Bucket Seats

As a young girl, with romantic inclinations, I can remember longingly watching couples sitting so close to each other in the front seat of the cars that it almost looked like there was one two-headed form in the front seat instead of two separate people. Before strict seat belt laws and center consoles, the girl could slide over and sit as close as she could and still allow the boyfriend to turn the wheel safely. It was obvious that they were in love and inseparable. I wanted to be the one sitting so close that no one could tell if there were two of us or one. One of my favorite anecdotes uses this imagery.

An older couple is driving down the road when they get behind a car with two people sitting very close to each other. The older woman shakes her head and asks why they don't sit that close to each other any more. The driver replies "I haven't moved."

In a few years this illustration won't mean as much to a younger generation that only knows of cars with bucket seats.

My prayer for the congregation?

Dear God, you remain constant and steadfast as we move closer and farther away from your presence. Often we ask ourselves why you have left our company while it is our own actions that have created the distance. We also create distance in our own community when we assume that what we value and what we connect to will also evoke the same response to another set of ears and eyes. Help us to find common goals and to have a generous acceptance of each others unique origins and viewpoints. O God, we longingly seek to be inseparable from you and we desire to follow so closely to your will that it will seem as though we are one body, journeying together in the image of Christ. Amen