While every day is a gift, some days land in our lives with more gravity than others. I’m writing on one such day.
During the morning Bible study at church, I was continually distracted by a preschool class down the hall breaking into their morning routine, which I can only believe was “free-range preschool exploration of everything in the room” time. It was thrilling to listen to the chorus of toys, games, chatter, and more in a concert of chaos. One of the children must have discovered an accordion on a music shelf. It’s unique moan undergirded the noise with a heart-warming drone. The sustained clamor and infectious joy were a gift.
On the same day, I spent most of the afternoon in one of our local intensive care units with a family who was making hard decisions. With the lights dimmed, we moved between bedside prayers and silence. In the hush of that holy space, we shared a lifetime of stories peppered with laughter and tears. Through the beeps and tweaks of life-sustaining machines, we gave thanks for the caring and attentive staff, technology, our histories, and God’s palpable presence. Each were a gift.
That evening, I met one last time with a young couple who will be married in the coming weeks. As we stood in the outdoor worship space, they imagined the space filled with family and friends gathered to celebrate with them, as they declare their love and commit their lives to one another. Leaves were swirling everywhere as an autumn storm rolled in. Those few minutes with them were a gift.
In between these moments, there were church staff conversations, worship planning moments, phone calls and texts, photocopying, and sweeping up some broken glass in the hallway. These too were each a gift.
Our Wednesday morning Bible study is currently working our way through David Lose’s Making Sense of the Christian Faith. Each week, we explore one of the basics of Christian faith, including creation, sin, covenant, atonement, and others.
This week, we focused our discussions on “Incarnation,” which literally means “embodied in flesh.” Our talk about Incarnation in church circles is about God’s Word (Jesus) becoming flesh and living among us. Read John 1:1-18.
During our class, we talked about the audacity of God becoming a human! That was far beyond what any respectable god at that time would have done. Jesus lived fully into his humanity by experiencing birth and death as a person. We wondered about how he may have been tempted, frustrated, and enraged. The Bible tells us that Jesus was active in moments of teaching and learning. He was present for bedside prayers and moments of death. He shared in joy with wedding couples. What a gift to know that Jesus has been where we are and continues to be with us.
Trusting that God continues to dwell among us, Canadian songwriter Bruce Cockburn calls us to be attentive.
In this cold commodity culture
Where you lay your money down
It's hard to even notice
That all this earth is hallowed ground
Harder still to feel it
Basic as a breath
Love is stronger than darkness
Love is stronger than death
The Gift by Bruce Cockburn
© 1988 Golden Mountain Music Corp. (SOCAN)
Every day, wherever we go and whatever we do, we are immersed in the presence of God. The Spirit of God fuels and encourages us, while stories of Jesus’ life remind us that he knows the human experience. Pay attention to your life and give thanks. It is a gift.
Thrilled to share the journey with you,
Pastor Lowell