November 21

            We’ve just come through a very trying ordeal as a nation, and we’re unsure about what the future holds with new leaders taking the reins of government next January. As Banquo said in Macbeth, “If you can look into the seeds of time and say which grain will grow, and which will not, speak then to me.” Some people see the imminent change of power as a good thing; others, not so much. Those who think this is not a good thing might very well end up lamenting that “God is nowhere.”

            I am not here to debate the fitness of one candidate over the others, however, because there is another way to look at this. If you add something to the last word of the sentence “God is nowhere,” you completely change the meaning of the sentence. All you have to add is a space between the W and the H, which changes “nowhere” to “now here.” A completely different meaning, and one which permits us to have hope for the future.

            We can place our faith and hope in a God who believes in love and justice and wisdom. As the Bible reminds us, “I want to see a mighty flood of justice, an endless river of righteous living” (Amos 5:24); “The Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8); “She [Wisdom] calls to the crowds along the main street… ‘Come and listen to my counsel. I’ll share my heart with you and make you wise’” (Proverbs 1:21a, 23). As long as we – kings and commoners alike – remember that God is now here, we will be able to do great things.