worst?" That might depend on how you define "bad." A couple had typesetting errors which made reading them difficult. My sentences in one or another might have been unclear. Maybe one was boring (either because I made it so or because the subject didn't interest you). If we look at content, I know that consciences were pricked a few times by what I wrote. This may have felt bad at the time, but if the result was sorrow for sin followed by forgiveness, you can't say that anything truly bad happened. You might have disagreed with my interpretation of Scripture or application of the Bible to a specific circumstance. Some readers would say that columns referring to Original Sin or Infant Baptism were the worst, since they have other understandings about Scripture. Yet others have marked these as favorites, because these columns expressed exactly what the readers believed. I miss getting the regular "you're wrong" letters from the early weeks. Some folks didn't want me to use terms they couldn't find in the Bible. I was told I shouldn't say, "pastor, Christmas, Easter, Lutheran," and the like. I was accused of not knowing or not believing the Bible. A couple letters all but called me stupid. For some of you, the columns which triggered these responses would probably be the worst. Similarly, I don't know which of the past year's offerings was "best." The series on Mortal Sin and Virtue made me work hard to stay concise, yet say enough to be clear. The early question I answered on genetic disposition toward homosexuality led into Original Sin and Infant Baptism, and was the first time a lot of mail was generated. Probably the two greatest responses of appreciation came with the series on how church bodies got their names and last week's offering on depression. The former brought many "thank you" letters and comments around town. A lot of people seemed to have been wondering about those things, but never got around to asking. The latter drew special praise from those suffering from depressive disorders. Some were feeling guilty for needing medicine and doubting their own faith. Others felt misunderstood and were happy that they had someone within the Church clearly on their side. I enjoyed all the Church Year columns: The Advent and Christmas, Lent and Easter cycles were special times for me to write of the love of God in Christ Jesus. The Resurrection especially is a joy to proclaim, whether in the pulpit or the paper. I don't want to forget those from far away who read along with us in Deep East Texas. An E-mail discussion list I am on gets a copy of "Ask the Pastor" each week, reaching Lutherans in Scandinavia, Germany, Kazakstan, Canada, and Australia, as well as the U.S. My cousin and a young man from my church in Woodville both get the column while at school in Nebraska. Former Jasperites are reading in Ohio and elsewhere. Others have found out about our little weekly meeting from the "Ask the Pastor" page on the World Wide Web. Now we southeast Texans are joined by brother and sister Christians of various denominations from China, Korea, Australia, and Canada, while Sweden has joined in time for our final column of this first year. What a reminder of the glorious spread of Christ's Church throughout the world! Next week we celebrate the "New Year." Remember to "Ask the Pastor" at P.O. Box 1080, Jasper, Texas, 75951 (E-mail xrysostom@aol.com). As always, you can also stop me on the street for a chat. Walter Snyder is the pastor of St. Paul and Faith Lutheran Churches, Jasper and Woodville, Texas, and coauthor of "What Do Lutherans Believe? A Study Guide in Christian Teachings for Adults." Copyright (c) 1996 by Walter P. Snyder Permission is granted by author to reproduce or retransmit this by any means, provided that its content is not altered, that this notice of copyright and permission is included, and that no financial gain is realized.