Rejoice always?

I threw a huge hissy fit. I yelled, even growled in frustration. The dogs, always hovering around the kitchen, tucked their tails and ran.

My lovely bride came to check on me, “Can I help?” she asked appeasingly.

“No,” I snapped. “Go away. I hate this recipe. It’s stupid. Look at this mess, and now they are burnt and falling apart. Garbage. Might as well throw it away. I have made garbage.”

“I’m sure it’ll be delicious,” she delicately tried.

“No. It’s garbage. Stop cheering me up.” I think at some point, the child came in to share her confidence that it would be fine and express her love and concern for me. Even she failed. I was seeing red, and nothing was going to change my mood.

This little incident comes to mind today, as I consider a COVID Thanksgiving and a year in which everything seems like hot garbage. What a mess! All our hard work. All our plans. All our time. All our efforts. Nothing. School. Garbage. Work. Garbage. Even nature’s great beauty in our wonderful state took a hit this year. Love and unity? Garbage. A stable society? The Future? Garbage. Relationships with our friends? Our neighbors? Our family? Ruined, everything is ruined. We can’t even get together. We are told not to travel. The 2020 pan is still smoking. The dog still doesn’t know why everyone is so angry.

Then the Apostle Paul has the audacity to say, “Rejoice in the Lord always!” No, Paul, not this time. Paul, stop cheering us up. Paul, you don’t understand. Paul, if you only knew what sort of year this was. Paul, if you could only see how rough the future was looking. You can’t really mean, always, rejoice always. That has to be an exaggeration. I will say it again: Rejoice!

In case we are tempted to think that maybe Paul didn’t understand, couldn’t know our struggles, or didn’t understand how bad life could get, maybe we should review his history with the Philippians. Just in their town, he was arrested for healing a demon possessed girl. He was accused of disturbing the peace. They beat him with rods, and without being able to say a word in his defense they threw him in the cold dark prison, binding him and Silas hand and foot in the stocks. My and hands start to tingle if I don’t move them for a few minutes, how many hours did Paul endure. Still he uses that word, always, and proved it as he and Silas passed the time singing joyful hymns to the Lord, happy to share in the suffering of Christ. Rejoice in the Lord always!  I will say it again: Rejoice! Paul knew all about bad times, still he encouraged, rejoice!

His future wasn’t looking all that great either. As he wrote these words, Paul was under house arrest (sound familiar?); while better than a dungeon, he, a Romans citizen, couldn’t come and go as he pleased. He was awaiting his day in court before Emperor Nero (yes, that Nero.) His future is as uncertain as it could be. He could be convicted, imprisoned, or executed. Even if he was released if his past journeys were any indication of his future, he could expect more hardship and trouble in the future. Though he doesn’t mention to the Philippians, his thorn in the flesh was not going to be taken away. Yet, even in his current confinement and his uncertain future, Paul speaks in the clearest terms, Rejoice in the Lord always!  I will say it again: Rejoice!

Paul doesn’t stop there, and his next words give context for our rejoicing: Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. The Lord is near you to protect you and keep you. The Lord is near you and sees your life, its struggles and successes. The Lord is near you to forgive you, to strengthen you, and when you are wronged to bring you justice. The Lord is near; this is his promise to you. You don’t need to worry about your present troubles. You don’t need to fight for your rights, for your happiness, to make sure that you are getting all you can out of every moment in this life. You can live in gentleness and love for one another. The Lord is near. As he has come to redeem you, so also he will come to fulfill all his promises to you and take you with him in glory. Therefore, Do not worry about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, let your requests be known to God. Instead of focusing on all the garbage the world of sin throws our way, Paul turns our focus toward God, his blessings and his care. Paul even saw reasons for thanksgiving in the worst times, because nothing would separate him from the love of God. Once that relationship with God is right, everything else can fall into place. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. God’s peace which never fails is reason to rejoice and pray with thanksgiving always.

I felt justified for my hissy fit. My favorite cookbook had betrayed me. I followed the instructions, even when they seemed unnecessarily complicated. The “Best Ever Crab Cakes” were falling apart in the pan. I felt justified for my hissy fit, but I wasn’t. First, we were going to be eating crab cakes, hardly bread and water. A caring church member had given us so much crab that these cakes were from the leftovers of a crab feast. As it turned out, though they weren’t pretty, they were (as my wife tried to tell me the would be) delicious. We did (after I eventually stopped pouting) enjoy a nice family meal. I can laugh about my temper tantrum now.

