God’s Work in You
“I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me…” – Revelation 1:12
Dear Friends,
First, I’m so glad to be back with you after my weekend in Canada! It’s weird to be away during Advent, with all the wonderful parts of our celebration in worship – it’s actually only the second time (I missed the first Sunday in 2021) in my 11 years here that I’ve been away for an Advent Sunday! And this year, unfortunately, I also missed Old Fashioned Christmas. But for all those who’ve asked, I did have a wonderful time officiating my Cousin Ellen’s wedding (technically, second-cousin, I believe, as she’s the daughter of my cousin). It is always a wonderful time when I can gather with my extended family in Canada – many of them I only see once a year at a family reunion. My aunt, in particular, provides me with endless stories of my Dad and my grandparents and the farm they grew up on – and she is tremendously faithful, which is such an encouragement!
But a funny thing happened on the way to the wedding – on the way to Canada, actually. We drove up on Thursday – car packed with everything we needed, and headed out of town. Pike Street was already closed, so we navigated our way to 79 via back-roads and were on our way.
As we crossed the Ohio River and Neville Island, Bridgette began so have an odd expression… and then she said… “oh no, we didn’t pack our passports!”
I would have loved to say “just look in the glove box” as I’ve done in the past, having it covered… but I didn’t. Because I didn’t. We had indeed left our passports and birth certificates and my Green Card (an absolutely necessity for my re-entry into the US) back at home.
The surprising thing… is that I simply pulled off a the Mt. Nebo Road exit, and got back on… and I was about as cool as a cucumber.
That’s all God. Because that’s not my normal reaction to a situation like that. (Please don’t ask my family to elaborate).
We went back, grabbed our documents and as we were just about to leave again… our neighbor’s dog ran around the corner and out across the street. Bridgette and I went after her and brought her back, opened our neighbor’s door and let her back in. If we hadn’t made the mistake of forgetting our documents, we wouldn’t have been there to let Shelby back in the house. Not to say that’s why it happened… but it’s nice to see how God can weave our mis-steps into something good.
More than that though, as I reflect back on the weekend that was, I see how God was in it all the way through, showering me with grace – not just in safe travel or joy-filled conversations or loving exchanges with my family – but with something inside of me. It’s not that I’ve done anything, but that God’s doing something in me, and I’m grateful to see some of that evidence… even if the evidence is that I didn’t fly off the handle and lose it when something went wrong. It’s the little things…
I hope and pray that this Advent Season gives you plenty of opportunities to see and experience what God’s doing in you too. I’m convinced it’s a good, gracious work!
Welcoming You to Grow in Jesus,
Pastor Don