Palaces and Tents
by Katie Davis Crowder
On this final day of Advent, we hear David exclaim, “Here I am living in a house of cedar, while the ark of God dwells in a tent!”
On these frigid days in Chicago, with the longest nights of the year and Christmas spirit galore, I cannot help but translate the king’s concerned cry:
Here I am living in a house—
my own little tudor house—
of brick and warmth and color and light.
While the children of God dwell in tents
in Palestine,
in Sudan,
in Ukraine,
and within a mile of me.
God reiterates some promises today, not only in the reading from 2 Samuel, but in the psalm, the Alleluia verse, and the gospel from Luke as well. These passages remind us of God’s covenant with the people God loves, from Abraham to David to Jesus. I will abide with you, and you can make your home in me always, God says. All I ask? That you love me and love one another, especially my people most in need.
This is the Kingdom God intended. As Advent concludes and Christmas begins, may we remember that.
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