December 11
One thing I asked of the Lord; this I seek:to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord, and to seek him in his temple.
Psalm 27:4 (NIV)
Yes, I mixed those two words from a familiar carol, I Wonder as I Wander… because my life has gone in both directions. There have been seasons of great wonder, beginning as a small child. Growing up, I went to church with friends and especially loved it at Christmas, all the beauty and the music and especially the creche in the narthex. I couldn’t keep my child-like wonder from rising within me as I gazed in the stable with Baby Jesus in the manger. I could imagine myself in the back, playing with the animals while the Holy Infant giggled and cooed while his parents tended him.
The fascination with creches didn’t stop as I collected them from various parts of the world. O the wonder of it all!
But there were seasons where I wandered, easing away from church and from my faith, when lures of the world seemed much more enticing.
Yet as a newlywed, we traveled the globe and lived in several exotic places. But it was in Venezuela where my heart soared once more with wonder. My “wanderings” landed me in a small church where beauty and community and a sense of the glory of God capture, rather re-captured me. For that I’ll be ever grateful.
That soaring has not ceased as I now revel in the glory of God with my Westminster family. The words of this Psalm speak the truth of my life today.
Jan Parker
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