What is God doing...today?

     We have begun the ascent toward Christ the King Sunday, the last Sunday in the church calendar.  At this time each year the texts turn toward Christ's second coming, or the eschaton in church language.  Sunday's gospel lesson is from Luke 21.5-19.  Jesus is in the temple - there are people trying to arrest him, he is being questioned about marriage after death, about his identity, and he publicly denounces the Scribes.  And then Jesus witnesses rich and poor putting money in the offering and announces that the widow's two copper coins are of more worth than the rich people's - because she gave out of her poverty.  And then we get to our text.
     Jesus tells all those around him that the temple will be destroyed - and they are afraid!  So they ask how they will know.  Jesus tells them that there will be wars, they will be persecuted, there will be earthquakes, famines, but before all that happens they will be persecuted and hated because of Jesus.  Yet, Jesus tells us, that not even a hair on our head will perish.  This seems a little scary, to say the least, but by the time Luke was written the temple had already been destroyed.  Those who were reading Luke were also reading the sequel: The Acts of the Apostles.  There are a lot of people who, like these early apostles, think that Christ's return is imminent.  There are books, radio and tv shows, blogs, and movies who claim to know when the end will come.
     However, when all of our focus is on the future and what will come, we miss the joys and gifts that God gives to us in the here and now.  We miss God's presence in the person walking by the restaurant.  We miss God's presence in the exciting football game.  We miss God's presence in our loved ones.  We miss God's presence in us.  It might be easy to say that God wasn't there, or that God didn't pull through.  But is it really that way?  Or did we, in our human-sightedness, simply forget to look?  Which leads me to ponder...
What is God doing today?

How is God connecting with you?

     November 1 is All Saints Day, the day in which we celebrate the lives of all the saints - past, present, and future.  I will be remembering my friend and brother from seminary, Ben, who died in the earthquake in Haiti last January.  I will also be giving thanks for my niece, my God-daughter who was baptized last winter.  And then there is the Communion of Saints, for which I am ever so thankful.  People whose voices have uttered prayers, disappointments, Creeds, joys, and praise over the last few thousand years.  Can you imagine?  All of us united in the mystical union of the body of Christ?
     Our gospel text for Sunday is the Sermon on the Plain, Luke 6.20-31.  Blessed are the poor, the hungry, and those who mourn.  Cursed are the rich, the satisfied, the joyous.  Well, that makes me feel really comforted.  (Please note the sarcasm.)  I consider myself to be rich, I always have enough to eat even if I think I will starve without my afternoon snack, and, for the most part, I have not endured much hardship, suffering, or mourning in my life.  Great. So is there good news in this?  Or is this only a word of condemnation to us who are rich and never hungry?  Fortunately, God's Word is simultaneously law and gospel, so there is most certainly good news here for us.  And this is what I think it is:
     Based on my experience in Guatemala, parts of Cedar Rapids, and from the stories in Haiti, people who are poor, hungry, and suffering tend to rely on God and each other way more than do people who are rich and full.  In Guatemala people share their food, even if that means they personally will have to eat less.  They share resources among households and communities like nothing I've ever seen - children at school even share paper and pencils.  (Try to imagine that happening here!)  The acronym FROG comes to mind, "Fully Rely On God."  There is most certainly blessing in that.  There is also hope because, like the story of "Stone Soup" when the community comes together there is more.  Use the term synergy, if you like.
     Based on my experience living, people who are rich, full, and relatively not suffering tend to rely on themselves more than people who are poor and hungry.  Isn't that how the Mid-West was settled?  People who relied on themselves, pulled themselves up by their own bootstraps?  That mentality is ingrained in us, we are born programmed to believe we can do it by ourselves.  There is most certainly curses in that.  It's not totally bad, but we are simply not programmed to do stuff ourselves.  Alone.  All the time.  We were created for community.
     Perhaps Jesus meant that the rich would be come poor - poor in relationships.  Perhaps Jesus meant that the full would be hungry - hungry for meaning in life.  Perhaps Jesus meant that the joyful would mourn - mourn that they feel so alone.  We are all one community of saints, connected to every other person in the world by the power of God.  God holds us all together, keeps us going, and yes, desires to be in relationship with us.  Desires for us to be in relationship with each other.  That is what the communion of saints is about.  Thanks be to God for this wonderful communion.  As we celebrate the saints this Sunday, we can ponder:
How is God connecting with you?