Every year, I come up with a new name for these. Several years ago, I came across a legitimate name, but promptly forgot it. (Let me know if you know the term.) But this year it is H.I.P.S.; those holiday decorations that are overlooked and found after all the boxes are neatly carried away to storage. These are those things that are Hiding In Plain Sight. I should be able to see them when picking up after Christmas, Valentine's Day, Easter, Thanksgiving... But somehow I miss them, and it's all very inconvenient.
This is the season of Epiphany, a season that lasts until Lent. Epiphany is the many appearances of God in the world through Jesus Christ. It is filled with God's H.I.P.S. You can read a verse of Scripture and not be moved, and read it a few days later and realize that God was hiding in plain sight. You can view the mountains one day and not be aware of them. The next day, you can take in the same peaks and be amazed at their beauty. They become 'an awe' that God has hidden in plain sight.
And sometimes these appearances of God in Christ are inconvenient and messy. When you have a week where there is no pressing agenda, and you think you have a quiet few days, a phone call or a conversation reminds you that God is hiding in plain sight. There is a church friend who has a need, or a community non-profit is looking for help. You know it is the Spirit nudging you. God does not fit into our organized calendars, and the Lord messes with our personal boundaries. Even Jesus struggled with God's nudge. He was not ready to go when his mother asked him to work his first Sign at the wedding in Cana. He was not open to reaching out to the Syrophoenician woman, believing his mission was neatly focused on meeting the needs of his own people. The foreign woman convinced him differently.
It feels good when the house or calendar is put back to rights. But be prepared for God to turn it upside down. It feels even better when we see the Epiphany of God and compassionately respond to how our Creator is Hidden In Pain Sight.
Rev. Tempe Fussell