Responding to God’s love and grace, we are a welcoming, faithful, and hopeful community, following Jesus and serving him in the world.
- The Vision Statement of 2nd Presbyterian Church
Hey friends - it's been a while since I posted anything. Sorry about that. Several of the folks who were in worship last week have commented on how beautiful Bruce Foster's prayer was and said they would like to have a copy. I agree. It was a powerful prayer. So I reached out to Bruce - and he graciously provided it. So here it is. It's in all caps because that's how he wrote it. Guess he really wanted us to pay attention! 😊 Thanks, Bruce!
ETERNAL GOD,
OUR HEAVENLY FATHER, WE ARE GATHERED THIS MORNING TO WORSHIP YOU AND PRAISE
YOU, AND TO OFFER THANKS FOR YOUR MANIFOLD BLESSINGS TO US, BLESSINGS WE CANNOT
DESERVE OR EARN. KEEP US MINDFUL OF USING
THOSE BLESSINGS TO BE A BLESSING TO OTHERS.
WE THANK YOU
FOR YOUR BLESSINGS TO THIS CHURCH – FOR THE WONDERFUL PASTORING OF PASTORS TIM
AND SARAH – FOR THE TALENTED MUSICIANS
WHO INSPIRE US, AND THE DEVOTED AND TALENTED STAFF PERSONS – AND WE THANK YOU FOR
THE LADIES AND MEN IN THE PEWS WHO HAVE STEPPED UP TO TAKE LEADERSHIP ROLES,
EVEN OUTSIDE THEIR COMFORT ZONES, AND TO SUPPORT THE CHURCH’S WORK FINANCIALLY
AND WITH THEIR PHYSICAL EFFORT.
WE LIVE IN A
STRANGE TIME, LORD, WHEN THE NORMS OF BEHAVIOR SEEM TO CHANGE CONSTANTLY, BUT
NEVER FOR THE BETTER – WHEN REFUSING TO CALMLY DISCUSS A MATTER OF DISAGREEMENT
IS PROCLAIMED AS STANDING ON PRINCIPLE
--- WHEN RUDENESS AND DIRECT PERSONAL CRITICISM IN NORMAL DISCOURSE MAY BE
APPLAUDED AS AN ACCEPTABLE TACTIC OF STRENGTH
------ WHEN A CONSTITUTIONAL
RIGHT TO BEAR ARMS HAS BEEN DISTORTED TO ALLOW WIDESPREAD OWNERSHIP OF
MILITARY-STYLE RAPID-FIRE WEAPONS.
TRUTHFULNESS IS OPTIONAL.
WE PRAY URGENTLY FOR INSPIRATION AND GUIDANCE
FROM YOUR HOLY SPIRIT AS WE TRY TO FIND SOLUTIONS TO - AND A WAY BACK FROM -
THE HORRIFYING RESULTS OF SUCH WIDESPREAD OWNERSHIP AND MISUSE OF GUNS. HELP US, LORD, TO RAISE UP STRONG AND
PRINCIPLED LEADERS AT ALL GOVERNMENT LEVELS WHO WILL PRAY AND LISTEN FOR YOUR
GUIDANCE ON MAKING THE NECESSARY CHANGES TO OUR LAWS TO RESTORE SAFETY AND ORDERLINESS
IN OUR SOCIETY AND TO CALM THE FEARS OF EVERYDAY CITIZENS.
FATHER, AS
YOUR APOSTLE PAUL SAID, WE FAIL TO DO WHAT WE SHOULD DO, AND WE DO WHAT WE
SHOULD NOT. WE SAY THAT WE WANT TO FOLLOW
YOU AND SERVE YOU, BUT THEN WE WANDER AWAY FROM THE PATH YOU CLEAR FOR US. WE AFFIRM OUR BELIEF THAT YOU, IN YOUR GRACE
AND WISDOM, ALLOW US TO BE TEMPTED AND TO EXPERIENCE CORRUPTION, SO THAT WE UNDERSTAND
HOW WE HAVE SINNED AND HOW DESTRUCTIVE THAT BEHAVIOR CAN BE, AND THAT WE WILL
BE MORE DEPENDENT ON YOU FOR SUPPORT --- BUT WE SEEM NOT TO LEARN FROM THOSE
EXPERIENCES AND WE CONTINUE OUR SINFUL AND SELF-DESTRUCTIVE WAYS. WE ARE SO THANKFUL, LORD, FOR YOUR GRACE,
YOUR MERCY AND YOUR PROMISE OF FORGIVENESS OF OUR SINS, AND FOR YOUR CONTINUING
SUPPORT AND GUIDANCE THAT STRENGTHENS US AND HELPS US TO RESUME THE WAY YOU
HAVE SET FOR OUR LIVES.
IT IS
WINTERTIME, FATHER, WHEN THE SHORTER TIMES OF DAYLIGHT AND THE WEAKER SUNSHINE
GIVE US THE BLUES, AND MORE URGENTLY, WHEN OUR NEIGHBORS WITHOUT ADEQUATE
SHELTER OR HEAT, OR WITHOUT ENOUGH TO EAT, ARE SUFFERING. KEEP US ALWAYS MINDFUL OF OTHER’S NEEDS,
LORD, AND INSPIRE US TO OFFER SUPPORT FOR THOSE IN NEED, AS WE ARE ABLE.
FATHER, WE
ARE AWARE FROM THE BULLETIN, OF MEMBERS OF OUR CHURCH FAMILY WHO ARE IN NEED OF
HEALING, OF RESTORED STRENGTH, OF RENEWED COURAGE. WE KNOW, ALSO, THAT MANY OTHERS, GATHERED
HERE AND WATCHING THE BROADCAST, QUIETLY HAVE THE SAME CONCERNS. WE LIFT ALL OF THEM UP IN PRAYER FOR YOUR
ATTENTION TO THEIR NEEDS, YOUR CARE AND YOUR BLESSINGS.
OUR LORD
JESUS INSTRUCTED HIS DISCIPLES IN PRAYING, AND WE OFFER NOW A REVISED VERSION
OF THAT PRAYER AS CONTAINED IN THE BULLETIN:
OUR FATHER
IN HEAVEN, UPHOLD THE HOLINESS OF YOUR NAME.
