Encountering the Divine in Glasgow

Encountering the Divine in Glasgow
June 10, 2013 - Monday

I'm in the city of Glasgow, Scotland. My intention was to have a day of solitary reflection and usually I seek quiet, contemplative places for that. However, I chose instead to start my day with a tour of the Kelvingrove Art Museum. I had not taken into account that perhaps there might be dozens and dozens of school-aged, chatty children on field trips. Even the cafe was chatty when I stopped for a cup of tea. Then there was the one server who whisked about back and forth in such a hurry, never quite picking her feet up so as to create this annoying sole-sliding sound across the floor. "Pick your feet up when you walk, Child", I wanted to say, but didn't.  I just connected my headphones to my cell phone and listened to some piano music to try to gain the ambiance I wished for.  After my tour, my soup lunch and tea, I decided to walk across the street to the "quiet park". Surely I could find a quiet spot there...only to discover more happy squeals and playing on the tall slide from the children.  When I finally sat down on a bench under a canopy of green leaves, the song of birds and the slight distant chime of church bells filled my ears. I read my Lectio Divina Scripture found in St. John's gospel and began to reflect on the scene he was describing. Still distracted, I decided I needed to find a wi-fi spot, have a glass of wine and sit with my classical music playing in my ears.  So, I walked...and walked...found the wi-fi spot and another cup of tea (no wine here). There in a different way I was able to hear God's voice speak through John's gospel. All the busyness and noise and chaos of our lives chatters on... much like my day today. But in every place I saw evidence of God's presence all around me. Even though I was alone, walking through the parks and trees and streets of Glasgow, I was not alone. Reflecting on Jesus' question "what are you seeking?" revealed that I was finding the very thing I was seeking, by simply following His lead. The words of the following song speak to how the disciples may have been feeling when Jesus asked them, "what are you seeking?" and then told them, "come, and you will see."

"Lord, I'm tired, so tired from walking, and Lord, I'm so alone. Lord, the dark is creeping in, it's creeping up to swallow me, I think I'll stop and rest here awhile. *This is all that I can say right now. This is all that I can give. This is all that I can say right now; this is all that I can give. That's my everything.* Lord, did You see me crying; oh and did You hear me call Your name? And wasn't it You I gave my heart to? Wish You'd remember where You set it down... This is all that I can say right now. (I know it's not much) This is all that I can give. This is all that I can say right now; this is all that I can give. That's my everything.  Didn't notice You were standing here...didn't know that that was You holding me...didn't notice You were crying too...I didn't know that that was You washing my feet. *  (David Crowder Band)

Often when I feel that God is distant, uninterested and not coming through for me, it is then that in reality He is right there in the midst of what I am going through. He is standing right there with me, holding me, crying with me and even caring for me, washing my feet.  Jesus is in the streets of Glasgow while at the same time in SC and even in the streets of Raleigh, NC.  So then I imagined John and two of his disciples standing on the corner of one of these streets here in Glasgow. Andrew was one of them. All of a sudden as a Man passed by them on the sidewalk, John spoke to them telling them Who that was: "Behold, the Lamb of God." So when they heard John say that, they took off following Jesus.  Sensing someone following Him, Jesus turns around and asks, "what are you seeking?" They called Him Rabbi (which means Teacher), which implies to me that they wanted to learn from Him. So they expressed their desire....named their desire in His presence with the following question, which answers His question: "Where are You staying?"  In other words, we want to learn from You, we want to go where You stay and spend time with You. I believe He knew their heart, read their minds, knew their desire, as if He had been the One who had given them that desire and so He answers their desire with: "Come and you will see."  So they came, they stayed and they stayed all day. Afterwards, they (or at least Andrew) were so impacted, Andrew found his brother Simon and brought him to Jesus saying, "we have found who we've all been looking for."  And Jesus took one look at Simon and re-named him Cephas (which means Peter).  Jesus is always right here with us. He is always the One comforting...holding us...even when we don't notice it is Him. He cries with us when we cry...when we hurt....when we're tired. He is always with us, in us, for us. He is the Great Foot-washer.

Thank You for hearing my desire, Abba. Thank You for this solitary day. I feel as though You and I have walked through Glasgow together today. I've loved being with You.  In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.