Thursday, May 3, 2007

Rick, Rick and Nicky

I'm going to start a new series of entries tagged as synchronocities. Sometimes synchronocities are just coincidences. Sometimes they're just fun and don't mean anything. But sometimes they might also be the result of God trying to give us a particular word. God speaks to us constantly and the repetition may be the result of the same message coming through more than one channel.

Last night, after I preached at the Valley Vespers service in Studio City (my homily on covenant is here) I stopped at a bar in Burbank I used to go to when I lived in that neighborhood. The guy at the bar next to me introduced himself to me telling me his name was Rick. I said, "me too." And the guy did a double take because his friend sitting on the other side of him was also named Rick.

Then today, for the National Day of Prayer the Interfaith Council in Santa Clarita put together a little noon time prayer event at City Hall. (My prayer for the event is here.) A lay person from one of the Jewish congregations who I hadn't met before introduced himself to me telling me his name was Rick. Remembering the night before I said, "me too." And the guy then introduced me to his friend standing on the other side whose name was Nicky.

What does it mean? Maybe nothing. But I've also been thinking lately about this spiritual task of seeing ourselves in everyone we meet. We're all one. Everyone is Ricky. Ricky meet Rick, and Rick, and Rick, and Nicky, too.

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