Worship, in all of its states and ways, serves to open our hearts to our true home, our hearts to our true selves and will always work to infuse this world with the incredible beauty of living with God. If our worship is a clear seeing, a window cleared of fog, just for a moment, then these are my calls to worship in this season.
Marilyn Robinson’s novel, Gilead, has been one of the great surprises and gifts in this season. How have I not read this before? I am more whole for reading it.
“It has seemed to me sometimes as though the Lord breathes on this poor gray ember of Creation and it turns to radiance – for a moment or a year or the span of a life. And then it sinks back into itself again, and to look at it no one would know it had anything to do with fire, or light …. Wherever you turn your eyes the world can shine like transfiguration. You don’t have to bring a thing to it except a little willingness to see. Only, who could have the courage to see it? …. Theologians talk about a prevenient grace that precedes grace itself and allows us to accept it. I think there must also be a prevenient courage that allows us to be brave – that is, to acknowledge that there is more beauty than our eyes can bear, that precious things have been put into our hands and to do nothing to honor them is to do great harm.”
― Marilynne Robinson, Gilead
And this Decemberists song. I can’t get it out of my head. We sing it at church because God’s truth oozes from its words. “If I am waiting, should I be waiting? If I am wanting should I be wanting? When it’s all around me.” This song calls me to the clear seeing, the right direction of my gaze that I am longing for, waiting and wanting for. To the truth that is already and always there. That God may give me the courage to know.
A Beginning Song, The Decemberists
Let’s commence to coordinate our sights
And get them square to rights
(Get them square to rights)
Condescend to calm this riot in your mind
Find yourself in time
(Find yourself in time)
If I am waiting, should I be waiting?
If I am wanting, should I be wanting?
And all around me
(All around me)
Document the world inside this skin
The tenor of your shins
The timbre of your limbs
Now commence to kick each brick apart
To center on your heart
Starting with your heart (bright heart)
If I am waiting, should I be waiting?
If I am wanting, should I be wanting?
And all around me
(All around me)
It’s the sunlight, it’s the shadow.
It’s the quiet, it’s the word.
It’s the beating heart. It’s the ocean. It’s the boys.
It’s you, my sweet love (my sweet love)
Oh, my love (oh my love)
And the light, bright light
And the light, bright light
Bright light, bright light
It’s all around me
It’s all around me
It’s all around me
God grant us eyes to see, ears to hear, the work you are always doing–bringing this world, this creation, us, back together, back to you. And may our participation in it, our delight in it, our pointing to it, our honouring of it be among the acts of incarnation you are eternally about, thatyou are always and forever doing. Your work in your world, your work in ourselves. Its all around us, breathed into, offered up.
jacquimignault 
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