How Did God Speak in 2019?

Jesus said to the crowd: “When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, ‘It’s going to rain,’ and it does. And when the south wind blows, you say, ‘It’s going to be hot,’ and it is. Hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky. How is it that you don’t know how to interpret this present time? - Luke 12:54-5

So often we miss God in our lives because we’re not paying attention, really paying attention. As the old poet wrote, “We had the experience but missed the meaning” (T.S. Eliot, The Four Quartets). Things happen to us but we don’t listen to our lives well enough to discern what God’s been up to and where God might be leading.

At the end of the message yesterday we initiated some time for reflection on 2019. Take these questions - and feel free to use others as well - as an invitation to see what God was doing in your life this past year. Talk about these things with a trusted friend or mentor. These are just some of the ways to discern for the kairos moments of the past year (a kairos moment is a situation or experience that is pregnant with God-meaning that is easy to miss).

• What happened to you over and over again in 2019? (Often when we face the same situation repeatedly it’s a sign that we’re not hearing what God’s been saying)

• What were the moments when you had your strongest emotions in 2019? (Emotion is the language of the soul - pay attention to it)

• What did you find yourself thinking about a lot in 2019? (As you mind settles on an issue, and idea, or a way of seeing the world, it’s often an indicator of the Spirit directing you)

• When you cried in 2019, what did you cry about? (More on tears later this week - but just trust that they are important!)