Lent day 15: open
Psalm 63:1-8
O God, you are my God, I seek you, my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
2So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory.
3Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you.
4So I will bless you as long as I live; I will lift up my hands and call on your name.
5My soul is satisfied as with a rich feast, and my mouth praises you with joyful lips
6when I think of you on my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night;
7for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I sing for joy.
8My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.
Someone said the other day that the word "worship" contains two words -- praise and service. Being fed and feeding others.
I think it was Billy Graham who made the point that we lift up two hands so that we can reach to God with one and reach out to others with the second.
My prayer today is that praise and service live together in worship.
About a year ago, I went to see Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at MMS. I was there to see a boy, who is like another son to me, perform, and his family made a great fuss of getting me a second row aisle seat, getting in early, etc., since this was my first outing since chemo began.
ReplyDeleteI was pleased to be out among people, and it was exciting to see my "bonus kid" perform. But at intermission, a girl I've known since she was in Kindergarten didn't recognize me. Then, as I turned away, she and friends made a joke about my bald head (barely visible, but lack of eyebrows, etc was visible),and I was devastated.
What eased the sting was, in fact, seeing MaryJane and her kids at that show and her telling me I looked good and how happy she was to see me. I also sat thru the second half and tried to hold onto the feeling of being special to those who (literally) surrounded me in the audience, my kids, my friends, their kids. When their 16yo daughter hugged me in front of the entire audience, I felt doubly grateful for her sincere love and its most public expression.
I think of this during Lent because it reminds me that we see ourselves reflected in the eyes of others, and that makes us vulnerable (and human). No wonder we long for God's love.
As we make art this season, I'm thinking about appearances. I'm trying to look at people as God sees them, by imagining they are my friends. For, in my experience recently, one of the most vivid expressions of God's kindness comes thru help from friends.