SADNESS

Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am in distress; my eye wastes away from grief, my soul and body also. Psalm 31:9

 

I am incredibly sad. As I write this, the Covid-19 cases and deaths are on the rise again, after many states in the US opened up many public venues against the advice of the Centers for Disease Control. As I embraced my sadness, I began to think how much worse the situation is for others in our nation—and in the world—than it is for my husband and me. We are retired, and although we are at higher risk to contract the Coronavirus because of our age and some underlying health conditions, we do not have to leave our home to do much of anything. We can order groceries from home and stay away from public gatherings, plus we have sufficient retirement income so we do not need to work at this point in our lives. We are truly blessed. Others are not so fortunate: they may be forced to work as an “essential employee” and they have many more worries and responsibilities than we do. So…if I’m sad, I cannot imagine the anguish some others are experiencing now. Add to that the current racial unrest following the murders of a number of innocent Black citizens at the hands of police, and we have a powder keg of sorrow, fear and anxiety on top of the pandemic.

 

As I thought about all these people and what they are going through, I was reminded of a favorite Christian song of mine, “Held” written by Christa Wells and first recorded by Natalie Grant. The lyrics relate unspeakable tragedy in the lives of those who have suffered greatly. The chorus reminds us that God is always there and that His promise is to hold us in our darkest hour. The moving words of the song continue: “This is what it means to be held/How it feels, when the sacred is torn from your life/And you survive.” For those of us enduring the triple catastrophe of the pandemic, the economic downturn, and the deep-seated racist issues facing our nation, we can know that our God cares and is holding us up when we don’t believe we have the energy to stand.

 

Great God of Compassion, hold us when we are too weak to go on. Amen

 

To listen to the song, “Held” performed by Natalie Grant, click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJhsexd8Qqg

PRIESTHOOD OF BELIEVERS

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. 1 Peter 2:9

 

Am I a priestess? It’s hard to imagine that of myself, but that is what the Bible tells us in 1 Peter. We are to be “like living stones, let (ourselves) be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (v. 5). Hebrews 4:16 says we are to “approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help (others and ourselves) in time of need.” The people of ancient Israel were God’s special “chosen people” (Deuteronomy 7:6). But through Christ, all believers are now “God’s own people.” He has given us the authority to appeal directly to Him with all the privileges of a priest. We no longer need a human religious leader to intervene for us; because of Christ’s saving work, we can ask God for what we need openly.

 

“Sainthood” might be the closest thing to “royal priesthood” that we have in our modern world. Although I am not a member of the Catholic church, I am often comforted by learning about women who have been named saints. The Catholic church’s process to determine sainthood requires extensive documentation that the person has performed at least two miracles in her lifetime. I believe in miracles, and I believe that those who live exemplary earthly lives dedicated to service to God are miracles within themselves. Reading about their lives gives me hope in both humankind and God. I am encouraged that certain human beings have found favor with God and humankind. Perhaps there is hope for me in the small things I try to do and say (“spiritual sacrifices”) to encourage others. I do this not just to “be polite,” but to fulfill God’s purpose for me. While I may never be anointed with sainthood, I can recall the words of 1 Peter 2:9 and know that I am valued in God’s sight as one of His “priesthood of believers.”

 

Father of Light, we proclaim Your mighty acts because You created us to do so. We belong to You forever. Amen

 

Meg Blaine Corrigan finds ideas for her devotional blogs in everyday places and events, from comic strips to magazines and books, comments on the fly from people she meets, ancient memories of her childhood, and nigglings from God. To date, she has written nearly 700 different devotions, filling one book of daily readings, Saints With Slingshots: Daily Devotions for the Slightly Tarnished But Perpetually Forgiven Christian, published in 2015. Meg is working on a second book (Saints TWO) which she had hoped would be completed by now. She posts once a week, which means in seven years, she will have enough entries to fill a second book. Sometimes life gets in the way of writing, so Meg is pacing herself, enjoying spending time with her husband, their four daughters and spouses, ten grandchildren and two great-grandchildren, as well as their rescue dog, Bassett/Beagle mix Ginger. Meg is involved in volunteer work at her church, Christ Lutheran in Lake Elmo, Minnesota, and also with sexual violence/sex trafficking prevention and education. She speaks to groups whenever she if offered the opportunity. She is a voracious reader of other people’s writing, which gives her lots of ideas for more devotional blogs. Read more about her at www.MegCorrigan.com or contact her at MegCorrigan@comcast.net .

EZEKIEL AND THE DRY BONES

He brought me out by the spirit of the Lord…in the middle of a valley…full of bones. There were very many lying in the valley, and they were very dry. He said to me, “Mortal, can these bones live?” I answered, “O Lord God, you know.” Ezekiel 37:1-3

 

“Not quite two weeks after the death of George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man who died after a now-former Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck, it (was) already clear that what happened to him—and the protests that followed—will be in history books someday,” reported Time Magazine. “The moment is not only a striking turning point in an ongoing Black Lives Matter movement against police brutality, but also set apart by a global pandemic that is disproportionately affecting African Americans.” The questions remained: how long would the protests continue, and would there be real, sustainable, systemic change in the way police interact with the black and brown populations in the United States? I am standing on God’s promise that love will overcome hate and peace will replace outrage.

