Lent
March 18, 2020
Scripture Reading: Psalm 23
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green
pastures;
he leads me beside still waters;
he restores my soul.
He leads me in right paths
for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk through the darkest valley,
I fear no evil;
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff—
they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
my whole life long.
I do not know at what point in self-isolation I will grow weary of it. I, however, now am experiencing a sense of peace. My calendar had been too full for too long and my nerves had begun to fray. I do not over schedule on purpose. Projecting out activities and responsibilities into the future, I am careful to arrange events and appointments in an orderly coordinated fashion incorporating a little me time. The routines of life are not the challenge. The challenge is all those other must dos’ that crop up with regularity—a funeral with reception here a seriously ill relative there. Amid all my doings, I discovered my new computer, on which I am very dependent, has some weird idiosyncrasies. I cannot tell if it is the computer or the software or the interface between them that is at fault or the user. Having to dedicate two hours to figuring out how to print a document that should have taken two minutes is frustrating. I now include thanksgiving for the Geek Squad in my prayers.
The 23rd Psalm was a blessing to my soul when I saw it was part of the lectionary for the week. It never ceases to amaze me how God’s words appear in my life at just the right time even when they were scheduled many, many years ago. While you may not be experiencing this same thanksgiving for a slow down indeed the Coronavirus may have put you in a spin cycle. Take even five minutes to inhale its gifts of shalom letting them seep deeply into your being granting you the peace that supports necessity if that is what you need or the peace of the opportunity to rest in the love a God before then next unexpected venture arises.
Prayer: In this moment of reprieve, restore our souls whether we are an overburdened health care worker or a family dealing with children home from school or an isolated elder person. Show us how we can support one another. Amen.
All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.