Worthwhile miracles

Remember the television show called “Bewitched” that featured the good witch, Samantha, who could – if she dared – clean her house at the twitch of her nose. With another twitch, she could make her husband’s boss follow her instructions – maybe make him bark like a dog. She could perform many other feats but always had to be on the lookout for the neighbors who were nosey and might wonder about this woman.

The Revised Common Lectionary for time after Pentecost focuses on Luke’s gospel for several weeks, especially showing Jesus’ ability to cure, make whole and raise some from death. He, unlike Samantha, performed these miracles out in the open - not afraid of people noticing, but perhaps daring them to criticize him for doing God-work.

As I preached on Sunday about miracles I thought about how I would like a few miracles in my own life – the wham-bang type. You know, big ones – miracles that make everyone sit up and take notice. Miracles that make a difference. Then I was tapped ‘longside the back of my head and reminded of the miracles already in my life. Here are a few:

@ I live in an area of the country where the economy is actually quite good – people who want work have it, houses going onto the market sell, and we do not have that much visible homelessness. The bank and I own my house and I am able to make it home for the cats and me.

@ Soul Link Faith Community is taking hold and starting to become a community of believers rather than a group of people who merely worship together. They share birthdays, joys, concerns about family and friends, movies, popcorn, they laugh together and cry when sadness befalls one of their own.

@ Increasingly, I am accepted as a member of this community and the membership is as a pastor. People are beginning to ask me to do invocations at meetings, to offer grace at Rotary, to perform weddings and funerals, and to stop by to visit the sick of our community. When I walk down the street, people call me by name – much as God did when I came here.

@ After August vacation, I will return to home and job. I have a job that makes my life useful to others and meaningful to me even though I sometimes feel I have way too much to do. Lots to do must be a miracles of sorts .

Problem with the above is that I tend to want the miracles to be BIG. Looking for the big miracles makes me risk overlooking the miracle of every day. I would HATE to miss the miracles of daily life as I stretch my neck toward the sky for that BIG one. The everyday miracles – the ones I almost miss - are what offers me life and love and living and success and in the end, proves my faith. Some tell me they cannot believe in God because they cannot prove God. Taking time to count the miracles might help with the “proving” part of that. I hope you see your own small miracles and that they bring joy to your life as they do mine.