God is with us!

Dear Beloved Community-

This morning when I looked out my kitchen window there were several robins on the lawn busily finding their breakfast. Instead of yesterday's cold rain, today has brought a change in temperature, that along with the robins, made me feel like Spring has truly sprung. That having been said, they are predicting snow for Monday.

As I washed my hands for the second time in twenty minutes, this refrain came to mind:

     Morning by morning new mercies I see;

     all I have needed thy hand hath provided;

     great is thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

I believe that God remains solid and consistent or as the hymn writer Thomas Chisholm wrote, "thou changest not, thy compassions they fail not; as thou hast been, thou forever wilt be."  Yet, we are living in a time when each day seems to bring dramatic changes in the status quo.

On March 20th it was reported that 100,000 people in Pennsylvania have applied for unemployment assistance in just one week. The pandemic has resulted in unemployment and underemployment for many in our community. Those who were already facing these challenges are experiencing heightened anxiety as community services are in high demand. Organizations like Pennridge FISH are doing their best, but they are having serious shortages.

So, what's the church to do? I think it's important that we remind each other again and again that God is with us. God's love is the constant we can always lean into. At the same time, God calls Christians to pay attention to the world around us and put that love into action.