For Such A Time As This 051120 – Bonnie Rhoads
To the Good Folk of the Palmyra Church of the Brethren,
Joys and Concerns
If you have a joy or concern you would like us to share and pray about, please call, text or email it to me. If you would like it included in our Sunday Worship sharing and prayer time, please share it with me that week by Friday morning.
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 Bonnie Rhoads for providing today’s devotion. Bonnie encourages us with a history lesson! If you wish to respond to Bonnie directly, her email address is rhoads.mb@verizon.net.
Shalom,
Dennis
Scripture - Romans 12:12
Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer.
Thoughts:
In times of distress I often find that I use the words, “All shall be well…” in an effort to reassure others, or especially myself. I know that an early Mystic, Julian of Norwich, is credited with creating that phrase. But I wanted to learn more. A perfect self-isolation sort of task.
Living in England from 1343 through 1416, Julian survived the Black Death, which decimated half of that country’s population.
Black Death then. Covid-19 now.
At 30, Julian fell seriously ill and was thought to be near death. While afflicted, she experienced a series of visions revealing to her the Passion of Christ. Those visions were later shared with others in the form of a book entitled, Revelations of Divine Love. Identified as a “long” book, it was composed of 86 chapters!
Sounds like the perfect length for reading during weeks of isolation!
After she recovered, she chose to live in life-long seclusion in a religious community. She withdrew to her single room, the entrance of which was then sealed. (Yikes!)
Seclusion then. Self-isolation now. Sealed in then. Temporarily quarantined now. (Whew!)
Throughout the rest of her life, Julian shared an optimistic theology which reflected a benevolent God. She believed in the absolute protection of a compassionate Providence. If she could have such faith
after surviving the communal Black Death and her own near-death experience, we can indeed take heart.
Benevolent God then. Benevolent God now.
Julian of Norwich reaches across the years to leave us with this message of encouragement… “All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well.” May it ever be so.
Prayer
God, this storm of anxiety is rumbling through my soul. Flashes of uncertainty streak through
the dark sky of my mind. Winds of isolation bend and break my spirit, and I am flooded with
fear.
God, I long for the resting of this tumult within me. I ache for your calming word, “Peace…
peace, be still.”
Help me to remember that just as thunderstorms bring welcome relief to summer heat and
parched land,
So this inner storm can also water the arid places of my soul and refresh my whole
being, bringing rainbows of hope and promise.
…..adapted from Theresa Eshbach, Deacon Manual for Caring Ministries
Joys and Concerns
If you have a joy or concern you would like us to share and pray about, please call, text or email it to me. If you would like it included in our Sunday Worship sharing and prayer time, please share it with me that week by Friday morning.
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 Bonnie Rhoads for providing today’s devotion. Bonnie encourages us with a history lesson! If you wish to respond to Bonnie directly, her email address is rhoads.mb@verizon.net.
Shalom,
Dennis
Scripture - Romans 12:12
Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer.
Thoughts:
In times of distress I often find that I use the words, “All shall be well…” in an effort to reassure others, or especially myself. I know that an early Mystic, Julian of Norwich, is credited with creating that phrase. But I wanted to learn more. A perfect self-isolation sort of task.
Living in England from 1343 through 1416, Julian survived the Black Death, which decimated half of that country’s population.
Black Death then. Covid-19 now.
At 30, Julian fell seriously ill and was thought to be near death. While afflicted, she experienced a series of visions revealing to her the Passion of Christ. Those visions were later shared with others in the form of a book entitled, Revelations of Divine Love. Identified as a “long” book, it was composed of 86 chapters!
Sounds like the perfect length for reading during weeks of isolation!
After she recovered, she chose to live in life-long seclusion in a religious community. She withdrew to her single room, the entrance of which was then sealed. (Yikes!)
Seclusion then. Self-isolation now. Sealed in then. Temporarily quarantined now. (Whew!)
Throughout the rest of her life, Julian shared an optimistic theology which reflected a benevolent God. She believed in the absolute protection of a compassionate Providence. If she could have such faith
after surviving the communal Black Death and her own near-death experience, we can indeed take heart.
Benevolent God then. Benevolent God now.
Julian of Norwich reaches across the years to leave us with this message of encouragement… “All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well.” May it ever be so.
Prayer
God, this storm of anxiety is rumbling through my soul. Flashes of uncertainty streak through
the dark sky of my mind. Winds of isolation bend and break my spirit, and I am flooded with
fear.
God, I long for the resting of this tumult within me. I ache for your calming word, “Peace…
peace, be still.”
Help me to remember that just as thunderstorms bring welcome relief to summer heat and
parched land,
So this inner storm can also water the arid places of my soul and refresh my whole
being, bringing rainbows of hope and promise.
…..adapted from Theresa Eshbach, Deacon Manual for Caring Ministries
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