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"Touched by the Hand of God"  -  June 27, 2010 - Psalm 104:24-34

 Before I left for vacation I was making a few last errand stops to pick up things we would need for our time away. I stopped into my usual CVS to get a few things and as I was checking out the woman at the register ask how I was doing. I told her I was getting ready to go on vacation.  She asked where I was going and I told her with my family to the ocean. She then began to tell me about a wonderful trip she had taken to the shore a number of years back. You could tell as she recounted the trip that it really meant a lot to her. When she finished with the story she said to me "When you go to the ocean ifs like being touched by the hand of God". As I thought about those words I knew she had said something really important.  As we drove our long journey to the beach I kept those words running through my mind and held them in my heart. "When you go to the ocean is like being touched by the hand of God."

 She, of course, was right; there is nothing like sitting and looking out into the ocean for as long as you can see... the dolphins jumping, the seagulls looking for a meal, and the people having a marvelous time in the cold water. And then of course the added dimension of rainbow flags, rainbow umbrellas, rainbow kites, and rainbow people truly speaks to the touch of God in our midst.

 When I returned home I began to think about what makes vacation so special and how we can look for the hand of God in our everyday lives.  Are not the blossoms on the flowers touched by the hand of God? When we took at an oak tree that has been there for hundreds of years is that not touched by the hand of God? When we listen to a wondrous piece of music is that not touched by the and of God? When we gather with a group of friends and laugh and enjoy the company of one another is that not touched by the hand of God? When we really begin to think about it, as the 104th Psalm says, "O LORD, how manifold are your works! In wisdom you have made them all; the earth is full of your creatures." We are surrounded each and every day whether on vacation, headed to work, or sitting on a park bench with God's marvelous creation. God made it for us to enjoy and to care for: Our job is first of all to slow down and give it our attention. To literally stop, look, and listen. To stop. Many times we're going so fast that we miss what is right in front of us. We're flying through the banking machine, to fly next door to get something to eat, to fly in our car while talking on the cell phone and listening to music to get to our next destination to do it all over again. To stop. To stay in one place to really see what is in front of us. It could be the blue ocean, but it could be the blue sky, the blue eyes of friend or lover, or a blue jay that catches our attention. To really took takes our full attention. When Sarah was a small child she could sit on the ground and took a bug or a blade of grass for so long it seemed like forever. If I were to try the same thing I would have been looking for something to de in seconds. She was really doing something - giving her full attention to that blade of grass and I'm sure being touched by the hand of God.

Once we stop, once we look, we have the opportunity to listen. Listen for the sounds around us - a bird, a child laughing, railroad car passing by. We have the opportunity to really listen to the words, the thoughts, the feelings that another person is sharing with us. To listen is to show we care, it is to say you are important, and so I will stop in this moment and listen to what you are saying. And when we listen even in the silence when we are alone we may just hear the voice of God more clearly. Turn off the television, shut off the cell phone, put the listen for the voice of God.

Stop, look, and listen and your life may be touched by the hand of God. God has given us so many precious minutes, take the opportunity to be in the moment. We don't have to wait for a vacation or even a weekend or day off. Each day we are afforded the time to be touched by the hand of God. Stop, look, and listen, and you may find God waiting for you.

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