FRESH AIR AND PURPLE MAJESTY

On a warm July morning, a youth minister and a few of his youth step off a train in Minot, North Dakota. They are on their way to Montana, and this is just a brief one-hour break before they need to board again. No one in this group has ever been here before, although for one person this town will later become a major part of their ministry. As they stretch and gaze around, they notice that there is perhaps nothing spectacular aesthetically about this small city in the upper plains, but it still leaves its mark. The air they breathe on this particular day is clean and dry, as is normal for this region of the country. It provides a very welcome relief for those in this group from Chicago, who have grown accustomed to humidity and pollution every summer. For them, this is almost like receiving a breath of new life.

Along the rest of their trip, they will also come to see large, majestic mountains which carry a purple hue. They will see herds of bison running through golden prairies. They will enjoy the glory of shooting stars as the galaxy stands on full display in the night sky. They will even encounter a snake or two hiding under rocks in the rough terrain of the western states. There is a beauty in this land, that has as much to do with God’s creative artistry as it does with the diversity of its people. If one stops long enough to notice the creation around them, they may come to see God as an architect who ever enjoys tinkering with the final product. And therein lies the truth of God. Nothing is ever quite done. The Creation grows and expands. Life is born and reborn. Rainbows adorn the sky, followed by stars and planets, followed by the sun and clouds in an endless movie reel. God is ever at work around us. God is playfully adjusting and closely examining. God is busy exactly where we are on any given day. Of course, this also means that we are intimately close to God on a moment to moment basis, if we would just stop for one minute and take that deep breath. And so, on a warm summer morning in the Great Plains, a group steps out of a train to enjoy some fresh air, not fully appreciating that this air has just been released from the heavenly storehouses by God’s very direction. We are ever so blessed! Amen!

-Rev Jeffrey G Mikyska

A MEMORY YEARS IN THE MAKING

On what had been a stormy September evening, a father sits with his son in a family room, intensely watching a ballgame. For many years the father has told his son stories of White Sox players from the past. His favorite team has always been the 1959 American League champions. But on this night, for the first time in twenty-four years, he is about to see a celebration again. Even better, he can finally share one with his now teenage son. It is a foregone conclusion that this group will win their division, but years of disappointment have led to a remarkable level of anticipation. Moments later, Harold Baines hits a fly ball. Julio Cruz races home. The old Comiskey Park scoreboard sets off a massive fireworks display. Tears begin to roll down the father’s face.

The last time he experienced this he had been just shy of his 21^st birthday. A lifetime had gone by since. Time in the military and a college degree. Meeting his beautiful wife and getting married. Having a son and making sure his room was adorned with baseball pennants and stickers. Going to a doctor and being told he had a debilitating disease. Now walking with a cane, and knowing he wouldn’t see certain milestones in his boy’s life. This moment meant more than just a division title for a fan. It was a memory shared that would far outlive his presence in his son’s life. It is amazing how a single experience can be etched into a person’s soul. It need not be spectacular in order to be memorable. Rather, it is likely the shared company and common interest that lends its meaning. For a father looking at his son, it was knowledge of how precious few these days would be. For a son now looking back forty years, it is the understanding that they both felt joy together in a time that often lacked hope otherwise. Regardless of decades, the look on his father’s face is still fresh in his mind. God would have it no other way. For it is the relationship, more than the moment, that sets a marker upon a soul on any given random day in life. Amen.

-Rev Jeffrey G Mikyska

LIFE LIVED IN COMMUNION

On a warm summer day, the trees stand in the stillness of the air. The sun is beating down, and temperatures are rising with each passing hour. The water by the lake is rather still as well. People are running or biking on the nearby path and can take a quick glimpse through the canopy of limbs and across the water to see the activity on the beach. The voices of children playing in the sand or on the playground dominates this late morning. Occasionally the song of a bird can be heard if one listens close enough. A tiny little chipmunk even scurries along hoping not to be seen. Life is simple and carefree here.

