Holy Interruptions

“There have been 12 consecutive days with at least eight tornadoes in the US “. That was the headline as I sat down to write in my blog. The last day without a tornado was May 15. In the last 12 days, there have been more than 365 tornado reports by at least 22 states. This is record breaking activity.

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When Dayton, Ohio was put under a tornado warning before the tornadic activity began thousands of social media posts said..."Thanks for ruining my night Jamie. (Jamie Simpson is the Meteorologist on TV)  You ruined Bachelorette for everyone." Another said: "Get off my TV."

Meteorologist Jamie Simpson responded...“Viewers are complaining already, ‘Just go back to the show.’ No. We’re not going back to the show folks," Simpson said on air. "This is a dangerous situation, OK? Think about if it was your neighborhood. I’m sick and tired of people complaining about this. Our job here is to keep people safe and that’s what we’re going to do.”

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This really makes me ask several questions about our priorities and also our response to interruptions in our day. Am I the only one wondering????

One of my favorite theologians, Dietrich Bonhoeffer speaks to us about “holy interruption”. He challenges us to not think of any interruption at any time as an enemy but instead to be open to embrace the interruption which can bring  newness to our lives. Was that show really more important that evening than protecting the lives of many in the line of those storms? My answer would be no and besides I have to ask...how many of the viewers also have DVR capabilities and/or can stream it to get caught up?

Bonhoeffer suggests that we stop and allow for interruption--yes, even “The Bachelorette”--to cultivate a disruption theology.

-does our neighbor want to talk while our schedule is so full...what will I do

-what about the car trouble at the side of the road...what will I do

-what about the older person struggling to load groceries into their car...what will I do

-and so many others…

Disruption is certain in our lives. What is uncertain is how we respond to the disruption. Is our response “holy”? Does it show our true faith?

I’m just wondering and I think the storms are not yet over.      Blessings, Pastor Patti