Today's Meditation
I'm mostly a lectionary preacher, meaning that I use the passages listed in the Revised Common Lectionary for each Sunday for planning worship services every week. It is on a three year cycle. But there is a daily lectionary list, as well. Through this past Holy Week, I concentrated on the normal passages we generally use for Holy Week and hadn't paid attention to the daily lectionary list. This morning I went back to read them and see what I'd missed.
Unbelievably, the daily lectionary passages for the past two weeks was centered in Exodus for the Old Testament reading - particularly, Exodus chapters 7,8,9,10. These are the plague chapters while Israel was enslaved in Egypt. Creepy, huh? Read these chapters, if you will.
The plagues that visited Egypt (can you name them?); water turned to blood, frogs, gnats, flies, diseased livestock, boils, thunder and hail with fire, locusts, darkness, and finally death of the firstborn, affected everyone - the Egyptians as well as the Israelites. Those who heeded the Word of God could be spared if they made preparations, those who did not, would feel the effects of these plagues.
The way the story is told from Exodus, it might teach us differently, but I don't assign natural disasters to the cause of God's wrath, - I believe that they are simply part of the natural order of things - and I certainly don't pick a group of people to assign blame. I do, however, believe that we should have lessons to learn from these experiences. And it is to our detriment, if we don't.
This current pandemic - the novel coronavirus known as COVID-19, has affected everyone all around the world. It has not been easy for any of us. It has been more difficult for some and less difficult for others. More than anything else, the economic divide between us is showing itself quite clearly in this pandemic.
Rather than assign blame, what lessons are you learning during this time? What experiences have you had being isolated from one another? How are you being changed within? How is God using this time with you?
Here are a few of the lessons I've learned and hope to carry with me when this is all over:
I'm much more consciously thankful for what I have.
I'm letting go of things I don't need, that hurt my spirit, that hold me back.
I'm more interested in spending time with "my people/my tribe/my loved ones". I want to hold them and be with them more now than ever.
I'm beginning (just beginning) to cherish my alone time! For this, I had to go deep into the darkness of being separated to appreciate it.
I hope to be kinder, gentler, and more empathetic to those dealing with difficult/sorrowful situations.
May God's love and grace wrap you this day in comfort and care.
Blessings,
Walt
Lauren Daigle - You Say
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