Day Twenty-Two
Pastor Desireé Uhrich
First Lutheran Church
Bottineau, North Dakota
Psalm 80.1-7, 17-19
2 Samuel 7.1-17
Galatians 3.23-29
Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved. . .
These words are repeated by the Psalmist as a refrain, declaring the people’s dependence on God’s grace and mercy. These are words to stir the heart, make us remember our need for God. We are reminded most powerfully of our deep need during the times in our life when we experience pain, loss, and vulnerability. The elderly, in particular, often find themselves facing loss after painful loss – spouse, friends, home, and treasured possessions – all of the people and things that define us, eventually pared to bare necessity.
Restore us, O God of hosts; let your face shine, that we may be saved. . .
I lead worship once a month at a local nursing home. Donna is a resident there, an upbeat, friendly woman, quick with a smile and a hug. She is generous of heart. A few years ago, she decided to relearn the piano and began to accompany the elderly assembly as they sing the two or three hymns at the beginning of the service. She plays while another resident leads the singing at the microphone.
I love it when Donna selects a familiar hymn like Old Rugged Cross, and I can watch the residents close their eyes and sing from memory. Faces that were pinched before with pain or distress of some sort, are relaxed and peaceful as the hymn swells around us – not often smooth or polished, but always beautiful, in the way that faithful people singing together is beautiful. One of the reasons that I look forward to preaching and leading worship here is because I am so often reminded of God’s promises through the deep faith and gentle wisdom of the residents. A lot of life has been lived by them; a lot of pain has already been endured. And their human mortality is a daily reality. And yet, in them, I see a quiet hope and a calm certainty that because he lives, they too will live.
Restore us, O Lord God of hosts; let your face shine, that we may be saved. . .
One day, upbeat, cheerful Donna was subdued and quiet. She wasn’t playing with her usual enthusiasm. She sat listening to the sermon, seeming distracted and sad. I wondered what was going on. The gathered saints shared the meal, and it came time for the benediction, “The Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. . .” I noticed that Donna had her eyes closed and her head tilted back during the words of blessing. After the service, I like to go and shake hands with each person, and when I got to Donna, she said quietly to me, “That’s my favorite part.” “What is?” I asked. “Those last words you always say about God’s face shining on me. I always feel so good after I hear those words, like I’m remembered by God.” Not the hymns, or the meal, or the sermon – but the blessing of the Lord’s face shining on her – that’s the nourishment that Donna received, a remembering that made her feel a wholeness in that moment, a moment that captures the promise of the One who brings restoration and healing, the One we wait for in this season of Advent.
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Thank you God for your faithfulness. Thank you Lord Jesus for your promises. Thank you Holy Spirit for turning our hearts toward you. Amen
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