Jeremiah 17:7-8

There is a running joke in my family about my resistance to change.

The clothes I wear, chair I sit in, pillow I sleep on and car I drive are generally upgraded or switched out with major reluctance on my end. I have become, much to my chagrin, a “grumpy old man” set in his ways at the age of 53.

As a creature of habit, there has always been a comfort to my soul with my Sunday routine. I can most often be found attending the 9:30 a.m. service, sitting beside my wife, greeting many familiar faces, and meeting new worshipers as well. Shaking hands and hugging. Singing and praying, listening to the Sunday sermon, and hearing the first chords of “For I Know” echo from the front of the church, signaling the end of the service. Enjoying fellowship in the Circle afterward.

Right now, I am uncomfortable. I am uncomfortable being away from the familiarity of the church as a location, and away from the church as a people. It is an unwanted and unwelcome change. But as I read the Bible, and the passage from Mark, the only thing we as Christians can be completely comfortable with are the realities that God loves us completely, no matter what, and Jesus has forgiven our sins.

God’s people have always been uncomfortable. Enslavement. Forty years in the wilderness. War. Exile. A servant for a savior. Crucifixion.

So we worship differently, but we worship the same. The storm we all are facing will be rebuked just as the storm on the sea of Galilee was rebuked. The current reality of life on our mother planet is uncomfortable to say the least, but the great Comforter has us all in His hands.

The storm will pass. We will shake hands, hug, sing, and pray - and we will rejoice. Amen.