Sometimes amazing things happen in church. This morning I sat behind a friend. Actually they are all my friends, but this particular one is bravely facing cancer. When the Men’s Choir anthem title was announced she turned to me and said, “I asked them to sing that for me.”
And they sang ‘I’ll fly away’.
The words can ring your heart out: “Some bright morning when this life is o’er, I’ll fly away,” and “When the shadows of this life are gone, I’ll fly away.” Such courage; the tears were filling my eyes as she sat there with God’s glory almost shining out of her. Of course I know there is always hope and miracles but I also know from experience that the road she is travelling is very, very difficult for her and her family. So I pray, as do the congregation, that there will be mercy and the times ahead won’t be too hard.
Most of us take our good health for granted. Maybe not so much so as the years go by and the aches and pains start adding up, but seldom are we forced to acknowledge our complete dependence on God. We are an arrogant bunch, full of pride and self-righteousness. God visits us in so many ways. This morning, sitting beside my friend, were two small boys, their blond heads about five inches above the pew. One of them turned to look at me and in his small face and big blue eyes I saw God.
I saw God this morning as the half moon in the sky faded and the pink overcast was washed out by the emerging sunshine, and I experienced God this morning, as my friend bravely said to me, “I asked them to sing that.”
As I shared birthday brunch later with some old friends I noticed the little girl beside me choose the ‘pink’ muffin. It was exactly what my now-grown granddaughter would have chosen and reminded me of another instance of God’s presence – in memories of loved ones.
Of course, the church is where you expect to meet God, but today he was so obviously present. So I blot the dampness in my eyes, put my spoon in my bowl of chilli and give thanks for His presence in so many parts of my day.