I don’t think the Apostle Paul was saying that he was happy with his circumstances. He wasn’t merely looking on the bright side of a raw deal. No, rather, Paul and all Christians have a joy overrides those frustrations, a multitude of reasons to give thanks in every situation, and a peace which no one can fully explain or begin to understand.

This year might seem like a mess which is only fit for the trash. We will likely have those times when we feel like yelling in our frustration or giving in to our worry, but as tomorrow is Thanksgiving, let us take our encouragement from the Apostle Paul. Instead, rejoice! Especially in the bad times, especially when we are separated from those we love and confined to our homes, and especially when our futures seem so uncertain. Rejoice. Rejoice always. It is worth repeating again: Rejoice! God’s love has not failed you. God has not forgotten his plans for you. God has not withdrawn his blessings from your life. You have the treasure of priceless worth, God’s own Son has humbled himself to the point of death and has been exalted to the highest place. You have the peace beyond all understanding, your sins are forgiven, full and free. In Christ, you have God’s approval and will receive his glory. How can we rejoice now and keep rejoicing no matter what? Paul shares his own secret, I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.  Happy Thanksgiving 2020.

(I think the whole book of Philippians would be worth reading today. It isn’t very long. If nothing else, I encourage you to read chapter 4 verses 1-14. When our flesh begins to grumble, think about these things.)

Ready for the Surprise

Teaching Tuesday

Matthew 24:42—Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.

The party had been months in the planning. The hardest part was figuring out how to get his wife out of the house so that he could decorate, cook the food, invite in the guests and stage the surprise. He pulled it all off without a hitch. Everything was set to go, except, not knowing what he was planning, she kept delaying coming back home. The guest waited and waited. They wanted to eat. They wanted to celebrate, but they got distracted. Some started playing games; some went home; some sat down to watch some tv. Only a few kept watching; only a few hid; only a few yelled surprise; only a few got to enjoy the party with the guest of honor.  Waiting is hard to do, but sometimes it is necessary.

Who is going to be surprised when Jesus comes back? It isn’t going to be Jesus.Two days before he was going to be betrayed, Jesus told his followers that they were going to need to be ready at all times for his return. After Jesus died, he ascended into heaven. He is preparing a place there for all believers, and when it is ready he will come back to take us to be with him. We know we will be surprised on that day. The question we need to ask is this: will we be ready? Jesus is throwing the party. He has prepared the banquet hall. Jesus is setting the table and inviting the guests. His invitation goes out to you. When he returns, may he find us waiting with faith, so that we will be joyfully surprised.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, while you were on earth you taught that no one would know the day or the hour of your return and commanded us to be ready for that day. Keep us ready. Keep the lamps of our faith burning. Keep our hearts eager. Keep our lives pure by the washing you have given us. Make us eager for the day of your return. Come, quickly Lord Jesus. Amen

Hymn 207 vs 1, 5, 6

Monday Family Devotion: Righteous Anger and Amazing Forgiveness

Galatians 5:19-23—The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

For the second time in his life, Jesus was sickened and filled with holy anger as he entered the temple and saw what was happening. The place where everyone went to worship God, the place meant for hearing the Word, the place where people learned the truth: there is no forgiveness without blood, God’s house was filled with dishonest money changers. The temple courts were filled with salesmen, gouging those worshipers who needed to buy a lamb or dove for sacrifice. Jesus flipped tables and drove out the animals; he forbid anyone from entering the temple to sell any merchandise. In sadness he said, “Is it not written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nation’s? But you have made it a ‘den of robbers’.”

God created us to love and serve him above all things. God created us to love and serve our neighbors as ourselves. Yet, far too often we serve ourselves first. Far too often we don’t care about what happens to others. Too often the acts of the sinful nature which Paul names are found in our hearts and lives. As we see Jesus anger in the temple, we realize how God feels about such sins. Jesus hates sin and those who commit it.

