In today’s epistle passage, we hear: “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.” We know God is always near—nearer than our very breath—but if we want to be aware of that nearness, that Presence, we need to make time to spend with the Holy One, to develop our relationship with God, to learn to recognize the signs of God’s presence in our lives here and now.

Each of us likely draws near to God in different ways at different times. For some, participating in the Church’s worship services opens them to the divine Presence, especially consuming the body and blood of Christ in Eucharist. For others, it may be a daily spiritual practice that enables them to be aware of God’s presence. Month by month, for the past five years, folks at Trinity have been sharing their personal spiritual practices in the Bay View. Some traditional, some unique, all with the intent to be open and accepting of God’s presence and action in their lives. Still others, taking a leaf from James’ epistle elsewhere (1:22), trust God’s nearness as they become “doers of the Word” living out Jesus’ call to feed the hungry, satisfy the thirsty, welcome the stranger, clothe the naked, heal the sick, visit the prisoner (Mt.25:35-40) as a way of serving Christ and loving others in his name.

It doesn’t matter how we choose to draw near to God, just that we do, that we welcome the Beloved into our hearts and minds and give thanks for all the ways that God manifests the divine Presence in our lives day by day.