I wonder as I wander out under the sky,
How Jesus the Savior did come for to die.
For poor on’ry people like you and like I…
I wonder as I wander out under the sky. …
.written by American folklorist and singer John Jacob Niles.
I have been doing a lot of wondering this season of Advent, Christmas time and as we move into 2016. Wondering about the world in which we live, wondering about peace and love, wondering about Joy and hope. Wondering about church, and covenant. Wondering where I am being called to lead this community of faith. Wondering what God is saying and thinking… Wondering as I wander this earth.
I think that we have become so busy, and it is so easy to look up stuff on the internet, that we don’t spend the time wondering about things. When I was getting my hair cut, my hair guy asked me, “ How long did it take for Mary and Joseph to walk to Bethlehem?” And then we began to wonder together about that and had a great theological, faithful conversation about that. Wondering takes time. Wondering means we have to let the world go by for a minute, and just open our mind. Wondering causes all sorts of fun answers.
Wondering….
What are you wondering about this Christmas? What will you take time to wonder about as we move into 2016? And then after you have wondered awhile, how will you act?
God is at work with us and in us and through us! As we wonder, as we act, as we celebrate, as we live, as we worship, as we praise..
“Sing praises to the Lord, for he has done gloriously; let this be known in all the earth.
Shout aloud and sing for joy…” Isaiah 12:5-6a
God works through us and in us even when we are not sure what it is we are to be saying and doing. God gives us signs and wonders each day, and sometimes each minute, we just have to look.
These signs come in many ways, do you take time to wonder when they come…
In the laughter of a child…
In the phone call from a colleague or friend…
In the concern of another for you….
In saying yes to something when you really wanted to say no….
In the sun shining and breaking forth on a grey day…
In the music played loud or soft…
In the quiet of a prayer…
In the conversation with a friend….
In the kindness shared…
In noticing something is different about you,new glasses, new haircut, new clothes, etc…
In the hug of a young friend or an old one….
In a card received… in a note written…
The signs of God’s blessings and wonders are all around us.
We just need to look.
I wonder as I wander out under the sky, How Jesus the Savior did come for to die.
For poor on’ry people like you and like I…I wonder as I wander out under the sky.
Wondering together, Pastor Mindy