BRING IN YOUR KINGDOM, SO THAT YOUR WILL IS DONE ON EARTH AS IT’S DONE
IN HEAVEN. GIVE US THE BREAD THAT WE
NEED FOR TODAY. FORGIVE US FOR THE
WAYS WE HAVE WRONGED YOU, JUST AS WE FORGIVE THOSE WHO HAVE WRONGED US. AND DON’T LEAD US INTO TEMPTATION, BUT
RESCUE US FROM THE EVIL ONE.
FOR THE KINGDOM, POWER AND GLORY ARE YOURS NOW
AND FOREVER. AMEN
Several folks have gotten in touch with me this week and either asked for me for a copy or to publish the positive Ten Commandments we read in worship on Sunday. The idea of stating the Commandments in the positive is not original to me, however this version of them is. So, here you go - The Positive 10 Commandments. (With a little commentary thrown in!)
Stay positive!
Pastor Tim
1. God is all we need.
2. Only God satisfies the deepest longings of our souls. (Not the false idols of this world.)
3. We will speak truly and respectfully of God.
4. We will take a break from work to rest and enjoy God's good creation. (Because life is more than production and consumption and the 24/7 drive to accumulate more.)
5. We will honor and respect those who protect and care for us. (And raise us and pour their lives into us.)
6. We will honor and respect life. (Because it is a gift from God.)
7. We will honor and keep our commitments. (Especially to those whom we love.)
8. We will respect the property of others.
9. We will respect and honor others by being honest and truthful.
10. We will be satisfied with and grateful for the gifts which we have been given.
Our culture today seems obsessed with the idea of love.
Songs, movies, dating apps, clothing, fragrances, advertising, cars, and entire
industries revolve around the promise of fulfillment through the love of
another person. The Beatles gave us the promise and hope quite succinctly (and
repetitively):
All you need is
love, love is all you need.
America has taken this to heart. As pastor Glenn McDonald
writes: In our society, true love is the ultimate prize. If the Bible says
God is love, America says love is god.
The Bible does, indeed, say that God is love. Not only that,
the Bible says that God is the source of all love.
This
is love: it is not that we loved God but that God loved us. We
are able to love because God first loved us. 1 John 4:10&19
The Bible also says a great many other things about love, as
well, most of them being commands to love and instructions about how to love.
This is easily missed by a lot of people.
Perhaps you know that many other cultures often have many
different words for our single English word, love. The Greeks were one of these
cultures and when Jesus talks about love or Paul writes about love, there are
often different words with subtly different meaning that are used – all
translated as the same word, love. Eros is sexual love; storge is
strong affection for; philios is deep and abiding friendship; and agape
is a deep, abiding, unconditional, covenantal love. (The Greeks had others,
but these are the ones used in the New Testament.)
The one most used to describe how God loves us and how God
calls us to love him and others in return is agape. It was a word that
was rarely used in Greek culture, maybe because it was so rarely seen or
thought possible. When Paul writes about love in 1 Corinthians 13, this is the
word he uses. Agape is the love we are called to show one another and
the world. This can only be done if we recognize that the one and only source
for this love in all the universe is God. And when God is the source, there is
always more than enough love to go around.
There was a song written by Hal David and Burt Bacharach
that was recorded and made popular in 1965 by Jackie DeShannon. Perhaps you
remember it – What the World Needs Now Is Love. I don’t know whether Mr.
David had the idea of agape love in mind or not when he wrote the lyrics
to this song. I do know, however, that the idea expressed in this song has
never been more relevant than it is right now.
The world needs the agape love of God more than ever,
needs to hear the message that God loves them unconditionally. More
importantly, the world needs to feel God’s agape love through the
love of those who claim to know and follow him.
To that end, Second Presbyterian is excited to partner with
other houses of worship along Kingston Pike for the third year in a row in the
Love Your Neighbor 2022 event on the weekend of February 11-13. On this
weekend, faith communities of various denominations will share an uplifting,
affirming message that is centered on the power of love. We hope it will serve
as a powerful signal to Knoxville that our diverse faith communities always
have more in common than we have that divides us.
We have a limited number of yard signs available, should you
like to place one in your yard to advertise the event. There will also be a
sign in front of our church on Kingston Pike advertising our participation in
this event. I hope that you make plans to join us for worship that weekend –
even if we are still virtual – as we proclaim the power and the unity of God’s
love. I can’t think of a more important message for our world right now.
On Sunday, January 2, we will conclude our sermon series for
Advent/Christmas, Making Room... The theme for that Sunday is Making
Room for the World and is built around the traditional text for the Sunday
closest to Epiphany, the arrival of the magi in Bethlehem. Even though we will
celebrate Epiphany on this Sunday, the actual date of Epiphany is twelve
days after Christmas, January 6.
The date celebrates both the visit of
the magi to Jesus shortly after his birth and Jesus' baptism by John the
Baptist. The word "epiphany" comes from Greek and means
"manifestation". It symbolizes the revelation of God in his Son Jesus
Christ to the world beyond Israel. In the West, Christians began celebrating
Epiphany in the 4th century. Up until the 19th century, it was more important
than Christmas Day.
In other parts of the world Epiphany is
still an important day in the church calendar, observed with a special worship
service in which the lights are turned off, candles are lit, John 1 is read,
and Christ is invited into the lives of those who have gathered. There are many
Epiphany traditions that are observed by families in their homes, as well.
Often families do what is described above, except they go from room to room in
the house, inviting Christ to fill every space in the home. Chalking of the
doors of the home is also a common tradition. Families take chalk of any color
and write on or above their doors a formula:
first 2 digits of year + C + M + B +
last 2 digits of year
(so for this year: 20 + C + M + B + 22)
The letters have two meanings. First,
they represent the initials of the traditional names given to the magi -
Caspar, Malchior, and Balthazar. Second, they abbreviate the Latin phrase, Christus
mansionem, benedicat: "May Christ bless this house." The
"+" signs represent the cross. Taken together, this inscription is a
request for Christ to bless the homes so marked and that he stay with those who
dwell there throughout the year.
Other Epiphany traditions include:
dining on roast lamb; baking Rosca de Reyes (Three Kings Bread) and
hiding a small statue of baby Jesus inside (whoever finds it throws a party on
Feb 2, Candlemas Day, the celebration of Jesus being presented in the Temple);
children leaving their shoes out to be filled with gifts; swimming in the ice
cold waters of the local river or lake; and wassailing, going from house to
house and singing carols while drinking wassail (warmed ale, wine or cider,
blended with spices).
