Scripture Reading, Sharing with the Young at Heart and Sermon
Psalm 16:7-11 Common English Bible (CEB)
7 I will bless the Lord who advises me;
even at night I am instructed
in the depths of my mind.
8 I always put the Lord in front of me;
I will not stumble because he is on my right side.
9 That’s why my heart celebrates and my mood is joyous;
yes, my whole body will rest in safety
10 because you won’t abandon my life[a] to the grave;[b]
you won’t let your faithful follower see the pit.
11 You teach me the way of life.
In your presence is total celebration.
Beautiful things are always in your right hand.
I John 4:7,8
7 Dear friends, let’s love each other, because love is from God, and everyone who loves is born from God and knows God. 8 The person who doesn’t love does not know God, because God is love.
Sharing with the Young at Heart
“Suffering is part of being human, but what makes suffering so soul-destroying is our forgetfulness that God is with us.” Dr. Wendy Farley
Are you ready to remember the warmth of God’s divine presence? This morning’s sharing is one for all you parents and grandparents can share with your little ones if you want. A reminder for all of us of how God is always with us ready to wrap us in love and how important it is for each of us to remember that. This week let’s look for something that can wrap us up and feel safe and warm like a wonderful blanket. Let’s see if we can find one.
Here we go, let’s wrap up in the blanket do I look warm and cozy, that is how God’s love can wrap us up. One of our scriptures today is from Psalms and talks about “refuge” which is a safe place when we are feeling alone and scared, which with everything from our health and safety of everyone is in the forefront of our minds and hearts.
I have a memory of being out camping and after dark we would gather around a campfire, but you know though it added light, it wasn’t always the warmest of places. And then we would grab our blankets and the combination would be just right.
So, this week I invite you to wrap up in a blanket or shawl when you feel like it and want to remember we are never ever alone in God’s love. Please join me in this repeat-after-me-prayer I will pause after each line to give you time to repeat the line and to reflect on it.
Thank you for your love…
that I can feel around me…
Help me…
help you…
to give warmth to all…
For the beauty of the earth…
Amen…
“We are Made for the Beloved” Rev. Mary Larson
I have often mentioned that I love the psalms, and one reason is that they speak to the lives of not only those who lived back then but also throughout history. Their experiences are made up of joy, sorrow, peace, unrest, lament, and praise. Often, they are made up of everything I just said and more, and they can be all mixed up together, which makes for a complicated life and world. And like the psalmist and those who followed, including us, we also see this truth.
The psalmist rests in God’s protection, able to take refuge in God’s love. And even though the world and psalmist and the other children of Israel lived in at the time was scary and brutal, the psalmist believed in God’s teaching and God’s faithfulness.
As I studied this week, I kept coming back to Dr. Farley’s quote, “Suffering is part of being human, but what makes suffering so soul-destroying is our forgetfulness that God is with us.” And this is something at this point in the psalmist’s life he didn’t do. Instead, the psalmist is convinced even through the roughest times God is on the journey with him or her. That God will not abandon, will not forget, and instead will teach and walk alongside him. There is another quote by Dr. Farley that made me smile and is a powerful truth, “Life is a hot mess.” Life can take us places we never could imagine.
We are called to this life. And as each of us knows, we are going through a lot. The Corona Virus, the realization that there are brothers and sisters through the world and in this very country and community who are mistreated and marginalized, and we have to think about how we act.
Sometimes each of us will be afraid, that is just life, and as the other Anthem said, this morning, “Do it Afraid.”
A story inspired the anthem was told by Rev. Traci Blackmon, our UCC Associate General Minister of Justice and Local Church Ministries. Over the years, I have read many posts and sharing by her, and she lives a bold witness to God’s words and calling. The anthem/song was inspiring to Bryan Sirchio to write the song, and here are a few words by him on this story.
According to the story, a five-year-old boy was going to say a few words in his church on Easter in front of the whole congregation. When the time came, he was too afraid to do it and refused. Eventually, though, he went ahead and spoke his piece. When the pastor asked him to explain how he got rid of his fear, the little boy said, “I didn’t. I just did it afraid. Sometimes faith doesn’t mean not being afraid—it means feeling the fear and yet doing what we’re called to anyway…
All of us now and in the past have faced fear and are called to “do it afraid” to move in God’s, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit’s instruction.
One of my tasks at the hospital is to find devotions or prayers by people of different faith traditions, and they are shared throughout the week over the house sound system at the hospital. During the last few months, I have been the one who has been sharing the noon prayer. Though I do not have a problem speaking in public, it was something about saying this prayer on the overhear speaker that frightened me. What if it didn’t go through right, which could happen. What if I stumbled over the words, again could and has happened? And yet, I did it afraid, and after that first time, I did it boldly. Interesting side note: The first time I did the reading, no one had thought to tell me to hold the phone, the speaker away from my mouth. So, my fear of something going wrong did come to pass, and instead of me remaining afraid, I realized that even though something went wrong, it wasn’t the end of the world like I thought. Instead, I was able to learn and grow from it.
Now in the searching for devotionals and prayers, to be shared, I have found a lot of exciting people who throughout our worlds’ history who have “Did it Afraid.” They have included; Howard Thurman, Walter Brueggemann, Pope Francis, the Trappist monk, and author Thomas Merton and more.
I want to share about one of my favorites is Julian of Norwich; now she lived in a terrifying time. She was a Christian mystic during the 14th century, a woman who spoke boldly during a time when this was not only frowned upon but dangerous. She lived during the black death pandemic, which killed millions; there were famines, floods, war, and yes, corruption. And she had the boldness to question the idea that suffering was God’s rejection. That instead, God was and is with us during this time. Her writing encouraged people to remember God’s love through it all. And that we need to remember we are loved and, in fact, adored by God.
Another thing from my reading I have noticed is each of them had or have spiritual practices they incorporate in their lives, just as each of us have been exploring in our time together.
In closing, listen to these words from our 1 John reading one more time and live into the invitation in the days and weeks to come…
I John 4:7,8
7 Dear friends, let’s love each other, because love is from God, and everyone who loves is born from God and knows God. 8 The person who doesn’t love does not know God, because God is love.
And remember each of us are made for the Beloved…