There are many, many books written that have as their central theme the idea that God's presence is to be found in the ordinary, everyday events of life. It's a theme with a clear scriptural genesis. But there is also a twist. God's presence can be found in the ordinary, everyday events of life, but often it takes an extraordinary, far from everyday approach or perspective to gather in the full impact of this spiritual truth. The point that is often made is that we state and believe that God is always here, always present, but we live our lives in a way that is either disconnected with or at best unconscious of this statement of belief. We seem to think that we need to go searching for God, to make special efforts, to set aside specific times in order to strengthen the bond we have with the divine. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this – in fact this kind of search is the source of the kinds of spiritual disciplines that have sustained and supported people over the millenia. It is this search that gives rise to the various practices that a small group of us engaged during the season of Lent.

However, if our statement of faith – that God is always present – is true, then it should also be true that we don't need to set aside special time or engage in particular disciplines to immerse ourselves in the presence of God. Of course, the disciplines are about us and our mindset and spiritual awareness, and not about God, even though they result in a greater awareness of the way in which God surrounds us, supports us and imparts wisdom and insight to us.

If some of the writings of Paul and the theological reflections of many others who have come along since are to be followed, a purpose in life is to be continually engaged in a spiritual discipline. I've met a few people in my life that seemed to live their lives this way. I've described them as people who are extremely centred – they seem to live lives that are very calm, self-aware, God aware, oriented towards justice and peace and just generally calming and reassuring people to be around. I don't know if these people would describe themselves in the same way – I expect not, life is too complicated and varied for people to always feel that way, but certainly as a model for others, such people truly are an example of the way in which God lives in us.

Paul said, pray without ceasing. That, in my mind, is a summary statement for the spiritual life, and a description of the sort of thing I've been trying to describe. As I suggested, there are people we meet in our journey through life that appear to be living with just this as their guiding principle.

The rest of us, and I expect even the people about whom I am thinking would count themselves as among the rest of us, muddle along. I don't say this with any criticism in mind, but simply as a statement of the way things are. Some of us muddle more than others. We all know that life is fraught with joys and troubles, calm and turmoil, and serenity and calamity. God's presence can help us in all of these times – good and bad.

It is kind of reassuring to know that this is not new. These thoughts and concerns are an intrinsic part of life – just as important to the people of biblical times as they are to us. And so, we have the situation described by Luke, the writer of Acts, as the disciples wonder and worry about how they are going to continue after the ascension of Jesus. Jesus has been a visible and sure sign of the presence of God for them, but now that he is gone, what will they do? The answer is that the spirit of God has not left them. It is still there and they need to trust themselves and God's presence as made known in the presence of the Spirit. This is a theme echoed in the reading from the first letter of Peter and in the passage from John's gospel. The disciples, the people of God, have been entrusted to carry on in the way of Jesus.

I began by noting that even though there is a message that God's presence, the holy Spirit is with us at all times, that there is an upside down, inside out, last is first message to be taken from our connections with God. We sometimes are not aware of the presence of the spirit unless we take a fresh approach, a novel perspective, an unexpected turn in our interpretation and analysis of the way in which God is at work in our lives and in the world. There are countless examples of this in the bible – where the most unexpected person is chosen to be a particularly important messenger of, for and by God. To name but a few: Jacob, Moses, Mary, David.

There is a variety of levels at which this surprise and unexpectedness can happen. It can be of tremendous or whimsical significance, describing for me, the depth and breadth of God, and both the serious and humourous nature of God.

The message I want to leave on this day is one I've often given, but which I think bears constant repetition, namely that God is all around, that our understanding and perception of God is limited by our own mood and state of mind. It is important to be mindful of the ways in which God shows up in all aspects of our lives, and it often takes some creative and unconventional perspectives to capture a glimpse of the ways in which God is at work in us and in the world.

I want to close with a s
mall example of what I mean. This can be counted I think among the whimsical ways in which we experience the presence of God, but it had significance for me this week and so I am led to share it.

Two things have been uppermost on my mind this week. One is a kind of letdown from the events of last weekend. I say that not with the air of disappointment, but simply to say that a good deal of my focus over the past few months was fixed on the service we call the Celebration of Ministry Service. It often comes as the closing act of a meeting of Conference. It is the occasion at which we recognize the various forms in which ministry is done in our church and in particular by recognizing those who are retiring from paid accountable ministry and especially those who are beginning ministry as either diaconal or ordained ministers. This year there was no conference meeting, so the Celebration of Ministry service was a self-contained worship service at the Heritage Amphitheatre in William Hawrelak Park in Edmonton. I led the team that created the worship service and as such I had a lot invested in the theme and the words of worship. I will summarize my response to what happened very simply by saying that it was pretty much everything I hoped for and even more, proving to me that a team of good and skilled people can spin something that is greater than the sum of its parts. It was also during this service that the mantle of the president of our conference passed from me to Sally Boyle. And so that is the other thing that was on my mind – a reflection on the events of my life over the two years I served, along with my own analysis of how it went.

You might appreciate that as I looked at the passages for this week, that for some reason my eyes glanced beyond the particular verses assigned to this week. I did this without realizing my gaze was venturing outside the prescribed verses, and what did I read: Namely this: 1 I have a special concern for you church leaders. I know what it's like to be a leader, in on Christ's sufferings as well as the coming glory....

Well, I won't read all the extra verses, for you heard them already, but needless to say I perked up, and laughed and then used the irony of this passage – not actually part of the assignment for today – as the source for my title for this reflection. Now you tell me! But it could also be the words of the disciples left to fend for themselves as Jesus ascends to heaven (however we understand what was happening there!) and as a word for us, as we seek to be followers of the way of Jesus, who encouraged us to be followers of the way of God, and to find support and encouragement for ourselves from the presence of the Spirit who is with us always, and waiting to be found in the unexpected, surprising, upside down and backwards events of life. Amen.