Jesus’ actions are a call to repentance, but they are also a comfort. It is for those people that Jesus died. With his every breath that week, he called his enemies to repentance, desiring to save them. Jesus calls us to repentance. He dies for us. He forgives our sins. He forgets his anger and prays for our life before the Father. He sends his Spirit into our hearts, so that instead of the acts of the sinful nature, we can produce the fruits of the Spirit.

Prayer: Dear God, you hate sin. In our weakness and rebellion, we sin every day. I am sorry for my sins. O Lord, have mercy on me and do not treat me as my sins deserve. Do not drive me from your presence as Jesus drove out the merchants in the temple. For his sake, because of his perfect life and innocent death, forgive me all my sins. Send your Holy Spirit into my heart that I may produce the fruits of repentance.

Hymn 98 (Especially verses 1, 4, 5, 6)

What about my Plans?

“If you want to hear God laugh, just tell him your plans.”

I don’t like that saying. First, I think it is a little too pithy and cute. When our plans fall apart, it doesn’t make me feel better to imagine God laughing at me. Second, I don’t think God ever laughs at our hardships. He laughs with derision at the attempts of his enemies to thwart him (Psalm 2). He delights in his people and their praise (Psalm 149.) He boasts about our faith (Job). Yet I cannot think of one time when God had fun messing with his own people. Finally, I don’t like that saying because it hits too close to home. I like my plans. I think they’re good plans. I want to follow through with them. I want to see them succeed. It makes my life easier when things go as planned. Sometimes my heart aches for the plans that fall apart.

My heart isn’t aching, but today was a little frustrating. My grass needed to be mowed last week. The orchard where the chickens scratch about is resembling a jungle. The forecast has been all rain from now until Easter (not that I will have time to mow next week anyway.) This morning the sun appeared. I had a good productive morning already. I made some service preparations. I taught a child. I did some studying. I walked the dogs (in the rain), so when the sun came out,I saw my chance. Time to mow.

It always takes me longer to get out of the house, I had to find work pants, water, sunflower seeds, headphones, boots, church keys, and car keys. I don’t know why that takes so long, but it does. The mower needs a new battery. (I’m not complaining, since it is really nice that I get to use it in the first place. I planned to jump it with my truck. The ignition is jammed and won’t turn. After fighting it for a few minutes, I decided to use the other car. After all this, I only made it about ¼ through the work before Oregon did its thing. Wet and a little cranky, I put the lawn mower away and got cleaned up to do my normal work, as I ate my lunch, the sun reappeared. I don’t think God was laughing at me and my plans, but I do know my lovely bride was.

That is just one of hundreds of every day examples of the plans we make and what becomes of them. Often the interruption is even more frustrating. Speaking of interruptions, I think it is safe to say no one’s year is going as planned. Vacations are cancelled. (I don’t have high hopes for my own, scheduled in June.) Flights are grounded. School children are home. Colleges have moved online. Medical procedures are being postponed. Stores are closed. Projects have been put on hold. Easter is only a week away but instead of planning for a breakfast and a joyfully robust service, I am arranging schedules so that I can at least see the people the Lord has entrusted to me and serve them the meal the Lord has given them to eat. When we will be able to meet together fully, no one knows. Our lives are in limbo. Our plans are shattered, and we don’t know enough about tomorrow to fit those pieces back together into anything useful.

I’m not laughing. No one is. We are still in the early stages of shock at how quickly our lives got turned upside down. As every new deadline passes, as every plan falls away, as milestones are missed, as insecurity grows, as money gets tight, our plans are going to look feebler and more foolish. The Lord isn’t laughing.

I am not going to tell you to look on the bright side; however, we can all learn from this. Jesus told a parable about a man who made his plans. He had a big harvest. He built his barns, and then he was ready to sit back and enjoy life, but his life was cut short. (Luke 12:16-21) Instead of making plans, God gives us the blessings of each day to use wisely for us and for others. Even in the limited lives we are living now, we have so much to use. We have our time for family, for friends, for prayers, for encouragement, for study, and for praise. Now is not the time to sit back and wait until you can plan for tomorrow. It is good to do those projects you have put off. It is good to get reacquainted with those who share your roof. It is good to learn to appreciate your daily bread, even if it becomes the daily beans.

