Devotional 11-19-20

 KEEP SINGING

 "Teach and admonish one another in all wisdom, and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs to God." Colossians 3:16 ((NRSV)

 When Pastor Glenn's letter arrived inviting me and many others to share a memory, story or devotional for the homecoming celebration in late September, I knew that I wanted  to participate. l have warm memories of meeting many of you at the Homecoming celebration in 2018. The question was where to begin.

 The Upper Room writing for August 3rd immediately caught my eyes for several reasons and I have borrowed both the title and scripture passage from that day. August 3, 2020 marked the 150th anniversary of my grandfather Darlington’s birth at Graefenburg, Kentucky. Among the gifts he had for ministry included a beautiful, strong tenor voice, and he used it effectively over many years. Those who attended an Annual Conference in which he presided said the morning worship was the highlight, both the meditation and the singing which he always led.

 We United Methodist are a people who love to sing. Music is a part of our collective DNA. Others may chant the liturgy, but we sing our faith. Our heritage goes back to John and Charles Wesley. John was the preacher "in whom the world was his parish" and brother Charles, the prolific writer of countless hymns which enrich our worship to this day. His hymns include among many “Oh, for a thousand tongues to sing" (my grandfather's favorite), "Love divine, all love's excelling" (my favorite) and a beloved Christmas carol, "Hark! The herald angels sing." We are also blessed with a contemporary supplement to our hymnal with tunes and texts which resonate in an up to date manner.

 There are many facets of the Covid 19 pandemic which have surely altered our lifestyle and worship is certainly one. The comment I hear most frequently is: “I miss being in worship with my friends." Even when this is possible, health experts remind us to maintain social distancing, one from another, and refrain from singing in a col1ective setting. Many churches, including my home church, have worked at providing worship via Facebook and YouTube for which I am grateful. When the hymns are played and the text appears on the screen of my computer, I sing at home! So in this challenging time in our lives, may we keep a song in our hearts, words of praise on our lips and in a place and space where it is safe to do so,  “keep singing'' our faith in Jesus Christ, our Redeemer and Savior.

Sue D. Woods 

Devotional 11-6-20

 Life in 2020

(I still believe)

The year started just fine,
With a kiss and some wine,
Many plans to prosper and grow.
As the clock counted down,
Hopes and dreams all around,
2020 was here, don’t you know!

And, our lives moved along,
Seemed that nothing was wrong,
Yet, an evil was lying in wait.
There was nothing to hear,
Or to see, or to fear,
Yet a virus was holding our fate.

We were stopped in our tracks,
Seemed that medical facts,
Were becoming our daily routine.
Counting cases and deaths,
All of us holding breaths,
As our nation went in quarantine.

No more hugs, no more kisses,
Fewer dreams, fewer wishes,
Just waiting for life to return.
Would we ever get back,
On a normalcy track,
What lessons were we going to learn?

As the world got smaller,
And, the plague got taller,
And, our God seemed so far away.
Would we all come together,
As we braved stormy weather,
What would history books have to say?

Many churches they closed,
No more taking the host,
And we needed it now most of all.
No more singing the praises,
Due to mask covered faces,
Was our world beginning to fall?

And, the elderly suffered,
Our dear Fathers and Mothers,
Were taken away from our sight.
Their accommodation,
Was complete isolation,
Oh God please, won’t you show us your light?

Life fell apart quickly,
You were heathy or sickly,
And, that would determine your days.
Would you brave the unknown,
Or would you hide in your home,
Yes, your path, was one of two ways

With our mask covered faces,
There were fights among races,
And, businesses soon shutting down.
There were livelihoods broken,
Many cruel words were spoken,
Seemed that love was so hard to be found.

Perhaps saddest of all,
That invisible wall,
It grew higher as fear took its toll.
Our world rearranging,
Our earth it was changing,
At its core, both its heart and its soul.

Violent demonstrators,
Those on ventilators,
Streets riddled with sadness and crime.
This should bring us together,
As we fight for forever,
God is watching. There’s still enough time.

Let us fall to our knees,
We are begging God, please.
Forgive us, and show us the way.
He is still in control,
Of our bodies and soul.
As we humble ourselves to pray.

With my very last breath,
Not conceding Earth’s death,
Peace and love we all can achieve!
Our world can survive,
Yes, there’s still enough time.
I believe. I believe. I believe!

Kelley Allison Weber
7-31-2020