So…
How is it going so far with COVID-19, the coronavirus at your house? With the kids home and your spouse home, are you all still sane?
Prayers for all of you!
Sue and I have heard lots of stories of folks who are dealing with this mess as best they can.
Of essential workers, medical folks, and grocery store folks and others going to work and then struggling to stay safe and not bring any illness back home from work.
And we have heard stories about people who are working at home struggling to make that do-able in a busy household with kids and dogs and spouses underfoot.
We have heard of folks who have lost their jobs or been furloughed and who are trying to figure out what to do now that their incomes have dried up.
And we are aware of those who are dealing with illnesses in their houses, or with parents or children who are ill, and are quite frankly, scared to death.
And we have even heard of a few people who have found in this crazy time some peace, mostly because they have shut off social media!
Never in all my life have I seen more bad information, arguments, and just plain craziness as with this virus stuff. So, shut it off, or unfollow the noise makers, and just stick to loving your family, friends and neighbors.
And some of those who have found peace have even gone a step further and decided that no matters what comes, God will make a way where there seems to be no way!
They have decided to put their faith first, to focus on growing their hearts!
They have picked faith, the kind of faith that is focused on God, much like Peter was focused on Jesus amidst the wind and the waves in that amazing gospel story from Matthew 14:28-32
That really seems to be the way forward for all of us in the midst of this storm!
Don’t focus on the wind and waves, like your pocketbook, or politics, or the weather, or the numbers of people sick. Instead focus on God and God’s promises to be with you always. And while doing that wash your hands!
It’s not as if the people of God have not seen troubled times before. In fact, the bible is full of stories of God’s people wading through deep waters.
As the old African American spiritual puts it, “Nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen, Nobody knows but Jesus.”
And Daniel, who as a captive in a foreign land knows not only the trouble he has seen, but is now seeing in his vision the increasing trouble just ahead. So much trouble that it would be easy to lose heart, to give up, and to give in.
But that is just when the angel offers Daniel a glimpse of what is ahead beyond the trouble. He tells Daniel to not worry, but rather to remain faithful.
Because beyond the vision of all the things that can and will go wrong, is this bit of amazing news: resurrection!
The angel says, “So, Daniel, be faithful until the end! You will rest, and at the end of time, you will rise from death to receive your reward.”
Here it is two weeks before the traditional celebration of Easter and we already hear in Daniel a reminder not to lose hope! Because resurrection…
So, no matter what, keep on, keeping on, because no matter where it ends in your lifetime, or at the end of time, you will rise from death and receive your reward.
Some five hundred years before Jesus rose from the grave, Daniel is told that resurrection is the gift God offers to those who remain faithful; a gift available to you and I if we too remain faithful!
Some of you are aware that the Reverend Dick Avery, formerly the pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Port Jervis passed away a couple of weeks ago in New Mexico where he had retired.
Dick Avery was faithful. He is also the reason I came here as a pastor some 36 years ago. When I said no to Otisville, Dick suggested I reconsider. I did, and he was right!
Dick was also part of a team with partner Donald Marsh writing some wonderful worship songs, including one that speaks to today, “Every Sunday is Easter from Now On”, a reminder that resurrection is a central theme for the people of God, it is the source of our hope, and not just once a year on Easter but always and forever!
That’s how in the midst of trying times we can stay focused on God’s call to us, because for us, no matter what, we will rise and be with him.
I remember as a kid learning to sing that revival favorite, “When the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there!” And I remember wondering what it was about that song that had people sing it with such gusto.
It was almost as if they not only loved the song, but that it’s imagery of being with the Lord on that final day was a lifeline for them.
Now I realize that many of them had survived the Great Depression and the Second World War. They had seen awful times, deep water times, but they knew, deep down, that in the end, God had them, and was already at work crafting their reward.
Its as if the angels had said, “Daniel, there are lots of days ahead, some days of joy and some days of sorrow, but here is the good news, in the end, you will rest and you will rise, and you will be with the God you have loved and served all your life!”
So, don’t worry, stay faithful!
Amen!!
No comments:
Post a Comment