a god who walks with us

*It was my turn to write a (very) mini-devotional for the local paper. These devotions appear in a special section titled "Walk with God." I had some fun playing with the theme to do a little Lutheran theology (& taking easy shots at retailers).



Once again November has pounced upon us!
November comes heralding many deadlines. This month trumpets the deadlines of the end of the year, as well as the deadlines to get everything done before the holidays come crashing in. (They always seem to be crashing in earlier and earlier, no doubt to extend the shopping season. In fact, there is an interesting discrepancy between the images of quiet nights at home with family that are sold by the same corporations that extend their shopping season to overlap those potentially quiet nights...)

During this busy season we find ourselves running, running, running; with little or no time for a leisurely walk, much less a walk with God.
So it is in the midst of busy schedules, that I find myself thankful for the kind of God that shows up in Jesus.

In Jesus we see a God who takes the time to stop from all the business of being God, to walk with us. God leaves that divine to-do list sitting incomplete on the table, to become a human.
God does all this to walk with us, to join us in our struggles and our hectic lives.
It's no wonder that this same God who knows our packed calendars says, "Come to me, all you who are weary, and I will give you rest," (Matthew 11:28).

In this season of busy schedules, let us find our comfort in that God who stops to walk with us, that God who meets us in the midst of full calendars. Let us give thanks that while we may pretend we're too busy, God isn't.
Amen

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