How do you feel about uncertainty? Are you someone who wants things organized well in advance, all eventualities thought through and covered off? Or are you someone who likes to leave things open ended, available for spontaneous change, only lock down a plan when you absolutely have to?
Most of us are somewhere in between. Most of us have some level of comfort with uncertainty. It is a continuum really with complete spontaneity and one end and every detail pre-planned at the other, wild uncertainty at one end and nothing left to chance at the other.
And then life happens. I have been thinking a lot about the fires and how much uncertainty these fires thrust upon massive populations. Listening to the voices of displaced residents of Summerland, I hear the quavering voices of lived uncertainty: what has happened to our house? Will I have a home to return to? When will I be able to go home? What will life be like?
In this final week of our Sabbath series, I want to explore the practice of getting lost. Well, not really getting lost but living spontaneously- letting time go lightly, placing ourselves in wild places. Jesus did it. It was the first thing God asked of Abraham and Sarah. When you head out into wild places and live simply, you learn to live close to the land, and life gets boiled down to the bare essentials. When we clear our calendar and take a sabbath day, we make room for spontaneity and practice the fine art of going with the flow. We exercise the spiritual muscles that help us know what to do with uncertainty, how to cope with the unexpected, and what to do when we our plans are disrupted.
Each sabbath becomes an mini exercise in getting lost, listening to the still small voice of God, and finding our way.
Let’s get lost together in worship on Sunday. Hope to see you there.