Every couple of weeks I gladly go to my allergy clinic, roll up my sleeve, and get my allergy shot. I’ve been doing this for years and consider it a great gift that helps me function at my best. The shot takes approximately 2 seconds, barely enough time for me to read the whiteboard opposite the shot desk that lists the daily pollen counts. I’m not sure who that board is for, frankly, since most of us visiting the shot desk can tell you exactly what is in the air based on our itchy, sneezing, sniffling selves. But there it is, a list of what is in the air.
Pollen isn’t the only thing we can detect in the air; it just happens to be measured. Love, fear, hope, and change in large enough quantities can be in the air, and can seem almost as contagious as the virus aerosols we have all become well versed in during this time of pandemic. Those of us who feel particularly intuitive might be tempted to put masks on or get shots to ward off fear or change in the air, but paying attention to what is up is one more piece of information we can use to decide how we are going to live this day as children of God. Maybe what is in the air is global in scale, or it might be nearby in the lives of those closest to you, or it might be what is going on inside of you. Paying attention to what is in the air is a kind of spiritual listening, helping us pay attention to how we are being called to respond to life.
Can you remember a time when you felt love in the air?
Can you remember a time when you felt fear in the air?
Where was God in the midst of those feelings?
How does what is in the air shape your prayers?
May you pay attention to what is in the air, and may you add to the current of God’s grace.
In Peace, Pastor Ruth
Let us pray:
Good and Gracious God, we give you thanks for the gifts of creation. Make us wise stewards, compassionate guardians, and powerful advocates for all that you have made. In Christ’s name we pray, Amen.