Remembering: Seeing Sacred in the Ordinary

Saturday morning, around the breakfast table, I sat with a neighbor and told stories about someone we both knew. He was a man full of beauty and struggle. He had lived without stable housing for a long time, survived being hit by a car, experienced seasons of healing, and even more seasons of deep hardship.

The neighbor spoke with tenderness, telling stories of care and connection. Their bond was so strong that on occasion she would go out in the middle of the night to check on him, and other times gave rides, or brought food.  She showed up with love and compassion, over and over again, even caring for his family after his death.

I shared how our relationship with him at Tabernacle had also shaped us. During the pandemic, it was his presence that compelled us to open the showers to neighbors—even when the rest of the building remained closed. I still hear his voice in my mind, surprised when someone called him by name: “You know my name!” Such a simple, sacred moment. And finally, I told the neighbor about his last morning. He took a hot shower, pulled on a pair of corduroy pants he had asked for, and with the biggest smile, said he felt like a new man. Later that week, I stood with his family on the sidewalk of Meadow Street, and we mourned together.

As we remembered, I realized how holy it all was. The care offered through car rides, kitchen tables and church showers, the calls made in the middle of the night, the love shared between neighbors—these are glimpses of the kingdom of God. This remembering reminds me that kingdom work isn’t confined to institutions. It’s found in the ordinary, sacred moments of life.

I am a different person because I knew him. I caught a glimpse of Jesus in him. And I believe the neighbor would say the same. 

Who is someone whose presence—however brief or complicated—has helped you have a glimpse of Jesus?

God of sacred moments,

Help us see you—

in our neighbors, in shared stories,

in acts of care.

Help us to not miss the holiness

hidden in the ordinary.

Amen.