Clever Quotations for December, 2011                                                                        

 
“People see God every day, they just don’t recognize him.” Pearl Bailey 

“Where is God?” How many times have you heard, or asked that one? For many, the season of Advent, the celebration of the once and future coming of God among us, leaves us wondering that very question. It certainly doesn’t take any effort to see pain in the world, both our own and that of our society. We are ever aware of that by so many reminders; the aching joints, the loss of jobs or loved ones, the broken hearts. The nightly news that ranges from the insipid to the absurd. Where, exactly, is God in all of this?

You’ve probably seen this yourself. We were on a cave tour one time and they turned out all the lights and created total, and I mean TOTAL darkness. There was no visual sensory imput at all! The world around us was completely black. Then, someone lit a match on the other end of the cave and guess what? That light pierced the darkness like a lightening bolt. Without the clutter of all the other sights around it, that light shown like a million watt lamp! Without all the clutter our focus was drawn to that light and oh how glorious it looked, surrounded by eternal night.

Especially this time of year, the clutter around us seems almost unbearable at times. God IS all around us, even amidst the clutter. It’s all a matter of where we focus our attention. Like that spark in the cave, God is there in the one who stands in the cold to ring a small bell to feed and clothe others. God is there in the wonder the natural beauty around us, even in an intricate pattern of a single snowflake. God is there in one who just listens without judgement. God is there in one who offers comfort. God is there in the eyes of a child hungering for attention. God is there in the still, dark quiet of our deepest fears. God is there with good news. We are broken, but forgiven. We are temporal in flesh, but eternal in spirit. From a manger of hay to a cross of wood to a door of stone to a light in the darkness, God is there. May the Word of God who became flesh, even in Jesus the Christ, be a light in your darkness and bring you peace and a true joy this Christmas.  Amen

Pastor Kirby Holbrook