ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
October 24, 2026
Another Saturday has arrived. For some people, it is a day to be lazy. If so, good for you! For others, there is yard work or that project in the garage that needs to be tackled. Others have to go to work as fewer and fewer people actually have the weekend off anymore. No matter what your Saturday looks like, amidst whatever you are doing, I hope you have a God sighting. So often, we have made the assumption that most such experiences happen in a church or other sacred settings. Of course, assumptions become self-fulfilling prophecies. At the same time, I do not wish to diminish what occurs in worship as I love the experience of being in community. There are moments when singing, even for someone like me who isn’t a singer, helps me become more aware of the sacred. With that said, we should not limit God. Of course, we are not actually limiting God. However, our expectations can limit our perception of God. I think about the words of Jacob when he had the dream at the place he would call Bethel (Genesis 28). It sounds as if he had been camping with a stone for a pillow, yet after his amazing dream, he says:
“Surely the Lord is in this place—and I did not know it!” …How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven” (vs.16-17).
When he arrived, there was nothing special about the place or the moment. Yet the next morning, he was awestruck by an encounter with God that could have gone unnoticed. That’s my prayer for you and for me—that God is noticed today.
Gentle and Eternal God, help me to see even when I might have convinced myself that there is nothing to see. Provide me with a vision of the spirit so I can echo the insight of Jacob and say to you, “Wow, you were always here.” Amen.
