Time present and time past
Are both perhaps present in time future

The day started with a message from a friend starting chemotherapy and was soon followed by a message about another friend whose daughter had gone missing.

I shouldn’t really say that is how the day started. It started in a more prosaic manner. Putting the kettle on the burner, preparing the oatmeal, putting away the clean dishes, and taking a quick look at social media and various websites before heading off on my daily drive to work.

The messages of disease and distress came as my work day was getting started. Now, fourteen hours later, I am back at home, decompressing before heading off to bed.

Today was Epiphany. ‘Epiphany’ is a word I’ve always loved, from its use in various poems to its place in the liturgical calendar.

There had been a funeral a church today. A mother had lost her son way too early. I didn’t really know the mother or son, and didn’t make it to the funeral. Yet I made it to the Epiphany service at the end of the day.

I looked around to see familiar faces; people who serve in various ministries at church; people whose lives are different from mine, whose views about life are different from mine, but who share a common bond, of showing God’s love to the people around them.

I spend a lot of time talking with people about politics and religion. Lost in so many of these discussions is that focus on showing God’s love and compassion to those around us, no matter what their circumstances.

I looked around at the familiar faces; people I could count on and I knew that the story of Christmas and Epiphany was true, compassion had come into this world and would continue to triumph over disease, distress and everything that is so messed up around us.