Remembering God

This is the time of year when we install new officers. Most of the officers of both congregations are people who have served faithfully for many years. Last Sunday, I was supposed to invite all the ruling elders being installed to the front to do the Presbyterian installation. And, right as I was praying the last prayer, I realized that I had forgotten to bring Patti Findley to the front.

Patti is one of the main reasons we needed to do the installation earlier in the year than we normally do. She was a Ruling Elder in First Presbyterian for many years. Then, her faith journey took her to the Catholic side of our family tree.

She recently returned to the Presbyterian family. Since then, she has been a tremendous help to me personally. One day when Zoe was here, she told me I needed an event planner. I agreed and then Patti showed up.

Patti is great with details and following up on things. You probably had a call from her as she is working to correct the mistakes in the directory. She has worked tirelessly on Donna's Pet Food Pantry. She comes to tea. She is teaching the younger children in our Terrific Tuesday program. She has also been serving as a Ruling Elder while waiting for her installation. The same installation I came this close to forgetting to do.

I almost forgot one of the people who works most closely with me.

I think this mistake is a mistake we make frequently as people. We rely so much on God-for our food, our shelter, our nurture- and at the same time, we forget to invite God to the center of our thoughts. God is such a constant companion that we overlook the wonders of God's love. We forget the mercies we are shown every day. In our worst moments, we may even think that we are the ones who made the thing happen.

When we are attentive to the work of God in our lives, we are able to see the miracles that surround us. When we listen for Jesus' guidance, we see clearly the way we are to go. When we wait for the inspiration of the Spirit, we know that we will flourish. This is what it means to catch a glimmer of Jesus' love.