Ordinary Time
O God,
let something essential and joyful happen in me now,
something like the blooming of hope and faith,
like a grateful heart,
like a surge of awareness
of how precious each moment is,
that now, not next time,
now is the occasion
to take off my shoes
to see every bush afire,
to leap and whirl with neighbor,
to gulp the air as sweet wine…
Ted Loder in Guerrillas of Grace (1981)
As the two men were about to leave Jesus, Peter said to him, “Master, it’s good that we’re here. We should construct three shrines: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah”—but he didn’t know what he was saying. Peter was still speaking when a cloud overshadowed them. As they entered the cloud, they were overcome with awe.
Luke 9:33-34
I have a friend whose favorite team recently won a championship. It had been a while since it had happened. He confessed that he went out and bought all the swag they had. I’m imagining sweatshirts, window shades, car plates, pieces of the playing field, signed equipment, dog treats, soft drinks. When good things happen, sometimes, we want all the swag that remind us of those things.
Just after Moses and Elijah have gone from the scene, Peter makes a proposition: Build up three places to help us remember what has happened. If the cloud had not rolled in and God’s voice had not spoken, they might have done it. It can be difficult sometimes to not want to just stay in the high moments with God instead of coming down into our normal lives having been changed forever by them.
We must be careful because if we build these memorials, we are tempted to spend more time remembering “that one time” that God showed up instead of inviting God to do it again.
Byron Vance
Help me, Lord, to celebrate the times when you have revealed yourself in the world and in my life.
I pray that, even as I celebrate, you would send me back into the world changed by my encounter with you.
Amen.
Go into this day
with all your senses tuned
to experience glimpses of God’s glory
in your every day.