I won’t be with you this week; I’ll be visiting old friends in D.C. They are about to give birth to a long-awaited second child, and we have baby things they sent to us when Lucy was born. There’s nothing quite like seeing old friends again, to slip into the easy groove you have with one another, and to look forward to new memories and laughter while you linger over old jokes.
I am excited for them. They get to welcome another new life into the world. Every new baby is a sign of hope, not only for its parents, but for the whole human family. No matter who that child is, he or she will have a share with all the future of the earth—our common future. Every child is a sign of hope, that what we entrust into their hands will be something that they can receive, and that they can care for the life of the world, and pass it on.
This week is Father’s day, and we listen to our Father, who says, "I was ready to be sought out by those who did not ask, to be found by those who did not seek me.” I think this is the voice of the Merciful One, who, no matter how far we stray, is always ready to receive us. The Isaiah passage for this week contains some pretty fierce words—but they are the words of one who sees his children stray, and put themselves in danger. But God waits for those who seek. More than that, God is among us, even now, with open arms.
In times like these it is good remember that. God is with us, and we can always turn to God’s loving embrace.
Pastor John