Mother’s Day is the second Sunday in May every year. But it
is not the only celebration of the month. In May we have Memorial Day, Asian
Pacific American Month, Older Americans Month, National Family Month, National
Teachers’ Day, Cinco de Mayo celebration (the date is observed to commemorate
the Mexican army's unlikely victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla,
Mexico, in 1862), and many other celebrations.
As you can tell there are many things for which we ought to
be thankful during the month of May, many celebrations that are also changing
the way we see ourselves, our church, our communities, and our country. Indeed,
the fact that our country has grown to include people from all over the world
is a reality that is reflected in some of our own families. This diverse
presence, it is my belief, has been a blessing to us all especially for those
families that are connected by marriage, friendships, and faith. Indeed, I
believe that God has embarked us in a very special journey.
This reminds me of a story I read recently about Albert
Einstein (by the way the same story is told with Mark Twain as the character), the brilliant physicist and originator of the theory of relativity. The
story says that Einstein was traveling from Princeton on a train, and when the
conductor came down the aisle to punch the passengers’ tickets, Einstein
couldn’t find his. He looked in his vest pocket, in his pants pocket, and in
his briefcase, but there was no ticket. The conductor was gracious; “ Don’t
worry, Dr. Einstein, I know who you are, we all know who you are, and
I’m sure you purchased a ticket.”
As the conductor moved down the aisle, he looked back and
noticed Einstein on his hands and knees, searching under the seat for his
ticket. He returned to Einstein and said, “Dr. Einstein, Dr. Einstein, don’t
worry. I know who you are. You don’t need a ticket, I’m sure you bought one at
the depot.” Einstein rose and said, Young
man, I too know who I am; what I don’t know is where I am going.”
Indeed, sometimes we feel like Einstein, troubled and
confused because we do not know where we are going, where is our church going, where
is our country going. We want to know where, how, and when we are going. We
want to be in control of everything, we try it with our own lives, with our
children’s lives, just to succumb to the realization that life is more complex
and unpredictable than we anticipated. And, like in Einstein’s case, we find
ourselves in the conundrum where we “do not know where we are going.” For me
this is a God moment, a moment where we come to the realization that we need to
learn to trust God, let go, and enjoy the ride that God has set before us. This
is a ride that has ups and downs, a ride that will be curvy, sometimes filled
with potholes, sometimes sandy, or muddy, but always bringing a new blessing.
This month we are celebrating one of the most honored days
in the year: Mother’s day. Indeed, it is a day that will be filled with many
celebrations, celebrations that will be as varied and diverse as the people we
are becoming, for we are indeed becoming still. And we will become something
even better than what we are, for in this journey I believe God is with us.
If we open ourselves to God, you and I can be part of making
our church, our communities, and our country even better than what we have been.
God, indeed, wants the best for each and every one of us; as a matter of fact God
wants the best for the entire creation, and we can be part of making that a
reality in the name of Jesus the Christ.
You might not know where you are going, but God, who is our
conductor, knows who we are and where we are going. Let us trust him with the
journey, let us open ourselves to the possibilities of what God is doing, for,
as the old Negro spiritual says:
He’s got the whole world in His
hands…
He’s got you and me, sister…
He’s got you and me, sister…
He’s got you and me, brother
Indeed, we are already in the journey as the other spiritual
says: “through many dangers, toils and snares [we] have already come, ‘Tis grace
hath brought [us] safe thus far, and grace will
lead [us] home” (Amazing Grace).
Whether we have a “ticket” for the journey or not, if we
trust God, our conductor, God knows where our final destination is. Let us
trust God with the journey.
