Snowbound under blue skies

Today, the weather reminded me that I should not live as though my plans are set in stone. As a wise writer noted long ago, “Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow.” James 4:14. The adult Sunday school class of which I have been a part was supposed to have its climax today. The church was flying up Dr. Matthew Sleeth, author of Serve God, Save the Planet, to speak. I had sent out emails, pitched the event to friends, and prayed that people would remember to “spring forward” and not sleep through it all. The pastor in charge of the class called with bad news on Saturday night though: “Dr. Sleeth is snowed in in Wilmore, Kentucky and won’t be able to make it.”

This morning a few folks joked about a Kentucky blizzard in March, “So much for global warming!” (Of course, they likely realized that one weather event is a far cry from a long-term climatic shift---it does still snow in a warming world, and it might even be more extreme and random than in the past.) It certainly was a let down, but still a good reminder that there are limits to our human power over nature. That thought was echoed by our substitute discussion of the Sabbath. Rest, rhythm, and limits for all of creation are concepts associated with the biblical Sabbath, but this is often at odds with a hectic 24/7 world of supposed unlimited possibilities. Sometimes, when we refuse to honor God’s holy day, His creation takes on the job of forcing Sabbath upon us. Across the Midwest and South today the possibilities were quite limited. Roads were impassable, airports shut down, and the Creator of nature reminded many to stop and take a breath---even a few busy Christians who met under clear blue skies near Washington D.C.