Thought for Today
Genesis 1:2 darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters.
Psalm 18:15 Then the channels of the sea were seen, and the foundations of the world were laid bare at your rebuke, O Lord, at the blast of the breath of your nostrils.
John 3:8 The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit."
John 20:21 Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you." 22 When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit.
Last night, as our Church Council met via Zoom in anticipation of the impending storm, all of us could hear the occasional gust of wind howling. This morning, we awoke to a full-fledged nor’easter. The wind is constant, with occasionally greater gusts. The glop (rain + sleet + snow = glop) is ‘falling’ horizontally! Our town has already had to plow the roads. But, when I checked the calendar just to make sure, last Sunday was Easter! Where I grew up (?) . . . was raised, by this time of year, I would have already fertilized the growing grass.
Inevitably, as I heard the wind howl last night, I was reminded of one of the lessons I still remember from seminary. In both Greek and Hebrew, the same word can be translated as wind, breath or spirit. The Greek πνεῦμα (pneuma) and the Hebrew רוּחִ֤י (ruah) both are translated as wind, breath or spirit.
Every time I hear the wind howl, I think of Genesis 1:2 and picture the breath of God moving over the waters, over the land, and over and around my life. Admittedly, God seems to be breathing a bit hard this morning, but I hear that wind, as it blows that glop horizontally, and think about the omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent Creator God.
As we listened to the early morning news this morning with the background of the gusting wind howling, I began to wonder why God is breathing so hard this morning. Of course, the meteorologists will tell us that this particular storm is a function of fluctuations in the path of the jet stream. They tell us that the unusually violent storms and weather so many of us have experienced these last few years are a result of global warming. Irrespective of the cause, temperature measurements in the oceans and on land are rising. Is that why God is breathing so hard this morning, only the fourth day since God’s shouted “AMEN” in the Empty Tomb of Easter Morning?
It seems that every news broadcast now is primarily composed of local, national and international stories of violence and hatred. Humanity’s inhumanity against humanity! Everywhere, we seem to have forgotten Jesus’ explanation of the Law in Matthew chapter 5, especially “5:22 But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, 'You fool,' you will be liable to the hell of fire.” Is that howling wind outside a representation of “the hell of fire?”
Despite the howling wind, despite the overabundance of news stories of humanity’s inhumanity against humanity, I still bask in the afterglow of Easter. My mind still hears the echoes of God’s shouted “AMEN” in the Empty Tomb of Easter Morning. During that Zoom Church Council meeting last night we witnessed God’s children working together to advance the full realization of God’s Kingdom here on earth. There were reports on the activities of our preschool, of the excitement of the children and the support of the parents. There was a report of the outreach of our Community Food Pantry, the additional space being built to meet the growing need being served, of the many volunteers and the clients being served. We also heard about the thanks offered by some of those clients for the added niceties provided for Easter meals.
Sometimes, especially when we stop to look for and listen for it, we hear in the winds the sound of change, the roaring approach of the Kingdom of God. Last night, I heard mention made of the participation in the effort to combat food insecurity of 2 of our youth. Seeing the hands of youth offering strength and support to those in need is certainly a Kingdom Moment, an echo of God’s shouted “AMEN” in the Empty Tomb of Easter Morning!
Stay safe, watch and listen for Kingdom Moments,
Pastor Ray