October is one of my favorite months of the year. What is better than the leaves turning color, the air cooling off, getting to wear our bulky sweaters again, football season is underway, the baseball world series, hockey season begins and to make it even sweeter…no basketball? God is good! October for me is a month in which I can see and feel and be reminded that our God is present and working in the world.
The fall we have experienced this year is one which we will remember for a while; three major hurricanes, forest fires, mass shootings, and the threat of war. Amid these tragedies hundreds of thousands of people have died, been displaced, or have lost everything they own. People are mourning, have no place to call home, and have no one or nowhere to turn and are struggling to get the basic needs for life. It seems this fall that the world is coming apart and chaos is just around the corner. Does the state of today’s world make you wonder if God is working? Can we see that our God is present in the world today?
Yes! Just as we see the leaves changing their color, we see God’s people stepping up to help; to house those needing housing, to feed the hungry, to give a home to the displaced and to mourn with those who mourn. 1 Corinthians 3:9 says, “For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.”
Ever thought of yourself as the presence of God in the world? When you sit with a hurting friend or pray for someone across the country that you may not even know, you are the presence of God. When you feed the hungry or encourage a teen with a word of praise, you are the presence of God. When you hold a small child in your arms or care for an elderly person, you are the presence of God. When you speak truth in love you are the presence of God.
The church building is not the presence of God, Orchard Hill on 3 Mile in Walker Michigan is not the presence of God either, but you are the presence of God. Co-workers, you and the Holy Spirit working together to build His kingdom. You are His building, a strong mighty structure where people in need can find shelter and comfort. You are the presence of God in this world! For people to see and feel the presence of God in this crazy broken world they must see and experience you, your love, your kindness, your mercy, your time. Be the presence of God to the world around you….to your family, to your neighbors, to those at work, and to those across the world. This fall, in the midst of the chaos, stand firm and be that reminder to someone you meet that God is presence and working in the world today
-Pastor Kathy Bartels