As the rain poured down on my lawn mowing aspirations, I thought of James chapter 4, “Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go into this or that city, spend a year there, do business, and make a profit.’ You do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? Indeed, it is a mist that appears for a little while and then disappears.” In a way, nothing has changed with this stay at home order and the viral threat. We never knew what day our lives would end. We don’t know if this virus will touch any of us or even anyone near to us. We can make long term plans, but tomorrow is out of our hands. “Instead, it is better for you to say, ‘If it is the Lord’s will, we will live, and we will do this or that.’” What relief that is! Forget about your control! Forget about your plans! Live in his!

Right now, everyone has a theory about what the next few weeks and months may look like. Some paint a dire picture, others believe this is all an overreaction. Everyone wants a plan, a plan for the medical needs, a plan for the economy, and a plan for us to get back to our lives. Maybe in this case, God does laugh. He laughs not because we are struggling, but because we think we know. Even with all our charts and data, even with the best experts in the world trying to solve this puzzle, we know so little. Every reasonable expert I have listened to says exactly that: we don’t know enough. “But right now, you are boasting in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. So, for the one who knows the right thing to do and doesn’t do it, this is sin.” We all have the right thing to do. Love your neighbor (yes, even if that means maintaining a safe distance for the time being.) We have work God has put into our hands. This interruption is not the time for lounging around the house binging Netflix, or wallowing in self-pity, or worrying in panicked fear. Trust the Lord. Your plans might be ruined, but his never are.

Well, the sun is back out, but I don’t think I will have the time to mow the grass today. (Maybe Thursday?) I guess some ruined plans can be worth a laugh. In fact, for me, for all who trust in God, your Savior, all our ruined plans will one day be worth a laugh, because we know our God’s plan. His plan brought his Son to a cross. His plan raised him up on the third day. His plan is to gather all his people to himself forever, maybe, just maybe, my plans aren’t so vital in comparison.

Always Essential

He sat on the end bench and watched his team battle up and down the court. In the beginning, he was cheering his team on excitedly. When the coach looked down the bench, looking to give one of the starters a breather, he tried to look ready to go. Someone else was always chosen. It was a close game, down to the wire. As he watched the quarters pass, and the seconds tick away, he knew he wasn’t getting in the game. His team didn’t need him. Maybe they didn’t even want him. He wouldn’t be a part of the victory. He didn’t want to be the reason they lost. It is hard to be a non-essential part of the team.

Right now, many feel like they are riding the bench. As of now, non-essential gatherings are forbidden. Non-essential businesses are asked to close or change the way they offer their services. Recreation was deemed non-essential weeks ago. Non-essential workers are being sent home or laid off. People are told to stay in their homes. Whether you call it “shelter in place” or “stay home. Stay safe,” the result is the same, our lives are put on hold while we wait for the determination that the threat to our general society has passed. If you don’t need to leave the home, don’t. If you are deemed non-essential, don’t bother doing anything.

I get it. We are all trying hard to keep our distance to slow the spread of a deadly virus. Keeping workers at home, shutting doors and moving online, and asking people to stay home, should help. Still, I think that term non-essential is misleading. Not every activity we do throughout our days will directly keep us alive. Not every business supplies life-giving or life-saving materials. Businesses might not fall apart if a certain worker stays home, but does that mean they are not-essential?

Are any of us non-essential? Are any of the things God gives us to do? We may struggle to see where we fit into gears of the universe. We may feel like we don’t matter, and like everything else in the world would just go on without us. In this time of social distancing, it feels like we are riding the bench. We feel disconnected, and we wish we were a part of things. The Lord says you are.

By God’s grace you are a part of something wonderful. By God’s grace and knowledge, your work always matters. This is true of everyone, The Psalmist sings, I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful and my soul knows that very well….In your book all of them were written. Days were determined before any of them existed (Psalm 139:14, 16). God created each person with a purpose. He formed the minute details of our bodies and minds with his great wisdom. He knew what works we would do and how long our lives would last, even before we drew our first breaths. Even before you started to grow in your mother’s womb, God thought you were essential.

This is even more true of God’s people. You are essential to his work on earth. He has made you a part of something great, the living and active body of Christ, the kingdom of God, the universal church. He chose you, not because of anything you have done. He chose you, not because he knew what great things you might do, but Paul tells us It is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is a gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast (Ephesians 2:8, 9). Out of God’s love he chose you. He chose to make you alive in Christ. He chose to forgive all your sins in Christ. He chose, purely out of his grace, to raise you up with Christ to enjoy all the joys of heaven. Paul wasn’t done yet. Because God has chosen you placed you in his kingdom, you are essential. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared in advance so that we would walk in them (Ephesians 2:10).

