Watching over me...

The acolytes here at Grace recently picked up some new duties. Because of a renovation to the sanctuary, they’re now charged with ringing the bell right before worship and during the Lord’s Prayer. The organist can no longer reach the ringer-thingy (I’m pretty sure that’s the technical term) from where he sits. So…it’s the acolytes to the rescue.

It’s not a huge deal really. The instructions are posted right there on the ringer-thingy and are easy to follow. But the acolytes are 7th and 8th graders…which means that they’re freaking out about this. The reason? Everybody is watching them! The fact that they’re tucked back into a corner where almost no one can see them doesn’t seem to have registered. Not to mention: the congregation is engaged in prayer when the youngsters doing their bell-ringing best. For most of us rather traditional Lutherans that means eyes closed, hands folded, and heads bowed. We’re not looking at acolytes. But when you’re that age, the mere probability that someone might be looking at you (seeing as how you are the center of the universe) makes it a terrifying reality.

So…dear acolytes…are you ready for this?

There is One who is watching. That One sees them (and all of us) to a depth no wall or alb or mask can prevent. That One sees our anxieties and our fears, our deepest desires and our greatest joys. That One knows already how our sins defeat us, how our faith buoys us, and how His own mercy saves us. Like a parent who stands over a child’s bed just for the joy of watching her little one breathe and sleep, that One watches over us in love…in every place…all the time.

Maybe that seems creepy when you’re in middle school. That will change. Someday…soon, I hope…you will know what a comfort it is to confess that “someone is watching over me.”