Advent 12/14/22 Sacred Space

All Around Us Wednesday, December 14

Psalm 84:1-7 (NRSV)

How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD of hosts!
My soul longs, indeed it faints, for the courts of the LORD;
my heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God.
Even the sparrow finds a home and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may lay her young, at your altars, O LORD of hosts,
my King and my God.
 
Happy are those who live in your house, ever singing your praise. Selah
Happy are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion. As they go through the valley of Baca, they make it a place of springs;
the early rain also covers it with pools.
They go from strength to strength; the God of gods will be seen in Zion.
 
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Today’s psalm is rejoicing in the Lord’s dwelling place. Where God lives. Where everything is holy. Where there is beauty. Where there is joy. Where there is peace. Sounds great, doesn’t it? Surely the Lord dwells on this Earth too, but at times I find this image of his dwelling place hard to imagine. Where in this world is holy? Where in this world is beauty? Where in this world is joy? Where in this world is peace? God knows the challenges that we face in this world today and how much we LONG for “the courts of the Lord.”

When was the last time you had a smile on your face that you couldn’t control? You probably didn’t even realize you were smiling. Maybe you took a deep sigh of content. Perhaps you took a “mental picture” so you wouldn’t ever forget where you were. THERE is God’s dwelling place.

Have you ever watched an animal busily looking for food, building a home or caring for their young? They find all that they need and usually make playful noises with each other while they complete their tasks. THERE is God’s dwelling place.

God’s dwelling place IS all around us. The Holiness. The Beauty. The Joy. The Peace. But in order to see them, we need to stop the busyness & worry long enough to look around. Challenge yourself to be in the present today and praise God for allowing us to live where the Lord dwells.

-Andrea Kuehne