Sacred Ordinary

Scripture  

1 Kings 19:11–12 (NRSV)  

Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains  

and breaking rocks in pieces before the Lord,  

but the Lord was not in the wind;  

and after the wind an earthquake,  

but the Lord was not in the earthquake;  

and after the earthquake a fire,  

but the Lord was not in the fire;  

and after the fire a sound of sheer silence.

Refrain  

Every ordinary moment is touched by God.

Poem  

Mary Oliver, from Making the House Ready for the Lord  

Dear Lord, I have swept and I have washed but  

still nothing is as shining as it should be  

for you. Under the sink, for example, is an  

uproar of mice—it is the season of their  

many children. What shall I do? And under the eaves  

and through the walls the squirrels  

have gnawed their ragged entrances—but it is the season  

when they need shelter, so what shall I do?  

And the raccoon limps into the kitchen and opens the cupboard  

while the dog snores, the cat hugs the pillow;  

what shall I do? Beautiful is the new snow falling  

in the yard and the fox who is staring boldly  

up the path, to the door. And still I believe you will  

come, Lord: you will, when I speak to the fox,  

the sparrow, the lost dog, the shivering sea-goose, know  

that really I am speaking to you whenever I say,  

as I do all morning and afternoon: Come in, Come in.

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