Liturgy: “Revered Mosquitoes”
The practice of reverence takes time. As New Yorkers, however, we move so quickly that our surroundings become blurred. Meanwhile, none of us meets the first criterion for reverence, which is to remember that we are not gods.
What is the King’s Liturgy? King’s Liturgy defines our experience together as a Christian community. It outlines the rhythms we celebrate with the Church at large: Scripture readings, Sabbath habits, and celebration of Holy Days and historical events.
This Week’s Lectionary Readings
Isaiah 5:1-7
Psalm 80:1-2, 8-18
Hebrews 11:29-12:2
Luke 12:49-56
This week’s liturgy is contributed by Eric Bennett, Vice President for Student Development:
Reverence takes many forms, depending on what awakens awe in you by reminding you of your true size. New York City is a great reminder of my finiteness because it’s full of things bigger and more powerful than me. Of course, size isn’t everything. For instance, a mosquito is capable of evoking reverence. See those legs thinner than a needle? Where in those legs is there room for knees? And yet see how they bend as the insect lowers herself to your flesh? Swat if you must, but not without telling her she is beautiful first.
The easiest practice of reverence I know is simply to sit down somewhere, preferably by the New York Bay, and pay attention for twenty minutes. Don’t worry about the whole world; take the three square feet of earth on which you are sitting, paying close attention to everything that lives within that small estate. With any luck, you will soon begin to see holiness in pebbles, ants, and grass.
Kingsians don’t have time for this, of course. We can’t be bothered to recline on the roof of our building to stare at the moon, to see the soul of a quiet classmate, or to wonder how a mosquito came to be. The artist Georgia O’Keeffe, who became famous for her sensuous paintings of flowers, explained her success by saying, “In a way, nobody sees a flower, really, it is so small, we haven’t time – and to see takes time, like to have a friend takes time.”
The practice of reverence takes time. As New Yorkers, however, we move so quickly that our surroundings become blurred. Meanwhile, none of us meets the first criterion for reverence, which is to remember that we are not gods.
This week’s lectionary reminds me to worship God “with reverence and awe…” (Hebrews 12:28). That requires a certain pace, a willingness to look twice at people and things you might just as easily ignore. Thankfully, reverence requires no equipment, no special clothes, and no fees. All you need is a body on this earth, willing to notice where it is, trusting that even something as small as a mosquito can be cause for awe.