Serendipity is usually defined as unexpectedly discovering something fortunate or helpful, especially when looking for or expecting something entirely unrelated.

On Tuesday, I received a letter in my mailbox addressed to “My Friends at U.U.M.C” The return address read, Mr. Curtis Lilly T.U. Lower “B”/ #3 L.S.P Angola, LA 70712. I had received many such letters before. My initial assumption was that this was another request for money, advocacy or some form of assistance. And to be completely honest, there was a part of me that just knew I had intercepted a scam letter seeking to fleece the church with another stock sad story. What could we possibly do to assist anyone in Angola? But when I opened the letter and began to read, I was both embarrassed by my assumptions and disturbed by my cynicism. Mr. Lilly wrote,

Greetings: to the current pastor and entire congregation of the UUMC…, Dear Pastor, just wanted to say hello to my friends at UUMC, with assistant pastor Mr. Matt Rawle, (Matt is a former youth director who now serves on the pastoral staff at Broadmoor United Methodist Church in Shreveport, LA) who was such a blessing to me in the past, with house repairs (through) the youth group’s Habitat for Humanities. Even though I have been away for several years, I still have love for God and the church. As the holiday season rolls around I am reminded to be thankful for the gift of life and all of my fellow Christians at the church.

Talk about a serendipitous moment. Here I was ready to uncover a shakedown in progress and instead, it was as if an angel delivered a message straight from God. The letter continued,

This church has special purpose and meaning, and I would love to hear from you all from time to time. (Happy Thanksgiving) Your friend in Christ, C.M. Lilly. P.S. Please keep me in prayer this holiday.

I will keep Mr. Lilly in my prayers this holiday season.  I have also written him a letter thanking him for his words about the church I am privileged to serve.  But more than that, I have made a commitment to myself to fight the cynicism that is so widespread in our world today.  From tea parties to town hall meetings, cynicism abounds.  Institutions that serve the public good, whether they be governmental, religious or educational are looked upon more and more with disdain and distrust.   Programs that serve the common good, promote the betterment of the many and not just the few, strengthen support for the most victimized and vulnerable are now seen as a part of some sinister socialist agenda.  And far too many of us are simply too cynical and too unengaged.    Our obsession with how we think things are or should be can cause us to miss an opportunity to see how things really are or really should be.

Serendipity…discovering the holy in unexpected places…Serendipity…hearing the gospel from unexpected people…Serendipity…aha! moments that help us see things from a different perspective.  

I believe that serendipity can be cultivated. 

Stop turning a blind eye or a deaf ear the unexpected.  

Cultivate the art of expecting the unexpected.   

Doing so nurtures the spirituality of serendipity. 

Doing so opens us to the possibility of being transformed.