The Lord has no benchwarmers on his team. He has no non-essential personnel in his Kingdom. He has formed the Christian heart in Christ for good works. He uses your unique abilities, your unique thoughts, your unique prayers, your unique words, your essential uniqueness, to help and encourage those around you and to do those things God wants done. Little children, even babies, with their laughter, their innocence, their beautiful faith, are essential to God, not for their potential but because God has prepared childlike things for them to do. The elderly, even the infirm who require so much care, they are essential to God, he delights in their prayers. Their faith is a testament this world desperately needs to hear. Their care is an opportunity for others to love another human being. Workers of all kinds, who make all kinds of goods, who provide all kinds of services, especially those who do this with God’s love in their hearts and guiding their hands, they are essential. Christian parents, Christian teachers, Christian students, Christian volunteers, Christian who study the word, speak the word, pray the word, you are always essential to God.

No one likes to sit on the bench. We aren’t created to do nothing or to live a non-essential life. In Christ, God always has meaningful work for you to do. Even in quarantine, let’s keep at it.

The Difficult Path Ahead: Where Trust, Testing, and Love Meet

Only three weeks ago, we gathered together and heard how Satan brought Jesus to the pinnacle of the temple, and told him to jump. “After all,” he declared, “it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you, so that you do not dash your foot against a stone.’” Jesus replied confidently with another word from Scripture, “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.”

From our modern perspective, that might not seem like much of a temptation. I have no desire to go bungie jumping, even less without a rope! But Jesus was alone in the desert. The Father had left him to contend with the devil. He was hungry. He was thirsty. He was tired. The Spirit had sent him there. God had placed this challenge at his feet. Why wouldn’t he want to know, to see, to prove how much God cared for him? He was God’s Son, wasn’t he? Wouldn’t it be great to shove it in the devil’s face? What an example that could serve others; see how much Jesus trusted the Lord! Christians today say things like it, “Let go and let God.” Or “Step out and trust God.” It sounds so right, but Jesus wouldn’t test God.

Only three weeks ago, I preached on that Psalm the devil quoted. I encourage all of you to read it again. (This will still be here when you are done.)  At the time, the first cases of COVID-19 were reported in Washington. At the time, Italy hadn’t been devastated. At the time, it was just starting to get hard to find toilet paper in the stores, but the panic and fear was starting. The words of Psalm 91 take that fear away. God remains in control. Those whom Jesus calls his own are safe from the devil’s traps. God’s shelter and protection go with the Christian wherever they go.  Indeed, we have nothing to fear.

Have things changed? Well, no. God is still in control. We are still secure. He still goes with us and protects us wherever we go. We can trust in him. In another way, yes. The stories out of Italy are tragic. The few cases in Washington have spread to every state. The cases we know about (testing is limited) in our own area are few, but increasing. This virus is so contagious that it cannot be taken lightly.  Though, the severity of the illness is still debatable, those who get the worst of it, get very sick, many die, and hospitals can quickly be overwhelmed. Events have been cancelled. Children have been sent home. Businesses are closing down. Gatherings are limited. If they can slow the spread, the hospitals can keep up. If the hospitals can have enough beds, enough ventilators, enough doctors and nurses and respiratory therapists, lives will be saved.

How should we react? What should we do? Remember what hasn’t changed. God is still watching, caring, protecting, and keeping his people for this life and the next. The Christian has nothing to fear. Yet we value life, all life, from conception to natural death. We love our family. We love the family of believers. We love our neighbors. We love our communities. We submit to the governing authorities. But what does that look like? How do we Christians demonstrate our trust in God, not fear? How do we Christians keep from testing his love, as if challenging him to care for us? How Christians not give false bravado to the world, “see how much I trust God”? And in the midst of this difficult time, how can we Christians love our families, our friends, our neighbors, and our communities?

