McKelvey sees the importance in the most mundane tasks

A few months ago on social media, I stumbled across a liturgy written by Douglass Kaine McKelvey. Immediately, I fell in love and searched my way across the internet — looking to get my hands on more of his writing, and ordered it as quickly as possible.

Deep Roots

By Whitney Nesse

I received volume one of his liturgy book hours before a latenight departure to visit my sister. I tucked it in my backpack, excited to read it during travel.

After being seated and snugly tucked in for a flight, the lights dimmed, and my neighbors snoozed. So I grabbed my new treasure, excited for what I might find. As I began reading, the tears began to flow. How could the author put words to the cries of my heart? I sobbed as I read through “A Liturgy for Changing Diapers” and “For Laundering” — two of the most mundane tasks, yet at their core is a cry to be seen!

The name El-Roi is Hebrew for “the God who sees me.” It is a name of God first used by Hagar in Genesis 16. So often, the tasks we undertake seem ordinary or mundane, but we serve El-Roi, the God who sees you and me in our everyday tasks. So as we embark on another season of planting, let’s remember the God who sees even the most overlooked duties of greasing the planter, preparing meals, checking seed depth, taking care of little ones, or rock picking, and choose to make those moments holy.

This prayer is an adaptation of “A Liturgy for Gardening” by Douglas Kaine McKelvey in Every Moment Holy.

O Lord God, Creator, who calls forth life, May this ground, and our labors here invested, yield good provision for the nourishing of both body and soul.