March 2020
As of this writing, the COVID-19 pandemic has killed
In this issue, we offer our thoughts and, most of all, our prayers.
|
|
An Island in a Sea of Hurt
|
|
|
I write as one of the fortunate. Because I retired last summer, the disruption of my daily routine has been minimal. With pension and Social Security, my regular income remains unaffected (despite losses in investment accounts). Since I have no ongoing church responsibilities, I am not scrambling, like many pastors, to live-stream worship services from empty churches. Most importantly, I am healthy.
I write as one of the fortunate, an island in a sea of hurt. Others may feel more like survivors of a shipwreck, clinging to whatever they can grab to stay afloat. These are anxious times, whether you find yourself on an island, in a life raft, or clinging to the debris of a life turned upside down.
Yet I am encouraged by neighbors offering help. On Sunday, March 22, I was blessed by online worship led by pastors I know in Amarillo, Texas, and Helsinki, Finland. While it may feel like we are alone on an island or adrift in a life raft, we are not alone in these anxious days. There are hands all around, near and far, reaching out to help.
I have been inspired by news reports of Italians making music from their separate balconies, and by virtual choirs available on YouTube, some of them
regular choirs dispersed
to their homes, some of them strangers, from different parts of the globe, singing in harmony together. Although distant, we can still be in touch. Although isolated, we are not alone. Thanks be to God.
The scriptures of both Christianity and Judaism, writes Walter Brueggemann, in his helpful book,
Hopeful Imagination are “about brokenness and surprise.” Thus, he is bold to proclaim that “hurt [is] hope’s home.”
[1]
Heal me hands of Jesus, and search out all my pain;
restore my hope, remove my fear, and bring me peace again.
[2]
Amen.
-- Bill
[1]
Hopeful Imagination: Prophetic Voices in Exile
(Fortress Press, 1986), 131-133.
[2]
Michael Perry, “Heal Me, Hands of Jesus,” found in many hymnals, including
Chalice Hymnal
, #504.
|
|
On September 30, 1897, a young girl,
Therese of Lisieux, lay on her death bed, ravaged by tuberculosis. The French Carmelite nun grace-fully accepted her four years of suffering as “sweetness” because she believed it made her more like her beloved Jesus in his suffering, crucifixion, and death. She transformed her suffering until it became her total and final gift of self to her Lord. She is reported to have said, her last words, “I have reached the point of not being able to suffer any more, because all suffering is sweet to me. My God, I love you!”
Therese was a remarkable little girl who reached sainthood by her death at the age of 24. Her autobiography,
The Story of a Soul, has inspired many in the last 120+ years. Few of us, however, I have a hunch, have truly reached sainthood (but I know some who are close).
Suffering lurks at our doorstep, it seems, for many of us. The interloper, Covid-19, has intruded and affected lives in 203 countries. Our heart goes out to them and their families. We pray for all, especially those near and dear to us, first responders, and medical personnel.
For those of us who are sheltered and safe, nevertheless we suffer with worry, isolation, frustration, and the rest. There is a vaccine for these troubles, though. Prayer and positive thinking. Many of us are held up by a favorite maxim, such as, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade” or “This too shall pass” or when a life challenge arises, “it can make you bitter or better.”
In an effort to stay positive, Bill and I try to watch inspiring movies. Last night, while watching my favorite movie of all times,
Chariots of Fire (1981), I am again inspired by “the fact-based story of two athletes in the 1924 Olympics: Eric Liddell, a devout Scottish Christian who runs for the glory of God, and Harold Abrahams, an English Jew who runs to overcome prejudice.” Both men struggle with physical, relational, and prejudicial suffering. Eric Liddle’s words that motivated him, continue to inspire me: “God made me for a purpose. He made me fast. When I run, I feel his pleasure.” Liddle’s victory was sweet.
As we endure these days, we might ask how we can come out of this pandemic better and not bitter? How can we transform suffering into sweetness? Approaching Holy Week, might we meditate on Jesus’ Last Words? [At least, watch the top Virtual Choir video below and let your heart be touched.]
For what purpose did God make you? What part of your life gives God pleasure?
---Jan
|
|
Virtual Choirs
This first video is a response to the coronavirus pandemic
|
The second is a TED talk from years ago, about putting a virtual choir together. Worth the time!
|
|
Chariots of Fire
Video with
Vangelis theme music
|
|
Please share Reflection freely by forwarding any issue (forward in its entirety), but remember to respect copyright laws by not altering, copying, or reproducing Reflection, text or photos, whole or in part, without written permission.
Copyright (c) 2020 Soul Windows Ministries
|
|
Sincerely,
Bill Howden and Jan Davis
Soul Windows Ministries
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|