In These Difficult Times - March 17

March 17, 2020

Beloved,

For today:

I woke up this morning with the words of the hymn on my lips: 

When morning gilds the skies,

my heart awakening cries,

may Jesus Christ be praised.

Yet when I pried my eyes open, I realized in the grayness of the day that morning wasn’t gilding the skies, and my heart, awakening, remembered that COVID-19 was in the air. Didn’t take long for the imagined glow of sunrise to fade from my eyelids.

But then I remembered the wise words of Larry Crabb. His book, “Inside Out,” played a vital role in a time of great disruption in my life. By the time I reached the end of his writing, I was overwhelmed. Then came these words. 

Don’t let the confusing parts of life rob you of confidence in the central truths of Christianity. Cling to what you know is true. There is a God, He loves you, He sent His son to die for your sins, He’s promised to never leave you, and one day He’ll return to make everything right . . . ponder the importance of these unchanging truths until they become burning realities in your soul. 

In a later verse, the unknown hymn writer explains:

The night becomes as day,

When from the heart we say:

May Jesus Christ be praised!

Amen. 

Words from a friend

My friend Sarah Wells shares these words: I’ve been thinking about Mordecai’s instructions to Esther in relation to this pandemic, and two things come to mind. In our individualistic culture, we can think as young and healthy people, “I am in the king’s house; I will escape.” We can imagine and fool ourselves into false comfort and safety, ignoring the needs and pleas of the community. 

Second is this: Help will come, from somewhere. Church, leaders, young and healthy believers alive at this moment, what if you couldrise from this royal and privileged position to serve your community in such a time as this? Whatever your gift, whatever your calling, assess: how can I be a vessel of love and peace instead of a clanging cymbal. How can love grow legs, Christ’s Church be the light in our communities, sing our songs of hope in a time of suffering, be bold and courageous in the face of fear, stand firm on facts and information and silence the rumors and blaming.

These are troubled times in this world. But take heart, He has overcome the world. 

A Resource

Can’t get to the museums in Paris today? Here’s a visual gift.

http://parismuseescollections.paris.fr/en?fbclid=IwAR12ZjZ64owE0OpUXHcPaGT-08V-Kaiw-HKoKbqnUivUpoL8OtGXU3gQIos

From Dominion Energy

Dominion has made some changes to its disconnect/reconnect policies during the pandemic. See their website for more information.

Their words are encouraging.

We are all in this together.

At our company, we have a core value we call One Dominion Energy — our term for teamwork. That spirit of cooperation and mutual support extends to the communities where we operate. If you have an energy-related problem, please do not hesitate to contact us. Dominion Energy is proud to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with our customers and communities as we all work to overcome our common challenge.

A Prayer

Lord, give what you will when you will, no more nor less than you will. Do with me as you know how, for your better pleasure and your greater honor. Put me where you will and do with me always freely what you will. I am in your hand. Spin me round and turn me back full circle. I am your servant, ready for anything. I long to live not for me but for you – worthily and without flaw, if only I could. (Thomas a Kempis, 1379-1471, Dutch monk, author of The Imitation of Christ). (thanks to my friend Jerry Flora and his treasure of a book, Amen: Short Prayers for Any Time).