Tuesday's Devotional

Hey friends,
During the pandemic, TrinityLutheran, Robesonia on Facebook is streaming live at noon (Monday-Friday) with a brief devotional and daily announcements.  
Wishing you moments of peace and hope this day.  
Here is my devotional from today: 

A reading from Esther,

Then Esther spoke to Hathach and gave him a message for Mordecai, saying, ‘All the king’s servants and the people of the king’s provinces know that if any man or woman goes to the king inside the inner court without being called, there is but one law—all alike are to be put to death. Only if the king holds out the golden sceptre to someone, may that person live. I myself have not been called to come in to the king for thirty days.’ When they told Mordecai what Esther had said, Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, ‘Do not think that in the king’s palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews. For if you keep silence at such a time as this, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another quarter, but you and your father’s family will perish. Who knows? Perhaps you have come to royal dignity for just such a time as this.’ Then Esther said in reply to Mordecai, ‘Go, gather all the Jews to be found in Susa, and hold a fast on my behalf, and neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day. I and my maids will also fast as you do. After that I will go to the king, though it is against the law; and if I perish, I perish.’ Mordecai then went away and did everything as Esther had ordered him.

Mordicai says to Esther, perhaps you have come to royal dignity for just such a time as this. 

For just such a time as this. 

I don’t know about you, but I’m not sure I’m ready for what is happening right now.  It seems like different guidelines and protocols are being enacted daily. 

Different announcements that have happened are deeply impacting our communities and individuals.  I, myself, cannot imagine what it is like to be a high school senior and not know what happens come graduation. 

I cannot imagine what it is like to be a college senior and not know if graduation will happen or how I would feel if I heard it would be canceled. 

As I ran around the high school track this morning, I prayed for students.  For those who do not know what the spring will bring.  For athletes who were looking forward to the spring season, which may have been their senior season.  I prayed for the students who sit in those stands and their families and this community that loves them and supports them. 

I cannot imagine what it is like to be dependent upon a week to week paycheck hearing that your employer must shut the doors for the next week or two. 

I cannot imagine balancing working from home and monitoring school work for one, two or more kids in the house. 

That’s the truth.  I do not know what everyone is going through. 

I do not know how families are balancing and learning and living and loving. 

But I do know this.  We are ready to face these changes and how we live into this new current reality will shape who we are as individuals, families, communities, a nation and our greater world. 

Living out of the love of Christ, in care and compassion for our neighbor, we will do the best we can in this new situation. 

Our living, learning and loving through this will shape our lives and our future in an unseen and unimagined way. 

You are here in this place for such a time as this. 

You are a member of the body of Christ, marked by the sign of the cross and washed in the waters of baptism, for this very day…

To share and show God’s love. 

To build relationships with God and with one another. 

And to show care and compassion by honoring the guidelines set up to keep our communities safe and help our healthcare providers to care for those in the greatest need. 

Continue to be the people God calls you to be in this time and in this place. 

Pray for one another, call one another, write to one another, connect. 

And those of you wondering about the future?  Take it one day at a time….knowing that you are not alone in being impacted by these decisions, we are all adjusting and adapting and learning.  We will continue to be the church together through this time, loving, listening and supporting one another through all of this. 

And now may the peace which passes all understanding, keep our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus and let all God’s people say, amen. 

And now for a few announcements: 

If you are willing to help run errands, please call the church so we can put you on a list. 

If you are willing to make phone calls to some of our home bound members, please call the church and we will pair you up with someone to check in with. 

Hershey Park ticket deadline is March 23, please send those forms with a payment into the church. 

Weekly offerings and donations may also be mailed to the church office.  

Next week: Everything midweek is canceled.  – meetings, Wednesday services, choir rehearsals. 

We will continue to reach out through live devotions at noon tomorrow, Thursday and Friday.  We will live stream Holden Evening Prayer at 7:30pm on Wednesday. 

Miss Sarah’s choir will be ‘live’ on Facebook this Thursday at 6:15pm. 

Sunday worship will be streamed at 9:00am. 

Thank you all for connecting this day. 

Please receive this blessing:

May the road rise to meet you,

May the wind be always at your back,

May the sun shine warm upon your face,

May the rain fall soft upon your fields,

And until we meet again, until we meet again,

May God hold you in the palm of his hands.

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, amen.