At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do. – Luke 10:21
Looking again at the sending out of the seventy-two disciples, we see that Jesus gathers them back after their time sharing the good news, offering healing, blessings, and peace wherever they went. When they gather back together again, Jesus hears their report, and the first thing he does is offer praise to God.
You know, there is a lot of things we talk about, or think about, or have even shared on social media about what we are going to do when we get back together again. It’s funny the things that some take for granted, things that just seemed natural to do, but now we miss them. During the time of our stay at home orders, one of our car registrations came due. I was unable to renew online or by mail. I did find out that the drive-through clerk’s office downtown was open for some hours during the day. What I found when I got there, was that cars were lined up for that drive-through for 4 city blocks. Yes, I waited in that long line and got my tags renewed, but I sure missed the day when I could walk up to a clerk’s desk without wait and be done with that little chore in about 5 minutes.
Some have missed sitting at a restaurant, others have missed sporting events, some have missed being able to travel to see loved ones who live far away. Believe it or not, some people actually miss getting up and going to work. I sure miss seeing all of you on a Sunday morning. Lots of things have been missed, but now we are starting to see them come back. As society has gotten back into a new routine of normal, and as places have begun to open as they follow the phased reopening of our communities, I notice that many are going out and getting back to the things they enjoy. Other’s however, are being more hesitant. And I'm a glad there are those who are working the intermediate, helping those who are hesitant to get out.
Last Sunday, our family decided to get out and take a trek to the mountains, to see if we could social distance up there. Everywhere we turned we found ourselves in traffic, and every place we thought about stopping, seemed filled with people. We passed one spot, and one of the kids from the back seat said, “wow, doesn’t anyone worry about getting sick?” It was a simple question, but in that moment, I had to stop and give thanks to God for a little boy who was concerned about the well-being of others.
I was glad to see people out, and hope everyone was following guidelines and being safe, I do want to see things get better. Doing so, also means caring for one another. Sometimes this care for others is hidden from the wise and old, but I pray that as children of God we continue to have it revealed to us, that even though some things may seem a hassle, or a bother, we continue to care for others in our actions, and interactions. We want to see society re-open, but hopefully with a since of love and care for all. Then, maybe we can even envision a joy-filled, Jesus type kingdom here on earth as it is in heaven.
Grace & Peace
Sam