Ora et labora
Prayer and work seem to be walking hand in hand these days
Sand for the scratch coat.
Removal of lots of soil under the oldest part of our campus for installing mini-split HVAC, quieter and much more efficient (and hidden).
Carpenters cutting and installing the new raised prayer ceiling in the “All Saints Prayer Chapel” in the steeple. The beams and wood will be very similar to the beautiful roof in the sanctuary and old prayer chapel (new sacristy).
Brown coat (second layer in stucco process)
Beautiful beams in the new “All Saints Prayer Chapel.”
I imagine many years ahead of daily prayer gatherings, personal prayer appointments, space for personal devotion and intercession. The vision is to be images that remind us that we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses as we lift up our heads to the beauty of the Lord—surrounded by angels and archangels and the saints in heaven and earth.
The south side of the Alpha House (youth ministry space 1st floor/outside and ministry residence upstairs) foundation is being replaced.
Preparing for new foundation and slab on the first floor of the Alpha House.
The San Pedro Prayer Center (located at Trinity East) hosted us pastors today. Wow. Hospitable. Refreshing worship and prayers of blessing over the churches and pastors of San Pedro. Also, yummy lasagne from Sorrento’s! As I walked into the room I thought, “He brought me to his banqueting table—his banner over me is love.” This was healing, as there has been so much news that grieves the Lord of the Church these days. I realize how much grief I am carrying from watching pastoral colleagues come and go. So many have served faithfully and finished well. Others seem to slip away because of shame or sin. Others have gone before us to the presence of the Lord. Esther de Waal has a lovely quote about Benedict’s novel vow:
“Among St. Benedict’s favorite words are perseverance, steadfastness, and patience, words that come so often in the Psalms and which really amount to committing ourselves to holding on against all odds. Here another Benedictine vow comes into play. St. Benedict is the master of paradox, and if he tells us to move on he also tells us to stand still. Stability, from the Latin word meaning to stand, means staying still, remaining firm, not necessarily in a geographic sense, but in a more fundamental sense of the interior holding firm, refusing to run away, recognizing that we are in this for the long haul and that we will stick it out to the end. (de Waal, Seeking God. 22)
So, a word to my own soul, and maybe yours, “Interior, hold firm. Refuse to run away. Recognize you are in this for the long haul. Stick it out to the end.” And, look around for a few others who are also stability people.
In all the changes of construction, deconstruction, jackhammering, rebar placing, scratch coats, out in plain view, and behind the scenes, God is doing a stabilizing work here and now. Not just on the Trinity campus, but in us. Stability. Ora and labora. Prayer and work.