The Friday Five

With this Sunday's gospel reading in mind, that wonderful revelation of Christ to the companions on the Emmaus road. I wonder where you might have been surprised by God's revelation recently.

So with no further waffle I offer you this week's Friday 5:

How has God revealed him/herself to you in a:

1. Book

Too many to list. "Book" would be where I look first, always, from the time I learned to read, which was a fair time ago. At the moment, it would be Anne Lamott, Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith. More about that, below.

2.Film

Again, lots and lots...

3. Song

Whoops, I missed this one the first time through. How about that big fat unembarrassed C Major chord at the beginning of the 5th Piano Concerto (the "Emperor") by Beethoven? either that or Rhapsody in Blue...the piano arrangement (not that the fully orchestrated one isn't good too...)

4. Another person

This is a way-back, almost 60-year memory. My aunt and uncle used to drive from Ontario to the West Coast for a visit to both sets of grandparents -- every other year, since they couldn't make the round trip in the annual two-week allotted holiday. You do realize we are talking "back in the day," here? One summer when they arrived, my mother, my brother and I were already ensconced at Nana's. Nana lived about 3 miles from Crescent Beach, on Boundary Bay...Paradise Lost...and the Prime Hangable Offense in that household was to ask for ANYTHING. Anyway. Aunt and Uncle and two cousins arrived. And I contemplated them with wonderment. My aunt was beautiful and blonde and sassy, she smoked cigarettes and said "Damn," and yet the sky did not fall. And my uncle -- I know now he was decompressing from a solid week of pounding westward across the northern USA...was leaning on the kitchen counter with his arms folded...when he suddenly, without preamble, looked at me and said, "Aloo [baby name] -- have you got a bathing suit?" I remember thinking with AWE, "Oh he is going to take us to the beach without EVEN BEING ASKED." Which he did. Every single day. Rain and/or shine. We dug clams and chased little crabs in the tidal pools ... and swam, and dug, and all those good things. Without even being asked...it was all gold.

5. Creation

Mountains do it for me, because they're huge and I am not expected to do anything about them. Trees do it too...because they get on humbly and faithfully with the business of tree-ing, in spite of being "despitefully used."

Bonus answer: your choice- share something encouraging/ amazing/ humbling that has happened to you recently!

All right...Wednesday this week was kind of tough, ended up in a regional clergy meeting that began very well with an unusual degree of hospsitality, relaxation and camaraderie, prior to the arrival of two colleagues about whom I shall say nothing more at this time. I crept out early under a plea of having to prepare for a nursing-home communion service. Being WAY early for the service, I had time to detour through Small but Well-stocked Church Bookstore, where I bought the Anne Lamott I mentioned in #1. I drove to the nursing home and sat outside in the car in the sun, and read Anne Lamott and ate candied ginger until I felt human again and it was time for our service. You heard it here first: Anne Lamott, and candied ginger. Guaranteed to take the Bad Taste out of your mouth.