In many liturgical traditions, Epiphany is a season,
starting on January 6 and continuing until Ash Wednesday, when the 40 days of
Lent begin. Though not as popular in the United States, and especially in the
Protestant tradition, Epiphany gives Christians the opportunity after the
celebration of Christmas to ask, "So now what?"
In Advent we turn inward and reflect on
how we can make room in our hearts and lives for Jesus' coming. At Christmas we
celebrate the light of Christ coming into the world. And in Epiphany we are
sent out with the light of the beauty of the glory of Jesus in our hearts and
on our faces to announce the Good News. Epiphany is where "O Come Let Us
Adore Him" becomes "Go Tell It on the Mountain". The light
has shone in the darkness and the darkness did not overcome it. A new day
has come.
Epiphany reminds us that carrying the
light of Christ into the world is not for the faint of heart. We are sent out
into a dark and weary world. Shining the light of Christ into the world is an
act of courage and defiance. Holding up a light in a dark place is a dangerous
thing to do - we risk exposure, we can become a target for those powers that
thrive in the dark.
Yet we also draw to us all of those who
need to feel the hope and warmth the light of Christ brings. As the Apostle
Paul wrote: It is the God who said, "Let light shine out of the
darkness" who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge
of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
God's call to us in Epiphany is to hold
up a candle, to radiate the light of Christ in our lives, in our relationships,
and as a church. We are being invited to make that move from coming and adoring
to going and telling. Both are necessary. To emphasize one over the other is to
distort the Gospel.
So in this new year I invite you to
think about how we might radiate the light of Christ, as a congregation and in
our individual lives. I look forward to hearing your ideas!
Last week I was driving to work and noticed how beautiful the fall colors were. Anyone else notice the peak week for fall colors has changed? When I was growing up it was always the 3rd week in October. For the last several years, however, it has been the 2nd week of November. I guess climate change has something to do with it. I told my wife we should call and make reservations in Gatlinburg next year for the 2nd week in November because most people still go the 3rd week in October. If you just thought, "That's a great idea!", you're welcome. Anyway, back to the fall colors.
As I was admiring the deep red and golden yellow leaves, the thing I was most grateful for is that I could see them at all! Most of you know that I had a 2nd detached retina at the beginning of the month and a 2nd retina repair surgery on November 3rd. As you might guess, the whole ordeal has been quite frustrating. It took about 3 months for me to regain the sight in my left eye after the retina repair surgery last February. Because of the damage to the retina, however, my sight was even worse than it was before. As things settled, I got a new prescription, which meant new glasses and new contact lenses. But wait, there's more!
One of the side effects of the surgery is the development of a cataract. So over the summer and fall the cataract was growing, and growing fast. Those of you who have had cataracts know how frustrating they are. By December the cataract was "mature" and I had cataract surgery, which means I got an implanted lens. My sight improved to about 20/35, the best my poor damaged retina could do. This, however, created another problem.
For most of my adult life I have worn both contact lenses and glasses. As my "over-40" vision came into play, I needed readers with the contacts. I had become very dependent on the readers by the time I was 50, so I favor using glasses with progressive lenses whenever I am reading, studying, or working on the computer, which is a lot of the time. The problem was that my left eye had now been corrected to 20/35 but the vision in my right eye was still horrible. The difference between the two was so great that I could no longer wear glasses. My brain couldn't process the disparity. Contacts still worked, but I had to have my readers on all the time.
So after a lot of discussion with my ophthalmologist, I decided to have Lasik surgery in the right eye, which took place in June. Since then, I have not needed contacts and have been able to wear my glasses any time I needed to read anything, like my Sunday sermon! But now I've had another retina repair, which means another cataract, and eventually another implanted lens. So the money I spent on the Lasik surgery was pretty much wasted. Such is life.
The reason I tell you all this is that I want to tell you that, in spite of all these eye troubles, I am SO thankful to be living in this time! Had I lived when my grandfather lived, or even when my father lived, I would be blind right now. Retina repair surgery has been around since the 1930's but with limited success. The retina repair surgery I had was not invented until the 1960's and really not perfected until the 1980's. The surgeon who did mine studied under the man who invented it. Today it is done with great success. What a blessing!
Thanks to God's gifts of curiosity, ingenuity, and intellect, human beings have found a way to consistently repair detached retinas, perform Lasik surgery, remove cataracts, and implant lenses to correct vision. And because of this I can see the beauty of the fall colors this year! (Albeit with only one eye right now.) In a few months, God willing, I will regain my sight in the right eye, then have another cataract surgery a few months later, and receive a new implanted lens. How incredible is that?!?! Then I will be able to see with both eyes, at least as well as my poor damaged retinas will allow. For that, I am truly thankful.
The Apostle Paul says to give thanks in every situation. (1 Thess 5:18) It isn't always easy, but it is always possible. Gratitude is a choice we make. And the more we make the choice to find things to be grateful for, the easier it becomes.
In case you don't read the newsletter, here's my On Second Thought for November 2021...
Other than Easter and Christmas, Halloween has always been our family’s favorite holiday. It’s just so much fun! I think we probably have more Halloween decorations than any other holiday, with the exception of Christmas. Friendly ghosts, funny witches, pumpkin lights, and Pirate Pete adorn our front porch this time of year, welcoming Trick-or-Treaters to our house.
When the kids were little we would dress up in our own costumes and walk the neighborhood with them on Halloween night. Mamaw and Pap would come visit so someone was at home to hand out the candy. Now that the kids are too old for Trick-or-Treating we no longer dress up. But we do sit on our porch and welcome the children as we “ooh” and “aah” over their costumes and put candy into their already bulging bags of sweet treats.
When I was a child and went Trick-or-Treating, candy bars were regular, full-size bars. That’s all that was available back then, I guess. Sure, sometimes I got a popcorn ball or some candy corn. One lady in our neighborhood gave out small bunches of grapes in little Ziploc bags! Mostly, though, it was candy bars - full-size Snickers, Hershey bars, Almond Joys, Heath Bars, Mars Bars, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, Milky Ways, 3 Musketeers, or Baby Ruths.
Now, however, there are several different sizes of candy bars for Halloween (and I guess other times of the year, too). There are king-size, full-size, fun-size, and bite-size of just about every major brand. We always get variety bags of the fun size because, well, fun! The king-size ones are out of the question; who does that? The bite-size ones are too small; they just leave you wanting more and they make you look stingy or cheap. The full-size ones are too big; they take up too much room in the bag, have too much sugar and calories for little ones, they are expensive, they force you to commit to only one brand, they make the neighbors look bad, plus, while the kids might like them they make the parents wonder what kind of old kook you are!
