Wednesday, March 18, 2020
The Rev. Anne Williamson
The Collect
O Lord, we beseech you mercifully to hear us; and grant that we, to whom you have given a fervent desire to pray, may, by your mighty aid, be defended and comforted in all dangers and adversities; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Psalm 31:9-15
9 Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am in trouble; *
my eye is consumed with sorrow,
and also my throat and my belly.
10 For my life is wasted with grief,
and my years with sighing; *
my strength fails me because of affliction,
and my bones are consumed.
11 I have become a reproach to all my enemies and even to my neighbors,
a dismay to those of my acquaintance; *
when they see me in the street they avoid me.
12 I am forgotten like a dead man, out of mind; *
I am as useless as a broken pot.
13 For I have heard the whispering of the crowd;
fear is all around; *
they put their heads together against me;
they plot to take my life.
14 But as for me, I have trusted in you, O Lord. *
I have said, "You are my God.
15 My times are in your hand; *
rescue me from the hand of my enemies,
and from those who persecute me.
16 Make your face to shine upon your servant, *
and in your loving-kindness save me."
Reflection
The Psalmist, confronted with a time of sorrow and affliction,
a time of being avoided in the street (!),
declares to God that ‘I have trusted in you, O Lord. *
I have said, "You are my God. My times are in your hand...’
These are momentous times, there is grief and sorrow and fear, but there is also kindness and compassion and love abounding. In the midst of these times, I am hopeful. My hope springs from the numerous offers of help from folks at St. John’s at a time when we have also become aware of increased need in our community. I am so grateful for this outpouring of support and care and it gives me hope. I find hope in the faith of the Psalmist and echo those words ‘you are my God, my times are in your hand’. In these times, we are not alone; we have a wonderful community and we hold one another in these times, albeit virtually rather than with hugs and handshakes. And I trust God is with us, that our times are in God’s hand.
I have received the following poem from a number of sources. I offer it to you as we walk through these times together:
Pandemic
by Lynn Ungar
What if you thought of it
as the Jews consider the Sabbath -
the most sacred of times?
Cease from travel.
Cease from buying and selling.
Give up, just for now,
on trying to make the world
different than it is.
Sing. Pray. Touch only those
to whom you commit your life.
Center down.
And when your body has become still,
reach out with your heart.
Know that we are connected
in ways that are terrifying and beautiful.
(You could hardly deny it now.)
Know that our lives
are in one another’s hands.
(Surely, that has come clear.)
Do not reach out your hands.
Reach out your heart.
Reach out your words.
Reach out all the tendrils
of compassion that move, invisibly,
where we cannot touch.
Promise this world your love -
for better or for worse,
in sickness and in health,
so long as we all shall live.
I pray that you may be well, in body, mind and spirit.
Peace,
Anne