Friday, March 27, 2020
Elaine Wilson
Collect
O God, you have given us the Good News of your abounding love in your Son Jesus Christ: So fill our hearts with thankfulness that we may rejoice to proclaim the good tidings we have received; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen
Reading
Psalm 34: 15-22
15 The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, *
and his ears are open to their cry.
16 The face of the Lord is against those who do evil *
to root out the remembrance of them from the earth.
17 The righteous cry, and the Lord hears them*
and delivers them from all their troubles.
18 The Lord is near to the brokenhearted*
and will save those whose spirits are crushed.
19 Many are the troubles of the righteous,
but the Lord will deliver him out of them all.
20 He will keep safe all his bones; *
not one of them shall be broken.
21 Evil shall slay the wicked, *
And those who hate the righteous will be punished.
22 The Lord ransoms the life of his servants*
And none will be punished who trust him.
Reflection
One of my favorite authors, Frederick Buechner, wrote one of my favorite books, Beyond Words. He says, “To say something is beyond words is also to say that it is beyond words to convey adequately: Beethoven’s last string quartets, falling in love, the death of a friend — how can we possibly describe such things other than to say that they are ultimately indescribable? You can know them only by experiencing them for yourself. Be alive to your life! Observe! And Pay Attention!”
The recent weeks and months have found me, many times, searching for the right words in this uncertain time in our lives. Those times have been when my granddaughter’s college graduation was cancelled; when a large family wedding in Texas was cancelled; when long-planned trips for family and friends to exciting places were cancelled; when new businesses of friends were closed... I believe that we do, and we will continue to find ourselves... beyond words. In the meantime, Psalm 34 has the words that I need. The Lord is with us in so many ways: “The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open to their cry. The righteous cry, and the Lord delivers them from all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and will save those whose spirits are crushed.” I invite you to read the complete Psalm 34 that begins, “I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth.”
Question
When my granddaughter’s math teacher cancelled classes he said, "If it’s any solace remember that Isaac Newton discovered the theory of optics when he was sent home from college during the plague. I expect each of you to return having discovered one law of nature."
What will you discover? What will you bring back to St. Johns when we all return?