Sunday, January 13, 2008

Today is the feast of the Baptism of the Lord. It's been eons since I've used this blog, but I've moved to a new place in many ways. I now minister particularly with a class of African American and Hispanic kindergarteners in the state of Mississippi. Day by day I am being "baptized" in the waters of cultures and it continues to be an adventure! Yesterday, a priest in his homily reflected on John the Baptists words "He must grow greater and I must grow smaller." His comment was "Do we get out of God's way in order to let God work as he wishes?" At first I wondered if this minimalized our own role in God's work, but the more I thought about it, the more I thought about my role as instrument. When I first began taking lessons as a child, sometimes the instrument almost got in the way of the music. Learning the mechanics and concentrating on keys and pedals and strings and such took away from the freedom to interpret the music itself. Of course it was a necessary learning stage, but I think it relates to my own call to be God's instrument. I have great potential to bring God's interpretation of human life to the world if I only don't get in the way of the music. Happy Baptism day!