Ye Watchers and Ye Holy Ones
“Bless the Lord, you angels of his
you mighty ones who do his bidding
and hearken to the voice of his word.
Bless the Lord, all you his hosts,
you ministers of his who do his will.
Bless the Lord, all you works of his
in all places of his dominion;
bless the Lord, O my soul.”
Psalm 103:20-22
The hymn that begins with the first line, “Ye watchers and ye holy ones,” points us to Psalm 103, to the angels of God doing His bidding, each one who listens for the voice of God, each one who hears and does God’s will. Each one of us can be a watcher and a holy one. Watchers are those who, in their daily life and work, see the world through a lens that looks for God’s handiwork. When seeing a beautiful sunrise, a watcher will marvel at God’s work. That’s an easy one. And a watcher will also recognize God’s work at seeing a loving family comforting one another when experiencing the death of a loved one. Or when that comforting phone call or visit from a friend is experienced at just the right time. Holy ones are those who do God’s work in the world, who remind others of God’s love.
Seminarians are required to participate in Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) during one summer while attending seminary. CPE requires work as a chaplain intern at a hospital, prison or other institution. When doing CPE at a large hospital in Virginia, in a conversation with my supervisor, I commented that a particular patient was expecting a minister and I wasn’t even ordained yet. She explained to me that my job was to be the ‘reminder of the Holy’ for the patients I visited, and that ordination status did not really matter to them. Even though I am now an ordained priest, I still think about that wisdom and realize that any person doing God’s work can be a reminder of the holy for those they encounter.
Think about this today as you go about your day, your normal activities. How might you be a watcher, a holy one or ‘reminder of the holy’ for those whom you meet?
A Prayer for Today:
Lord God, almighty and everlasting Father, you have brought us in safety to this new day: Preserve us with your mighty power, that we may not fall into sin, nor be overcome by adversity; and in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
(“The Book of Common Prayer,” p. 100)
