'pandemic' Tagged Posts
Daily Devotions
For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until her vindication shines out like the dawn, and her salvation like a burning torch.” vs. 1 Isaiah 62:1-5 When the people returned to Jerusalem after their time in exile, it would have been easy for them to be discouraged. Their proud city lay in ruins and the temple had been destroyed. The protective walls were no more than piles of rubble. But the…
Daily Devotions
And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another…” vss. 24-25 Hebrews 10:19-25 Congregations have had a tough go of it during these long months of the pandemic. While there has been some financial assistance from the government most have had a tough time with worship. Many did not hold services at all and pastors were forced to get creative…
Daily Devotions
Then the people answered, ‘Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods…therefore we also will serve the Lord, for he is our God.’” vss. 16, 18b Joshua 24:16-18 As they entered the land of Canaan the people of Israel were positive and optimistic. In their enthusiasm they quickly endorsed Joshua’s challenge and said that they too would serve the Lord. Of course that’s not how it worked out–they didn’t realize how hard it…
Daily Devotions
Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them.” vs. 56 John 6:54-58 It’s no wonder that our favorite name for the Sacrament of the Altar is Holy Communion.John’s graphic description of eating and drinking flesh and blood makes it abundantly clear that in this meal Jesus becomes incarnate in us. As the bread and wine are absorbed into the flesh of our body, Christ himself comes to abide in us and we…
Daily Devotions
Then those who went ahead and those who followed were shouting, ‘Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our ancestor David! Hosanna in the highest heaven!’” vss. 9-10 Mark 11:1-11 It’s hard to believe that Palm Sunday is almost upon us. Some of us have almost completely lost touch with our congregations. YouTube and Zoom worship have been available but they’re not even close to what we’re used…
Daily Devotions
Luke 2:1-14 “And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.” vs 7 Luke’s precious story detailing the birth of Jesus is at its core a tale of hope. When we look at our family stories it’s amazing how regularly the accounts of death are accompanied by the report of a birth. A beloved grandmother dies and a…
Daily Devotions
Psalm 89:19-24 “Happy are the people who know the festal shout, who walk, O Lord, in the light of your countenance;” vs. 15 Only a week or so until Christmas–three candles are lit on our Advent wreaths and final plans are being made. For some the cancelling of family gatherings will accent the already present pandemic loneliness. Others will find it strange not to be able to sing carols in a crowded sanctuary on Christmas Eve. Nominal churchgoers are being…
Daily Devotions
Mark 13:24-31 “But in those days, after that suffering…Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in clouds’ with great power and glory.” vss. 24a, 26 It’s hard to believe that Advent is upon us. Four Sundays of preparing and then comes Christmas! And somehow Mark’s words seem particularly appropriate this year. They’re a part of Jesus’ apocalyptic message, and most years we don’t know quite what to do with them. All the symbolism seems dated, and besides, most…
Daily Devotions
Isaiah 64:1-5 “O that you would tear open the heavens and come down, so that the mountains would quake at your presence…to make your name known to your adversaries, so that the nations might tremble at your presence!” vs. 1 The prophet was impatient with the hiddenness of God! He had a deep and abiding faith; he was convinced that God had acted in mighty ways in Israel’s past. But now there was no sign of God’s presence, at least…
Daily Devotions
Isaiah 25:1-5 … “For you have been a refuge to the poor, a refuge to the needy in their distress, a shelter from the rainstorm and a shade from the heat.” vs. 4 Isaiah has nothing but praise and thanks for God, saying “I will exalt you; for you have done wonderful things,” and this time he doesn’t have in mind great victories in battle or economic gain for the nobility. On this occasion, perhaps after famine or forced migration,…
Daily Devotions: May 31, 2020
May 31, 2020 John 20:21-23 … “Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.’ When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’” When John wrote his Gospel he evidently didn’t have access to the stories used by Luke some years before. So he doesn’t include anything about a Pentecost outpouring of the Holy Spirit with tongues as of fire and…
Daily Devotions: May 13, 2020
May 13, 2020 Psalm 66:8-20 … “Bless our God, O peoples, let the sound of his praise be heard, who has kept us among the living, and has not let our feet slip.” vss. 8-9 We still don’t know when or if life will return to normal as we continue to deal with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. For some, the middle of May is seen as a time to loosen restrictions and begin to open up the economy.…