Scripture Reading:  Psalm 113

Reflection:

These are uncertain times right now!  Day to day, and sometimes hour by hour, we are receiving new updates and bulletins about COVID-19 and its threat and impact upon our everyday life.  Confusion…Stress…Anxiety…and Fear abound at this time.  Daily I am receiving emails and text messages from people wondering how we can protect ourselves from the virus and how we should respond and position ourselves as a church.  We are living in a new territory for all of us, no matter our age.  We have never before, in our lifetimes, seen anything like this!

It is into a context like this one that the words of Psalm 113 touch us and help us to Look Up!  The psalmist reminds us: “from the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the Lord is to be praised.”  Or think of the familiar verse from Psalm 118:24: “This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.”  Both of these inspiring verses remind us there is a spiritual world beyond this physical world, indeed the ever present Realm of God, and that God is present with us today and everyday….always and eternally offering us love, care, grace, hope, joy, and peace. Indeed, when things seem and are so uncertain, let us remember to Look Up to God, whose certain presence is always with us and whose certain love will never leave us.  On dark days and on sunny, bright days, we are sheltered and held in God’s loving and steadfast embrace.

Prayer:

Loving God, calm our hearts and our minds today with a sense of your loving presence that always surrounds us and lifts us.  As we face the unknowns of today, enable us to do so with faith and hope, while also celebrating the gift of life you have granted us.  Help us to make this day a good one, and to be especially mindful of those who need our assistance, encouragement, and care.  Bless us, as we also seek to be a blessing.  Amen.

Focus for the Day:

Today, let us balance our response to the current uncertainty with faith, trust, and love.

Author:  Bob Livingston, Senior Minister