When our daughter was in College in Kalamazoo, I was working for the Red Cross at the Community College in Port Huron.  We were on opposite sides of our State.  At a Blood Drive, there was a young girl that I noticed was getting antsy on the table.  The nurse in that unit was a bit slow.  I went over to talk with the girl, calm her down, and start her donation.  I mentioned to her what a beautiful weekend we had just enjoyed.  She said she had been to Kalamazoo for the weekend and had been to a party.  She began to describe the apartment where she had been, the macramé hanging, and the layout of the apartment.  I said that that sounded like my daughter’s apartment.  She asked my daughter’s name and I told her, and she replied, “That’s who gave the party”!  When I arrived home that day, I called my daughter and told her I had been in Port Huron and heard she had had a party.  I told her no matter where you are or what you are doing your Mother will find out. You cannot hide from your Mother. Eventually Mothers and some Fathers will find out.  It helps if you have more than one child (there is always a squealer in the bunch), or if you just happen to run into the right person at the right time. 

We cannot hide from God. He knows our every thought, he hears our every prayer, he sees our good deeds and our bad deeds.  We may think we can hide but he will find us.  Years ago, there was much discussion about whether God was male or female… It doesn’t matter, God is God.

Genesis 2:8-10 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden.  But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?” He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid.”

Jonah 1:1-3 The word of the Lord came to Jonah, Son of Amittai. Go to the city of Nineveh and preach against it because its wickedness has come before me. But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish.  He went down to Joppa where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the Lord. 

Lord God, Be with us this day, be with our families, keep them safe. Be with our church, may we reach out to those who need and seek you. Bless our Pastor and our staff and leaders. Give them your guidance and wisdom, lead them as they seek to do your will.  Be with our Country Lord as we grieve those who were lost in more senseless shootings. Help us Lord to heal and to be a better people. Be with those who are dealing with loss, those that are hurt, those who are sick and those who are healing. Help us Lord as we seek to be the hands and feet of Christ. Amen

Grace Epperson