I’m supposed to be in the Holy Land right now. More than forty of us from a couple of Ohio congregations have been planning a pilgrimage for the better part of a year that would lead us to dozens of biblical sites. Today would have been our first full day on the ground.
All that changed when the COVID-19 virus began its global spread. Our trip, along with all kinds of other travel, work, school, and other activities, came to a screeching halt.
My guess is that many of your plans have changed, too. You’ve probably spent the last few days deleting multiple events and appointments from your calendar, while also rescheduling doctor appointments and other regular happenings. But for when? How long will this last?
This is a time of grief. Not only have our daily rhythms been altered, but many key moments and milestones will be missed.
Vacations, sporting events, and competitions have been pushed aside. In my house, second round college visits for my high school senior have been tabled, indefinitely.
How does this pandemic change our worship life? We are used to being with one another in a shared space around Sunday services, but for the time being we’ve been urged to stay at home and not convene in gatherings of any more than ten. Yes, we are gathering virtually, but we long to join our voices in praise and embrace one another as we pass the Peace.
Please continue to join us on social media and our website as we seek to build community and encourage one another.
In the midst of the sorrow and growing frustration, we are also witnessing countless moments of beauty.
- Italian communities singing together from their apartment balconies.
- Authors and poets are reading online.
- People rallying to support independent restaurants and businesses.
- Musicians offering intimate concerts from their homes.
- Neighbors making grocery runs for their elderly friends.
- Museums and parks around the world are giving virtual tours of their treasures.
- Teachers scrambling to cobble together lessons and meaningful content for their beloved students.
- Medical staff and personnel, along with first responders, who are working tirelessly to tend to the sick and needy.
Each day, there seems to be an additional offering of unprecedented acts of kindness and generosity on display.
In these uncertain times, I keep seeing Psalm 46 popping up in various social media and devotional reflections:
God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear,
though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.
These ancient words have offered solace to concerned and anxious people for thousands of years. This psalm was even the inspiration for Martin Luther’s quintessential anthem to hope, “A Mighty Fortress.”
God is our refuge. God is our strength. In your grief for what could have been and your anxiety around what the coming days hold, we rest in the promises and presence of God. Jon Foreman may have penned a new Psalm 46 on the latest Switchfoot release:
“I don't hold what the future holds
But I know You're my future.”
In hope and assurance,
Pastor Lowell