“To expect the unexpected shows a thoroughly modern intellect.” Oscar Wilde
Caught you off guard, didn’t it?! You were expecting a quote from scripture, but found a quote from a playwright instead. Life does that to us sometimes, throws a curveball when we were expecting a fastball right across homeplate. Maybe you were out walking the dog when you slip on the ice and break an arm. Maybe you were approaching your middle years, looking forward to the Empty Nest, when there is a surprise pregnancy or your eldest child says, “Mom, Dad, I lost my job. Can I move back home with you?” Maybe you are looking forward to retirement, and suddenly discover your pension plan has gone bankrupt. Maybe you are fishing and a man walks by and says, “Follow me.” (Matthew 4:18-22). Maybe you are tending your father’s sheep when a prophet comes by and anoints your head with oil, thereby declaring you will be a king. (1 Samuel 16:1-13). Maybe you are admiring the mountain in all its majestic beauty when a nearby bush suddenly bursts into flame. (Exodus 3).
The Bible is filled with stories of people living their day-to-day lives when God catches them off guard and asks something unexpected of them. Even though God turns their lives upside down for the moment, God does not leave them without resources - to Moses who stutters, God promotes Aaron as a voice of eloquence; to David, a shepherd boy who would be king, God provides Samuel and Nathan to guide him with wise counsel; to the disciples on the lakeshore, God infuses them with the Holy Spirit and all manner of spiritual gifts; and to each of you who are reading this, God equips you with the gifts and skills needed to serve God in the church you call home, in the community where you live and work, and in your daily life.
In the midst of a world where change occurs at a dizzying speed and the unexpected seems a way of life, remember that you are not alone and you are not without resources. As you follow in the way of the disciples, in the way of Jesus, remember that God through the Holy Spirit will provide you what you need; remember “who goes before you, who stands behind. The God of angel armies is always by your side.” (Taken from “Whom Shall I Fear” by Chris Tomlin). Remember too, as you expect the unexpected that our God who equips us and loves us, is constant – “the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob” (Exodus 3:16) is the same Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” (Revelation 1:8)
God’s Blessings, Pastor Laura
PS. Unexpectedly, I was led to this year’s Lenten theme, Good Enough. Visit www.katebowler.com and click on the “Books” tab to learn more about being “Good Enough” in a world that pushes an everchanging, and thus unattainable, vision of perfection.