God is ever and always inviting us into the Divine Presence. We, however, tend to be slow to accept the invitation. We don’t notice it; we don’t recognize it; we ignore it; we think we have something better or more important to do; we’re just not ready to step into the mystery of the present moment.

Joshua, in our lesson from the Hebrew scriptures, calls the Israelites to “put away the foreign gods that are among you, and incline your hearts to the Lord.” That same message comes to us in today’s collect, to “purify ourselves as [Christ] is pure.” That’s how we ready ourselves to accept God’s invitation. We can do that symbolically as we walk the labyrinth, using the path to the center to let go of all the things we allow to separate us from the Holy One. As we enter the center and “incline our hearts to the Lord,” we receive the grace we need to respond to the invitation. Then, like the bridesmaids who were ready in Jesus’ parable, we go out rejoicing with Christ into the wedding banquet that awaits us.

The Presence of God comes to us where we are, as we are, in the present moment once we are ready to accept the invitation to be Love here and now.