God’s Word Comes Near
“The Word is near you, on your lips and in your heart” – Romans 10:8
A Devotion from Paavo Rundman, Summer Staff 2022-2024 (and counting!)
Romans 10:8 shaped the crafts, Bible studies, and worship experiences for thousands of campers as the theme verse for Lutheran Outdoor Ministries sites across North America. At Fortune Lake, the staff wrote a chant to help campers memorize the words, and each week we saw the verse live up to its promise as we sang; God’s Word was on our lips, and as we raised our voices together as a community, God’s Word stirred in our hearts. This verse reminds us that God is intimately present in the physical world: deep within each of us, seen in the people around us, and moving through all of creation. These lines explore God’s relationship to the world and reveal that God’s promises and commandments are for all people.
Paul’s letter to the Romans reflects how God’s promises are extended to all people through Jesus. The “Word” that draws near in Romans refers to God’s capital-W Word: the creating force active since the beginning of time, embodied in Jesus, eternally present. The Word is not distant or exclusive, but for all of us for all of time. However, this promise is hard to believe. Campers like to talk about camp as set apart from their normal lives – a place where God’s presence feels unusually “near.” As a former camper and a third-year staff member, it’s also easy for me to view time spent at camp as more meaningful than the rest of my life. Surely this is the time I am closest to God, right? But God’s nearness is not tied to any specific place or action. The work of drawing near is already done; God has woven the Word into our being. Our experience of the Word is mysteriously tied to our physical world and physical bodies.
Camp weeks end with a time of affirmations, when cabin leaders tell each of their campers the ways that they see God at work in them. These times of affirmation have become one of the most sacred pieces of my summer. Looking at my campers’ faces, often at the edge of the lake or surrounded by the forest, I find myself in awe at the immense beauty of the life before me. My words cannot capture the pride, hope, and thanks I feel. I start my affirmations by saying, “this week, I saw God in you…” and I wish I could convey just how serious I am: I see the Word in their mouths as they sing, as they eat together, and in the moments that they choose to affirm and support each other. I see the Word at work in their hearts as they push themselves to become wiser, kinder, and more faithful people, and I trust they hear God’s Word as I tell them that they are loved for who they are.
Gracious God, Thank you for your creative, redeeming, and renewing Word. Let your Word strengthen us that we may live as your body in the world. Teach us to recognize your face and voice in the faces and voices around us. Remind us when we forget just how near you are.
In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
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