5 As you do not know the path of the wind,
or how the body is formed in a mother’s womb,
so you cannot understand the work of God,
the Maker of all things. (Ecclesiastes 11:5)
I don’t know about you, but tonight I and many Americans are watching the news as people seek to sort through the events of yesterday and the attempted assignation of former President Trump. We started yesterday as a hopefully normal Saturday but by evening a friend texted me the news about the event. Some of you, I know, had your own vigils as you sat by loved ones declining, had to go to work, or encountered your own trials. Truly we do not know the “path of the wind,” the twists and turns of the day before us. The Teacher reminds us that we may hear the scientific explanation about the formation of the fetus but we still cannot agree on the point when “life” enters. We cannot understand the beginning of life nor events that almost marked the end of a life yesterday. The wind is also a word to speak of the moving of the Holy Spirit. We really don’t understand that either.
We can investigate the impacting factors but ultimately we realize our lives are fragile and we bow our heads in humility tonight realizing that violence and death is never a productive conclusion. Freedom of speech cannot be silenced with a gun shot. People we disagree with will never end and killing one does not solve anything.
The Teacher goes on in verse six to advise us,
“Go to work in the morning and stick to it until evening without watching clock. You never know from moment to moment how your work will turn out in the end.”
Since we do not know how the Spirit is moving or what will impact another’s spirit, may we always be found doing good to the best of our ability. Let us pray for those grieving tonight, those scared, and all those searching for answers to make our lives more secure. Lord be with our security forces, our doctors and our leaders as we head into this political season. Lord, have mercy.
On the Way to Wonder 