Lent

April 1, 2020

Scripture Reading: Psalm 31:9-16

But I trust in you, O Lord;
   I say, ‘You are my God.’
My times are in your hand;
   deliver me from the hand of my enemies and persecutors.
Let your face shine upon your servant;
   save me in your steadfast love. -Psalms 31:14-16

When I read that line My times are in your hand, I realized a calming impact on my whole being. A friend and I were talking on the phone when she asked, “Are you experiencing being disoriented about what day of the week it is?”  Well yes, I had been. When I was in school and then worked, the days of the week were regimented for me. Thus, when I retired it took me a while to acclimate having to tag what day it is to something else. Throughout my whole life, I could find my weekly bearing by attending church on Sunday. I would miss occasionally due to illness or travel, but I was always acutely aware of what I was missing. This week I attended church from my recliner in my living room via Facebook while sheltering at home doing my part in reducing the spread of the covid 19 virus. Our time is indeed in God’s hand and our times are in God’s hands even if our part is to do nothing.

We are called to be doers of the word not hearers only* and we may pay more attention to the word “doer” than the assumption that we are already hearers. This homebound new normal we are experiencing has created space when we are freed to invest our time in rediscovering the depth and breadth of God’s love as we prepare for our life in Christ through this covid 19 pandemic and beyond.

Prayer: Lord, at this time help us to encounter your Word with hearing it through our entire beings and let us prepare us for recovering an even better world when the pandemic is over. Amen.

*James 1:22-25

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.