Fun-size candy bars are just the right size. They have all of the flavor of the full-size bars without all the calories, carbs, and sugar. The chocolate to filling ratio is smaller, so they are healthier. You don’t have to commit to just one kind of bar. You can put four different ones in the bag and it’s the same as giving out afull-size but the kids get to sample a variety of treats. It’s a win-win!
A lot of you have told me you are worried about the size of our congregation. There aren’t as many people here as there used to be. We can’t do all the things we used to. The sanctuary just feels so empty. No one comes on Wednesday nights anymore. We need to grow or we are going to die. I have heard variations on these statements for the last 5 years and I think it’s time to change our mindset. I think instead of thinking of our congregation as “no longer full-size”, it’s time to start thinking of our congregation as fun-size!
A fun-size congregation has all of the flavor of a full-size one without all of the baggage. You know, a big staff, high administrative costs, anonymity of members, the so-called sacred cows, only one “right” way to do things, and so on. In a fun-size congregation everyone knows everyone and is invested in each other’s lives, the pastor to member ratio is smaller, and there can be more room for variety among its membership. A fun-size congregation can experiment, try new things, find what works, and let go of what doesn’t. A fun-size congregation can be healthier, it doesn’t have to be one-size-fits-all, it can find more room for difference and diversity.
I once read this unique and interesting definition: Fun is the feeling of finding something new in something familiar. In a fun-size congregation everything is still familiar, but there is the possibility of finding something new as we find new ways to answer God’s call to be his witnesses. Even by just by making small variations to things we’ve always done we can experience them in new ways.
I would like to challenge you to find the fun in being a welcoming, faithful, and hopeful community, to find the new in the familiar. Let's think of new ways we can follow Jesus and serve him in the world just as we are right now. Let’s be who we are rather than who we think we are supposed to be.
The Christian Church in America isn’t the same as it was 50 years ago. We are not the same congregation we were 50, 25, or even 10 years ago. And that’s okay. After all, fifty years ago very few people gave out fun-size bars; now it’s the #1 choice for Halloween candy. There’s a reason for that. Come on – it’ll be fun!
This is just information for those who may not be following recent trends. We have been following the Percent Positive Tests for Covid in our community. Monday was the highest number since December with 41.32% positive. Tuesday was 28%, a number not seen since February with the exception of Monday. September's 7-Day Rolling average was a plateau between 20-25%. We went below 20% at the end of September and have been sitting at another plateau between 15-18%. However, this week saw a sharp uptick and we are once again just under 20%.
All this to say - despite what we see in the community, with very few people masked indoors, groups choosing to gather together indoors, full football stadiums, and people going about their business as if Covid is no longer a thing, this is not the case. Don't let what you see create a false sense of security. Yes - we have a growing awareness that Covid will always be with us in some form and we have to live our lives. However, when the numbers are this high I believe we should be doing more to mitigate the spread of this disease. We should be taking as many precautions as we can right now. Once we get down below 10% - or even better - 5%, then will be the time to relax. That time is not now. Please take precautions. Wear a mask. Stay home if you can. Get vaccinated. Get the booster if you are eligible. Think of others at all times - even if they aren't thinking of you.
This post
doesn’t have much to do with theology or the life of 2nd Presbyterian
Church, but I just feel the need to say this. Please feel free to not
read it, or to stop reading if you don’t like it.
I have
sometimes been accused of not being patriotic or not loving our country due to
my criticism of what I perceive to be things we should be doing better. Nothing
could be further from the truth, however. I love America and am grateful to
have been born here. I am grateful for the freedoms and rights we enjoy as
American citizens, freedoms for which many have fought and died. I was taught in
my youth that one of the most patriotic things we can do is to hold our country,
its people, and its leaders to the high ideals our Founding Fathers set for us,
and to be critical when we are falling short of those ideals.
These ideals
are laid out in our founding documents – The Declaration of Independence,
The United States Constitution, and The Bill of Rights. I don’t
believe they were “God-ordained”, but I do believe they were “Spirit-inspired”,
and I do not think it is hyperbole to say that these documents are some of the
most important documents ever written by human beings. After each of my children
completed the 5th grade, I took them for a week-long trip to our
Nation’s Capital so that they would have an appreciation of our country’s
history and polity. One of the highlights of each trip was going to the
National Archives and seeing these documents in person. I wanted my children to
revere the philosophies contained in these documents and the high ideals to
which we should aspire as Americans, even if we have not always, as a nation,
lived up to them.
We’ve been
hearing a great deal lately about freedoms and rights. Those who do not wish to
be vaccinated or wear a mask claim that they have the freedom not to do so
and that it is an infringement on their rights to mandate that they do
so. Essentially, they are saying that they have the right to do what they wish
when it comes to their bodies, their health, and that of their children. (Interestingly,
those same people seem not to honor the “my body, my choice” argument when it
comes to abortion, but that’s a different blog post for a different time!)
Their claims for these freedoms and rights appeal to the founding documents
that are so precious to us as Americans, and they are not wrong. The
Constitution and, especially, The Bill of Rights grant great individual
freedoms to the citizens of our country.
Lost in this
discussion, however, is a much more important argument – the reason these
rights exist in the first place. With all of the focus on individual rights
granted by The Constitution and Bill of Rights, we seem to have
lost sight of what is arguably the best and most important part
of The United States Constitution – the Preamble. If you’re like me, you
had to memorize it in 5th grade. I don’t know that students are
still required to do this, but they should be. It lays out the whole reason for
the rights enshrined in TheConstitution and Bill of Rights in
the first place.
You’ll
remember it begins, We, the people… Not We the Founding Fathers…,
or We, the land-owners…, or We, the elected representatives of the
people…, or We, the Federalists and the Democratic-Republicans… It’s
us – all of us, together. The Constitution invites all of us from
the very beginning to be part of the Great Experiment that is about to begin.
We are in this thing together.
Then come
the reasons for everything that follows, In order to… I won’t list them
all – you probably know them – but I do want to highlight a few.
form a
more perfect union… I
love this. How can anything be more perfect? Right up front we are
saying that we know we are not perfect but that should always strive to
be better, always strive to meet the ideals laid out in our founding documents.
We should never be complacent, thinking that we have reached our destination.
