Tuesday of the Second Week of Advent
Lord, I love the house in which you dwell
and the place where your glory abides. Psalm 26:8
The phone rings just before my alarm goes off. A recorded message informs me the schools are closed—a storm is on its way. I look out my window, but there is no snow yet. I get up, make my tea, and settle in to pray. Already I am more relaxed in my prayer because there will be no morning bustle. Today will be a day at home.
Just outside my consciousness, I hear it. A subtle change in the sound of the traffic moving by my house. And sure enough, right on cue, the snow has begun.
I offer thanks for the sanctuary of my house, a place to pray, to write, to work, to praise God. And I am mindful of other homes that have recently ministered to me with occasions of hospitality. Lunch with a friend, as we lingered at her table drinking tea and savoring a friendship that has carried us through years and cares and joys. Thanksgiving at my parents’ house, though not the one in which I grew up, nevertheless containing the balm of familiar books and practices. Conversation with a mentor, as I sat on her couch absorbing words of challenge, comfort, and gentle wisdom. God dwells in the tent of all these encounters.
The sun rises, the snow continues to fall, and in my house God’s glory wraps me in the sureness of love.
Copyright Anne E. Kitch 2013
