At work in the world about us

 

I just love it when I have those “Aha!” moments in church.  Sometimes they’re comedic, sometimes I feel like the worst person on the planet and that perhaps I ought to wear steel-toed boots to church, because of my feet being stepped on by some representative of God.  Sometimes I get validated with a sense of “I think I got the be like Jesus thing down pact.”  Then there are times when I am like OMG!  This was the case for me as I was in the first Eucharist of the academic year at work.

The Holy Eucharist is the crescendo of any worship service.  But for some of us, it’s just “what we do.”  Whether it be every time the doors swing open for service or once a month.  In the Book of Common Prayer’s Rite II Holy Eucharist, there are four Eucharistic Prayers A (my favorite), B, C and D.  For most churches, the standby Eucharistic Prayer is Prayer A.  Until last week, Eucharist Prayer C was not necessarily my favorite prayer, but I was profoundly moved by this prayer in an inexplicable way.  In the past, I always referred to Prayer C as “the lame U.F.O. prayer.”  By the end of the prayer, I feel like I’ve gone on an Apollo mission with the mentioning of Ruler of the Universe, interstellar space, galaxies, suns and primal elements.

For some reason as Chaplain Bonner-Stewart was praying this prayer, I was more alert to what was actually being said, and could have possibly been slain in the Spirit if I were Pentecostal.  My “Aha!” moment came when we got to the part of the prayer that goes like this “Lord God of our Fathers; God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ: Open our eyes to see your hand at work in the world about us.”  Those simple lines sealed the deal for me.  

Beloved, our job as people of faith is not only to be like Jesus and love our neighbors as ourselves, but we also have a responsibility to look for the hand of God at work about us at every waking moment.  Glory to God!   It’s easy to see God moving and at work when all is right with the world, in moments of joy and happiness.  However, it is difficult to see God’s hand moving the midst of tragedy, crisis, and malaise.  Those are the times when we want to say “God, why me?”  I challenge you to conscientiously sit back and watch the hand of God at work about you, in both good and bad times.  You may become overwhelmed with a sense of great blessings and gratitude.

Peace,

Karsten