road blocks

road blocks
Originally uploaded by s myers

An in-car GPS really shines when you hit a roadblock, especially when you're somewhere unfamiliar. With its guidance, it becomes possible to take any turn, knowing that it will help you find a new way to wherever you were going. Suddenly (assuming your GPS has accurate information) you fall back on a whole network of knowledge that will get you through the present crisis.

Our spiritual lives are that way, too, I think: when we find ourselves stuck at an unforeseen obstacle and it blocks the one path we'd had figured out, God offers new possibilities. Connected to and present in everything in all creation, God can work through anything that comes up in our lives to keep us on the path toward the justice, hope and love God desires for the world. Sometimes, in our detours, we find things we hadn't even known to look for.

This week, we'll read the story of Jesus turning water into wine: when a wedding party hit a roadblock (running out of wine only 3 days into the celebration), Jesus saves the party and begins to show something important about his mystery and power.

We'll also read from the prophet Isaiah, of God's promise of restored hope. With God's assurance, we will no longer be known by our desolation, but by our forward-looking hope.

A GPS for New Life

Check it out: this January, we're starting the new year with direction for new life. Using the metaphor of a GPS, we'll imagine how to negotiate spiritual journeys that are filled with salvation. Hope you'll join us for the rest of the journey!

See more here.