As he jumps up from catching an incredible pass in the end zone, he points his finger upward and then crosses himself before doing a celebratory dance.
She can’t believe she won. Gripping the award and shaking, she begins her acceptance speech, “I want to first thank God, who has truly blessed me.”
Standing in front of his house, the man says, “God was good to us today.” The camera then pans out to reveal that his house is the only one standing after a massive wildfire.
The Church is adorned in candlelight while those gathered sing Silent Night. God feels palpable to her.
All of their family surrounds them as they stand next to the baptismal font. The priest gently pours water over the baby’s forehead and tears of joy run down the faces of the parents as they feel enveloped in God’s love.
When are you most aware of God’s presence in your life? Do you feel God’s presence when something good happens in your life? Do you feel God’s presence when you are in a Church or a religious setting?
As the Church begins the Epiphany season, a time when our sacred stories invite us to experience how Jesus was manifest, or made known, as the Christ, it’s a good time for us to reflect on those people, places, and experiences where God, in Christ, is made known to us. There are circumstances where we either seek or are scripted to assume the Holy. The Epiphany season invites us to open ourselves to the presence of Christ in all persons, all encounters, in all of God’s creation.
Over the next few weeks and more, across ECMN, there will be multiple opportunities to experience Christ being made known. I would invite you to lean fully into your Baptismal Covenant, to “seek and serve Christ in all persons.”
I feel Gods presence the most when I am in severe stress- as when I was in grad school alone with my 15 month old son, my husband in Minnesota in his new job and my grad advisor be suddenly becoming very hostile to me and my work. I turned to the Lord and daily hymn playing to get me through those view months between my husbands leaving and my graduation when we could all be together again When we were reunited in Minnesota, the Episcopal church we joined had just started the Evangelism Explosion and I had the honor of learning to share the Four Spiritual Laws with many in our congregation. It was deeply moving for the usually silent Episcopalians to be able to accept the Lord and reaffirm their faith. Kathie Whelchel
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Do you notice God’s presence in the sunrise or sunset? Loved the blog! ❤️❤️