Shekinah

“It is usually understood as a light-disseminating presence, bringing an awareness of God to a time and place where God is not expected to be - a place. It’s not a public spectacle but more like a selective showing at God’s discretion to encourage or affirm, to reveal a reality of something that we do not yet have eyes to see.” 

The Pastor: Eugene Peterson

I give tours of our space down at Hope Street weekly, sometimes daily. Each time I get to share the story of how we took a building in pretty rough shape and restored it, saving the charm and giving people a space that is good. I particularly enjoy the part in the story where I get to share the basement space was part of my vision to create spaces for our men, women and children - with the hope of having it not feel like a basement anymore. But all that vision came after a moment. I remember walking downstairs into the prayer room for the first time. I walked into a room of people that I didn’t know (which is scary for me, no matter where I am) and feltsomething different.

I couldn’t find the right words at the time, however, as I have recently dived into The Pastor by Eugene Peterson - the words came jumping off the page...26th & Capitol isn’t a place I expected God to be.  I am not sure why, maybe it’s because I hadn’t been to many places at that point in my life where the presence of God was felt. It was a simple morning, filled with simple moments that if you had an alternative motive you would miss. Lots of moments at Hope Street are like that. I can now say part of why I love (and I think many others too) being at Hope Street is the lingering Glory of our Father that speaks to us, encourages us, convicts us, but most of all loves us. 

The beautiful part? Our space is good, because His Glory resides there. We have experienced His Shekinah and in it’s wakes we experience the peace, the joy, the goodness, and the transformation that takes place when unified under Christ. 

Father, thank you. There are no words to express our gratefulness for the ways you invite us in to experience your glory. Thank you for being present at Hope Street. Please continue to reveal yourself in your own unique ways as people come in skeptical. Give us eyes that see and ears that hear from you. Help us to not lean on our own understanding but in all our ways acknowledge you….and Father help us embrace the mystery and to love the journey that is our faith in you. 

Amen, Ash