I had written a blog post about 3 weeks ago after I returned from a trip to Nashville, but I’ll shelve that one for another time…
Today there seems to be an extra layer of ‘quiet’ not only here on the Big Front Porch, but all over the world as humans everywhere try to make sense of the word ‘pandemic’ while trying to make sensible choices regarding how we stay in community with our neighbors.
Here’s a beautiful post by Chris Wheeler titled, “Wash The Next Dish,” that was posted this week in The Rabbit Room. It’s a lovely reminder to tend to the little things with intention and gratitude.
God is still in control and offers love, mercy, and grace to us in hundreds of little reminders each new day along this broken road. I opened this morning’s Gospel reading to the eighth chapter of St. Matthew to see Jesus healing others in multiple scenarios…the person with the skin disease, the centurion’s servant, Peter’s mother-in-law…”He healed everyone who was sick.” I continued, and today’s reading in the Rule of Benedict was Chapter 36: The Care of the Sick. Coincidence? I think not.
Benedict’s rule tells us that “Care of the sick must rank above and before all else so that they may truly be served as Christ who said: ‘I was sick and you visited me.’ “ (Matt. 25:36) Even if that means visiting each other virtually as many did this morning for worship services. I figure one of my jobs during this time is to continue to write and sing and pray, so that’s what I will try and do…use the extra time to read and ponder and look for ways to be a good neighbor.
There are many biblical verses that refer to ‘signs and wonders,’ but today I landed on the one in the second chapter of the book of Hebrews that says, “While God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.” As communication and education and business and more move to an online environment during these times of ‘social distancing,’ perhaps we can consider the miracle of modern technology as one of the ‘signs and wonders’ of today. What as amazing fact that, having received a gift of music, I can record that music in a digital format and share it on platforms that can be accessed within minutes around the world truly seems like one of the ‘signs and wonders’ of this age. So with that in mind, I hope this old hymn will be an encouragement to you all as we move forward through the days ahead.
Be well…pax,
Tricia