Eastertide
April 17, 2020
Scripture Reading:
1 Peter 1:3-9
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who are being protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, even if now for a little while you have had to suffer various trials, so that the genuineness of your faith—being more precious than gold that, though perishable, is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honour when Jesus Christ is revealed. Although you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, for you are receiving the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
Watching the morning news before I write these devotions may not be a good idea. It is an excellent source of my discerning, where I need to direct my prayers. We do suffer various trials. Health care workers are tested by fire. And God loves and cares for all of us, even those who do not believe God exists.
And no, I do not believe God sent this virus to punish any one or all of us. God does allow us to suffer the consequences of our decisions and our society’s decisions. While we do need to return to financial stability, acquiring wealth is never more important than people’s lives, all people’s lives. God created us with brains; God intends for us to use them for good. I do not think parsing theology right now is particularly helpful. I know that sharing the love of God is essential. And in the final analysis, loving God and loving one another is all that matters. The salvation of our souls is not just an event in a distant time or at our deaths. Particularly now, God’s consistent and eternal salvation of our souls is crucial to our traversing the trials we face today and every day.
There is a balm in Gilead
to make the wounded whole,
there is a balm in Gilead
to heal the sin-sick soul.
Sometimes I feel discouraged
and think my work’s in vain,
but then the Holy Spirit
revives my soul again.*
Prayer: We thank you, Lord, for the consistency of your presence as we struggle with the challenges of our world today. Enable us to love like Jesus. Amen.
*Refrain and first verse of There is a Balm in Gilead https://hymnary.org/text/sometimes_i_feel_discouraged_spiritual
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.