Well Done, Your Expectancy…

Christians are expected to be expectant about the great things God is going to do in our lives, but what should we expect when we’re expectant?

That’s the question that’s on my mind right now as I prepare to board a plane bound for Regina tomorrow afternoon.

That’s right: Regina.

And who wouldn’t want to spend a four-day weekend in Saskatchewan’s regal capital in November?

Actually, Regina is only the airplane’s destination. I’m headed to a summer camp not far away, a facility that apparently overlooks the beautiful Qu’appelle Valley – perhaps the only slanted ground within 100 miles of the city.

But the geographic location really isn’t really the point of this journey; it’s about the people, and the true destination is Christ. I’m headed to help kick-start a Cursillo Movement in the Qu’appelle Diocese of the Anglican Church of Canada. Calgary has a vibrant and healthy Cursillo movement, and a group of us from southern Alberta are headed to the Rider Nation to help our brothers there learn the ropes. (Too bad Anglicans in the Bahamas don’t need our assistance instead.)

And I’m excited.

Sure, I’ll miss my family and my church friends (a few are coming along). And crashing in a sleeping bag all alone is a far cry from sharing a cozy queen-sized bed with a pretty redhead. But as Barenaked Ladies put it, absence makes the heart grow fungus, so I’m sure we’ll be even closer when I return home Sunday night. And they can definitely do without the Sounds and Smells of Baldy for a couple of days.

And the last thing I’ll be when I’m away is lonely. I’ve written about these Cursillo gatherings before (Mountain-Top, Water Earth and Sky, Moment, Why?!?) – the music, the great discussions, the laughter, the food – I can’t wait to arrive and immerse in the broderbund that is the Cursillo Community. These weekends have a way of bringing participants deeper in their faith, and I can’t wait to experience it and watch others do the same.

But as much as I want to be open to whatever God has in mind – as certain as I am that God can and will use the occasion to knock my socks off – I’m trying really hard to put aside my ideas of what the weekend should look and feel like. I want to be ready for God to use me any way He wants to this weekend – or get out of His way when I’m not part of the Plan.

What I mean is, I want to be expectant, and yet without expectations. But how on earth do you do that?

Only with God’s help, I suspect. I’ll be sure to let you know how it goes.

In the meantime…

Peace be with you.

Photo Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regina_Saskatchewan, http://www.cursillo.ab.ca/