We can always be more just, more equal, more perfect than
we already are.
establish
justice, insure domestic tranquility… The reason we have our freedoms is so that justice and
tranquility will prevail. Both seem to be in short supply at the moment. I
recently saw a TV show with a fictional judge who was fed up with how our
justice system treats people of low socio-economic standing, mostly people of
color, who do not have the means to manipulate the system as the wealthy
corporations do. He said, “Justice isn’t justice if it’s not just.” As for
tranquility? Just turn on the news. Or attend a Knox County School Board
meeting.
promote
the general welfare… This
is the big one that seems to have been forgotten. Because it is We, the
people who are in this together, the general welfare of the nation and the
common good of all the people of our nation should be our primary goal. This
means that, on occasion, our individual rights and freedoms must be put
aside for the betterment of the whole. It means we have to look out for
each other, do what’s best for others, even if that means making a sacrifice ourselves.
This is what it truly means to be American, what it really means to be patriotic.
A rising tide buoys all ships. This is why throughout the history of our
country, public health has always taken precedence over individual rights. I
don’t know why people aren’t getting this now, especially when it is our
children that need to be protected most at the moment.
and
secure the blessings of liberty for ourselves and our posterity… The blessings of liberty aren’t just
for us; they are for all who will come after us. What we do now has a
ripple effect into the future. If we ignore these ideals in the present, they
will be weakened for future generations. We must not only think of the general
welfare now, but the general welfare 50, 100, or 200 years from now. All who
will ever live in this great country deserve the blessings of liberty that we
have received.
Okay, I said
I wasn’t going to list all of them, but I only left out one. provide for the
common defense… Actually, I think we’re doing pretty well with that one!
The point is
this. The Declaration of Independence says we have the right to Life,
Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. This is true, as long as my rights do
not infringe upon another’s. I do not have the right to take someone else’s
life. Nor do I have the right to force my religious beliefs upon others. I do
not have the right to drive whatever speed I choose or ignore traffic signals.
I do not have the right to imprison someone in my basement in my pursuit of
happiness, just because I don’t like something he did or said. These things
infringe upon the rights of others so they must be tempered by the general
welfare.
So when
someone’s right not to get vaccinated or wear a mask infringes on my right to
life, or the right to life of our children, or my liberty to freely go where I
choose without fear of contracting a potentially deadly disease, those rights
have to be tempered by the general welfare, as well. Likewise, if we really
want to promote the general welfare, we will do what’s best for the whole, even
if that means making a few adjustments to the way we behave for a little while.
We’re supposed
to all be in this together, seeking a more perfect union, establishing justice,
ensuring domestic tranquility, promoting the general welfare, and securing the
blessings of liberty, not just for ourselves, but for all to come. When we live
up these ideals, I celebrate that and give thanks to God that I was born in this
wonderful country, one that isn’t perfect but is seeking to become more so.
When are not living up to these ideals, however, I believe it is my patriotic
duty to point that out. And friends, when it comes to our response to Covid as
a nation, we are not living up to them.
Last thing –
I realize that if you have made it this far, you most likely agree with what I’m
saying. Maybe not, but most likely. Great. I’m glad. But how do we have this
conversation with those that don’t agree in a positive way without shaming
them? That’s what I’ve been pondering lately. I think the best way is to appeal
to our mutual patriotism and to remind people of the Preamble to The Constitution,
the reason we have these rights in the first place. I hope I can do it
kindly, with love and not anger, with reason and not frustration, but I find it
hard these days. I would love to hear your thoughts below.
A few years ago I did some study seminars with the Foundation for Reformed Theology. As a result, I am on their email list. While I read a lot of things from many different sources each week, this email I received from the Foundation yesterday was particularly comforting, uplifting and inspiring to me, given the times in which we are living. I hope it is to you.
Peace...
PT
Dear Friends of The Foundation for Reformed Theology:
A Theological Sin
I once heard John Leith give a lecture on the church in which he
quoted Calvin from Book IV of TheInstitutes:
"Although the melancholy desolation which confronts us on every side may
cry that no remnant of the church is left, let us know that Christ's death is
fruitful, and that God miraculously keeps his church as in hiding places."
In this section Calvin is unfolding his doctrine of the church but this
particular passage has as much to do with reminding us of the source of our
hope as it does with the life of the church itself. The counsel here is not to
despair.
Despair, bitterness, even anger at the way things are constitute
temptations to those who would live by faith and not by sight. They are also,
in a weird way, the residue of love. If one did not love the church so much, if
one did not invest so much of one's heart in its mission and life, if one did
not dare to undertake great things in its service, then one would not feel so
much despair at its wreckage, or bitterness at our blasted hopes, or anger at
all the ways the church has failed. A studied indifference would never yield
such despair. Only love can risk such a temptation.
Yet, as Augustine has taught us, even our loves can be disordered,
and our despair just another name for pride. The great thing about feeding on
our disappointments is that there is no shortage of supply. Still, there is
something deeper here than just a kind of discouragement that afflicts all who
seek to minister to God's people. The great opponent of despair and bitterness
is not our virtues, not our ability to conjure up more cheerful moods. No, the
great opponent, even enemy of such demons is Jesus Christ. He has always called
out such demons and confronted them with a gospel that is neither angry nor
bitter, neither triumphalistic nor proud. Instead, he gives himself to us such
that despair and bitterness can be given no quarter in our thinking and doing.
He reveals these demons to be signs of death. And he reveals himself as the One
who conquers through the Cross. Jesus is Victor! The crucified and risen Lord
reigns over this world, over this sinful world, over all our failures, bitter
defeats, and painful despair. They are not more powerful than he is. And they
cannot be taken more seriously than his victory over sin and death. One does
not have to be a Norman Vincent Peale to acknowledge that the good news of
Jesus Christ should put a smile on all our faces. He is Lord! And it is a sin
to love our disappointments more than we do his victory.
So, what about the church? I suspect that being a faithful
Christian is never easy, and that challenges always abound, perhaps different
ones but just as difficult in different times and places. The church I grew up
in during the 1950s no longer exists, which is, in truth, not such a bad thing.
However, the church that seeks to minister in our fractured and divided world
today, does so from a weaker position in the culture than formerly. Even being
a Presbyterian today is something of a counter-cultural calling. Perhaps such has
always been the case. The Reformed tradition is not a populist tradition. But
that should not bother us, or it should bother us as little as Israel was
bothered by being small and comparatively weak piece on the chessboard of the
ancient world. We will, in any case, accomplish little good by playing to the
culture's anger and divisions. Far better to do something different: to rejoice
in the gifts that draw us together and enable us to witness with a full heart
and generous spirit.
