For it was you who formed our inward parts; you knit all of us together in our mother’s womb. We praise you, for we are fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; that we know very well. Psalm 139:13-14
Growing up my brother and I collected baseball cards. On Saturday’s we’d ride our bikes to the card shop, buy our packs. Once home, we tore into the packets and filed the cards according to their team. We still have the cards, they live in boxes at our moms’ house, and when we are there we thumb through them.
I don’t collect many things any longer, even with all my world travels. Though, that changed a few years ago with one of my trips to our southern border. What you see in the picture is a framed tortilla wrap found on a migrant trail in the desert of Arizona.
The wrap is hand stitched and embroidered, it’s beautiful. It took precious time to make as it was sent with a loved one. In the middle it reads, Remember February 24, 2000, a precious date for that family.
The carrier is unknown to me, other than knowing they are a beloved child of God. I don’t know what other items they carried, though I do know they were precious to the traveler. Perhaps they carried photos of loved ones or something else to give them strength for the journey. Since this particular trip I have picked up various items from the desert floors, holding in prayer the sibling of ours who left them behind.
We, all of us, are the precious collection of God. We are all held in God’s hand. We all are called to the heavenly banquet table. A table that will be filled with tortillas, sourdough, lard biscuits, rye, baguettes, falafel, you see what I am getting at…
We all have a seat, and that table isn’t just to be realized in heaven, it’s to be actualized now. So, what would it look like if we all started a precious collection? A collection of names, neighbors, enemies, that we break bread together with at our dining room tables? Surely you have an empty seat you need filled…