Dearly Beloved,
Grace and Peace to you.
The hurricane we just had is what insurance companies and other atheists, oddly enough, would call an act of God. No doubt some TV preacher or other atheist will soon pronounce Hurricane Irene as God’s punishment against somebody or other for something or other. And I think, Really? Is God’s aim that bad? I mean, it came on Sunday morning! We only had 16 in worship. Some churches cancelled services. This is God’s idea of punishment? And what of the good Bible-believing churches that were destroyed? If this is how God punishes, is this also how God rewards? If one person is really good, do they take the whole neighborhood with them to heaven?
The storm was pretty tame by the time it hit here in Massachusetts, but there was some damage. A tree fell across our neighbor’s driveway. Was that an act of God or was God just careless? Does God just not sweat the details? It may have been punishment, but I thought it was kind of fun to go out with an ax and cut it up so they could get out. What if God’s punishment is terrible for some and not so bad for others? What if hell turns out to be kind of an interesting place?
But, OK, lets play along. Let’s suppose that this storm was an act of God. And it “meant” something. When did God stop acting? Isn’t today’s good weather also an act of God? Must be. What some godless people think is just a natural occurrence, we know is actually the hand of God. And God is trying to communicate to us in it. The leaves on trees, they’re acts of God. So is birdsong, and the way ducks get funnier the faster they waddle. That’s definitely an act of God.
Children, and beauty of all sorts, and surprises, these are acts of God. The fact that ice floats, that the atmosphere has just enough nitrogen, that we kept evolving and didn’t stay lemurs. That trees clean the air and bugs clean the earth, and algae feed us all, that water falls and and heat rises so that everything gets watered and scrubbed and air conditioned.
Breathing—now there’s an act of God. Nerve impulses and cellular energy exchange—amazing acts of God. Your heart beat—every single one of them, each is an act of God. What if you let go and stand back and get your ego out of the way so that every word that comes out of your mouth is an act of God? Why not?
Let’s face it. You are an act of God. Whether you see it or not, God means something in you. Do your best to see that whatever God is trying to communicate through you is clear, and that by whatever you do and say, people experience grace. Who knows? Even atheists might find themselves peculiarly blessed, and a little curious about that.
Deep Blessings,
Pastor Steve
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Copyright © Steve Garnaas-Holmes
Unfolding Light
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