10-03-23

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
October 3, 2023
Yesterday was my day off, but it was one of those days off when there were projects to do. We did some major housecleaning, and one of the projects was to pull out the washer and dryer to clean underneath them. And of course, since the dryer was pulled out of the wall, I might as well do some cleaning of the dryer vent. And then I realized that the bracket holding the vent duct was broken. A quick trip to Lowes made me remember that I needed to pick up some good potting soil for some herbs that someone gave me. Once I was outside looking at the herbs, I realized that both the bird feeder and the humming bird feeder needed to be refilled. And once that was done, I noticed a rash of weeds in the corner of the backyard. While I was pulling them, I took note of a plank in the back fence that was loose, and so I found a couple of nails and got it secured. Suddenly, I paused and wondered how I got from housecleaning to fence fixing over a five-hour period. 

I’m sure you’ve all had days like that, and maybe your starting place and finishing place were even further apart than mine. Last night, as I pondered my day, I reflected on the Gospel of Mark, specifically the first chapter. Four times in that first chapter, Mark describes Jesus doing something “immediately.” Jesus was doing one thing, and then immediately he was doing something else. And a short time later, he immediately moved on to something else. Mark liked the word “immediately” as he used it often, but I sort of wonder if there was a bit more of a flow to the life of Jesus that was not always communicated in Mark’s Gospel. As I talked about my day yesterday, it sort of sounded unpredictable, bouncing from one thing to an unrelated thing. Yet, as strange as each transition might have sounded, it sort of made sense. It had a rather good flow, and a number of needed things were accomplished. I have a pretty strong feeling that Jesus, in spite of Mark’s abrupt movement of one Jesus story to the next, had a rather good and purposeful flow to it all.

Give me guidance, Gracious God, in my daily life. And even as random and disorganized as it might be, I pray for purpose and opportunities to make a difference in my life, the lives of others, and in your creation. Amen.