Thank you, God

Thank you, Gracious God, for the grace that you have given to us in this time of increased anxiety, panic and depression.  In a world that has turned upside down, we either learn to survive or give up.  Much of what we have is what we have to live with at this moment. We have to devise new ways of being and reassess what it means to be the people of God in a world that is now so different, so changed from what we have known up to this point.

If one were to write a book at this juncture of pandemic, what would be its title?  Perhaps the title would be something like, “Masks” and it would be about both the physical masks we wear as well as the social masks we wear---yet address that last subject with view to the past as well as the present.

Palm/Passion Sunday is coming up this Sunday, and we are not allowed to gather in accordance with COVID-19 guidelines as put out by the governor of this state, Governor Jay Inslee.  There are those who would have him taken out of office, but he has done well to ignore what President Trump has so loudly proclaimed about the virus.  Precautions should be taken, and taken now.  We all should be wearing masks because we are all at risk for contracting this virus and possibly also dying from it.  We also have the capability of carrying it without knowing and then passing it on to someone else.  It then becomes a chain of what appears to be unstoppable events.

If one looks at the numbers and compares it to past pandemics, it does not yet seem so bad, yet we are yet to see what happens.  This event is not over.  This pandemic has affected us in that we are all aware by the constant news reports, by the work environment, those who worry greatly about whether or not their business will be in operation when this is over.

We can only hope that somehow we will come out on the other end---after constantly checking on our family and friends, praying that nobody we know personally has become infected or worse yet, it has progressed to death.  Hope is all we have.  It is the only sustainer.

God of Hope, We ask for your presence in our lives this day.  That you would walk with us and assure us that for this day, you will be there.  We are thankful for our lives both past and present.  Help us always to be grateful for the present moment, to live in that moment.  Keep us from either looking at the past as being better or the future looking bleak.  Keep us one day at a time in hope.  For this day, we give you thanks.  Amen.