Lent
March 10, 2021
Scripture Reading: Psalm 107:1-3, 17-22
O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
for his steadfast love endures forever.
Let the redeemed of the Lord say so,
those he redeemed from trouble
and gathered in from the lands,
from the east and from the west,
from the north and from the south. –Psalm 107:1-3
I received my second COVID vaccination about a month ago and was surprised at the relief I felt. My life has not changed much. I still wear a mask outside of my home. I socially distance and am much better at washing my hands now than I was before COVID.
My church has offered Facebook and live streaming worship services since a few weeks after the pandemic hit last year. In the fall, we returned to in-person worship but still provide the others as well. We learned from adding the remote services how much they mean to people who are homebound, in general, or just home with a sick child for one Sunday. I returned to in-person worship two weeks ago. Our pews are roped off, limiting seating to every fourth pew; communion comes in prepackaged servings available at the pews. Offering plates are available at the entrances. Greetings become little dances of who remembers just to bump fists or touch elbows. Such behavior usually results in good-natured laugher.
The above-quoted Psalm instructs us to give thanks to the Lord even in troubled times. While troubles’ severity ebbs and flows, it is a constant in our lives, from the pesky flat tire to a worldwide pandemic that has permanently changed our way of being. We are strengthened to deal with and overcome troubles because God’s steadfast love does endure forever. Paul notes in Romans 8:28, We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.
Now is our time to look for the good that can result from this horrific pandemic using what we have learned better ways to develop the Kingdom of God in our world today.
Lord of the Dance
I danced in the morning
When the world was begun,
And I danced in the moon
And the stars and the sun,
And I came down from heaven
And I danced on the earth,
At Bethlehem
I had my birth.
Dance, then, wherever you may be,
I am the Lord of the Dance, said he,
And I’ll lead you all, wherever you may be,
And I’ll lead you all in the Dance, said he
I danced for the scribe
And the pharisee,
But they would not dance
And they wouldn’t follow me.
I danced for the fishermen,
For James and John
They came with me
And the Dance went on.
Dance, then, wherever you may be,
I am the Lord of the Dance, said he,
And I’ll lead you all, wherever you may be,
And I’ll lead you all in the Dance, said he
I danced on the Sabbath
And I cured the lame;
The holy people
Said it was a shame.
They whipped and they stripped
And they hung me on high,
And they left me there
On a Cross to die.
Dance, then, wherever you may be,
I am the Lord of the Dance, said he,
And I’ll lead you all, wherever you may be,
And I’ll lead you all in the Dance, said he
I danced on a Friday
When the sky turned black
It’s hard to dance
With the devil on your back.
They buried my body
And they thought I’d gone,
But I am the Dance,
And I still go on.
Dance, then, wherever you may be,
I am the Lord of the Dance, said he,
And I’ll lead you all, wherever you may be,
And I’ll lead you all in the Dance, said he
They cut me down
And I leapt up high;
I am the life
That’ll never, never die;
I’ll live in you
If you’ll live in me –
I am the Lord
Of the Dance, said he*.
Prayer: Lord of the Dance, live in us as we face the challenges of our day. Amen.
*https://www.google.com/search?q=lord+of+the+dance+lyrics&rlz=1C1CHZN_enUS922US922&oq=Lord+of+the+dance&aqs=chrome.2.0i355j46j0j46j0j46i175i199j0l4.7155j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
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.