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.
