For Such A Time As This 041120 – Tim Speicher

To the Good Folk of the Palmyra Church of the Brethren,   Easter Worship Service: Tomorrow morning, around 8am, you will receive an email with a link to this Sunday's Easter Worship service.  The service continues our Lenten journey "Guided by Women.”  Jenna Walmer will be presenting the Story of Wonder.  Bethany Hoffer will be our preacher.   The service includes clips of the flowering and procession of the Living Cross from previous Easter Sunday services, as well as a beautiful solo by Jeff Clouser.  We hope it will be a blessing to all.   Living Cross Invitation: Following tomorrow’s service, from 11 am until noon, you are invited to bring cut flowers to our cross which will be on our Chestnut Street sidewalk, just outside our main entrance.  If you are able to come:  For the safety of all, everyone must wear a mask.  Please stay in your car or stand at a distance, and at least six feet from others, until it is your turn.  When it is your turn, you can get out of your car and/or walk to the cross to put your flower on the cross.  We will give you the safe space to do so.  If, instead, you want to hand us your flowers, we will put them on the cross for you.  Rachel and I will be there guiding the process, offering assistance as needed, and observing safe protocols.  We will be wearing masks, gloves, etc... If you have extra flowers to share, please bring them with you.  Those who are unable to come to the church, for whatever reason, can call, text or email me and ask that a flower be placed on the cross on their behalf, in celebration of someone, or in memory of someone.  We will have extra flowers on hand for this purpose.  My email address is dlohr@palmyracob.org and my cell phone number can be found at the top of page three in our 2020 directory.    We will take periodic pictures throughout this process in order to create a time lapse video of the cross being flowered.  This video will be posted on our website and Facebook page by 8pm Sunday evening.  This video will include the “Let’s Do the Wave” piece.  Together, they will warm your faith and bring a smile to your face.    If you have any questions, call, text or email me. Reminder:  If you know someone who does not have email, please call them and offer to read this email to them and share this devotion with them.  And, check in on how they are doing.    Today’s Devotion: I am thankful to Tim Speicher for providing today’s devotion.  Tim reminds us that Jesus accepts us as we are, especially when we are discouraged and sad.  If you wish to respond to Tim directly, his email address is pastorspeicher@gmail.com.   Shalom, Dennis   Scripture – John 16:22 Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.   Thoughts: One evening last week I found myself in a depressing mood because of all the things I cannot do as easily and freely under this “stay-at-home” directive. I thought I have been handling things okay.  After all, in retirement I have already been appreciating the break from a consistent schedule of full-time responsibilities in order to attend to our health care appointments without the anxiety of lurking assignments unfulfilled. Now, even my part-time job with a family shoe shoppe is on hold and the calendar has been wiped clean of office visit appointments.  I was caught off-guard with my own grieving of limited and lost activities.   Jesus’s words to the disciples after the last supper are precious. He acknowledges that grief and sorrow are real.  Jesus gives us permission to be sad, to cry and to feel times of sorrow without stifling or denying the moment. This is a great caution to those words often spoken, “Don’t feel that way.”  This verse assures us that our emotions are all valid. The promise is that we can walk through every valley of dark shadows with the understanding that these feelings are not forever and will be met with continuing joys of life.  Faith is not disturbed by emotions. Faith holds the hope of the journey.   Prayer: Let us be in prayer together.  Thank you, God, for your presence in our moments of lostness.  We breathe in the energy of your Spirit to help us set aside the discouragements that would seem to paralyze us with fear and anger. In the name of Jesus who accepts our grief and walks with us in the victory of renewed life over the death of despair, Amen.