St. Francis' Episcopal Church

Serving Eureka, Wildwood, and Surrounding Communities

End of Summer.   

There are a number of events that mark the end of summer.  The kids go back to school; Six Flags reduces its weekday hours; Labor Day weekend; and, finally, the lunar end of summer, September 23, which is still 7 weeks away.  Each year I fancy that I will rest during the summer, and each year I find that that hasn’t happened.   This year was more notable in that regard than others.  A family wedding; a Commission on Ministry working retreat; a trip to Cincinnati combining two pastoral services with seeing old friends; a short trip to New York to see my best friends from high school, and, sandwiched in between, of course, the General Convention of the Episcopal Church.   

I know I’m not the only one to have had a busy summer.  Attendance at Sunday Eucharist is generally down because one household or several are away doing summer activities.  Yet, those of us who are in town on a given weekend still gather together and cheerfully keep the seats warm and praise God on behalf of all.  Coffee Hour is lively and stretches on nearly as long as when we have Adult Forum. And we see visitors:  some who are looking for church home and finally made it up the long, scary hill to the LaSalle front door, some who are visiting the area and looked for the closest Episcopal Church in which to worship.  It’s fun meeting all of those people.   

I once heard, and have repeated many times, that today’s Americans are experience-rich and wisdom-poor; we are wisdom-poor because we don’t reflect upon our experiences.   

How was your summer?  Was it lazy and filled with moments of watching butterflies and hummingbirds drink from pink and purple blossoms, or was it lively and hectic with activity?  In either case, where did you see God?   

In the coming weeks as summer winds down, I invite you to reflect upon that question.  Find or create a quiet moment.  Write down all of the experiences you have had since Memorial Day.  And then reflect upon each one and write where you saw God in each.  God was there: sometimes off in the shadows waiting for you to notice, sometimes front and center . . . perhaps waiting for you to notice.  God is for our experiences the way spices are for our food; God wakes us up to the true nature of ourselves, our lives, and those we meet every day.   

Find a piece of paper right now.  Either do the exercise above or make an appointment with yourself to do it; write the date and time at the top of the paper and then keep the appointment.  If you are blessed with a companion or spiritual friend, share the list with them.  If you have children, help them to do the exercise also.  Where did you see God in your life this summer?  Think about it.  Do it.  Now.  Or you might foolishly come to believe that God wasn’t with you at all.