Life Events -- a reflection on mine...

May 9, 2019

Earlier this week, I wrote this to a buddy of mine: 

It strikes me that there are very few occasions in life that are truly "life events." 

We have lots of milestones in life, lots of events in our life...but, just for sake of discussion, I'd define "true life events" as those milestones that, while not necessarily less important than other life events, once they happen, there's a clear "before...and after." After "true life events," your life itself, from that point on, is different than it was before. 

I've come up with nine.

I realize such a list is personal: your list might not include some of those on mine, and your list might likely would include events not on my list.

But since "what is most personal is often most universal," I thought I'd share my list of true life events: 

1) Getting your drivers license.

2) Graduating.

3) Starting your first real job.

4) Getting married.

5) Having/welcoming your first baby.

Then?

I would put 

#6) "(preparing to) watch your last child graduate from college."

Later (for me) will be (God willing),

7) One's own children's marriages.

8) Having grandchildren.

9) One's first day of retirement.

As some of you know, you know, I'm at #6 this week. 

And I'm a bittersweet mess of raw emotions. 

Early tomorrow morning, Mary and I will make our last seven-hour drive down to Boone, North Carolina to attend and celebrate, with other extended family members, Elizabeth's graduation ceremonies at Appalachian State University. That's where I'll be/what I'll be doing this Sunday, and we'll be making the drive back on Monday.  

Because Elizabeth is four years younger than her older brother Will (who graduated from James Madison) and six years younger than Graham (who graduated from VCU), we've had a child in college for each of the past ten years! 

This weekend, we turn the last page of that chapter in our lives. New chapters in her life, and in ours, will be written shortly. 

But now, this weekend, we celebrate. 

We reflect. 

We express our pride, and our joy, and we give thanks to God, the giver of all good gifts, for joyful life events. 

See you next Sunday, 

John

"If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always had"

May 3, 2019

Gospel stories don't often have neat or easy summaries, but if there is one for the first part of this Sunday's Gospel (read it here), it might be the expression,   "If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always had."  After some of the disciples had gone back to their normal work routine, but had had a long and entirely unsuccessful time of it, they receive strange instructions from someone they don't recognize.  They follow his prompt anyway, and they are wildly successful. And it's then that they recognize that the stranger is the resurrected Jesus.  Jesus suggests something new. Something different. And when the story continues, Peter receives an even greater gift -- that of forgiveness, in the form of being entrusted with practical work to do on Jesus' behalf.  What a great story we get a chance to explore on this, the Third Sunday of Easter.  See you Sunday, 

John 

God meets us where we are -- but does not leave us there

April 26, 2019

God meets us where we are. But -- thankfully! -- God does not leave us there. That first Easter Sunday, two of Jesus'  followers are on the road to Emmaus (read the story here), walking and talking about everything they'd experienced.  The resurrected Jesus himself mysteriously appears, and starts walking alongside them. When Jesus asks what they're talking about, they stand still, their faces downcast -- looking sad.  When we stand still, or are downcast, what happens?  God comes alongside. God listens to us tell our story.  God reveals God's self to us and helps us understand our story in the light of Scripture.  And God reveals God's own self to us in the disciples fellowship, the prayers, and the breaking of the bread.  See you Sunday, 

John