Week of 7 Easter, Year Two
[Go to Mission St Clare for an online version of the Daily Office including today’s scripture readings.]
Today’s Readings for the Daily Office:
Psalms 101, 109:1-4(5-19)20-30 (morning) // 119:121-144 (evening)
Isaiah 4:2-6
Ephesians 4:1-16
Matthew 8:28-34
Reading today’s brief and beautiful prophecy from Isaiah is like packing an umbrella: Whatever the day may bring, at least we’re somewhat prepared. In the last few verses of the passage, God promises that over the site where God’s people and God’s glory dwell, “there will be a canopy.”
Like an umbrella, the canopy described in the last few verses of this passage leaves us open to the world around us, but without over-exposing us to the elements. This light, portable, semi-permeable shelter serves us as “a shade by day from the heat, and a refuge and a shelter from the storm and rain.”
What climates and events are we likely to face today? Excessive pressure? Heated anger? Some kind of dreary drizzle? Whatever we face, it’s worth pausing to ask God to spread a canopy above us, to construct a pavilion between us and the sky, to hover over us and hold our hand like an umbrella. Between us and whatever it is that heats us up or rains down on our heads, may we find the thin layer of God’s love.
Lora Walsh blogs about taking risks and seeking grace at A Daily Scandal. She serves as Priest Associate of Grace Episcopal Church in Siloam Springs and assists with adult formation and campus ministry at St. Paul’s in Fayetteville, Arkansas.