My wife an I and I own a Golden Labrador dog (of course she is beautiful) her name is Gabby. Most mornings Gabby and I go for a walk for about ½ hour.
We live in the Harcourt Valley and only have one rural road along which we can walk. Along that road a farming family used to have a horse named Sally. She “lived” in a good sized paddock which had a stand of pine trees and a small spring fed dam. Each morning on our walk I would look out for Sally. And if I did not see her I felt a bit glum. However more often than not on our return journey home I would see her through the pine trees or out in the open. And I was always happy to see her. It was that different perspective coming from another direction that allowed me to see Sally.
If you read any of the Early Church Saints (either men or women) they often talk about the “dark night of the soul”. What they meant by that was that they had a sense that God was absent. No matter how long their devotions, how dutiful their service they had this sense that God was not there. Then they would stop fretting, stop trying too hard to connect with God and the moment of joy would come as they sensed God again in their lives and in their activities. It was that different perspective that enabled them to experience God again.
In John’s gospel there are two stories in chapters 3 and 4 which seem at first unrelated, but really I think quite intentionally linked. The first story is that of Nicodemus coming to Christ at night (dark time represents evil, tragedy, God absent). And Jesus offers him “Light”. The second story is that of the woman at the well in the midday heat and Christ offers her “Living water”.
Easter and Pentecost offer us the possibility of a different perspective.
To see Christ anew, and too understand in a different way how God’s grace and love is available to all people and at work already in our world.
For example the unexpected hug, the kind or loving word, the act of grace by another, in a time of reflection, the moment of recognition that Christ has been here, the word that enlightens us, these experiences offer us that different perspective, they offers us that “Living” water or the “Light” that shines on the darkness.
Lord, give us ears to hear and eyes to see your actions in the world.
Rev jon Watson
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