Warm and Cold
Today’s weather report says that a warm, sunny weekend may be followed on Monday by the coldest weather this year, including rain and potentially freezing temperatures. When I stopped at a nursery on River and Alvernon yesterday afternoon they were covering some fragile plants. The nursery worker said, “We may have a freeze tonight (Thursday) because we’re in a low spot by the river, then a warm weekend followed by another freeze, so we’re getting ready for those ups and downs.”
This week has been a reflection of that for me. Three memorial services have had their share of sadness, but were also joyful celebrations of life. As I happily finished some tasks and projects, other needs for attention surfaced. Amid a report of one person’s healing, the news came of the tragic death of a long-time friend.
Perhaps life is full of pushes and pulls, ups and downs, highs and lows for you, too. I love the joyful highs, and dread the pull in other direction. It can be hard to stay steady and focused when life swings like that. There is good news—God is in the midst of both our highs and lows, our joys and sorrows, our ups and downs. It can be easy to say “thanks be to God” when life is light and joyous. God, though, is in the midst of both our joys and our sorrows, and works to bring us out of the dark places into new life and light. Scripture testifies to this again and again, speaking to us of God’s presence in all moments of our lives. Our faith is deepening when we can see God working in the hard places of our lives.
This Sunday, Feb. 2, we celebrate Holy Communion and wrap up our series on Making Sense of the Bible with Letting the Bible Speak to Us. Next week, Feb. 9, we begin a three-week series on Three Simple Rules as part of our year-long theme of Words for Life. Join us for worship.
Prayer: Merciful God, help us see you in the hard places of our lives, where you are already working to bring us through. We give thanks to you for joyous times, and for the ways your presence and love is shown to us in all the times of our lives. Praise be to you, O God! Amen.
Blessings, Sharon