Good to Be Seen
Then Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy elders went up the mountain, and they saw the God of Israel. Under God’s feet there was something like a sapphire pavement, as clear and blue as the heavens. They beheld God, and they ate and drank. – Exodus 24:9-11 (adapted)
“It’s good to see you!”
The familiar greeting circulates through our gatherings when it’s been too long since we’ve been in the same place together. Annual conferences. Professional conventions. Family holidays. Happy hour with friends.
I often receive this greeting at church on Sunday mornings. Worship wayfarer that I am, it’s rare for me to attend a service in the same place on consecutive Sundays. So when my body and spirit come together in a pew, the greetings are plentiful:
“It’s good to see you!”
Somewhere along the way, I picked up the response: “It’s good to be seen!”
And it is good—so very good and soul-nourishing—when someone lights up to see you, calls you by name, lets you know that they notice your presence. That in this moment, even if not again for a while, the delight of being together is good and holy.
As good to the soul as a meal is to the body. As beautiful as sapphire pavement. As holy as sitting in the presence of God.
“It’s good to see you!”
“It’s good to be seen!” Because we’re not always fully noticed or beheld with joy. In our day-to-day routines, we too easily become part of life’s scenery to each other—more like characters and backgrounds in life’s drama, less like the delightful God-reflections we all are.
But in the presence of God, we are invited to behold, to pause our rushing and appreciate the living miracles with whom we share space each day.
Prayer
How good and pleasant it is, O God, to be known by you and by one another! It is like oil anointing the head, like rain washing the face, like bread satisfying the stomach.
Rachel Hackenberg serves as the publisher for The Pilgrim Press.