Summer Sightings... God Sightings...

I think that we can all agree that Summer is one of the best times of year.  In the last week, I’ve seen so many great sightings of Summer.    I saw Jaime Hassan the other day, and I was struck by the smile on his face when he told me that he had just completed his last day of school.  Wearing his “Seniors 2012” t-shirt, he beamed as he told me how excited he was that Summer was beginning.  A car stopped at the light just outside my office and I watched as a little boy leaned out of the window and sprayed water from his water bottle all over the street-and he was smiling, too!  I watched a group of children play wiffle ball at a cookout, and they knew it was here as they ran the bases and laughed and played.  The beaches are full of people, the waves are rolling in, and life is good!

Summer is a time to remember all of the good things in life, and to take adventures in rest and recreation.  Jesus took time for these things.  I think Jesus took these times of rest to meet God.  He retreated to the mountain to talk to God.  He ducked out of the business of everyday life to find time with God.  He went to the well, even though the sun was high in the sky, and the air was hot, to experience God.  Where will you see God this Summer?  I’m hoping that no matter where you find yourself in the next several months, that you will be on the lookout for what God is up to in those places, and that you’ll share how you’ve experienced God with us.

There is a bulletin board set up in the Community Room with a favorite saying of ours on it: “God is up to Something”.  Show us what God is up to in your Summer travels-it could be a postcard of place you visited, a souvenir of trip you took, a meditation or observation of what you saw, a picture of your favorite summer getaway.  Who knows?  Maybe God will meet you at the top of a mountain that you hike, or on the edge of the ocean at a beach you visit, or in that big fish that you catch…or maybe God will meet you someplace simple-just off the bike path in a cold cup of Del’s frozen lemonade!  Whatever it is, and wherever you find Him, tell us about it-use words, pictures, seashells, or whatever you choose to tell the story!  I’m hopeful that by the end of the Summer we’ll have a beautiful collage of God sightings to share with everyone who comes to St. James.  And who knows, maybe we’ll find God along the way within these walls as well !  :)

God’s Peace,
Andrew