Seek!

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Acts of the Apostles, Isaiah, presence of God, seek the Lord, St. Paul, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

The first line of the first reading in today’s lectionary texts (IS 55:6) begins with a very active imperative: “Seek the Lord while he may be found!” It’s as if the train is coming and we might miss it if we don’t hurry. Perhaps for you it may be reminiscent of the childhood game “Hide and Seek.” Looking everywhere to find our hidden playmates could sometimes take eons of time – but we rarely gave up and always celebrated the find! Are we willing to spend that kind of time and effort to recognize the presence of God today?.

Roc O’Connor of the Saint Louis Jesuits created a song with the perfect sense of urgency for this Scripture reading. Both the music and the vocals stir us and motivate us to “Seek the Lord while he may be found! Call to him while he is still near!” When I listen to that song I always feel compelled to sing, or drum with my hands on my knees for effect or get up and run out of the room searching…(Sorry…It’s a really good song!)

The ironic thing is that we don’t need to do any of those things once we realize as St. Paul did that “God is not far from any one of us. For in him we live and move and have our being.” (ACTS 17:28) All we need to do is quiet down and listen, or look around and see. God is waiting, wanting to be found.

Of Rocks and Sand

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Cape Cod, Isaiah, Jesus, Lord, Matthew, renovation, rock, sand, seek the Lord, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, trust in the Lord

When I’m lucky enough to spend time at my childhood vacation spot of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, I love to stand in the water to my ankles and feel the receding waves take the sand from around my feet. When the waves are very energetic, or when I have ventured a little farther into the sea, I am sometimes “upended” as the sand swirls around and away leaving my feet with nothing solid on which to balance.

This morning Matthew advises us to build our houses on rock rather than sand (MT 7:24-27) in order for the house to avoid destruction from wind and rain. The metaphor is clear but Isaiah deepens the meaning saying “The Lord is my rock…Trust in the Lord forever!” In this season of Advent, we might consider a slight renovation to our “house” – or maybe it’s time to wake up to the need for major overhaul! It’s a good time for it, says the gospel acclamation:

Seek the Lord while he may be found; call to him while he is near!