Groundhog Day!
Today is Groundhog Day! When I served in western Pennsylvania, I would sit in the kitchen drinking coffee this morning watching the Groundhog festivities from Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney on the local cable access channel. It was quite the production.
But I can’t get through Groundhog Day without my thoughts turning to the now-classic Bill Murray movie. Poor Phil, the weatherman, stuck in the same day over and over again. Wait! isn’t that us??
When you watch Phil go through the days, he begins to become self-serving. Eventually, his carnal living proves to be unfulfilling, and depression sets in. Finally, Phil tries to find ways to end his life by kidnapping Punxsutawney Phil (the holiday icon) and driving off a cliff in a stolen truck.
Now here is the good news. Phil begins to be productive and kind. You see him buy insurance from Ned Ryerson, change a tire for old ladies, saves the President of the “Inner Circle” (played by Murray’s brother Brian Doyle Murray), and more. Eventually, Phil begins experiencing love for his neighbors and is ultimately saved by his producer, Rita.
Since we are stuck in our own Groundhog Day (or week) of this pandemic, maybe we should skip the carnal phase (this probably is why many of us have put on the COVID-19) and move to the loving neighbor phase. Start doing random acts of kindness and love to everyone.
I promise you that you will eventually wake to a new day where there are no more masks, and you can shake a hand or hug someone. The church will be full again, and you will hang out with family and friends in person rather than on Zoom.
“Behold, I am making all things new.”
Revelation 21:5
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