Dear Rose Park,
Last week Friday I woke up early. I took Rudy for a walk while it was still dark and there wasn’t a car in sight. I filled up my car with gas and my cup with coffee at Family Fare just as it opened. The sun wasn’t even flirting with the horizon as I caught the last twenty-minutes of “First & Last” on ESPN radio and drove east on Riley. I drove 196 to M6 and then 131 south all the way to Portage, MI to visit my 89-year-old grandfather, Don Brinks.
Big Don isn’t doing so well. His health is struggling and there isn’t much he can do. When I arrived he was sitting in his recliner watching the news in the sun-room. Sitting opposite him, was my Uncle Keith. Keith lives in Philadelphia and drove in the night before. After some hugs and handshakes, Keith and I left to retrieve Big Don’s car from the mechanic. Apparently last week the battery died while my Mom was taking Big Don out for groceries (when it rains it pours!).
When we finally got back to Big Don’s house, it wasn’t but ten minutes when the hospice nurse arrived. Her name was Tori. Tori was extremely kind and warm with my grandpa. She walked him through the process of hospice and was sure to hear his questions and concerns. Before she left though, I asked if she’d like to have communion with us. She agreed and so I gathered the elements.
As I set the table for four (by table, I really mean the t.v-tray next to Big Don’s recliner), I saw a beautiful picture. It wasn’t a picture framed on the wall or hung on the fridge, it was the picture of us in that moment. I saw God in the midst of a hospice nurse, an uncle from Philadelphia, an 89-year-old grandfather, and a 30-year-old minister/grandson. I saw God in the midst of wafers and grape juice set on a t.v-tray next to a recliner. I saw God in the midst of declining health. I saw God in the midst of the sunshine pouring through the windows. I saw God in the midst of His people.
It was a beautiful picture of God’s presence in the ordinary; I wish you could have been there to see it. It reminded me yet again, God is not limited to the walls of the church. We cannot contain Him to just a table, just a baptismal font, just a song, just a sermon, or just a building. God reveals Himself throughout all creation; in fact, “the whole earth is filled with His glory” (Isaiah 6:3). Knowing this truth, perhaps our eyes, ears, and hearts should be more open to God’s presence in the ordinary.
With that being said, I hope you notice God’s presence in both the special and the mundane. Of course, I hope you notice Him in the Word and sacraments, but I also hope you notice Him in the ordinary. I hope you notice Him in the laughter of your children or grandchildren, in a note left by a loved one, in a conversation with a stranger, or even in the bread and the cup set on a t.v-tray next to Big Don’s recliner.
Grace & Peace,
Pastor Mark