Thursday, July 3

By John Bonney of Springfield, Oregon, USA

Collectively and individually, you are loved with an everlasting love that delights in each faithful step taken. God yearns to draw you close so that wounds may be healed, emptiness filled, and hope strengthened.

—Doctrine and Covenants 163:10a

As I stood before my congregation to pray, the Spirit swept over me, and I shared it as best I could. Whenever I face the people in any congregation, I become aware of that holy presence, love, and goodwill carried in the people.

That presence is constant. It is a part of the condition wherever we are. It is grace. It is blessing. It is fabric and foundation of creation. No wonder theologian Paul Tillich called it the “Ground of all being.”

The Spirit is so much a part of us that we often don’t pay attention to its omnipresence. Perhaps we become insensitive to that eternal constancy. It’s like not paying attention to our breathing, our sense of sound, or touch. It is just there. However, sometimes our awareness, our spiritual sensitivity, shifts to another level, and that eternal presence makes itself keenly known.

I talked to a young man not long ago who had such an experience when he was singing a song for church. He sat down later and wept, struggling with what had happened to him. I shared with him as we talked about his experience. As human “becomings,” our response to that greater spiritual sensitivity in us is emotional—often shed in tears. We simply do not know what else to do with it. It is hard to express.

The late apostle, Gene Austin, used to say that he laughs at odd times because otherwise he would cry. I know what he meant. I stand and look into the faces of the people. The sense of their vulnerability brings tears. The awareness of the burdens and the issues they carry brings tears. The vast love that is a gift for them to claim from the depths of creation brings tears.

I want to reach out and surround them in an embrace that expresses that love. I think, “Oh, if I only had such arms!” We struggle. We pray. We sense the presence of the Divine. We continue to become.

Prayer for Peace Ever-present God, forgive us when we lose sight of you. When we don’t hear you, help us refocus and shed the din of our busy lives, even as we shed our tears. Help us be at peace.

Spiritual Practice: Continuing Revelation One Enduring Principle of Community of Christ is Continuing Revelation. We are a people always “becoming,” always changing as God shapes us. In prayer, listen deeply to the name, “Community of Christ.” Write or say a prayer asking God to continue to form us through our name. Listen deeply to what it would mean to live in community, following and sharing the way of Christ.

Peace Covenant Today, God, I will take each step, knowing you are with me.