Rev’s Reflections
It only takes between 10 and 15 minutes to get to church from our townhouse. At least that is what it took for the first couple of weeks. Then, apparently as a way to welcome the Semeyn’s to the Western suburbs, they began multiple road construction projects. I would head to church in one direction and they would have that route shut down to one lane. It would back up for miles. Knowing this is a fact of life here, I simply resolved to take an alternate route. I made great progress until I found more construction and delays…another detour.
The next day I tried another route. It worked great, until…you guessed it, more road construction. There is a reason they call me “Rev” and not “Pastor Patience”.
I know this probably sounds like whining. You are probably saying, “get used to it”. The point isn’t to whine. Remember, we lived here for 22 years prior to our stint in Michigan. We know what is “normal” here for traffic and travel.
My experience with traffic is a metaphor for our life journey. We set out on a path, we are headed in a direction, and suddenly hit an unexpected detour, a roadblock, or something that re-routes us. I started out in college as a business major, and detoured to education. I began my career as a teacher and took a detour to ministry. I began ministry as a college chaplain and later was re-routed to congregational ministry.
Sometimes the things that re-route our lives are illnesses, or unexpected events, either tragic and joyful, or a situation completely out of our control, like an economic downturn, or a “chance” meeting of a person who ends up having a powerful influence on our lives.
Most often we don’t understand the barrier, or detours, that show up. They can be frustrating, painful, difficult, and some can last way too long. But later, they make more sense, we can find benefit in them, even “blessing”. The Apostle Paul describes them as being productive. “… we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. “ (Romans 5:3-5)
In the rear view mirror of life, we can see how productive the detours have been on our journey. Changing majors, altering career paths, and moving into new ministry venues, were all difficult and brought with them some kind of pain and difficulty. But later, looking back, I can see God’s loving hand in them, in spite of how it felt at the time.
Detours and roadblocks can be frustrating in the moment, but with every change God points us in a new direction and brings us hope. (Although the Apostle Paul never drove in Chicagoland!)
This Sunday, I will begin my preaching ministry at Elmhurst Christian Reformed Church. We are going to follow up Dr. Michael Quicke’s series on The Beatitudes by continuing to move through the Sermon on the Mount in a series we are calling “Upside Down Thinking”. This week’s text is Matthew 5:13-16. We will also celebrate the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper. I encourage you to prepare yourselves to meet God in worship on Sunday.
