God Too Resides

Every Sunday afternoon I have found myself in a tradition of preparing my home for the week to come. The tradition of preparation takes shape in different forms and is dependent upon the week that has just gone before. One Sunday I may find myself in a cycle of deep cleaning each space. Some Sundays I may simply tidy and rest items back in their respective homes. Yet others I find myself on a constant rotation of laundry from the wash, to the line, to the corners of home where they can be found to do their job again the next week. Although Sundays may look different, the tradition that holds true is the work of preparation for all that is about to take place in what I deem as a sacred space. From dinner around the table with family and friends, to fire pit gatherings in the backyard, to changing the guest sheets in anticipation for the love and laughter about to dwell within the walls, God too resides in my home. Sacred is my home, because God too resides amongst the stories proclaimed, the meals shared, and the tears shed.

God lives, moves, and breathes in the spaces that we inhabit and the people that we welcome in. I prepare my home for the activities of the week as I also prepare to watch how God’s work unfolds within the walls of the home that I am cultivating. God is in the gratitude that I feel every time I open the door. It is a gift to walk into my home. God is in the thanksgiving I proclaim when friends bring the walls to life with their presence. God is in the abundance that I feel as I move through each room every day staring at the food in the fridge, the clothes in the closet, and the water that rushes from the shower head. The intentionality of my Sunday tradition to prepare my home is also a welcoming and ushering in of God’s Spirit to reside alongside what I have planned in my ordinary life. God, may I always see your abundance, may I always live in gratitude, and may I always make room for thanksgiving of these your gifts. My home is the place in which I live my faith in the welcome of my guests, shared food around my common table, and tender care of the ones I love the deepest. In these ordinary moments that make up the ordinary days, God too resides.

 With the upcoming arrival of February, we move into the Family, Friends, and Home brick of our Brick and Mortar focus for the year. There will be beautiful opportunities for you to pause, pray, and practice seeing the work of God in the places you call home and the ordinary moments you spend with your family and friends. I invite you on this journey of seeing where and how God too resides in your home. Where do you witness the holy work of our God influencing how you love those closest to you? How is your faith in God influencing the life that you are cultivating in the personal yet sacred space of home? When you are around your family and friends, when you are in the places and spaces you call home, I invite you to pause and reflect on the movement of God in the ordinary.

Rev. Haley