Call to Prayer

I wrote the following several years ago as part of an application for a grant to build an outdoor, wood-burning oven at our church: 

"The kitchen in which I spend my workdays is full of stainless steel: bowls, spoons, counter tops, measuring cups, muffin tins—metal is all around. And many times a day, a spoon will hit against the edge of a bowl, or a spatula will strike a cake pan’s rim, and a clear tone rings out. Most people in the kitchen quickly use their hand to muffle the sound, and in a kitchen already full of noise, it makes sense to dampen the sounds we can. But I like to let this tone ring as a call to prayer, a bit of grace, a reminder of what I am doing and who I am doing it for. This grace that shows up even in such a chaotic environment reminds me that whether I bake in professional bakeries or lead worship in a small church, whether I feed wealthy people at fancy restaurants or cook a meal for homeless neighbors, whether I live or whether I die, I belong to God." 

These days, my kitchen isn't a professional one, but I still hear that clanging of stainless steel all day long. 











I try to let this be for me still a call to prayer, a reminder to look for grace in the small moments of the day, a reminder to listen for God, however God is calling.