Da Bulls!

Last week my son and I put on our red shirts and traveled up to Phoenix to watch our team, the Chicago Bulls, play against the Suns. At the half, the Bulls were down by 23 points! My heart sank. In the 2nd half the game went back and forth until the Bulls finally battled back to win in the 2nd overtime. My emotions were a roller coaster of highs and lows. It was exhausting!

I was recently considering the Nativity stories and the great and wondrous moments recorded. The announcement to Zacharias, the loosening of his tongue, the visit of the angel to Mary, the song she sings upon meeting with Elizabeth, the choir of angels in the night sky and the incredible visit of the wise men. These must have been impacting and emotional events. What we don't see in the story are all the "low" times in between and following these events. Nine months of silence for Zacharias, Mary's pregnancy and the day in and day out difficulties she must have endured, the time when no one was visiting the baby anymore and the return of the shepherds to a hard life of work. I like the emotional events when our faith seems so alive and present and fresh but they are usually few and far between. Life is usually lived out in the normal daily routines that are more often punctuated with difficulty. The good news is that Jesus - God with us - walked on this earth and lived amidst the same day to day routines and difficulties. He knew the ups and downs, the great wondrous moments as well as the many lows. Acts 17:28 say that "in Him we live and move and exist." Every moment of today is a chance to experience His work and presence because He is always at work in our days. I believe it is during those times of "business as usual" that He might be most at work around us.
   I like the story of Jacob and his dream. In Genesis 28:16-17, Jacobs wakes up and says, "Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it ... How awesome is this place!"  Today may not hold any "great moments" but it does promise His work, His grace, and His presence - that is something to rejoice in.