Saturday, October 25, 2025
(click here to listen to or read today’s scriptures)
City of love
Brothers and sisters:
Now there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
For the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus
has freed you from the law of sin and death.
After getting my blood drawn at Christie Clinic I found stunning maple trees on display all over Urbana and photographed some of them against the big blue sky. October has come to central Illinois, in all its glory.
A 2025 addition to the news catchers in our university town calls itself “Smile Politely.” Its founder and publisher Seth, and prolific correspondent Amy are old friends. Seth created and continues to organize the annual Pygmalion festival of music and speakers. We spent two years with Amy at our spiritual director classes at Chiara Center in Springfield, a weekend every quarter with graduation at the end. Amy teaches creative writing and writes creatively herself, about countless events and musicians or actors coming to town. She also candidly reviews restaurants new and old.
Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.
The LORD’s are the earth and its fullness;
the world and those who dwell in it.
Like Margaret expressed aloud the other day, I’ve been on retreat. Half of this is easy to accomplish: sitting, walking, resting, napping, sitting some more. The other half requires a bit of content and a commitment to (for me) spiritual sitting, walking, resting, napping, and sitting some more. Henri Nouwen adds to this: “praying at all times, practicing lectio divina, breathing God’s breath each moment, hospitality, spiritual friendship, contemplative prayer, community forgiveness and the celebration of life.” Thus we move, he says, “gradually from the house of fear to the house of love.”
Houses of love line the streets of a city of love. At the clinic after I used the check-in screen and sat down to wait in line, even at 7:15 am, for my labs, I heard an older woman come over to our 7 am crowd and ask the earliest arrivals, “Did you use the screen to check in? If you don’t, you will have to wait for these other folks even if you got here first.”
“I don’t use computers,” the 77-year-old farmer guy said. A young woman sat next to him. They did not come together, though. “I can help you with that if you want,” she said.
She came early so she could get to work on time but still, she helped him put his name in before she did her own. “It’s nice to have young people, to have you, help me like this,” the old guy said. Later we took the elevator down together and he talked a moment about how much he had liked his job. all 38 years worth, but now he also likes getting to choose whether to work any given day, or retreat.
Retreat’s my word, not his. This weekend we’re in Springfield with Chris and Melissa’s family, watching Aly play basketball and visiting a couple of friends and my sweet sister Mary Kay. Before leaving we did some prep for my trip back to Austin on Wednesday (via an evening with friends in Tyler, Texas). Hopefully I’ll get there in time to welcome Miles, Jasper and Finn back from their trick-or-treating Friday night. Maybe even get a candy bar if they’re feeling generous.
Margaret flies back Saturday, and we’ll be back at our Grace church Sunday morning. I am happy to spend significant time in the two retreat centers of our lives. Austin and Urbana turn out to be two fine places to build houses of love and appreciate the houses of love around us.
Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.
We shall receive a blessing from the LORD,
a reward from God our savior.
Such is the race that seeks for him.
(Romans 8, Psalm 24, Ezekiel 33, Luke 13)
(posted at www.davesandel.net)
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