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May 30 - June 9, 2025
These tiny moments of beauty in our days train us in the habits of adoration and discernment. And the pleasure and sensuousness of our gathered worship teach us to look for and receive these small moments in our days. Together, they train us in the art of noticing and of reveling in God’s goodness and artistry.
These moments of loveliness—good tea, bare trees, and soft shadows—are church bells. In my dimness, they jolt me to attention, and remind me that Christ is in our midst.
A decent indicator of what we love is that for which we willingly give up sleep. I
Honestly a simple gauge
My disordered sleep reveals a disordered love, idols of entertainment or productivity.
my habits reveal and shape what I love and what I value, whether I care to admit it or not.
“Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep” (Ps 127:1-2).
Our need for sleep reveals that we have limits. We are unable to defend ourselves, to keep ourselves safe, to master the world around us. Sleep exposes reality. We are frail and weak. We need a guide and a guard.
in facing the reality of death, we learn how to live rightly. We learn how to live in light of our limits and the brevity of our lives.
If it is hard for us to believe that God is at work in us and in the world even while we sleep, it reveals who we truly think is the mover and maker of our lives and spiritual health.
God cares about sleep. One of my favorite moments in the Gospels is when Jesus conks out in the back of a boat in the middle of a storm. His sleep was theological, in that it displayed an unwavering trust in his Father. But let’s not forget that it was also an ordinary example of a tired man taking a nap. God wants to give us not just lives of holiness and prayer but also of sufficient rest. And perhaps a key step toward a life of prayer and holiness is simply receiving the gift of a good night’s sleep.
What practices might help you recall in your first waking moments that you are beloved and a part of God’s people?
How might you cultivate practices of stillness in your own life?
Write down one concrete way to care for your body. Reflect on or journal about the ways caring for your body impacts your life in Christ.
When you encounter sin in your day, specifically confess it to God and then pray this prayer or a similar one. Remind yourself aloud of God’s mercy and forgiveness.
