Cleaning: My Quotidian Liturgy

Meditating of late on serving...

“But, like liturgy, the work of cleaning draws much of the meaning and value from repetition, from the fact that it is never completed, but only set aside until the next day.”
~Norris, “The Quotidian Mysteries, Laundry, Liturgy, and Women’s Work”

Waves lap…wind brushes by…trees rustle and dance and wave. All of Earth sings Your praises. In rhythmic, daily constancy.
Without end.
Quotidian praises to You.
Quotidian: occurring or returning daily. Over and over and over again.

Like the work I do: cooking meals, baking bread, hanging laundry, changing diapers, sweeping dirt. Quotidian work.

Like the endless waves lapping on the shore, quietly lilting its song of adoration, so we dance our quotidian dance of praise: dishes and dusting, laundry and… liturgy.

Liturgy is a derivative of the Greek word leitourgi , meaning public service, from leitourgos, meaning public servant. Liturgy isn't only prescribed services in hushed, hallowed places. Liturgy is prescribed services--like making of the beds every morning---in very domestic places before a Holy God...who makes all places holy.

Cleaning is my liturgy, my act of public service. Cleaning makes me a public servant in this home. In Your service. For Your praise.

Cleaning is my spiritual service of quotidian---without end, daily---worship.

“Therefore, I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.” Ro. 1:1

Lord, liturgy doesn’t merely happen in church. It happens in my heart. When I am in Your service as a servant. And as the trees of the field perform their liturgy of praise in the beauty of daily, quotidian rhythm, may I enter into the quotidian liturgy of cleaning...which is my service of worship.