Ordinary Time

Pause

Jesus, Light of the world, come and sit with me.

Shine your wisdom unto me.

Jesus, Light of my life, come and be still with me.

Direct me in your truth.

Listen

I have asked one thing from the Lord— it’s all I seek: to live in the Lord’s house all the days of my life, seeing the Lord’s beauty and constantly adoring his temple.

Because he will shelter me in his own dwelling during troubling times; he will hide me in a secret place in his own tent; he will set me up high, safe on a rock.

Psalm 27:4-5

Think

When there is trouble looming or milestones to be celebrated, my friends and I have a special go-to spot where we meet. We eat, share, sometimes cry, shout for glee or doom, and we hug with promises that the difficult times will pass. This is a special place because of the friendships around the table — friendships that have sustained us for exactly twenty years, with more years to come. When we are together we feel protected, loved, and assured that God’s love is endless indeed.

The psalmist in today’s passage imagines the Lord’s dwelling place as the most enviable of all places, a tent of beauty, protection, and comfort. There is no other place the psalmist would rather be than in the presence of the Lord. When reading this passage, I envision a tent so deep and wide that people of all nations, young and old, gather to find shelter and behold the beauty of God within one another. It’s a special place because of an incredibly special kind of Divine Love.

Aram Bae

Pray

God of comfort and delight, I thank you for your protection and shelter. Help me to behold the beauty of you in everyone I meet for they too are created in the image of God. In being with my neighbors near and far, remind me that I am with you. Amen.

Go

Christ my Redeemer, be alive and real in my life.

Christ my Friend, be near and true to your word.

Christ my Light, be honored in what I say and do.