Ordinary Time

Pause

"Joy is the simplest form of gratitude.”

Karl Barth, 20th-century theologian

Listen

Since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, this is the reason that I don’t stop giving thanks to God for you when I remember you in my prayers. I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, will give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation that makes God known to you.

Ephesians 1:15-17

Think

Celtic spiritual traditions affirm the existence of “thin places,” or places where the division between the material world and spiritual world is thin, places where we are able to connect with God in unusual ways.

It’s a cool idea, right? This notion that some places are not only special, but are also windows to another realm – it sounds like something out of A Wrinkle in Time!

And it’s true that we connect to God better at some times than others. It’s true that places of retreat feel more like holy ground than your desk in Algebra II does. But as Christians we affirm that God is everywhere. In theological terms, we say God is omnipresent (“in-all-ways present”). If that is true, then God is just as much present in your math class as your church sanctuary or your favorite spot in the woods.

The difference is not in the space, but in us. It is our openness to God’s presence that makes the difference, which is something we can pray for and work toward.

Caitlin Harper

Pray

O God of the whole universe,
There is no place anywhere
That is not full of your presence.
Give me a spirit of wisdom and revelation.
Make yourself known to me.
Amen.

Go

Knowing that the God who has authority over the whole universe made you and loves you, how will you celebrate this week?