Just Another Day

Happy Birthday Teddy... It's Just Another Day, or is it?

Today my family is celebrating my son Teddy’s first birthday. It’s a lovely day! We will feed him his favorite foods of almond butter and guacamole for dinner—yes, we are aware of how pretentious and hippie-ish those foods are! We will let Teddy open and play with presents throughout today. And, we will even stretch the celebration out as he got to see family and godparents last week and will see his other godparents this weekend. But, as my former boss liked to say, “It’s just another day.” So is the nature of our lives.

When I was in seminary, Brother Curtis Almquist SSJE came to speak to us. He spoke with such self-evident wisdom that afterward I felt like in one night I had gone through 365 days of one of the flip calendars with bits of brilliance on each day. Something from that night in particular stands out to this day. Brother Curtis said we must hold two truths one in each hand. In one hand remember that for you the universe was made. And, in the other hand know that you are dust and to dust you shall return. I have loved wrestling with these contrasting principles since that night—and today especially these words come back to me. They also are connected to the truth that Jesus shared in thiscoming Sunday’s Gospel lesson.

Jesus responded to the religious leaders of his day by reminding them of their collective ancestors. In the midst of talking about himself as the Bread of Life Jesus said, “Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died.” As Tim Callahan, our Director of Youth Ministries said in today’s staff meeting, these are harsh words from Jesus. They are direct. Even though God provided abundantly for those wandering in the wilderness that physical food was not what believing in God was all about. It was not what God yearned for in God's people.

(As a particularly important aside, this is not about the Israelites "Jewishness." That is not why they died. Remember Jesus was a faithful Jewish person. The trouble was that in the wilderness those People of God were constantly grumbling to God, they missed the food that lasted beyond the next time they were hungry. And, we too often make this mistake in our own day. We can be too worried about our physical needs to comprehend our spiritual needs.)

We, like the people in the wilderness long ago, like the people of Jesus’ day, and like those people since then, must be fed by more than just physical food. For we are dust and to dust we shall return. Even my precious baby boy will one day die. I weep just thinking about that truth. Still, it is the truth. Our physical bodies will give out, our minds will become feeble, and yet there is more to the story.

Jesus told those who had ears to hear that he was the bread that came down from heaven. Those who believe have eternal life. If we consume the bread of life, then we will live forever. Anyone and everyone; you, Teddy, and me can rejoice in the truth that for each of us the universe was made. Even more joyfully we remember that God sent Jesus to show us the way of love. There’s nothing—not even death—that can separate us from God’s love and light and life!

Sometimes it is difficult to allow more than one truth to dwell within us. Sure, today is special because I get to celebrate Teddy and remember what a blessing and gift he is from God and at the same time I get to see how fragile life is. I am reminded both of our feeble nature and the fire of God’s Spirit that always burns within each of us. Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return and for you the universe was made. Hold both of these truths within you. Today is special, and it is just another day.