Ranges Community Church

We have been planning our daughter’s 1^st birthday party lately. At this stage it is a process of elimination more than anything else; balloons – yes, streamers – no, sandwiches – no, party pies – yes, afternoon – no, morning – yes. And the list goes on.

This birthday is particularly important for us. Our little girl has struggled with her health since she was 4 weeks old and her 1^st birthday is a big celebration for many reasons. As we have approached this special date I have been reflecting a lot on the ‘the good, the bad and the ugly’ of life. And what seems to be truer than anything else is that God is the supreme opportunist. Give Him half a chance (or not even that) and he will have a go at getting through to us. And he will use whatever he can get his hands on. In my life there have been times when God has used strangers, strange places, a hole in the roof, art, music, essay’s, my daughter being critically ill; to communicate with me. God is all about ‘the good’, but he is also nearby in the midst of ‘the bad and the ugly’.

Maybe it’s the way I’m wired, that God needs to use the obscure to convince me he has something to say, but I also wonder if it’s because God is nearer and more involved than I (we) realise. Fredrick Buechner said, ‘It is well to remember because it keeps our eyes on the central fact that the Christian faith always has to do with flesh and blood, time and space. More specifically with your flesh and blood and mine, with the time and space that day by day we are all of us involved with, stub our toes on, flounder around in trying to look as if we have good sense. In other words, the truth that Christianity claims to be true is ultimately to be found, if it’s to be found at all, not in the Bible, or the church, or theology – the best they can do is point to the truth – but in our own stories’.

Maybe it’s not strictly ‘scriptural’, but it does seem that God has always worked that way; a burning bush, a donkey, a stranger, strange places…. And I am glad. My life would be lesser if it weren’t for this generous, opportunistic God who loves the obscure.