Where Holiness Is Hard to See

A low-angle shot of a wet gutter and curb in a city at nighttime. We see the colorful, out-of-focus lights of cars, traffic light, and building windows, as well as their reflections on the damp ground.

As we extinguish this flame,
may we carry its smoke with us—
into the streets,
into the places where holiness is hard to see
but always waiting to be noticed.

Let us go
with eyes open for wonder in the worn-out,
with reverence for each passerby,
and with the knowing that the sacred
does not hide from the world—
it lives in it.

Go now—
not to escape the brokenness,
but to journey beside it,
and sometimes, to bless it.

Note: These chalice extinguishing words pair well with the chalice lighting “Where the Streets Are Holy.”