At this year’s church Yard Sale, a number of people commented to me that we were so lucky to have good weather for the sale.  And we were!  Then again, were we really lucky?  It got me thinking.  What is luck?

When pressed, I’m betting most people would say that there is no such thing as luck.  If things go your way or don’t go your way, it is just the luck of the draw (there’s that word again!).

It feels like people rely on luck more than they’d like to admit.  From playing the lottery to speeding through traffic, we very often “test our luck.” 

Some people even pray for good luck.  If the street parking in Boston is wall-to-wall, a prayer for an open spot can’t hurt, right?  Maybe you’ll get lucky!  So just what is luck?  How is it different from faith?

To be honest, luck is a mystery.  Sometimes all the traffic lights are green and you can’t explain it.  A medical screening comes back negative when you had expected the worst.  Luck?  Or is that an act of God?  

Maybe it is a bit like coincidence.  A coincidence is also a mystery.  Is it just random?  Maybe.  From where I sit, what is important is how you interpret what has happened.  You can shrug it off or you can attribute a divine quality to it.  I happen to believe that there is a lot more going on during a coincidence than we realize.

In the end, it is about expectation.  If you expect every day to be sunny and warm, if you expect things to always go your way and be “lucky” for you then you are in for a rough ride.  You will be a strong candidate for anger and depression because you will unconsciously develop a sense of entitlement. 

In other words, it is a balancing act of honesty.  We should indeed count our blessings but we should not feel entitled to them.  The bottom line is this: up or down, high or low, what matters is attitude.  We live in the midst of the free unfolding of creation and God has gifted us with the power of choice.  That means how we react to the good and the bad is up to us.  To help us shape those reactions, God has given us yet another gift: The Holy Spirit.

This is our source of healing, transformation, and positive energy.  

Is there such a thing as luck?  Maybe.  Is there such a thing as the Holy Spirit?  No question.  And our trust should be in the presence of that Spirit.  

The reality is that everyone receives the Holy Spirit but not everyone accepts it.  When you do, when you really feel that presence in your life, good luck, and bad luck become inconsequential.  You come to own the fact that you belong, that you are loved, that you are upheld.

Still, we sure had nice weather for the Yard Sale!  Lucky…weren’t we?

See you in church,

–Rev. Dominic