On Pentecost, Rev. Renae Extrum-Fernandez, reminded us of our call to be witnesses. “You will be my witnesses,” said Jesus to his disciples before ascending into the heavens. Being a witness is a key practice that supports our mission: to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. Over the next 6 weeks, we will practice “witnessing” by simply sharing where we have recently seen or experienced God in our lives and how that has made a difference for us. This week, we give thanks for the sharing of Frances Fong.
I have just finished reading An Altar in the World: A Geography of Faith, by Barbara Brown Taylor. This book was selected for the Adult Sunday School Class for Lent and Pentecost; and though I am not attending the class, I have read the book on my own and found it enlightening and enriching. Tired by the end of the day, I found myself looking forward to reading pages of the book before retiring for the night.
In this book the author describes ways we can experience God in our everyday activities. She shares meaningful ways we can discover the sacred in the little things we do and see. She gives examples such as hanging clothes on a clothesline becomes an act of meditation if we pay attention to what we are doing and taking the time to notice the sights, smells, and sounds around us. Or, by making eye contact with the cashier at the grocery store, we can experience a moment of true human connection. The author notes if we include practices such as these into our daily lives, we can begin to discover altars everywhere we go, in most everything we do. We can find God in the simple tasks of our everyday living, making these daily acts and tasks spiritual expressions.
After reading the book, I thought it would be interesting to put into practice what I have learned and to report my experience to the above questions. I note that I had to make a conscientious effort to find and experience God in the daily routines I have done without much forethought in the past. Taking care of my elderly dog has been challenging lately. I try now to patiently and unhurriedly provide for her needs, since she now requires more attention and assistance. I feel that she was entrusted in my care, so I want to make her senior years as comfortable as possible, having been my loyal companion for 13 years. Though I never considered commuting to/from SF a daily grind, I now appreciate the bus drivers who navigate the commute traffic so that I could spend some quiet time perusing my newspaper or enjoying the magnificent view unfold before me. Though it may be an inconvenience to wait for good weather to do the wash and hang it outside to dry, I now appreciate the practice of conserving energy by engaging the warm sun and gentle breeze to naturally dry my wash, always leaving everything fresh, clean, and crisp. Taking my car in recently for servicing, I realized that I have taken for granted all these years the trust that I have placed in the owner and his mechanic for their skills in caring for my 23 year old car, so that I would have a peace of mind and that my car will run safely for many years to come.
An Altar in the World: A Geography of Faith has given me a new insight and a new perspective in making my daily moments an opportunity of finding God in my very midst. If I am intent on finding God, I will find His presence everywhere and in everything. It is true as the author notes in Isaiah 30:21: And when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left, your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it.” Amen.