WEDNESDAY, August 19

Some years ago I was at a Sunday morning eucharist at a great cathedral in a large and diverse metropolis. The liturgy was grand and glorious, everything one might expect from the best of the Anglican tradition. The building itself was a vast and mysterious expression of holy awe. Clouds of incense ascended toward a vaulted ceiling that was lost in darkness. The magnificent organ and choir filled the space with a spectacular harmony. But it was the congregation that moved me most.

There they were, all sorts and conditions of humanity: the well-dressed and well-fed along with and the homeless and hungry, an amazing variety of races and ethnic traditions all speaking with different accents, young and old and everything in between. During the Prayers of the People, which lasted for some time, spontaneous thanks were offered for a recent release from the local psychiatric hospital as well as for the recovery of a beloved pet.

Caesar got to have his likeness stamped on money. We, all of us together, bear the likeness of God. There's what passes for value and there's real, eternal value.

PRAY for the Diocese of Saskatchewan (Rupert's Land, Canada)

Ps 119:145-176 * 128, 129, 130; 2 Samuel 18:19-33; Acts 23:23-35