Some of the congregations my father served are barely hanging on
today, and others have closed. I am in regular conversation with friends in
churches I once served whose faithfulness in the face of adversity makes me
weep with gratitude for them and their witness. Rather than bemoaning what they
no longer have, they embrace the calling to which God has called them in this
time and place. They rejoice that God has called them to witness here. And now.
They refuse to be embittered, not because they have such reserves of will power
but because they know who has won the battle, who is Lord, who will let nothing
separate us from his love. And because they know that, they can be ridiculously
confident. They can "smile at all their foes," even their own demons
of bitterness and despair, turning instead to work on things that truly matter.
So how do we go forward when faced with the "melancholy
desolation which confronts us on every side"? In his address to a group of
pastors in Germany delivered in July of 1922, later published as "The Need
and Promise of Christian Preaching," Karl Barth ends his remarks by also
quoting Calvin. In this case, he quotes from Calvin's commentary on Micah 4:6:
"Although the church is at the present time hardly to be distinguished
from a dead or at best sick man, there is no reason for despair, for the Lord
raises up his own suddenly, as he waked the dead from the grave. This we must
clearly remember, lest, when the church fails to shine forth, we conclude too
quickly that her life has died utterly away. But the church in the world is so
preserved that she rises suddenly from the dead.... Let us cling to the
remembrance that she is not without her resurrection, or rather, not without
her many resurrections." (The Word of God and the Word of Man,
p. 135)
That is how we go forth, not with strategies of success or the
power of our own virtues but from death to resurrection. In Wendell Berry's
words, we are called to "practice resurrection." The risen Lord will
not let us feed off our own bitterness or despair.
Pious words? On the evening of December 9, 1968, the night before
he died, Barth talked on the telephone with his old friend, Eduard Thurneysen.
1968 was not a great year in either American (assassinations, riots, protests)
or Europe. Before he hung up, Barth told his friend that despite the darkness,
it was vital to "not lose heart!" There is still One who reigns, even
Jesus Christ.
It is a sin, a theological sin to lose heart as if Jesus has not
been raised from the dead, as if the risen Lord does not reign, as if his light
were unable to pierce our darkness. It is selfish to "lose heart" and
feed off our resentments. They are not our sacrament. Besides, there are so
many more important things to do, not least is to receive the gift of studying
with Augustine, Calvin, Barth, and so many others who have found encouragement
and hope in the victory of Jesus Christ. It is that victory that gives us
confidence and energy to embrace this world, to love Christ's church, and to
care for the least and last and lost whom he claims for his own. And it is that
victory that enables us to be glad that we are called to live in this day and
time - not yesterday or whenever we thought it was better - but this day and
time. This is the day the Lord has made. We are to rejoice and be glad in
it.
The Foundation for Reformed Theology exists to help pastors and
elders not to lose heart, but rather to drink deeply from the wells of the
Christian faith, to rejoice in the company of others who have walked this way,
often in the face of far greater adversity than we encounter, and to read and
study and prepare to surprise an often sad and all too wise world with the
unexpected good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Thomas W. Currie, Interim Director of The Foundation for Reformed
Theology
Wednesday, July 21, 2021
Hey Everyone -
According to today's News Sentinel, active Covid cases in Knox county more than doubled in the last week from 198 on July 14 to 414 today. New cases have doubled from 20 to 44. The majority of these cases are individuals who are not vaccinated and are mostly the result of the new, more transmissible Delta variant. The director of the CDC said this week, "This is now a pandemic of the unvaccinated." Just under 49% of Knox county residents have been fully vaccinated, which is better than the state vaccination rate of 38% who are fully vaccinated and 43% who have received at least one dose.
State Senator Richard Briggs, who is also a physician, said, "To think that somehow Tennessee will be spared this next wave of the Delta variant, I think is just being very naive and being hopeful and not facing reality." Knox County Health Department lead epidemiologist, Roberta Strum, said that the KCHD is not surprised by the recent spike in cases and that cases are expected to increase.
The good news is that those who are vaccinated are not at serious risk from the Delta variant. So-called "breakthrough" infections are relatively rare, and even when they occur they do not cause serious illness. The bad news is that even the vaccinated can have breakthrough infections and can, in turn, pass the virus on to the unvaccinated. While adults have the choice whether or not to be vaccinated, no vaccine has yet been authorized for children under the age of 12, putting them at risk of infection. The even worse news is that Delta variant Covid infections among children are on the rise.
If you know someone who is not vaccinated, or if you, yourself, are not, I strongly to encourage you to click the link below and read the article from AL.com about a physician's recent Facebook post on Sunday.
The Session will be monitoring Knox county Covid cases and will determine if or when it may be necessary to reinstate protective measures in worship, such as face coverings or increased physical distancing. For now, we will continue along our path of phased easing of restrictions.
The best and safest way to avoid any changes to the easing of restrictions, and the best way to protect others, especially our families with children, is to get the vaccine. PLEASE, if you have not, go and get your Covid vaccine today.
A few months ago, my brother called my mom and asked, “Are we still worried about James?”
Some of you may be wondering the same thing and be hesitant to ask, so I thought I’d give a little update. Others of you may not even know that we were worried about James to begin with; so before I give an update, let me give a little background.
About 5 weeks before his due date, my doctor raised some concern about James’ femur measurements on an ultrasound. If you consult Doctor Google, there are all sorts of things that this might indicate. We were sent to the high-risk OB to have further measurements taken, and that is where the roller coaster began. They measured his other long bones and found that they too were measuring well behind his gestational age. The determination after all this measuring was that we were looking at a high likelihood of a skeletal dysplasia, of which there are about 400 different types; and there was no way to know which one he might have. The most common type, however, is achondroplasia – more commonly known as dwarfism.
Over the next few weeks, we went from doctor appointment to doctor appointment, dreading each one a little bit more because the picture seemed to get more and more grim at each one. We heard everything from, ‘it may just be his stature that is affected,’ to ‘he may not have enough room for his heart and lungs,’ to ‘you may have to make decisions about removing support after he’s born’. And all the while, they also continued to tell us, ‘it could be nothing, but all the measurements and ratios we’re seeing point to something’. The term roller coaster may actually be a gross understatement!
