A Reflection by Joshua Longbrake from his blog.
What must I do to get your attention? To get you to speak up? Do I need to pray multiple times a day in a certain position, bowing on my knees or standing on my head? Do I need to go to a specific location? Or are there actions I need to take? Tell me what to do to get you to speak.
Or maybe I don’t need to do anything except listen and look and wait and see.
I was chatting amongst empty pews with Kara, our priest, and Kate and Jason. I preached yesterday (audio here), asking the question Where is God?and pointing out places where the gospel of John speaks to the same question over and over again with audacity and creativity. The question is personal, one I’ve been churning out daily during Lent.
While the four of us were talking after the service there was a sudden roar like thunder from the sacristy (a little room off to the side of the sanctuary). At first I thought the innards of the large organ had collapsed, giant pipes that are built into the wall and which continue through the walls and into a back corner of sacristy. We ran up the center aisle, passed the altar and into that tiny room to see both what had happened and to make sure no one was hurt.
Shelves had collapsed under the weight of what look like giant candlestick holders as large as my arm and made out of thick brass. They had fallen onto a glass table that subsequently shattered. On one of the shelves was also a statue of the virgin Mary holding a baby Jesus.
Kate said, “You asked the question, ‘Where is God?’ and now you’ve found him in the form of this broken baby Jesus. You should probably take him and Mary home.” Kara laughed and nodded and I wondered about signs and the idea of God’s playfulness and the possibility of me making meaning out of events that could be simply chance — but I like to believe the former.
– Joshua Longbrake 9 Mar 2015
