Siblings in Christ,
Sunday after church I did so much reflecting about my own sermon on the way home! Sometimes that happens and I realize how much my sermons aren’t all my own words, but God using me to speak. As I reflected, I was reminded of how much the period of exile in the days of Isaiah must have felt for the Jews as this time of COVID feels for us. COVID has been a total disruption of our “norms” and our lives, in both the daily and the special occasions. During the holidays, these disruptions have become more prevalent or noticeable. It feels like exile and we just want to “go back to normal.”
In many ways I anticipate things WILL “go back to normal” at some point...maybe once the vaccine is working and people are finally able to prevent illness from spreading more widely. But, just as the Israelites experienced, after something as big as an exile or pandemic, there are ways that our lives have been changed and will remain so after this.
Therefore, the words from Isaiah 40 this week - “Comfort, o comfort my people says your God” and “every valley shall be lifted up...the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed.” - are so important to hear. Even in and maybe especially in, times when things are rough or “not normal,” God comes to us to comfort us and lift us up again.
A friend of mine asked on Facebook last week “What good thing has COVID brought this year?” Many people replied “none” or “nothing.” But, I encourage you to think a little more deeply. I do believe that there are many things COVID has done that aren’t bad. I think people have been reminded of the importance of being WITH people in person. Perhaps we will be better about visiting those we love once it is safer to do so, instead of putting it off for the number of reasons we often give (too busy, my house isn’t clean, I don’t have time). Now that we know there can be a time when we can’t visit those friends and families, perhaps we will cherish and experience gathering together even more.
I have also seen so much creativity and ingenuity and innovation since the pandemic began. When things go wrong, and we can’t do things the way we are used to, we ADAPT!!! It’s often hard to make changes when we aren’t in crisis, but now we know we CAN change. Maybe the pandemic will teach us that it’s ok to do things differently, and that we can survive these changes. Maybe that’s just what we needed to help us make change in what I would call an impending crisis, to actually help AVOID crisis! I hope we don’t try to go back to all our “regular” patterns and forget about all the new things we’ve learned, and I hope we have learned that there are new ways to be the church.
Finally, this year has brought many other struggles other than just pandemic. While all the adversity has brought the world together in many ways, it has also shown us how divided we are too. It’s sometimes hard to pay attention to the ways we cut people off and stay divided until we come to a time when we MUST work together. In learning about how divided we are this year, my hope is that we also used that knowledge to work more towards center once again. We will never agree with each other 100% on everything, but we also have to learn how to work with each other when things don’t go the way we think they should. We have to not only agree to disagree, but participate and stay engaged even when we disagree. I’ve had the blessing of working with a few people this year that have helped me sharpen my skills at working with others and finding ways to create win-win situations even when I think something should have gone differently. I am grateful for the people who have also continued to work with me even when we disagree. What a true blessing they are!
2020 has been horrible. There is no doubt in that. However, Isaiah reminds us with these words; “Comfort, o comfort my people says your God.” We rest in this hope as we end 2020 and begin a new year soon. Take some time this week to find your hope in the future and to find the good in 2020 also. It will lift you up...just as God does.
Pastor Heather
Sunday after church I did so much reflecting about my own sermon on the way home! Sometimes that happens and I realize how much my sermons aren’t all my own words, but God using me to speak. As I reflected, I was reminded of how much the period of exile in the days of Isaiah must have felt for the Jews as this time of COVID feels for us. COVID has been a total disruption of our “norms” and our lives, in both the daily and the special occasions. During the holidays, these disruptions have become more prevalent or noticeable. It feels like exile and we just want to “go back to normal.”
In many ways I anticipate things WILL “go back to normal” at some point...maybe once the vaccine is working and people are finally able to prevent illness from spreading more widely. But, just as the Israelites experienced, after something as big as an exile or pandemic, there are ways that our lives have been changed and will remain so after this.
Therefore, the words from Isaiah 40 this week - “Comfort, o comfort my people says your God” and “every valley shall be lifted up...the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed.” - are so important to hear. Even in and maybe especially in, times when things are rough or “not normal,” God comes to us to comfort us and lift us up again.
A friend of mine asked on Facebook last week “What good thing has COVID brought this year?” Many people replied “none” or “nothing.” But, I encourage you to think a little more deeply. I do believe that there are many things COVID has done that aren’t bad. I think people have been reminded of the importance of being WITH people in person. Perhaps we will be better about visiting those we love once it is safer to do so, instead of putting it off for the number of reasons we often give (too busy, my house isn’t clean, I don’t have time). Now that we know there can be a time when we can’t visit those friends and families, perhaps we will cherish and experience gathering together even more.
I have also seen so much creativity and ingenuity and innovation since the pandemic began. When things go wrong, and we can’t do things the way we are used to, we ADAPT!!! It’s often hard to make changes when we aren’t in crisis, but now we know we CAN change. Maybe the pandemic will teach us that it’s ok to do things differently, and that we can survive these changes. Maybe that’s just what we needed to help us make change in what I would call an impending crisis, to actually help AVOID crisis! I hope we don’t try to go back to all our “regular” patterns and forget about all the new things we’ve learned, and I hope we have learned that there are new ways to be the church.
Finally, this year has brought many other struggles other than just pandemic. While all the adversity has brought the world together in many ways, it has also shown us how divided we are too. It’s sometimes hard to pay attention to the ways we cut people off and stay divided until we come to a time when we MUST work together. In learning about how divided we are this year, my hope is that we also used that knowledge to work more towards center once again. We will never agree with each other 100% on everything, but we also have to learn how to work with each other when things don’t go the way we think they should. We have to not only agree to disagree, but participate and stay engaged even when we disagree. I’ve had the blessing of working with a few people this year that have helped me sharpen my skills at working with others and finding ways to create win-win situations even when I think something should have gone differently. I am grateful for the people who have also continued to work with me even when we disagree. What a true blessing they are!
2020 has been horrible. There is no doubt in that. However, Isaiah reminds us with these words; “Comfort, o comfort my people says your God.” We rest in this hope as we end 2020 and begin a new year soon. Take some time this week to find your hope in the future and to find the good in 2020 also. It will lift you up...just as God does.
Pastor Heather