If you still have Psalm 91 open, (if you skipped reading it before, I’ll give you a second chance), compare the words of Satan to the Words of the Holy Spirit. They are subtly different. I think these words Satan skipped offer us the path through the hard place of where trust, testing, and love meet. Psalm 91 actually says, Yes, he will give a command to his angels concerning you, to guard you in all your ways; They will lift you up in their hands so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. (Psalm 91:11) That little phrase, to guard you in all your ways, speaks loudly. How was jumping off the temple the way Jesus should go? How is exposing ourselves or others to this dangerous illness the right way for us to go?  Where does your path lead? Perhaps it still leads to work where you can’t avoid everyone. The Lord will be with you there. (And your path can certainly lead to a sink and soap and water. It doesn’t require shaking hands or sharing too many spaces.) Perhaps your path allows you to stay home. With technology today we can still stay connected. Perhaps your path leads you to look out for your neighbors who may be more vulnerable. Do they have your number? Have you offered to help? Perhaps, your road leads you directly into the path of this sickness, you may have to care for a loved one. You may be one of those that the rest of us depend for our health. Serve confidently, the Lord will keep you in all your ways.

Finally, the question that has been weighing on my mind and my heart, does our path lead to gathering together in the Lord’s house? We have streaming capabilities. I can visit one on one (though I kind of think it defeats the purpose if I am entering multiple homes.) We can speak and pray over the phone. At the same time, we could keep our gatherings under the banned number. I have and can continue to take precautions to fight the illness. Those who should not be there (those with vulnerable immune systems or who are feeling ill) are encouraged to join us online. Isn’t a time of fear and trouble the exact time, Christians need to be around the word together? Aren’t we blessed to pray with each other and encourage one another? Isn’t the bread of life essential food for us? Can fear take that away? Will we forgo the celebration of Jesus conquering death and hell and giving us resurrection and life because of this virus?  It doesn’t sit well with me. My heart declares that my path leads to the Lord’s sanctuary.

Realities, however, seem to have taken our options away. Though state government hasn’t specifically banned churches from gathering in numbers under 25, the spirit of their orders should make us consider very carefully whether it is wise to continue to meet. 25 is the specified legal limit to gatherings, but the president and our governor have encouraged people to limit their groups to under 10.  If this is what our health officials are saying that they need to have the resources to combat the illness and slow its spread, is it for us to defy them?

The reality of my life is also difficult. Living with an emergency nurse increases the risk that I may be exposed. I cannot purposely break a quarantine and risk the health of others. For these reasons, though I have my own feelings about where our paths should go and meet and though we long to be able to spend our time together, I do feel that it is necessary to follow the guidance of those who are set above us. For this reason, I don’t think we can hold our regular church services or Bible studies. (You can read our synod’s response here.) As long as I am healthy, I am willing to meet with small groups of you, either in your homes, out in this lovely fresh air, or in our sanctuary. We can still in this way, confess our sins together to receive Christ’s absolution, hear God’s Word for our mutual encouragement, lift up our hearts in prayer together, and if desired receive Christ’s body and blood for our eternal good.  At our normal service times, I will stream live on Facebook to share the confession of sins, the prayer of the day, the proper readings for each Sunday, and my regular sermon.  I encourage you to participate as families in your homes, responding as you would if you were standing in the Lord’s sanctuary. 

This is not the way any of us envision observing Lent, but during this prayer and repentance, we will focus on our Savior’s work. May this serve as another reminder of sin’s cost and our Savior’s love. In the case that we are not able to gather even for Easter, Christ’s victory is undiminished even if the songs only ring out from our own homes.

I have been fatally optimistic about this outbreak. From the moment it reached our shores, I have believed that most of our population would be exposed. At the same time, I haven’t felt that it would take a more serious toll than most other illnesses that run through our lives. We have always had illness. Death is always a threat. Every flu season people die. Every day drivers are seriously injured or killed. This too shall pass. Even more, The One who lives in the shelter of the Most High will stay in the shadow of the Almighty. I am not a prophet. I am not a disease specialist, but my God knows all and rules over all. In him I will trust, and in the end we will all rise with him. Now that’s a reason for optimism.

When the Earth Dissolves and Our "gods" Cannot Help

Cancel everything! Nothing is worth the risk that this disease might spread. Quick! To the stores! Toilet paper, enough canned goods for months, cases of water (why water?), and of course enough disinfectant to douse our home at least ten times. Stay away from people. Don’t even think of traveling. Sell all your stocks! We might never recover! Everyone stay calm and panic; this is serious!

