Over the past month I have been taking interesting paths to work each morning because routine makes me anxious. It’s true, if I were to take the same route every day, even if it is the fastest way, I tend to become frustrated. I am also not a fan of driving, so I have found that mixing up my drive is necessary. It’s so bad I once took 5 hours to get to Springfield, Missouri!
I have lived in the Kansas City area off and on for about 25 years but in the last month I have discovered the quaint and unique enclaves in our city. Every morning I see children at bus stops, people riding bikes, Grandfathers walking dogs, construction workers installing the new streetcar line down Main Street, landscapers manicuring lawns, neighbors chatting over fences… drug addicts dancing in the street, folks experiencing homelessness at intersections, and women selling their bodies. Every path I drive down connects one human to the next, one neighborhood to the next, one life of brokenness to one of abundance. No matter the life experiences we are navigating, we are all connected.
One of the things I have noticed is how my drive-in always leads to the driveway of Country Club United Methodist. As I walk into the sanctuary each morning, it has not been lost on me that this space (and all worship spaces) is supposed to represent the coming together of the divine and the human. We can encounter God anywhere because God is everywhere, but these spaces are meant to be a place where those experiencing brokenness and those experiencing abundance come together to stand in the presence of Jesus, the one who offers us newness of life.
On Easter Sunday, we reopened the doors to our church building. So many of you put your hearts into creating a space where all people know they are loved by our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ. I thank each of you for your hard work and dedication to making our Easter services uplifting - and space for people to know that in Jesus all things are being created new.
My hope and prayer as we enter into this new season are that we look for Jesus and follow his guidance in all we do. My hope and prayer are that we are encouraged and emboldened to invite people to discover our God who loves us first. Where are you meeting new people this season? Will we use this time to go back to our pre-pandemic routines, or will we use this time to trust in Jesus to help us discover new paths that lead to new life?
The choice is ours alone!
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