Justin had a conference in Seattle this week and I tagged along. Over the past couple of days, I've had time to explore downtown and have done lots of walking up and down the hills. Yesterday, I drove to Yakima to visit my 91 year old great-aunt Lois. On the way back, I stopped in Ellensburg for a quick visit with friends Jim and Kathy from the UW. Last night, I visited Luther's Table in Renton. It was a busy, but wonderful day.
This morning, I was already to head up to visit Church of the Apostles in Seattle. I had my bus directions all set on my handy-dandy phone and walked to the bus stop. When I got there, though, my gut was telling me to ask the driver before I got on. When I told him where I was going, he got a funny look on his face and told me that the directions I had were not right at all. He gave me the directions he thought would work, but I had to get to a station several uphill blocks away and time was close. So, unfortunately, I didn't make it to COA today. I'll have to come back I guess.
What I did instead was walk. For nearly two hours, I walked around downtown. I watched people. I walked along the waterfront. I took pictures of the mountains. I watched more people. So many people. Old, young. Visitors. Residents. Rich. Poor. So many stories.
In the midst of all the people there were pigeons. Lots of them. I watched as a little boy wearing a green coat and adorable knit hat chased them to his heart's delight, giggling as he did it. That kind of giggle that comes from the belly and warms those who hear it. The kind of giggle that comes from a child and causes grown-ups to pause and smile. Not exactly a dove descending but a bird, anyway.
In Mark's account of Jesus' baptism, the Spirit descends on Jesus like a dove and a voice comes from heaven, "You are my Son, in whom I am well pleased." This, of course, is about Jesus. But the amazing thing is that it also becomes a word for us. All of the people I saw this morning, watching fish being thrown and walking their dogs and finding a bite to eat in the morning, and trying to figure out how to make it through today. It's a word that we need to hear again and again, you are my beloved.
I missed sitting down in worship and eating with my brothers and sisters i. Christ. I missed singing and praying together. But I saw a beautiful patchwork of God's beloved walking and wheeling around downtown Seattle. I heard laughter and saw delight. And in the back of my head echoed the words "I am well pleased". Not just about me, the pastor who skipped church, but about all the folks who I saw, created in God's image. God's beloved ones. Lots of them.
Where ever this finds you today, listen to those words "You are my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." Spoken to Jesus. Spoken to us. Beloved. Well pleased. God to us. Today. Amen.
Pastor Kirsten,
ReplyDeleteGlad you saw your Aunt Lois. It sounds like you were looking at what people were up to on the streets of Seattle. People are SO INTERESTING and SO DIFFERENT. It is wonderful that we are all individuals. It was good that you went with that "gut" feeling too. Pastor Doug did Saturday night service. Also GOD WAS WELL-PLEASED. K.V.