Hi everyone,
So I admit that it was pretty weird this morning to wake up and not worry about shovelling snow on the way to Sunday worship. I didn’t have to worry about the sidewalk being too slippery (except for one rogue patch of ice), nor did I have worry about the piles of snow in and around the parking lot. It was nice. And I didn’t even have to worry about not having enough salt…
…because if I were worried, then I might have had to buy some off craigslist for like $80…
Not sure if all of you heard, but there was a mad rush to get the free salt that the City of Vancouver was offering up. I don’t know if there is a shortage of salt in Vancouver (I was able to get some without any issues like a week ago), but people sure were acting like there was one. Apparently it was a “bring your own bucket” kind of affair and the City just dumped giant piles near select fire stations. But people got a bit unruly and the piles were gone within minutes.
You’d think it was Black Friday or something.
Watching this on the news, I couldn’t help but feel ashamed for the people of Vancouver. It was embarrassing to see so many acting the way they did. At one point I even got angry at the mob, as they so blatantly and unapologetically took advantage of the City’s generosity and spirit of helping those who needed it.
It was almost enough for me to even forget that the City was being generous to begin with. Almost.
Anyway, let’s look at next week’s readings:
Isaiah 49:1-7
Psalm 40:1-11
I Corinthians 1:1-9
John 1:29-42
So I find it largely appropriate that these passages were chosen for this Second Sunday after the Epiphany. Why? Because they are about seeing God working in the world, and perhaps in unlikely places. Often we think that God can only be seen in the grandeur, the marvellous, or the completely miraculous, and we forget that God can also be seen in the ordinary, the mundane, and the drab.
We just need to remember that God is there.
And so we look. We search. And believe me, we will find. We will find God in the goodness of creation. We will find God in the graciousness of community. We will find God in the generosity of the unexpected.
But beware of being blinded by the distractions of the world. Distractions of competition, distractions of power, distractions of greed and entitlement. Focussing on these distractions take our eyes off God and God’s work around us, that we may forget to look and see God’s blessing in the world.
Let us always focus on God, keep our eyes fixed on God’s grace and mercy, and look for God’s hands at work in all of us.
Have a great week everyone!