31st. October. 2020. Daily Devotion.
26th October 2020 A Candle in the Window Peter Millar
Words to encourage us in tough times. ionacottage@hotmail.com
“Christian faith does not assume a life (or world) of continuous security and familiarity. It is fed by scriptures that speak of transience, mortality, provisionality, interruptions and leavings. But they also whisper that the endings are always beginnings – the leavings open a door to arrivals that could not have been experienced otherwise. In other words, the loss can be seen as a gift – what Walter Bruggemann calls ‘newness after loss.’
So we may be helped in articulating this by asking 4 Covid-realated questions:
- What have I/we lost that we need to regain in the weeks and months ahead?
- What have we lost that needs to remain lost – left behind in another country?
- What have I/we gained that we need to retain in the future?
- What have we gained recently that was useful for this season but needs to be lost if we are to move forward? (These questions have been in various church and other publications in recent weeks.)
One of my earlier poems slightly adapted by a good friend Dr Allan Gordon in these Covid19 days:
Companion of the faithful –
have we forgotten the wonder of each day
and the magic of each other,
as we speak yet again
these strange words about
‘the war on this pandemic’ –
in a world attacked by Covid-19?
Yet even while imprisoned
in our freedoms,
our hearts still sing of hope –
for we long to laugh again,
to dream a dream,
to dance in the sun –
in a world of love.
(From the booklet “Remembering Dorothy: A Few Prayers for Life, Healing, Hope and Laughter” first printed in 2011 – ten years after Dorothy’s sudden death in 2001.
Spirit of God, we thank you that you dance through creation, scattering sparks of peace and markers of healing in our wounded, uncertain world. pm
Tears for the hurting ones, tears for the frightened ones, tears for the world, tears for myself – and weaving through them all Your tender tears of love. pm
Psalm 46
For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. According to alamoth. A song.
1 God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
3 though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.
4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy place where the Most High dwells.
5 God is within her, she will not fall;
God will help her at break of day.
6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
he lifts his voice, the earth melts.
7 The Lord Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
8 Come and see what the Lord has done,
the desolations he has brought on the earth.
9 He makes wars cease
to the ends of the earth.
He breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
he burns the shields with fire.
10 He says, ‘Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.’
11 The Lord Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress. Amen.
For Peace of Mind
Blessed Lord Jesus, I need you now because I am filled with stress and anxiety. But you have promised that if I read and remember your Word, and come to you in prayer, your Holy Spirit will come to me. I lay my burdens on you, precious Christ, as you have promised to take them. Please carry them for me so that I don’t have to, for they overwhelm me. Replace my fears with your humble and gentle yoke, so that I will find rest for my soul today. Let me feel your love.
I accept the peace of mind and quietness of heart, which you offer to all men as a gift. My praise and thanks that it is possible for me to lie down this evening in peace, and find the rest of sleep, by your gift. For with you, I have faith that I dwell in perfect safety. What should I fear when you have promised to be with me for all time? I pray that I can find your perfect peace, by your Word and your promise, this day and every day, until I see you face to face. Amen.
