Friday, March 20. Tomorrow my youngest daughter gets married. In the middle of Covid19 crises, she and her beloved, Max, will not have the wedding of their dreams that they planned. Through a mutual decision with their venue, the marriage ceremony will take place in an intimate setting with immediate family and a partial bridal party (airline travelers are staying home.) The reception and catering have been postponed until July. There is no need for a rehearsal dinner, and the space that was reserved for that has cancelled all events anyway. Max and Layne have adusted well to the restrictions that have changed repeatedly this week and are moving forward in their life together in spite of the obstacles that are being thrown in their way.
It is difficult to have to make these adjustments, but in some ways, a smaller, more intimate ceremony will be a welcome respite in the middle of all this fear. Without 200 guests vying for their attention, Layne & Max may enjoy their day in a more relaxed state of mind. The important part is that they will become Mr & Mrs Bethel at 5 tomorrow afternoon. I look forward to it.
Covid19 has certainly impacted my life and the life of my family. To help with wedding details, I had scheduled some time off around the wedding. My time has not been needed, so instead, I’m working here at home cleaning and sorting. I spent time in the garage yesterday and am overwhelmed at the prospect of a much-needed deep cleaning in there. I put it off for a longer stretch of good weather because it’s going to be a multi-day project. Today, I begin to tackle the basement. Wish me luck!
Another way this virus has deeply affected me is in the closing of our church building. I realize that “church” is the people, not the building. But discouraging us from meeting together is a difficult thing. In speaking with some women from our Wednesday night group; an unemployed waitress, a busy mom still employed for the moment, my daughter (a stay-at-home mom, whose main source of adult interaction is Wednesday night Bible study) and my dad who lives alone and looks forward to Sunday mornings as a refreshment for his soul, I find that I’m not alone in feeling concern over a life that doesn’t include meeting together. I set about this morning seeking scripture to give me peace about this. And I am drawn to Hebrews 10:25 – “Let us not abandon meeting together….” or Acts 2:42 “Day by day attending temple together and breaking bread in their homes…” Luke 4:16 speaking of Jesus “…as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day….”
Okay – I’m not getting much comfort there! Let me read through some study notes. Here’s a section on knowing the will of God! This will surely help —
Question 1 “Does this line up with Scripture?” Hmm….well, no, I tried that….
Question 2 “Have you considered the facts?” I think so – the facts are that there is a virus in our world and there is fear over this virus as there is no cure for it and it has the capacity to kill our weak and elderly. Our local government has requested that we have no public gatherings for 8 weeks, exempting schools, churches and businesses. The idea of “thinning the herd” leads me to believe this is not from God – but is our enemy causing havoc. The facts are that we need to be careful with personal interaction and sensitive to what our government is saying and to the dangers this poses to so many.
Question 3 “Will this decision lead me or others to go backwards spiritually?” And there it is. Now I’m stymied. Because that answer appears to be a resounding “yes!”
Nothing I say here, no scripture I find, no amount of pleading or justifying is going to change the reality that Maywood Baptist has locked it’s doors. To accept and deal with that, I do what I’ve always done in times of struggle and confusion – I turn to God. More prayer. I fully intended to write a blog yesterday morning – but instead I spent more time reading the Bible. More time praying. More time asking “why?” God is so faithful to answer us – to show us His way. Psalm 23:1 “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want…” Psalm 46 “God is our refuge and strength – an ever-present help in times of trouble….” Proverbs 18:10 “The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run into it and are safe. Nehemiah 8:10 “….the joy of the Lord is your strength…” Philippians 4:13, Isaiah 41:10, Deuteronomy 31:6. So I pray and I keep reading. I sing. I awoke this morning with the song lyrics from “Holy Water” running through my mind. I love it when God does that – having worship first. “Your forgiveness is like sweet, sweet honey on my lips. The sound of a symphony to my ears. Like holy water on my skin.” And I come to the realization that especially in this unprecedented time, our only source of comfort is through a relationship with the One True God. His Holy Spirit gives us peace, comfort, joy, strength. He has everything we need. Always..
Covid19 can go away any day now. It has brought out the worst in many with hoarding and selfishness. But it has also brought out the grace in people. Caring for others. Reaching out to neighbors. Moms & Dads teaching their children. Families taking walks together. Donating food to those unemployed and in need. And it has given many of us opportunity to be still and know God. It’s all perspective – do we panic or do we pray?
Be Still In Motion 