May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish the work of our hands for us —yes, establish the work of our hands (Psalm&nsp;90:17)

This summer, we traveled through five countries in Europe as well as England. We are fascinated by the historical places and items we are able to view while vacationing in such beautiful locations. Churches, palaces, castles, fortresses, buildings in open-air museums, and museums filled with antiquities are so wonderful to explore.

This year our explorations included:

• spending an entire day at Arundel Castle built in 1067 (Arundel, England)


• worshipping in St. Stephen’s Cathedral which included listening to, and singing along with, the largest pipe organ in Europe while seated in a beautiful, baroque house of worship constructed from 1668-1693 (Passau, Germany)


• touring the UNESCO site Kinderdijk with its 19 working windmills built around 1740 (close to Rotterdam, The Netherlands)


• viewing huge numbers of stained-glass windows in museums and houses of worship in every country – especially the beautiful ones from the 1400s


• attending a concert in the court theater of the Hofburg Palace home of the Hapsburg Dynasty from 1279 (Vienna, Austria)


• visiting a family in their home built by their own hands and which was located in their winery where wine has been produced through several generations (located in a small village outside Bratislava, Slovakia)


• standing atop the Fishermen’s Bastion constructed 1895-1902 and located on the Buda side of the city while looking out onto a fabulous view across the Danube River into the Pest side of the city (Budapest. Hungary,)


• wandering through a recreated village in the Bavarian Forest filled with structures constructed across many years (outside Regensburg, Germany.)

I wonder if all the workers — common folk and skilled artists - - who created these things had any idea how the works of their hands would prosper over the years. Creating and leaving such legacies for future generations surely must have been established with the guidance of God. But what about the works of my hands? I do not have the skills and abilities of these creators. However, I do believe that the little "work of my hands" is guided by God.

Thank you, Lord, for the talents you have given me. Continue to guide the work of my hands that it be that of a good worker. Amen

Contributed by Nancy
Monday September 21 2015
Liturgical Year B: Week 43
Liturgical Color: Green
Sunday Gospel reading: Proper20
Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost