Sunday prayer

The cornucopia spilled out with gourds galore...
Pumpkins peaking out from the woven wood....
Squash and apples and sweet potatoes all hanging out in harvest party.

What an eclectic gathering.
What an image of the church.
A place where we come in various shapes and sizes.
Colors and reflections of the Creator.

What a vision for the church too
For the abundance cannot be contained with the woven walls
But spills out in a joyful way,
Scatters about in beautiful random-ness
A holy chaos of creation.

Our lives are a cornucopia we cannot contain.
God's love spills out from us even when we try to control that grace.
God's presence overflows from our souls even if we try to strain to clasp hold.

What would be in your cornucopia if you colored it today?
Would it have family and friends...would it have playful moments that bring you joy?
Does your cornucopia perhaps right now feel a bit lacking and lackluster?
Maybe some kind of pain has stolen the joy
Or someone's words left you feeling depleted, deflated.

Can we share whatever overflowing emotion we carry with the One who knows us better than we know ourselves?
Can we see that the invitation is not to our best-life-ever...but actually to abundant life, which means there is an important difference and distinction. 
Best life ever is defined and described by the world.  It usually means money or followers on Facebook (or your blog).
Best life ever is a goal few of us ever reach even as we keep swiping our credit cards or running after that carrot on the just out of reach string.
But authentic life, abundant life, life full not of riches, but the richness of God.  That is different.

That cornucopia isn't controlled by us, but only our ability to see and receive and respond to what is.
That cornucopia has more than a trace of God's grace...it is God stitching and sewing our bruises and brokenness into something beautifully whole, even with a few holes.

So may the cornucopia of your life this day notice that while all the gourds might not be shiny and smooth, there is still a beauty and wonder in the messiness and less-than-perfectness that fills our daily living.

May grace, gratitude, and practicing the presence of God stir within you on this Sabbath day.

Amen.