Let’s
Connect – Week of May 3, 2020
Opening Prayer:
Come, people of God! Take refuge
in the Lord, who listens when we cry out, who rescues us when we call, and who
leads and guides us according to God’s unfailing love. You are our God; our
lives are in your hands. Amen
Scripture: Psalm 31:1-5 Common English Bible (CEB)
I take refuge in you, Lord.
Please never let me be put to
shame.
Rescue me by your righteousness!
Listen closely to me!
Deliver me quickly;
be a rock that protects me;
be a strong fortress that saves
me!
You are definitely my rock and my
fortress.
Guide me and lead me for the sake
of your good name!
Get me out of this net that’s been
set for me
because you are my protective
fortress.
I entrust my spirit into your
hands; you, Lord, God of
faithfulness—
you have saved me.
Musing:
Martin
Luther wrote the hymn “A Mighty Fortress Is our God” based upon Psalm 31 and
paraphrased to make it echo his Christology. In some ways it is a very
dualistic hymn in that is presents waring factions of the devil and his agents
and God and the angels battling it out with Christ the victor. I have trouble
with this kind of militaristic understanding of our faith and how God engages
the world. But the comfort this hymn brings always has me coming back to it
when times are tough and the world seems to be crushing me.
Let’s
listen to it together, sing along if you want but stay muted as there will be a
slight delay which will make it sound terrible. (YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8M78bLEHow)
As we get
ready to slowly, oh so slowly reenter life together the fear and anxiety will
ramp up. The security and comfort we have felt these last many weeks of “stay
home, stay safe” will be left behind as we take those first steps back into
public, physical space with others. I know I will need comfort, a bulwark to
keep me feeling strong and protected as I venture out.
Survey
results are is just being released about what people will need to feel safe
reentering life. But early results are telling. Not everything is within our
ability to provide BUT there are a few things that we can do to help folks feel
safe when they return. Seeing others visit, have outdoor gatherings, provide
hand sanitizer, avoid long lines, and limit crowds are all things we can do.
They are all things we need to do.
We cannot
ignore that a large segment of our people are squarely within the most
vulnerable among us category. We cannot take for granted that they will be safe
if we just will it to be so. AND every phase of the reopening plan of Governor
Brown requires or highly recommends that we continue practicing safe personal
distancing, wearing masks, and diligent personal hygiene practices as well as
vulnerable populations staying home.
I already
am paying attention to what is happening in the places that I go even under the
stay at home order. When I go to the grocery store, to get takeout, to the
drugstore, and other essential activities I notice the crowd. I watch what
others are doing. I see if people are masked up. I seek out the hand sanitizer
and wipes. I am comforted when the employees are cleaning surfaces and practicing
all the protocols for making things as safe as possible.
I know that
when I begin to reemerge, I will feel safer and more likely to return if these
things are still in place and these protocols are still being followed. I will
also be singing in my head “A mighty fortress is our God. A bulwark never
failing.” And the words of Psalm 31 will echo in my soul. I will step out,
cautiously, nervously, with mask on and keeping to the six feet. I will also
step out with God’s comfort surrounding me. The virus is real, as is God’s
presence but God expects us to do our part! And really, it isn’t the virus that
worries me so much, it is the people who carry it not taking it seriously,
that’s what causes me stress.
To end this
devotion, let’s pray:
Closing prayer: Prayer of the Church
during the Covid-19 Pandemic
Gracious and loving God,
the Psalmist reminds us
that,
‘You are our refuge and
strength, an ever-present help in trouble.’
God, we feel deeply that
our world is in trouble
with the spread of the
coronavirus.
There is a heightened
sense of fear and anxiety about the future.
We ask that we may calmly
and lovingly trust in you
and care for all who are
affected by this pandemic.
Please bless the work of
health professionals,
government officials, aged
care providers, school, and community leaders.
Grant them strength and
wisdom.
We pray for all who feel
stressed and worried,
that they might find peace
and reassurance.
Free us from panic and
selfish stockpiling.
We pray for all those who
mourn the loss of loved ones to the virus,
that they will find
comfort and support.
May all our congregations
and faith communities
be places of empathy, compassion,
and calm in all we face.
~ written by Rev. Steve Francis, Moderator of the Uniting Church
in Australia. Posted on the United Church in Australia/Western Australia website.
https://unitingchurchwa.org.au/blog/covid-19-prayer-from-the-moderator/
The
agenda for the gathering is:
- Welcome
- Share
prayer requests with chat feature
- Please stay
muted until you want to speak
- Stay or
leave as you wish
- A brief
devotion
- Report about
what is happening
- We are
moving toward the eventual freedom to gather once again. But it will be
small steps. First very limited numbers will be allowed to gather. The
size of group will increase. BUT there will be a lot of restrictions and
requirements: safe distancing, no touching, cleaning and disinfecting
surfaces, masks, sanitizer, signs, on so forth. This will not be one day
we can’t gather and the next day we can. The CDC has good guidance for
religious groups to gather once we can so check them out. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/organizations/guidance-community-faith-organizations.html
- The Area
leadership will be issuing some guidance for reopening very soon so watch
for it.
- Also,
building users will need to be prepared to follow all the same guidelines
and procedures you follow. I would suggest that as you figure out what
you will do, you begin to draft a building use agreement for covid-19
mitigation.
- Remember
why we do this, we do it to protect the most vulnerable and to save
lives. The experts think we’ve saved 70,000 of them so far.
- And I
remind you once again, the Greater Northwest Area Website has a lot of
resources to help you maneuver through these times, make sure and check
it out. https://greaternw.org/
·
A
time for Q and A
·
An
opportunity for you to share with me and each other, how is it with your soul?
·
Closing
blessing
God, grant
me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
the courage to change the things I can,
and the wisdom to know the difference.
Living one
day at a time, enjoying one moment at a time;
accepting hardship as a pathway to peace;
taking, as Jesus did, this sinful world as it is, not as
I would have it;
trusting that You will make all things right if I
surrender to Your will;
so that I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with You forever in the next.
Amen.
(Reinhold
Niebuhr)
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