 

The story of Ezekiel and his vision of the dry bones has some parallels with the George Floyd killing and the world’s reaction. The ruthless Babylonians destroyed the temple in Ezekiel’s hometown of Jerusalem in about 587BC. The Israelites were discouraged and thought God was not powerful enough to protect his chosen people. But God gave Ezekiel a vision of a valley of skeletons and instructed Ezekiel to prophesy hope to the bones. Flesh and sinews appeared on the bones and God breathed physical and spiritual life into them. The vision meant that the Israelites would survive the oppression they were experiencing. More importantly, the people would survive because of God’s power and love for them throughout their dismal circumstances.

 

Ezekiel’s story became popular among black preachers after the Civil War. James Weldon Johnson even wrote a song, “Dem Bones,” which became an anthem for early black social movements. And today, we see the Black Lives Matter movement engaging the entire world in support of humane treatment for people of color. God can put new life in those who have been oppressed far too long. Let us all work towards a world of zero oppression.

 

Lord, speak to the weary bones and hearts and souls of the oppressed. Let them feel Your resurrecting power. Amen

DIVINE INTERVENTION

Jesus answered and said to him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this.” John 13:7

 

I am not one to get sick, but about three years ago that changed. I knew something was wrong. I felt irritable (more than normal), jittery, and hungry, but I was losing weight. I had a ton of energy, but it was pent up and it wasn’t the good kind. It wasn’t terrible, but it just wasn’t me.

 

I finally listened to my body and went to the doctor. After a bunch of tests she indicated that I had Graves Disease, which is very treatable. However, the ultrasound images proved conclusively that I had thyroid cancer, and had several small nodules that needed to be surgically removed.

 

I had the surgery, and it appeared to be successful. The doctor said with rest I would be able to use my voice again in a day or two. After a week I still had no voice. It hurt to whisper, and it was impossible to do my job as a co-owner of a publishing company. My voice is my business: I talk to clients all day long, I speak at conferences, and I lead workshops, but I couldn’t do any of this in my current condition.

 

I went back to the surgeon for my weekly check-up. He was visibly concerned that my voice wasn’t back yet. He started out by saying that this rarely happens, but that he thinks that they may have permanently damaged my vocal cords when they removed the nodules.

 

I was devastated. I racked my brain trying to figure out what I was going to do if I couldn’t use my voice. I tried to find things that relaxed me. Although I went to school for art and design, I had stayed out of that side of our publishing business. But the very next day I started designing on the computer again. I practiced, I took online classes, and worked on my skills. After a couple of weeks I was designing for clients again, and I was happier and more fulfilled than I had been in years.

 

After six weeks, I went to bed one night not being able to utter more than a harsh whisper and woke up with my full voice back. I truly believe that it was divine intervention from God. The doctor was even stunned and called it a miracle.

 

This was not an experience I would ever care to repeat, but I learned a lot about myself during this time. I thought business had to be just business, but by using my God-given talents and adding creativity into the mix I am a much happier person.

 

O Blessed St. Blaise, you received from God the power to protect men from throat diseases and other maladies. Take away the illness that afflicts me, keep my throat healthy and perfect, so that I can talk correctly and be able to proclaim and sing praises to God. Amen

 

Ann Aubitz is the author of Katlyn Conquers the World and The Many Faces of Down Syndrome. Her writing buddy is her daughter with Down syndrome, Katlyn Aubitz. Ann owns FuzionPress/FuzionPrint in Burnsville, Minnesota, with her husband of twenty-six years.

TONGUES OF FIRE

They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of (the disciples). All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them….”How is it that each of us hears them in our native language?” Acts 2:3-4, 8

 

It was a perfectly awful storm: a deadly pandemic, an economy in freefall, and suddenly a racial crises…again. The year 2020 had devastated the very soul of America with fear, pain and anguish culminating in the death of yet another black man at the hands of police in my neighbor town of Minneapolis, Minnesota. George Floyd allegedly used a counterfeit twenty-dollar bill at a small inner-city grocery store, and the police were called. Three officers pinned Floyd to the ground, one—Derek Chauvin—pressing his knee into Floyd’s neck. A fourth officer looked on. As passers-by begged the police to let him loose, Floyd cried, “I can’t breathe!” until he lost consciousness and died. He had not been charged with a crime and most likely would not have seen a jail cell for his alleged infraction. His death sparked peaceful protests throughout our nation, once again, about racial injustice and police brutality. Other protesters with a very different agenda launched attempts to disrupt, divide, and burn Minneapolis and other cities to the ground. Hatred grew where grief and sadness had been. Hatred tasted good to some, as they rolled it around on their tongues, spewing lies and inciting violence.

 

Yesterday was Pentecost Sunday, when Christian churches celebrate the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the fledgling church that Christ began. Acts 2 recounts how “tongues of fire…separated and came to rest on each one of” the disciples (v. 2). These new leaders were all Galileans, but diverse visitors in Jerusalem heard the message of Christ’s love and grace in their native language, drawing them to a new level of faith.

 

Could this be the turning point in our nation, when blacks and browns will be heard as if we are all speaking the same language? Can we finally say to people of color, “We hear you, we understand what you have been through, and we want change as much as you do?”

 

Let it be, Lord. Let it be. Make a covenant today between all races to end prejudice and hatred. Amen

 

To help out in the aftermath of the George Floyd murder, see the following organizations:

• Black Visions Collective — “A political home for black people across Minnesota.” This nonprofit is dedicated to creating safe, autonomous black communities. Donate here.
• Reclaim the Block — A coalition that demands that Minneapolis divest from policing and invest in long-term alternatives that promote healthier, safer, and more diverse communities. Donate Here
• Minnesota Freedom Fund — This nonprofit “pays criminal bail and immigration bond for those who cannot afford to” as they “seek to end discriminatory, coercive, and oppressive jailing.” Donate here.