Conversations. I have been thinking about this a lot this week because as we come to the mid-point of Lent, I have had several important conversations with people.
Some of these have had to do with health issues for my wife. Some of these have had to do with a new garage we need to have built this year. You will notice I said need.
Some items are up for discussion. My dad used to go for coffee with a bunch of men and sit and chat for some time. I asked him one day if all the world's problems had been solved by them. He said, "Of course. The only difficulty is that someone does not listen to us. Then, we have to meet again tomorrow and start all over again." And then there are items that are not up for discussion, other than to sort out the details that need fixing. A sagging roof on a garage must be replaced. The cracked pad inside must be replaced. The only discussion then becomes what is allowed to be built and can you do it the same as before. Often you run into a situation that I describe this way. You went to change a light bulb and wound up rewiring the whole house. If this seems odd to you, I and others have stories of minor fixes gone astray.
Jesus also loves conversations. He has them regularly with many people. Sometimes they go well. John 4, Luke 15 and Mark 5 are just three conversations that end well for those who are talking to Jesus. Sometimes, the results do not go as well as would have been hoped. John 9 contains several conversations. They do not turn out as well as they could have.
We too often have conversations with Jesus. Many people do. One way is through prayer. Another way is through servanthood. Serving through deeds of loving kindness gets us into all kinds of conversations. And then there are conversations that happen in witness and mission. A three year old asks you "Who is Jesus dad?". And then the question that they really want to know. That would be "Who is God's mom and dad?". And in that moment so many conversations can occur. It could be short. "It is past your bed time and you just want to stay up. I will tell you tomorrow." It could be quite long. "We have always had long talks with each other about our family and how God and Jesus blessed us." And that will take at least the next half hour.
So, as we are all having conversations this week to come, may we listen carefully to what is going on. You never know when Jesus is going to show up and there is a chance to witness. Pr. Scott
