“So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.”
~F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby

I was reading an article in The New York Times about The Great Gatsby turning 100.  Like some of you, I first read the book in a high school English class, and loved it!  Part of the reason that Neill and I had our wedding at The Society Room in Hartford is that the ballroom looks like something out of The Great Gatsby.  As soon as we visited, we were captivated.  (Though when I questioned Neill about reading The Great Gatsby in high school and was sharing tidbits as I reread the book last week, he finally admitted to reading the beginning and the end . . . though he’s not so sure about the middle)!

The book is considered, well, great for many reasons.  I appreciated A.O. Scott sharing that part of what makes the book fun to read is that it’s a short read (it really is possible to read this book on a rainy afternoon or long flight, Neill), it’s romantic (Gatsby’s actions are driven by his love for Daisy), it’s funny (Fitzgerald had an eye for the hypocrisy of the times, especially with his portrayal of Tom), and it has many great characters (Meyer Wolfsheim, Jordan Baker, Old Mr. Gatz, Jay Gatsby himself).  Additionally, F. Scott Fitzgerald was a stunning writer as the book moves from witty dialogue to philosophical statements with ease. 

A.O. Scott reflected, “There’s a reason English teachers love this book.  But even if you only read it in school — or never did — there is endless fodder for discussion and debate, much of it still remarkably current.  The state of the American dream, the bedazzling and corrupting power of money, the green light at the end of the dock.”* 

As I reread the book, it reminded me of all the times Jesus taught about money! 
“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:21) 
What do we treasure? 
What are we striving for? 
What do we value as a society? 

It ends up that our high school English teachers were really onto something when we were “forced” to read an American Classic like The Great Gatsby. 

Love,
Pastor Lauren 

*A.O. Scott, “Say, Old Sport,” April 19, 2025, The New York Times,
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/19/briefing/say-old-sport.html?unlocked_article_code=1.DU8._NUa.TWbFoQ72F3M7&smid=url-share

Photo by Rev. Lauren Ostrout.

Thursday Thoughts 5/1/25