Occasionally a loud clang will make Ranger, our dog, and I jump on our nightly walks. The first time it happened, I frantically looked around until I saw a squirrel looking down at us from the carport roof where it had landed after dropping from an oak tree. Lately, the clangs have been more like fireworks going off in rapid succession. At first, I was confused why there was a sudden abundance of falling squirrels, until I noticed Ranger sniffing the many fallen acorns on the ground.
The clanging acorns fell so loudly and frequently I was astounded. How could I mistake a falling acorn for a squirrel? How could an acorn produce as much noise as a squirrel? How could the limited number of trees produce so many acorns? How quickly did acorns grow? Did they grow rapidly, or where there far more on each tree branch than I could imagine? What was it like for the acorns, growing and falling, completely oblivious to their capacity to startle a dog and his walker?
Hearing the cacophony of the acorns and musing on those questions that arose led me to this thought; my perspective is marvelously limited. I know so little and am so easily startled by small things, but God sees the world differently and offers us the chance to see things differently too. God imagines and is creating a world full of justice, grace, and love and is growing that Kingdom of God in the places we overlook. And what joy, that hope for seeing the world differently rose from a simple acorn. What other simple things around us might be invitations to encounter God and find hope?
See you Sunday!
Pastor Luke