May 15, 2022 – Easter +4C

“When he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once. Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me; and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come.’ I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:31-35

Have you been experiencing G-d in new ways recently? If you haven’t – why do you think you aren’t experiencing G-d in new ways?  Let me suggest that G-d has been active in your life, every day, but you just haven’t pieced it all together. Let me explain…I once read a book titled “An Atheist in Heaven: The Ultimate Evidence for Life After Death.”  In this book the author writes about a phenomenon called synchronicities. According to Psychoanalyst Carl Jung, Synchronicities are “meaningful coincidences” if they occur with no discernable relationship, yet seem to be meaningful.”

Let me give you an example of a synchronicity from Carl Jung himself.  He had a patient once who was a difficult case.  She was an educated woman whom Carl Jung found to be a tough case because she knew better about everything.  Have you ever known someone like that?  I am sure you have.  Anyway, one day she was going on and on about a dream she had the night before in which someone handed her a golden scarab, a costly piece of jewelry. As Carl was listening to her story, he overheard a tapping at the window behind him. When he turned around to see what was the source of the tapping, he noticed a large flying insect trying to get inside. He opened the window and caught the insect as it flew inside. It was a Scarabaeid Beetle – its colorings almost nearly resembled the golden scarab – a beautiful gold, green coloring. He handed the beetle to the woman and said “Here is your scarab.” She had no idea how to respond. 

In the Upper Room, Jesus kneels to wash the feet of the disciples and they too do not know how to respond. How can the teacher kneel at the feet of his students and do such a demeaning task? The message is clear – at least to me – that we must constantly be prepared for G-d to do the miraculous, the mundane, the surprising, and the synchronous in our lives – because G-d can, G-d will, and G-d loves us beyond all measure.

Take time today to listen to what G-d is saying to you, to see where G-d is leading you, and then do some soul searching, some thinking, and of course a lot of prayer. When you do, you open yourself up to G-d working in new and surprising ways in your life.

Pastor Dave