Listen, I am casting out demons and performing cures today and tomorrow, and on the third day I finish my work. Luke 13:32
Today something amazing happened. I had a meeting in Harlem Park and so I drove back past St James Lafayette Square, and Father Meadows was walking across the street.
So I stopped and hopped out, and he invited me in to chat and to stay for their noon Joint Lenten program.
And I said yes!
When is the last time you ran into someone spontaneously and agreed to do something you weren’t planning to do?
For me it was March 3, 2019 when some friends asked if I wanted to meet for dinner.
So now I’m in a room full of people I don’t know, listening to a preacher colleague and getting ready for a “communal” lunch (still grab and go).
What joy there is in spontaneity!
In this weeks gospel, Jesus is admonished by some friendly Pharisees that he should go into hiding because Herod is out to get him. But Jesus says (more or less) I’m sorry we are having too much fun! I don’t know what today or tomorrow will bring but I know I don’t want to stop.
Jesus. Big fan of spontaneity.
As masks come off and restrictions lesson it will be emotionally and physically challenging for some of you to re-engage with work, church, and life in general. If you are feeling worried, anxious, or stressed about the prospect - let me encourage you to find the joy in the unexpected. Celebrate the spontaneity that our continually shifting reality presents and lean in to it.
Now. I know that does not mean everyone reading this loves to meet new people. That is a “me” problem for sure.
But there are many ways of celebrating Spontaneity. Stop in at the BMA to see the new BMA staff curated exhibition. Pop into your favorite restaurant for a drink or a meal. Find a new store, a new path, a new thing to celebrate. And savor it. Find a new seat in church, a new favorite hymn, or just enjoy the way the light falls in the sanctuary on a Sunday morning.
The next few months will be again a season of changes. It is important to find the joy in these changes because like Jesus we don’t quite know when that Third Day is coming, so let’s have fun and find some joy today and tomorrow.