Pastor Craig - May 2019

 Roads, paths, sidewalks, streets, and gravel roads all take us places. They allow us to find our way quickly and efficiently. Sometimes it is a straight path and sometimes it is a curvy one. But who created the original path? When I was in college, they had just remodeled the men’s dormitory and had created an updated courtyard. When we moved in, the courtyard to all appearances had not been finished. Well it looked like a dirt lot that we had to walk through to get to the rooms. After a month or two, I understood the genius of the plan. They looked where we had walked the most and it was there that they installed the sidewalks. They waited for us to decide where we would use them.

 We all know our wonderful intersection of Ajo and Kinney. We know the confusion and the time that it took to plan and finally build. We have gotten used to how it works and which lane we should be in. The builders even must have thought that we finally got it because a couple of weeks ago they repainted the same lines. I am still looking for a left turn into my street but that is selfish. With all of the months/years of planning involved. I want to commend the first person who figured out the gravel road “shortcut” off of Kinney to get us to Tiny’s. So much for the planning.

 How do we determine our directions in the roads that we travel? This past week was the fire at the Notre Dame Cathedral. It is so hard to even put the significance of that into words or thoughts. One of the reports that I read, stated something to the effect that all of Paris’ directions, measurements, and roadways are all told in relation to the cathedral. Saying things like, “We are only 2 kilometers N.W. of the ‘church’.” or “You cant’s miss it. Go up two and over 3 from the cathedral.” More than the Spiritual place, it is the landmark where for centuries people have compared their road to.

 One of the beauties of Tucson is that for the most part there are many different ways to get wherever you are going. Yet we all have our own ways and use our own landmarks. For the most part, I have wrote about physical roads and how “we” can determine our path. There is also the path that our Lord and Savior has set us upon. From the moment we are born, God watches over us and is our cheerleader encouraging us in every way possible to follow on his path. When we wander, God steers us gently or not so gently back on the road welcoming us again no matter how far we have strayed. That is God’s Grace.

 The month of May is that time of year when we celebrate endings and beginnings. We have our Confirmations, High School and College Graduations. Young people setting off on paths, sometimes of their own making, but many times well-worn paths from those who have made the journey before. It is important to pray for them as they make their own way.

 Know that whatever road that you have been on, you have not been alone for it is God who has created, sustained, and yes even filled the potholes of your life with his unending love.

In Christ,

Pr Craig