Today I was reminded of writing of Scottish Theologian H.R. Mackintosh. In a little, pocket-size book that he wrote, entitled The Divine Initiative, are these words:
"Leave the Christian mind to itself and don’t sophisticate it, and it breaks out in praise; it is conscious of owning its very existence to the interposition of the Father."
My day has been filled with moments where I can affirm Mackintosh’s words to be applicable. As I stood outside this morning before the sun came up I could smell the coolness in the air—and I was a thankful. The gentle breeze in Cranberry was blowing some of the fallen leaves around our yard, and yet it was so quiet. I closed my eyes and listened to the silence. I looked up at a crystal clear dark blue sky to see the white crescent moon shining before me (and I know, it was the brightness of the sun reflecting off the moon that I saw).
Over and over again this morning, and into the early afternoon, I have found examples to praise God—even in the mundane.
I have not completed as many tasks as I would like to today, but every one that I have finished has brought with it a sense of blessing. I am ‘praiseful’ for how my day has been going. And I know, that this attitude stands in direct opposition to the attitude of our current world. It is at that point where Mackintosh’s words are helpful.
I needed to get gas over lunch, and so I headed off to take care of that with Jennifer. I pumped the gas while humming a hymn and headed into pay and get a drink. That is where my praiseful, un-sophisticated day, met with my neighbors and community.
The people at the gas station did not share my attitude or my feeling. Grumbling was all around me. The person behind me was not wearing her mask. She told someone else, I didn’t look to see, that they didn’t see the point. Frustration was the attitude expressed by many people in that place. This encounter with my local community did not resembling a place where God was praised for God’s goodness and grace.
As I walked out, I wondered about your day. I asked myself, what a praise-filled stance and choice could mean in a world that is angry and upset? Certainly we are not going to resolve all the issues we see out our windows. But God does not ask us to do so. Instead, God wants us to be aware of the very presence of God with us today, and give God praise for that.
Blessings
Rev. Derek
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