In the Beginning

In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands.

- Psalm 102:25

As much as sin, suffering and death has run its course in our ruined world, there is still much good-will to be found in others. A kind businessman from our church invited one of our Special Needs Ministry small-groups to a hockey game at the Saddledome, and moreover, to enjoy the game from the comfort of box seats.   

We jumped into our vehicles and headed down the road to the big game, with so much energy and enthusiasm it felt as if our vehicles might take off in flight. After arriving and gathering our group together into some semblance of order, the kind businessman led us up to our box seats. As we turned the corner all eyes grew in disbelief: The kitchen was full of mouth-watering food, and a view of the game like none other, as if watching from the comfort of one's home. 

Everyone filled their plates, roared with the crowd, booed the referees, danced at every intermission, sang off-key with all their hearts, waved frantically for free T-shirts and a spot on the wide-screen. We all ended up losing our voices, but still had enough in us for the final countdown to close the game, with one last hooray for the home team.     

5...4...3...2...1..." We held our breath, as my dear friend sitting beside me yelled in all seriousness, "Happy New Year!" 

We all stopped and looked at each other, with a raised eyebrow and the mutual recognition of the time of year (it was November). We suddenly broke out in the simple pleasure of shared laughter, a measure of grace incomprehensible to the crowd around us, as the winning home team skated over to the goalie, encircling the net and smothering his face-mask with sweaty gloves. 

We laughed, in part, for the out-of-place remark, and then again, because of its timely appropriateness. We were, after all, celebrating new beginnings: for the honoured guests an opportunity to take part in a hockey game, a gift the rest of the crowd had taken for granted with numbing familiarity, and for our host an opportunity to see the game from an entirely different perspective, through the eyes of his guests wide-open wonder. We left the Saddledome and piled back into our vehicles to head home, still laughing, dancing and singing, fully human and alive.  It's good that we exist, even in this fallen, old world of ours.