Fast forward to his birth, and there were about 20 people in the room including a pediatric team that was prepared to give him an initial once-over and whisk him away to the NICU if necessary. They took him over to the incubator for the pediatric doctor to check him out, and the doctor looked at James and then looked at Andy and said, “now what is it we’re looking for?” So, that was our first sigh of relief. A quick look showed no signs of achondroplasia, and a quick exam showed no need for a NICU stay.
During our stay in the hospital, we saw a geneticist, who also said she saw nothing at first glance that looked to her like achondroplasia; but she did a cheek swab sample to be sent off for genetic testing.
Over his first six months of life, we have gone back and forth with the geneticist’s office, done another cheek swab on James and one on both Andy and me as well. We have gotten a lot of confusing information, because genetics are very confusing. But, we were finally able to meet with the geneticist face to face a couple of weeks ago; and her conclusion was that she saw nothing that would keep James from leading a ‘normal’ life…another HUGE sigh of relief!
So, to answer the question: “Are we still worried about James?” The answer is no, by the grace of God, we are not worried about James, at least not for the same reasons that we were worried about him in the weeks leading up to his birth and in the first months of his life. Now we just have the normal worries that people have about their kids, and we will take those worries any day!
This update got much longer than anticipated, so thank you for caring enough to read it, and thank you for being a part of the loving community that is helping Andy and me to raise our boys by loving and supporting all of us. We are so, so grateful.
Wednesday, May 19, 2021
Here is the text of the video message for those who prefer to read, rather than watch. You can also find a PDF of the text by clicking the red button on the home page of our website, www.2ndpres.org.
May 19th, 2021
Greetings friends,
As I’m sure you are aware by now, the
CDC updated its COVID-19 guidelines last week regarding the wearing of face
coverings indoors for those who are fully vaccinated. At its regularly stated
meeting last night, the Session spent time reflecting on this change and what it
means for our congregation and our policies regarding the usage of face
coverings. After very careful, thoughtful, and prayerful discussion, the
Session has made the following decisions:
1.Beginning today, May 19th,
face coverings will be optional for those who are fully vaccinated while in the
church building for meetings, Sunday School classes, Bible studies, or other
activities, excluding worship. We do request and encourage you to still maintain a safe
physical distance from one another and the staff, especially if you choose not
to wear a face covering.
2.We are continuing to ask everyone to
wear a face covering during worship, as well as practice physical distancing
and refrain from physical contact, regardless of vaccination status, through
the end of June.
3.Beginning Sunday, July 4th,
face coverings will be optional during worship for those who are fully
vaccinated.
I would like to explain some of the
reasoning behind this new, bifurcated policy, so you can understand why the
Session chose to make the decision they did.
We have said all along that we should
follow the science, and we should follow the science now. We have known for
several weeks that it is relatively safe to be unmasked while outdoors, even
for the unvaccinated. Now, the science tells us that even indoors with groups
of people, those who are vaccinated are not likely to transmit the coronavirus
to others, nor are they likely to contract it themselves. Even if the
vaccinated do contract the virus, the protection from serious illness is quite
strong.
By allowing those who are vaccinated
to make the choice about whether or not to wear a face covering, we are showing
that we not only believe in personal responsibility, but in the efficacy and
safety of the vaccine. We also hope this will encourage those who have not yet gotten
the vaccine to do so in order to return to “normal” activities sooner, rather
than later.
As Christians, we are called to also follow
the law of love. We have said all along that wearing face coverings, keeping
our distance, refraining from physical contact, washing our hands, and staying
home when sick are the ways that we show love to our neighbor. We believe wearing
face coverings for a few more weeks in worship is a way to continue to do that.
The reality is people are processing
the new recommendations differently. There are some who are ready to go without
face coverings immediately. For others, face coverings have become like a
security blanket and they will need some time before they feel safe removing
them. For still others, those who are immunocompromised or unvaccinated or just
very cautious, face coverings will continue to be a way of life for the
foreseeable future.
We wish the CDC had given us a few
weeks to prepare for the transition that was announced last week, but they
didn’t. We, however, have the chance to do just that. By asking the entire
congregation to continue to wear face coverings during worship for the next 6
Sundays, regardless of vaccination status, we give those who need it a little
extra time to mentally prepare for the next phase in returning to normalcy. We
realize that some of you will think this is too long, but we are asking you to
consider the needs of others by practicing patience and forbearance.
When the Christians in Corinth were
experiencing divisions over the practice of eating meat sacrificed to idols, as
well as unequal access to the Lord’s Supper, Paul encouraged them to seek
unity. Everything is permitted, he writes in 1 Corinthians 10, but
not everything is beneficial; everything is permitted, but not everything
builds others up. Paul encourages the Corinthians to think first of the
needs of the community. No one should look to their own advantage, he says, but they should look out for each other. We believe that wearing
face coverings in worship for just a few more weeks is the best way for us to
look out for each other.
Our Vision Statement says that we are
a “welcoming” community and we want to be sure that we are truly welcoming of
all, regardless of vaccination status. We don’t want to put people in the
difficult position of feeling uncomfortable or having to lie about their
vaccination status, we don’t want people to feel unsafe during worship, and we
don’t want the focus to be on who is and who is not wearing a mask. As Pastor
Sarah said so well on Sunday, “If our focus is on who is and who isn’t
vaccinated, our focus isn’t where it should be, on God.” We want to continue to
focus on God during worship and we believe all of us continuing to wear face
coverings is the way to do that for now.
Finally, I want to say a word about
how we should treat one another regarding the issue of face coverings, whether
in the building for activities now, or in worship starting July 4th.
Wearing a face covering is a matter of personal choice, regardless of
vaccination status. It is not a political statement, it is not an ideological
statement, it is not a judgment statement. It as an article of clothing – no
more, no less. Some people choose to wear a tie to worship, others choose not
to. Some people choose to wear short sleeves, others choose to wear a sweater.
Some people wear pants, and some people wear dresses, and some people wear
shorts.
And some people will choose to wear a
face covering while others will not. We wouldn’t say to someone, “Why are you
wearing a sweater? It’s summer! You don’t have to wear that.” We wouldn’t come
to a committee meeting and say, “Why are you wearing blue jeans? No one else is
wearing blue jeans.” In the same way, we shouldn’t say to someone, “Why are you
wearing a mask? You know we don’t have to wear those anymore, right?” Nor
should we say to someone, “You’re not wearing a mask! How dare you be so
thoughtless.”
