June 26, 2020
Calvary family & friends,
This week is brought to you by the letter P (thank you Sesame Street!):
- Pandemic
- Protests & Petitions
- PRIDE
- Politics
- Promises
- Puzzles
- Personal Issues & Personalities
- P_________ (what word would you add here?)
PANDEMIC - We are still experiencing the effects of quarantine and “safer at home” guidelines because of COVID-19, and cases are surging throughout the United States; we’re tired of precautions and yet we know they’ll be a permanent fixture in our lives for quite a while.
PROTESTS & PETITIONS - We are protesting racial injustice and signing petitions for lawmakers and leaders to pay attention to black lives.
PRIDE - We are celebrating the month of PRIDE with our LGBTQIA+ community, and the decision by the Supreme Court to uphold their the rights in the workplace.
POLITICS - We are ensuring our voices are heard in by voting in the election. If you haven’t voted yet, please do! It’s so important. You can drop your ballot off at Calvary…couldn’t be more convenient!
PROMISES - We have seen a record number of rainbows (and double rainbows!) because of sunny late afternoon rainstorms - reminding us of God’s promises to us that God will always be faithful even in the midst of the most difficult tragedies (read about Noah & the Ark in Genesis to be reminded of “rainbows & promises”).
PUZZLES - We are working a record number of jigsaw puzzles (okay, maybe that’s just me - but I know I’m not the only one!).
PERSONAL ISSUES & PERSONALITIES - You also have your own personal stresses and celebrations as well, and personalities within your family that you are having to navigate.
Because of all these “P” words, and whatever other ones are on your list…indeed, it is a season that calls for both PERSEVERANCE in our day-to-day living and holding out POSSIBILITY for our future…that we will one day see more of that jigsaw puzzle picture of God’s kin-dom as we help build it piece by piece. Now more than ever, it seems to me that to be a person of faith is to persevere through these difficult times, believing that we can indeed be the change we wish to see in the world, and to hold out hope and possibility that God is doing a new thing, as we read in the prophet Isaiah’s words:
See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness
and streams in the wasteland.
- Isaiah 43:19
Maybe we could add PERCEIVE as a final “P” word to our list this week. What do you perceive is happening in the world around you? What do you perceive is happening within you? How God is working in your life during this precious time that will never come again? Whether you are pleased with life or plumb tired of how things are going these days - can you push past those feelings (not pushing them away completely, but just setting them aside time to time) to simply rest in the peace-filled presence of God and let your cup be filled? Can you remember the promises of God even as you persevere through hard times?
“Pondering anew what the Almighty can do”*…along with you…
- Pastor Anne
P.S. If you want a fun activity to fill your time, try counting how many words in this letter start with the letter “P!” And then assign a different letter to your household next week, and see how many words you can come up with that start with that letter to describe the world, your life, your faith, God, and/or how you are feeling. It’s just a different way to pray and be intentionally reflective in these times when everything can feel the same day to day. J
*from the hymn text Praise to the Lord, The Almighty by Joachim Neander