Finding God in the Mundane

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A hillside full of sheep and lowly shepherds, a stable full of domestic animals, an impoverished teenager becoming pregnant, these are all scenes from the opening account of Luke’s Gospel. Yet, in the midst of these monotonous details are the hints of the Spirit of God at work. From the onset of Luke’s narrative, he begins to illustrate that even the most mundane places and ordinary spaces can become fertile soil for the divine presence. The sheep-grazing hillside suddenly became a panorama of God’s glory as a host of angels begin to sing praises to God. The stable, that hours early was a feeding trough for some peasant family’s animals, now serves as a cradle for the infant King – God’s very Son Himself. Mundane places and ordinary spaces became hotspots for God’s manifest presence. “Heaven is revealed in ordinary people through ordinary things,” writes Richard Harries. “It makes us look at the ordinary in a new way.” Luke’s account demands a reconsideration of even our most mundane moments of everyday life.

Throughout history, Christians have actually set aside a few weeks each year to ponder and reflect on the reality that at any moment God can invade the reality of your life and give you a glimpse of His glory. At any moment, there may be a moment, unexplainable and unforgettable as it may be, a moment nonetheless, that changes everything and makes life worth living.

Historically, this season of reflection is known as Epiphany.  Epiphany simply means “manifestation” or “appearance.” Epiphany is a word that describes “those moments when we discover something deeper, something truer, something greater than physical reality. These are the moments when our spiritual eyes are opened to behold beauties and realities we were blind to before.” While Christmas celebrates Christ’s coming in the Incarnation event, Epiphany celebrates manifestation – the ways in which the Incarnation is revealed to us. (Epiphany traditionally begins January 6^th and goes until the beginning of Lent.)

The irony is, that for centuries God’s people had expectantly awaited the arrival of God’s Messiah and then there he was lying in a manger, unnoticed by those who had been waiting. On the other hand, there were these magi who traveled a great distance to bring Him gifts. The magi saw what others were oblivious to. God appeared. He was made manifest. Yet, many were those who missed it.

Epiphany is a season of remembering God becoming flesh in Jesus. It is also a time of reflecting on the truth that God is still making Himself known in the world in which we live and if we’re not careful, we may be one of those who miss it in our own day.

You never know where or when or how God will invade your life, but He can show up anywhere, anytime, any way. And this thought alone ought to fill us with holy anticipation.

“Be alert,” said Oscar Uzin in a sermon. “Be alert, so that you will be able to recognize your Lord in your husband, your wife, your parents, your children, your friends, your teachers, but also in all that you read in the daily papers. The Lord is coming, always coming. Be alert to his coming. When you have ears to hear and eyes to see, you will recognize him at any moment of your life. Life is Advent; life is recognizing the coming of the Lord.”

During this season, may we begin to live with a growing sense of wonder, awareness and anticipation of a divine epiphany and see God invading our very lives with His presence. May we be alert to see the invasion of a Majestic God, even in the most mundane moments of our everyday lives.