September 20, 2024

Over the last week I:

• Officiated at Analise and Chris Ober-Slepica's beautiful wedding

• Baptized their darling son Izaak at the same ceremony

• Attended the funeral of a dear friend who died unexpectedly

• Had a great Vestry meeting with the fantastic Saint Anne's leadership team

• Started making some Advent liturgy plans

• Saw the lunar eclipse

• Celebrated with Office Administrator Kathy the birth of her newest grandson

• Went grocery shopping and had my bags fall out of the back of my car and spill into the parking lot - in the pouring rain

• Forgot to buy dog treats and did not go back; now dealing with sad puppy dog eyes every time they go out to do their business

• Attended various meetings in person, by phone, and over Zoom

• Woke up to my "Aurora Alert" going off at 1 AM and went outside to get to peek at faint Northern Lights right in my yard

• Went to a training session for ECMN clergy about how to navigate this contentious election season in the church

• Saw a doctor for the deep cough that's been hanging on since I was sick

• Scooped two dead birds off of Saint Anne's sidewalk and gave them a little funeral in our woods

• Continued planning for our 2025 Pledge Drive

• Studied the lectionary readings for this week

• Read, wrote, and sent about a million emails

• Got things organized for our Ministry Fair this Sunday and marveled at all of the wonderful things Saint Anne's is up to

• Felt bad about the things that haven't gotten done yet

And that is how some of my time was spent. When I look back on it, I realize I saw God present in some of it so clearly (wedding! baptism! Northern Lights!) but I wonder if I forgot to see God in other places (grocery store? commute time? setting up Zoom links?). How about you? I know each of your days and weeks are full of all kinds of events and details too: things big and small, joyful and difficult, expected and unexpected. Though we know there is nowhere we can go that God is not, it is certainly easier to sense that Holy presence in life's most spectacular moments.

My prayer for all of us this week is to remember to see sparks of the Holy in all we do. Even and especially the mundane. May we have eyes to see, ears to hear, and hearts to feel God's presence in even spreadsheets and spilled groceries.