We have begun our summer journey that will take us from Yoga to Crossfit, Baseball to Knitting, Picnics to Movies! There will be space for play and time for prayer. We hope to rest in the assurance of God’s dynamic presence while we seek to identify the way in which God’s Grace comes to us. By focusing on Grace all Summer Long we intend to practice “noticing and naming” the ways Grace appears so that we will improve our skills in this area. We will also pair a scripture passage with our weekly topic.
This week our worship will be grounded in Psalm 30 and the Practice of Knitting.
“Psalm 30 is…an affirmation of both God’s life-giving power and life as God’s good gift. In a real sense, the psalmist’s deliverance is not so much from physical sickness to physical health as it is from a deadly misunderstanding of human security to a lively awareness of God’s presence in all of life. This awareness engenders thanks, praise, and dancing….Clothed with joy and giving thanks to God forever, the psalmists’ whole life becomes praise.” (New Interpreter’s Bible. vol IV pp 797.)
Knitting is a historic activity that has occupied the hands of generations of men and women. Some knitting is decorative, much knitting is functional, all of it is creative in terms of the many choices one has before them as they begin every project. It all starts with one simple loop and grows from that point. There are personality enhancing qualities to knitting that many people are unaware of such as… “with knitting, people can suddenly do things they could do before. They can wait in line without becoming important. They can sit through a grade-school concert with a smile. They can handle long meetings and lectures, all without bothering other people or pacing around like lunatics….”(from Knitting Rules! by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, p 11).
What is something that you do which allows you to remain calm? What is something that you do which keeps your focus from straying or your impatience at bay? From Psalm 30 we know that awareness and presence is required to understand God’s love for us. When we allow that love into our life we may be moved to celebrate in many ways. While the psalmist’s praise involves dancing and thanks….ours may look different. When was a recent time in which you actually noticed God’s presence? Was this something that you shared with another person? What did that look like?
This week look for God everyday and to record your findings. At the end of the week, review the list and see if there is reason for joy and giving thanks that you might offer to God in prayer.
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