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Albert Einstein spoke, “I shall never believe God plays dice with the world.” Well, you are part of the world. You are one with Creation; you are Creation. This is a deep teaching of the Holy Eucharist. The intricate union of matter and spirit, everything as one, is being proven, increasingly, as science delves deeper into the Universe, from the macrocosm to microcosm. Science and religion are more becoming unified in this search into Reality. Therefore, if God does not play dice with the world, God, however you understand God, does not play dice with you or me. The Universe, made of Energy, is a single Mind, and each aspect is like a synapse in the intricate communion that is Life. This, too, is a deep teaching of the Body of Christ teaching.
In the comedy “Sister Act” (1992), Deloris Van Cartier, played by Whoopi Goldberg, a key witness against a mob figure, is placed in a convent in the witness protection program. Until now she has lived as a Las Vegas lounge singer. The austerity of the convent is a culture shock for Deloris.
The Reverend Mother leads Deloris, given the name Sister Mary Clarence, to her "cell," or room. Deloris is shocked at the lack of furniture. The Reverend Mother explains that the sisters' lives are simple and with few needs. Deloris asks for a phone. The Reverend Mother, knowing Deloris' situation, responds, "Who would you call?" Finally, Deloris wants to know what she is to do now. The Reverend Mother tells her that it is 9 PM, so it is lights out. Deloris is, again, stunned, "Are you telling me that we go to bed by 9?" The Reverend Mother proposes that Deloris use her time to think about her life "and its direction, or lack thereof..." This offends Deloris. She informs the Reverend Mother that before she got there her life was fine. "I had a career, I had friends, I had clothing that fit. Before I came here, I was okay." This does not impress the Reverend Mother. She knows that Deloris' "singing career was almost nonexistent, and your married lover wants you dead." She tells Deloris that she is only fooling herself, and explains, "God has brought you here. Take the hint."
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The Reverend Mother says to Delores to examine her life, for “God brought you here. Take the hint.” Squire Rushnell, in When God Winks: How the Power of Coincidence Guides Your Life, says that to see Divine Providence requires diligence. These “God Winks” we can call Providence, Coincidence, Serendipity, or Synchronicity. Rarely do we experience a “God shout.” Rather, as we examine our lives we can see a thread of apparent happenstance or a sudden, surprising twist in our lives, often at a time of crisis or significant change, often when we are lost as to how to proceed. These Rushnell calls God Winks, in When God Winks and When God Winks on Love: Let the Power of Coincidence Lead You to Love.
When studying Jungian psychology and coming upon the word synchronicity, that awakened me to trust anew in Divine Providence. Divine Providence is the ways that Spirit cooperates with us to bring us in the situations and with the persons that will bring meaning and purpose to our lives. While I had been taught about Divine Providence, though little, and had read a Scripture full of many examples of Divine Coincidence, Jung helped me begin to see and expect such Providence to permeate my daily experience. I saw that much I had seen as good fortune, accident, or plain good luck was actually a meaningful part of a pattern being woven into my life, to lead me toward the Purpose for my existence on earth.
When I came to SW UMC six years ago, it took a number of surprising and unlikely events, to get me from Georgia to Florida. The events that “conspired” to get me to this place, this church, and this town were the result of factors that no one, not SW UMC, not the Florida Cabinet, not Brian could have even dreamed up. Likewise, after six years, I can see how Providence worked to get me here and much of the Purpose of my coming, both for others and myself, though the full Purpose I would never be able to grasp in this life. I see, also, why Spirit kept saying to me, after my arrival, that I was here more for what I needed to be here for than any need of the church for me. I was so certain of that Message, that I told the governing board that same thing after my arrival to the congregation.
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