Here is part of a recent birth announcement: “It took us a long time to find the right name for our child, but finally here she is?.” There followed a rather long and glorious name for such a tiny little child.
Elizabeth and John didn’t have that problem. From the beginning of this odd pregnancy they knew their child’s name. They also learned of his calling and recognized the demands it would make on their lives. And when John “grew up and became strong in spirit” he left for the wilderness, waiting for his prophetic work to begin.
Do you ever wonder what our world would be like if we took seriously the oddities, the unusual, yes even the absurdities, as signs of God’s loving presence among us? How might we be changed as we look for and welcome the out of the ordinary instead of shrugging it off as another preposterous thing to be ignored?
God is continually at work, beckoning us to join in. Our only problem might be setting aside our common sense in order to notice.
Astounding God, you often work in unusual ways in order to draw everyone into your family. May we ignore our desire for logic and pay attention to those strange occurrences that announce your presence among us. Amen. — CJ