Prompt thought of the week:
The disciples must have been excited and terrified all at once. The entrance into Jerusalem for Passover week had turned into a big deal. How would Jesus be received, by the people and by the authorities? And an entrance can define perception! Surely they would make as big a splash of confidence as possible. And then Jesus asks for a donkey. “A…donkey?!” Once again, Jesus demonstrates a love for peace and a love for common people by creating an entrance that proclaimed the power of God’s “kin-dom of heaven,” not Herod’s kingdom of oppression. Looking for love? Keep your eyes out for it in unexpected places.
Being asked to write a short essay on the topic of “Look for the Unexpected” has been good for me. It made me look back on past life events that I was grateful for but didn’t properly give credit to God for. I give them due credit now after all I’ve learned about kindness and how it’s expressed since coming to Napa Methodist Church and our extraordinary pastor and worship team.
The 1st serendipity occurred during 1976 when I was a single mother of a 3 year old and a 5 year old child. This incident occurred while returning to Sacramento in our 1968 VW Bug from Danville where we had visited my brother and his family. There was a raging rain storm going on that blinded drivers and made my VW shimmy in the wind. On the causeway between Davis and Sacramento my VW suddenly stopped working and I barely managed to coast to the left shoulder which was closest. Out of the gray sheets of water coming down suddenly appeared on our right in the fast lane a large white car that stopped with lights blinking to warn traffic. A tall, large man knocked on my driver’s side window and asked when I opened it he asked, “Ma’am, I’m a retired police officer from Oakland. What seems to be the problem? May I help?” To make this long story short, this kind man drove us in his all-white, inside and out, Cadillac to the nearest gas station, bought a new drive belt for the VW, drove us back to where our VW was parked and proceeded to install the new belt onto our car. When I started the motor the little engine that could started working again! I was so grateful for this man’s kindness and help that I cried. I think he saved our very lives. He never gave us his name, but I sent a letter to the Oakland Police Dept. and told them what the man had done for us and what kind of car he drove, hoping that our gratitude would reach him somehow.
The 2nd serendipity in my past life occurred in 1979 when I was invited by a close friend to attend her UMC in Orangevale. For some reason I was moved to say “yes,” and I heard her sing a solo in their Easter Cantata, participated in Communion for the first time in years, and was introduced to their pastor who visited us three weeks later in our Fair Oaks apartment. I promptly fell in love with him and we married in Orangevale in July 1980.
O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his steadfast love endures forever!
Janice Hougland