Where is God?

As I sat in church this First Sunday in Advent, I was once again reminded of a story that I shared last Sunday with our RCIA group. It's a story that I first heard in a sermon at my small, rural Lutheran church growing up. With time, I realize that I might not have the exact story correct anymore but the message behind it will never change. There have been certain times over the years, not surprisingly just when I needed the reminder, that this message has popped into my head. Some of you may be familiar with this story as I've shared it before in talks and even previously on CaringBridge entries. As we begin Advent, I thought it was worth sharing again. The story goes like this........

Tucked into the peaceful countryside was a small, yet beautiful, country church. The history in the church was deep and the members were truly one family in Christ. Sadly, one Sunday morning as the parishioners began to arrive, they were in complete shock. You see, overnight someone had vandalized their small piece of heaven on earth.

One by one, as the parishioners gathered, they stood in complete silence surveying their now ruined church. Beautiful stain glassed windows had been smashed into tiny pieces, pews had been overturned and broken. Holes had been punched into the walls and banners and hymnals were scattered and torn. The altar had been knocked over and everything up front in the sanctuary had been viciously destroyed - seemingly beyond repair. Black spray paint covered most everything. And in the dome above the sanctuary, written very sloppily in large, red spray paint, were the unmistakable words - "GOD IS NOWHERE."

GOD.

IS.

NO.
WHERE.

I can only imagine the violation that these people must have felt. And yet, what if it was true? How often during our lives do we feel like 'God is nowhere?' It's certainly easy enough to feel this way when we are feeling alone or scared, when we don't get the job we're hoping for or get laid off from the one we have. GOD IS NOWHERE. It's easy to feel this way when finances are tight or people we know (even ourselves) is ill. GOD IS NOWHERE. It's a thought that can easily pop into our heads when we lose a loved one to addictions or death. GOD IS NOWHERE. It's easy to think sometimes as we look at all the cruelty and terror in our world. GOD IS NOWHERE. How many of us have experienced this thought, at least on some level, somewhere on our journey? GOD IS NOWHERE.

But the beauty of this story is that it didn't end there - and neither does ours.

No one spoke a word as this small church became more and more crowded that terrible Sunday morning. The people stood still, tears streaming down their faces, as they looked around at all the destruction. The only sounds that could be heard were the soft sobs of the people as they took it all in. And yet, out of the despair came a very small voice. The voice belonged to a little boy who was holding his father's hand. As everyone else was looking around at the devastation, this young boy was looking up very intently at the red spray painted words. As he looked up, he very slowly sounded out the words and very quietly read them out loud as he did - "GOD IS NOW HERE."

GOD.

IS.

NOW.

HERE.

Oh my, yes - yes, He is! For you see, even in our darkest times when we feel that He is 'nowhere', He is always 'now here'. To me that's what Advent and Christmas truly means.....that God is now here. He's in the anticipation. He's in the smiling eyes of the strangers that you might meet this Christmas season. He's in our children and in our parents. He's in everyone we have the opportunity to help. He's in everyone that helps us. He is the Alpha and the Omega and He is most definitely with us in our darkest 'nowhere' days.

May you all have a very beautiful and blessed Advent and Christmas season. May your holidays be filled with love, peace, hope and joy. And in among the busyness of this often times crazy world, may you find the gift of time to spend with family, friends and so many others that come to us as Jesus in disguise. My prayer for you is that you might see God in all those you interact with this Advent and Christmas season. And most importantly, may you always know that GOD IS NOW HERE!