There is an energy available in this large park. The trees are a lifeforce who have grown for years into a forest outlining the lake and its trails. The water is churned by gravity and pushed by winds every day, making it sparkle in the sun as if there is a magical dance taking place upon the surface. The small creatures who live in this corner of God’s creation view this as their home, and know every limb and tunnel intimately. The sand has run through the fingers of millions of visitors over many years. A place cannot experience such activity without carrying with it the spirit and joy of all who have graced its grounds. That is a truth of life in God’s universe. That which we touch, we also influence. It is why one can visit a famous battlefield such as Gettysburg, and literally feel the emotion of events from a century or two ago. It is why one can visit a park on a summer day and inexplicably just feel a sudden sense of peace and joy. The energy of hope lives here. God’s Spirit flows here. The voices of playful children and gleeful songbirds echo here. The purpose of life in God’s eyes is for us to not only encounter places and moments, but to leave our indelible mark upon them in a way that blesses the future. Thus, on a warm summer day in a beautiful park, there is something much deeper than simple aesthetic pleasure available to those following in the footsteps of millions who have walked here before them. This is life lived in communion. This is God’s vision for all life. Amen.

-Rev Jeffrey G Mikyska  

SACRED SPACES

On a warm summer’s morning, the sun shines brightly, and the breeze gently blows. A little hummingbird flutters up to a feeder, and then darts off in a new direction. She will be back again soon. A blue jay rests on the limb of a maple tree, singing away for all the world to hear. A tiny chipmunk bounds across the grass to a pile of brush in search of some sort of treasure. The canopy of the two maples spread out above is so thick that it has the appearance of a large green blanket, occasionally allowing a miniscule amount of light to leak through as the branches waft in the wind. In the distance, a cardinal calls for her mate. God’s creation is perpetually in motion, even in its most peaceful of moments.

This land has shifted over the centuries. It may have been a forest, or a prairie, or a farmstead. In various ages this soil has been parched in drought or flooded by rains. Great storms have damaged trees who called this place home. There is a history to this individual corner of the earth, even if the ground alone can recount it. But the one thing that has never changed is that this is sacred space. Indeed, all of God’s creation is sacred, for it carries upon it life ordained by the Holy Creator of all. The celestial bodies of the galaxy have shone above this place. Generations of trees and wildlife have graced these grounds. The dreams of many have been either born or shared here. Families have gathered beneath these trees in both celebration and in mourning. But on this particular day, it is simply a sanctuary, an escape from the day to day grind of humanity. We would do well to remember that the ground upon which we tread is always sacred, for these are the places where God creates and ordained life carries about its business. God is here, in this space, in every space…and this is once again another day the Lord has made. Amen.

-Rev Jeffrey G Mikyska

A GRANDPA’S LOVE

A little boy awakens startled in his bed late at night. Instinctively, and perhaps mysteriously, he senses something in his world just isn’t right. As he stirs and calls out for his mom, the neighbor from across the street comes around the corner from the next room. She has been watching television and is graciously babysitting for as long this night as necessary. Sitting down at the end of the bed, she reassures the young child that everything is going to be alright. But that is only partially the truth. The child’s instincts have told him so, even if he cannot comprehend that truth of life as of yet. His grandfather is suddenly very ill, and even as he falls back asleep, his life will never be quite the same.

For the first few years of life, the boy and his grandpa have been inseparable. The child is the youngest of the grandchildren in this family, and follows his grandpa everywhere. His gaze is forever locked upon this man’s every move, and when they make eye contact there is inevitably a smile and wink to be shared. On this night, the innocent little boy is about to learn one of the harshest lessons of the universe. Physical life is finite. But love, and the connection it brings, is eternal. This is one of the miraculous truths of God’s creation. It is why the boy will occasionally speak quietly to his grandpa in bed late at night, updating him on the simplistic life of a child or asking an inquisitive question. It is why he will study his grandpa’s life through the eyes of others as he grows older and becomes familiar with the proper questions to ask. It is why he will bring his own little boy in a carrier out to a grave on a warm summer day just to make an introduction. And it is why he seeks so hard to model himself as a grandfather after this man who was with him for such a short time. In truth, he is with him still. The love never ends. The counsel never ends. The memories often flow. After all, there are those who teach us what to do with the love that God plants in our hearts. Some of us are even lucky enough to have learned from those who share that love boldly, freely, and ever so often. Amen.

-Rev Jeffrey G Mikyska