God’s presence in everyday life

by Rev. Sean Amato

Friends –

A few days ago, I noticed that our calendar at home was about to ‘roll over’ from one month to the next – from August to September, as calendars often do (and if yours doesn’t, please contact quality control). But this time, I stood in front of the calendar and reflected on what the transition from August to September represents – and not just what it represents for me, but for so many others.

August represents high summer – the last chance to squeeze something from the ‘off season’ before returning to a full grind at one’s job, or school, or seasonal focus. August seems to represent this not just for teachers and young people, those most beholden to the academic calendar, but for many: it’s a last chance to grasp something extracurricular from our typical lives, driven forward by the looming complications that September represents. It’s when folks are most available, so we strike while the iron is socially hot. It’s also a time where structure often gets thrown by the wayside, at least for our younger people. Having worked as a youth mental and behavioral health support for years, I still remember the fever state that many of ‘my kids’ used to go into before the start of the school year – a frenzy to ‘go out and do something before it’s too late’ or ‘make the most of August,’ matched by their parents’ attempt to get everything in line for what may or may not be a return to normalcy (or at least routine!).

August passes, summer camps close and family vacations end… and then September begins. School begins again, a new ‘season’ kicks off in many professional fields, and churches (including ours) wake from their summer nap and begin to prepare for the busy autumn season. But inevitably, we realize that our planning had some gaps – that some things we hoped to get done didn’t happen, that some part of the transition is more messy than usual, or any number of similar matters. Still, we think: “Summer, though it distracted us, was meaningful; summer was a good time. I got something out of it, and that something might help me trudge through what’s next.

For the last two years, I’ve experienced this transition from the unique perspective of a pastor guiding people ‘back’ to church each September – back to church in a physical or institutional sense, yes, but more often in a spiritual sense. In the madness of summertime, spiritual matters often fall by the wayside in lieu of maximizing our earthly endeavors: we prioritize the incidentals, knowing that “church will always be there” (hopefully!) when we get back from our break. And like clockwork, congregants return from their summers with deep questions about faith – alongside, as is typical, concern that their summer focus on creature comforts and happy experiences kept them ‘away from God.’ I’ve tried to ease each guilty conscience with this prompting question – a question I ask whether they’ve been in church all summer, or whether or not they entirely disappeared amidst their seasonal reverie. The question is this: “What have you been hearing from God in this season?” People often respond incredulously: “Well,I haven’t been to church since June.” But my friends, that doesn’t answer the question. Let me explain.

I firmly believe that God can be louder (or even loudest) outside of the traditional church: that God can be experienced at the Beef Barn’s seasonal car shows, at Camp Yawgoog alongside your Scouting kids, or a late-night excursion alongside friends on Providence’s Federal Hill. God can be found (and is found) on summer street corners and beach vacations; God is present in all those places and might be whispering something special into your life regardless of your proximity to what is traditionally ‘church.’ Sometimes, God nudges us toward self-care and a break. Other times, God fills our summers with loud and clanging cymbals – signs and communications that we simply can’t ignore, “writing on the wall” to better prepare us for the next season. God is speaking to us, His children, no matter where we find ourselves – through  good experiences and bad, through friends and strangers. As our denomination so plainly states, “God is still speaking” – through us and to us, even (and perhaps especially!) during the summer months. After explaining this, I tend to ask again: “So what has God been telling you, inside or outside the church?” What lessons have you gleaned from these summer months? What fuel are you taking from your restful time, and how do you prepare to use it?

As we transition from August to September this year, I find myself reflecting fiercely. You see, this transition from August to September represents a personally unusual one. While August represented two years of
full-time ministry for your pastor, September is host to my 39 birthday. That’s right: your pastor is standing on the welcoming mat to middle age. (I can hear some of you snickering already.) This is a season of
landmarks for me, as it might be for you, and it’s got me thinking about my life – my calling as a pastor, my relationship with the church as an institution, the incredible opportunities I’ve been given and the friends I’ve made along the way – and asking: “What has God been trying to communicate to me amidst this season? What is God saying, in the shift from summer to autumn?”

While I reflect on God’s presence, friends, I implore you to do the same: to sense where God is in your life, and what He might have communicated to you – yes, specifically you – during the last few months. What kind of autumn has God prepared you for? Who are you, now that summer is ‘out’? Grasp the truth, friends, that God is present with you right now; listen closely, then, and reflect. God bless you and God keep  you, my friends. See you on Sunday!

Pastor Sean