Let’s put our trust in one another and
have the confidence that each person will choose what’s best for themselves and
for those around them. Let us be respectful and understanding of each
person’s right to wear whatever they choose, face coverings included. The
science says it’s safe not to; psychology says some will want to; the Bible
says to practice love and forbearance in our relationships with others.
One last thing regarding some of the other
decisions that have been made regarding worship. You will notice this
Sunday that hymnbooks and Bibles have been returned to the pews. Since the
science says transmission of the virus through contact with objects is
negligible, and since we have only one worship service a week and these books
will not be touched by multiple people in a short span of time, we feel it is
safe for those who choose to use them again to do so. The Scripture readings
and words to the hymns will continue to be on the screen, both for those at
home and for those in the sanctuary who prefer not to use a hymnbook or Bible,
but the hymn lyrics will no longer be printed in the bulletin.
Also, for the time being we will
continue to celebrate communion using the self-contained, self-serve cups, and
we will continue to refrain from passing the offering plates and the pew pads.
The Worship Committee and the Session will continue to discuss these, and other
issues, throughout the summer.
I continue to lift all of you up in
prayer as we navigate the ever-changing nature of this pandemic. I rejoice with
those of you who have been able to visit with family and friends again, and I
sympathize with those of you who are still being extra cautious. It’s been
great to see some of you in person in the building and in worship again, and
it’s been uplifting to see that there are still many who are joining us
virtually for worship and Bible study. I pray that each of you feel the presence of God in your lives and know the peace of Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit in your midst.
On Sunday, April 11th, a young man was stopped in
Oak Ridge for a window tint violation. After initial contact with an Oak Ridge
police officer, the young man fled from his vehicle on foot toward the First
United Methodist Church building. The police officer chased the suspect and saw
him enter the church building, just as worshipers were leaving the 10 a.m.
service.
The police discovered the young man was wanted in Ohio for
drug and weapons charges and was to be considered armed and dangerous. The
police evacuated church members and established a perimeter. They called in the
Anderson County Sherriff’s K-9 unit. They waited for the dogs to arrive and
then began a search of the building which lasted nearly 2 hours. The dogs
discovered the young man hiding in a bathroom closet. The door was opened and
the suspect was arrested without incident. No one was injured.
The very next day in Knoxville, another young man hid in a bathroom.
This young man was not wanted on any charges. He had no criminal record. He was
not threatening anyone, nor had he fled from the authorities. He was in trouble
and he was scared. He had gotten into a fight with his girlfriend and his
girlfriend’s mother told him she was calling the police. The young man did what
our culture has taught him to do, he got a gun to protect himself.
The Knoxville Police arrived
at Austin-East Magnet School, where the young man was hiding. Within 20 minutes
they had ascertained that the young man was in a bathroom. They entered the
bathroom. Eleven seconds later the young man was dead.
One scared young man hid in a bathroom and was arrested
without incident. Another scared young man hid in a bathroom and didn’t come
out alive. One was white. One was brown.
In the days since Anthony Thompson, Jr. was shot by police
at Austin-East Magnet School, Knoxvillians have demanded to see the video to
know what happened in that bathroom. The District Attorney, the Mayor, the Police
Chief, and many in the Knoxville Community have been asking one question: Was
the shooting justified? But that is the wrong question.
The question we should be asking is: Why were the officers
in that bathroom in the first place?
They had options. They did not have to go into that bathroom
and confront Mr. Thompson. They could have called the K-9 unit, like the
officers in Oak Ridge. They could have asked a trusted guidance counselor
or teacher to go into the bathroom and speak with Mr. Thompson to help him
understand that there was a way out of the trouble he was in. They could have
called in trained crisis de-escalators or even hostage negotiators. They could
have called in Mr. Thompson’s mother or a member of his family to talk him out
of the bathroom peacefully. They had time. They could have waited.
Mr. Thompson was not threatening anyone. He was not an
immediate danger to anyone. He was just a scared teenager. The police had other
options than to enter that bathroom while tensions were running high. The police
knew one side of the story. Who was there to speak for Mr. Thompson? Who was
there to tell his side of the story? Who had his best interests in mind?
Two young men hid in a bathroom. One was a known felon. One
was a scared teenager. One was white. One was brown.
Yesterday during worship we experienced a momentary power disruption which caused one of the devices we use for our live stream to reboot. This caused the stream to freeze for several minutes right at the end of David's Time for Reflection and through most of Jan's Prayers of the People. (It also happened again during the postlude, for those of you who were still watching.) It's always frustrating when something like this happens, but it was especially so yesterday because the prayer that Jan wrote and prayed was so lovely. So I asked her to send it to me and I am posting it below. I hope that you will take time to pray this prayer with her at some point this week.
PT
As we come together in prayer, I would bring your attention to the fact that the season of Love – Valentine's Day, and the season of Lent – Self Reflection are back to back, next door to each other. So may our time of reflection focus on Love as we go through this journey toward Easter and the season of Hope.
Creator God,
We are finding it very difficult at the moment to look toward the coming season of Hope. There is so much negativity in our world that our hearts ache with the burden of it all. We sit and we ponder, we argue and we try to listen, we kneel and we pray, we see and we ignore and the agony continues.
We come together today to pray for our world, for the leaders and those behind the scenes who exert influence, for the stricken and hungry, the tired and the sick and for those who feel forgotten. We ask for the world to feel your presence, to realize that Love is the answer today and everyday. And may we love and heal our planet as well as ourselves.
We pray for our country where there is so much division and anger. We pray for our own leaders who make decisions that impact us all. We ask that compromise be a word of hope and not one of dissension. We pray for those who have been impacted by the storms and extreme weather that has passed over so much of our country. May they receive the help that they need and may those in power find ways to assure the people that they are working for the good of all.
We pray for our community where we are grieving the loss of 3 teen-agers who have been taken down in the prime of their lives. We struggle with these random acts of violence and wonder why random acts of kindness cannot be the norm. We ache with their parents as they adjust to this loss of hope for a better future that these kids were poised to explore. Help us to know how we can make a difference, how we can contribute to the solution and even how we can pray.
We pray for our own families as we wonder if our kids are next, as we wonder if Covid will take more lives that we know, as we wonder how we are to go on in this swirl of negativity.
We are told that there is hope, that there is light, that there is redemption. Help us to find it. Aid us in our Lenten journey to reflect on our own path, to find ways to reach out and to be that Christ like example that we long for in others. Bring us Hope. Bring us Love. Bring us Redemption.
