Beyond Coincidence

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http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/031218.cfm
Isaiah 65:17-21
John 4:43-54

I’ve always been a bit of a night owl and would find something to occupy my evenings after my wife went to bed at what most would consider a more reasonable time.  Her bedtime has always been close to 10:30PM.  I stay up until 2:00AM most nights.  I might watch TV, read, play with toys, surf the internet, do some woodworking, plan the next scouting event, or engage in any of another couple dozen interests. 

There was nothing particularly remarkable about Wednesday, May 2, 2007 except that as the clock snuck up on the noon of the night, I was overcome with a great feeling of being very tired.  I got ready for bed and crawled under the covers at midnight, remarkable only because, well, it wasn’t 2AM yet.

It was a bit after four o’clock in the morning in Nigeria when we were awakened by a phone call.  The phone was on my wife’s side of the bed.  She answered it in a bit of a sleep-induced mental fog.  It took a few seconds for her to figure out that the call was for me.  “It’s your brother” she said, handing me the phone.

“Steve, this is Dave” he started.  “This is the phone call I was hoping I would not  have to make.”

I knew what he was going to say next..  My dad had passed away that evening.  It wasn’t unexpected.  He had been dealing with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis for almost 2 years, and his body finally gave in to the stress.  Pulmonary fibrosis is the progressive hardening of the lungs and the idiopathic part is a medical term meaning we have no idea what the cause is.  He was lucky enough to live within driving distance of the Mayo Clinic, where he was able to be diagnosed and admitted to an experimental treatment program.  He was lucky enough to be receiving the “real” medication and not a placebo.  Unfortunately, the treatment proved to be ineffective in slowing the deterioration of his lungs.

Dave had already spoken to our stepmom, Louise, and was going to head to Minneapolis the next day.  I said we would make arrangements to head to Minneapolis as well and swapped “love you’s”, and hung up the phone.

As I sat on the edge of the bed, I felt sad, numb, apprehensive, but wide awake now.  There would be so much to do to get out of town.  At that time you could schedule a flight online, but you still had to show up at the airline’s office with cash to pay for the tickets.  Credit cards were not an option in Nigeria.  

The flights to the United States usually left the Lagos airport in the evening, so we spent the day getting the tickets, requesting a spot on the airport bus, and taking care of all the loose ends that happen when you’re called away in an emergency. It took an hour to get to the airport, a couple hours to take care of baggage and security, and another 21 hours or so to make the trip, including a change of planes in Amsterdam.

We finally touched down at the Minneapolis airport, collected our bags, picked up the rental car, and drove to Dad and Louise’s house in Brooklyn Park.  Louise greeted us at the door, and welcomed us in.  She was always a gracious hostess, and this time was no exception.  After a short update on what was going to happen when, we had a chance to all sit down.  “So, what happened?”, I asked.  

Louise said it was 6:00pm when she heard Dad calling from the bathroom.  “I can’t move” he said, as he braced himself with his arms on the sink.  Louise got to the bathroom door in time to see Dad fall to the floor.  Louise tried to move him, to see if she could help.  No response.  She ran next door and her neighbor, Sherrod, returned with her.  “I’m afraid he has passed” Sherrod said.  911 was called and when emergency services where on the way, Louise thanked Sherrod and said that he could go home.  “I will not leave Dean alone on the floor” Sherrod said, as he sat down next to Dad’s body. My eyes teared up.

Sherrod stayed until Dad was placed on an ambulance stretcher and transported to the hospital.  The medical examiner determined that Dad had had a massive heart attack, probably because it was working overtime to compensate for the reduced functioning of his lungs.  Dad died before he hit the floor.

Louise seemed to find peace while telling the story.  Wiping my eyes, I thought about what I was doing the moment he passed away.  Lagos is six hours ahead of Minneapolis time, so it was midnight when Dad fell to the floor… exactly the time I went to bed THAT NIGHT ONLY!!

Was I touched by the hand of God?  Why did I go to bed early?  If you had been there when I was brushing my teeth just before midnight, I would have told you that I felt tired and could not focus on any of the many distractions I had around me.  Perhaps I was being sent to bed early so that I would be better rested for the as-of-yet unplanned trip.  Maybe it was meant to be a sign that the Lord was at that very moment receiving my dad into heaven.  I honestly don’t know, but it was more than just coincidence.

Psychologists call this “synchronicity”. Synchronicity is a concept, first introduced by analytical psychologist Carl Jung, which holds that events are "meaningful coincidences" if they occur with no causal relationship yet seem to be meaningfully related.

In today’s Gospel reading, we hear the story of the healing of the royal officer’s son.  The royal officer has traveled from his home in Capernaum to Cana, about 20 miles, because he had heard that Jesus was there.  He appears to be a man who respects Jesus’ abilities to cure the sick, even those near death like his son.  When asked to come to the boy’s side to cure him, Jesus, apparently addressing the crowd, says “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will not believe.”  This seems to be a rebuke of the whole crowd for wanting to witness a miracle up close and in person.

The royal officer still has faith in Jesus, again asking him to come soon so that his son may be saved.  Jesus recognizes the faith that the officer has and says, “You may go; your son will live.” We are told that the man believed Jesus and left.

It took the royal officer until the next day to return close to home.  His slaves met him before he got home and said that the boy would live.  When did this happen, the officer asked.  About one yesterday afternoon came the reply.  The officer recalled that was the same moment that Jesus had said to him “your son will live.”  In this case, Jesus was able to cure at a distance (a “meaningful coincidence”) with no apparent direct action on his part. Yet the assertion the “Your son will live” and the end of the boy’s deadly fever happened AT THE SAME TIME!  

A psychologist would also call this a synchronicity.  John called this a sign.  We might call it the work of the Lord.

Is this the way that God speaks to us?  I believe it is one of many ways.  Why did He speak to me that way?  Perhaps it was so I could share this story with you that you might see it as a sign and believe.