Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness,
you who seek the Lord.
Look to the rock from which you were hewn
and to the quarry from which you were dug. – Isaiah 55:1 (NRSVUE)
As we celebrated the 75th anniversary of St. Matthew Lutheran Church this past Sunday, what God sightings did you have? Were you able to recognize God at work through the people and ministry of St. Matthew? After all, that is what an anniversary celebration is about. It’s only partially about history. The bigger portion is about how God is at work now in the continuing community of faith. We remember the history to remember the ways that God has shown up in the past, but that is used to guide us into the future in times when it may be harder to discern what God is doing. After all, God’s work is always easier to spot in retrospect than in the moment. Nonetheless, God was certainly at work.
Perhaps you noticed God in the hard work of the Anniversary Committee putting plans together. Perhaps you saw God in people connecting over meal and song in the afternoon. Perhaps it was the involvement of children and youth, especially in their contributions to the worship service at 10:30. Perhaps it was in seeing parents hand bibles to their children. Perhaps it was in the Word of God proclaimed in scripture and through Bishop Bartholomew’s sermon. Perhaps you were reminded of other times when God has been present in your life, thus making God present to you now.
There are so many ways that God’s work shows up in our lives. The goal of the title of these devotions, “Sights and Insights,” is to remind us to see God around us and reflect on it. It is a reminder to be ready for God-sightings each and every week. What God sightings have you had recently?r decision-making, even when it is sometimes unclear what would be best to do.