For Such A Time As This 042520 – Ferne Steckman

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To the Good Folk of the Palmyra Church of the Brethren, 

Prayers: 
Terry Baker has been admitted to HMC for surgery today to address an infected finger.  He will be there until at least tomorrow.  Please pray for healing and peace of mind for Terry.   

Sunday Worship Service: 
Tomorrow morning, around 8am, you will receive an email with a link to this Sunday's Worship service.  The service concludes our Lenten journey "Guided by Women.”  Heidi Neiswender will be presenting the Story of Wonder.  Jeff Clouser will be our worship leader. I will be preaching on Junia.  Junia appears in only one verse in scripture, and depending on the date of your Bible, maybe not even there. So, what happened to Junia? We’ll see…   

A Taste of Taize’:
This Sunday Afternoon: Tomorrow afternoon, around 3pm, you will receive an email with a link to our spring Taize’ Service.  A full Taize’ service was scheduled for the evening of Palm Sunday.  Jeff Clouser has designed this shorter service as a ritual of healing for these uncertain times. If you have not experienced Taize’ worship before, I encourage you to try style of meditative worship.  I think you will be blessed. 

Jeff writes: This style of worship employs traditions from Taizé where we offer our prayers and meditations around the cross.  During these many weeks we have experienced disappointment, sacrifice, and mourning.  May these prayers, meditations, and songs heal and strengthen us as we acknowledge the burdens affecting all of God’s children during these uncertain times.  “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” (Romans 15:13)  

Thank You:   
To all who call others to check in on them and share our emails and devotions. 

Today’s Devotion: 
I am thankful to Ferne Steckman for providing today’s devotion.  Ferne always brightens our day.  If you wish to respond to Ferne directly, her email address is missgreenplant@yahoo.com.  

Shalom, 
Dennis 

Scriptures: 
Thessalonians 2:16 (KJV)  
Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good HOPE through grace.  

Romans 1:17 (KJV) 
For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written.  The just shall live by FAITH.  

Thoughts: 
During “Such A Time As This,” I have been calling friends to be companionable, and I enjoy the sound of their voice.  One friend asks me every day, “When will this be over?” Every day I tell her, “No one knows.” Yesterday she asked me, “When will life be back to normal?”  

I have had lots of time to think about this and have come to realize that life may not return to our expected normal.  There will be a new normal eventually, but it will be a learning experience with all of us learning to adjust. How will we handle this changed life?  We need hope, and we need faith. 

What is the meaning of hope and faith? 

HOPE is Desire plus Expectation.       FAITH is Belief. 

We will need to lean on each other, share, and worship. A community of worshippers will be very important - to keep our spirits up, to share in our sorrows, to work at rebuilding the life we have. 

Give, and it shall be given you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, will be put into your lap. For the measure you give is the measure you get back. John6:38 (RSV) 

So, we need HOPE and Faith and we can brighten the corner where we are. 

Brighten Up the Corner Where You Are - by Helen Steiner Rice 
We cannot all be famous 
Or be listed in: WHO’s WHO 
But every person great or small 
Has important work to do. 
For seldom do we realize 
The importance of small deeds 
Or to what degree of greatness 
Unnoticed kindness leads. 
For it’s not the big celebrity 
In a world of fame and praise. 
But it’s doing unpretentiously 
In undistinguished ways 
The work that God assigned to us,
Unimportant as it seems, 
That makes our task outstanding 
and brings reality to dreams –  
So do not sit and idly wish 
For wider, new dimensions 
Where you can put in practice 
your many: GOOD INTENSIONS”- 
But at the spot God placed you 
begin at once to do 
Little things to brighten up 
the lives surrounding you. 
For if everybody brightened up 
the spot on which they’re standing 
By being more considerate 
And a little less demanding, 
This dark old world would very soon 
Eclipse the “Evening Star” 
If everybody Brightened Up  
The Corner Where They Are 

 (There is a hymn by the same name)  

Prayer: 
Dear Lord, we are so very thankful for your patience with us in our bumbling ways.  Thank you for your continued blessings. Amen. 

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