I have had a hard time getting worked up about COVID-19. Though I have been wiping down common surfaces, focusing on completely scrubbing my hands (20 seconds is a surprisingly long time), and avoiding touching my face (no easy task when you have both seasonal allergies and an awesome mustache), I can’t even bring myself to worry at all. I fully understand we need to “flatten the curve” so hospitals can properly care for the sick. I guess I understand some of the closings. (Our school only closes when we want it too, like a sunny day in Oregon, so that’s not going to disrupt our lives.) I continue to pray for, plan for, and offer what help I can to those in the most vulnerable groups. Yet, it still seems likely that many will get sick, some seriously, and not a few will die.

All the advice I have seen from medical experts and disease control agencies seems good and wise. I see no reason we shouldn’t apply it to our lives. But what about all the panic? Where is that coming from? Is this virus really different than all the others that have come before it? Is it more dangerous than all the other dangers that tragically take human life every day around the world? Is an illness really going to shut our lives down? Will children missing school, workers taken off the job, and putting our lives on hold stop it? Can we sanitize everything? Are we doing something, or do we just feel that way? Is it all too much? Or is it too little too late? I admit, I don’t know.

In light of all this, I have been reflecting  on the Psalms. There I find both the source of all this fear and panic, and the relief.

Again and again the Psalms confess. God is my refuge. My Strength. My Stronghold. My Rock. My Deliverer. But what happens when he isn’t? What happens when you replace God with anything else? Government is my refuge. (Shudders) Trump (or Biden or Bernie) is my deliverer.  Science is my rock. My work is my stronghold. The economy and my things are my strength.

In the good times, we might delude ourselves into thinking this works. The government can pass laws to make our lives better. It protects us. It ensures our rights. It pools our resources together to provide for our needs. Science and technology have done wonders. They have made us healthier. They have given us knowledge. They have made life so much easier. They provide security and power, distraction and healing. My work gives me purpose and direction. My stuff, all that I gather, that number in the spreadsheet can provide for my future. We are living the dream!

Then one microscopic virus pops that bubble. No government or leader on earth was up to the challenge. They couldn’t stop the spread. No medical system was ready to prevent or even fully treat this outbreak. The science and technology are lagging behind, eventually they may find a solution, but already we have seen how vulnerable we are, they can’t really protect us. Work and income aren’t guaranteed. Our stuff can’t promise a long life. This thing, a communicable and harmful virus has brought the world face to face with the reality we have been trying our hardest to ignore. We will all die. None of those replacement “gods” has a lasting answer. When we place our roots in them, we will be like chaff that the wind blows around. Every new threat is a good reason to panic with pathetic “gods” like those.

God is our refuge and strength, a helper who can always be found in times of trouble. That is why we will not fear when the earth dissolves. Maybe that is how it feels right now, like the earth is dissolving. The more the bad news spirals out of control, and all the things we love and enjoy are being taken away, the less secure the ground feels under our feet.

God’s voice calls out, “Be still! And know that I am God.” We, who know Christ, know we can be still. No one can take away God. No one can change his love. No one can surpass his thoughts. No one can destroy what his love has done for us. Jesus’ blood still purifies us from all sin. Jesus’ tomb is still empty. He still lives and he still sits upon his throne. He still rules all things for our good. (I don’t have to understand the details on how and why. He is God. I am not. How liberating that knowledge is!) He will raise us up on the last day. This world, heaven and earth, will pass away, but his word does not. He will make all things new. And God will wipe every tear from our eyes. Be still.

With no reason to panic and the confidence that God is near to protect and keep us, we can go out to live lovingly and wisely. Perhaps all these closings and cancellations are our opportunity to evaluate what really matters in this life. In times of trouble, we can look around and see the people God has put in our lives to love and serve. (We also get to see those who love and serve us. Thank you to all those who work to keep us safe and healthy.) What do they need? How can we help them? We can give out of God’s great abundance of love. When death is near, it is God’s call to repent. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. In times of distress, you have the words of God that bring comfort, healing, and rest to wearied souls.

Instead of worry and fear, I encourage us all to spend a little time in the Psalms today. You can start with #1.