Wednesday, June 17, 2020

When the Pilgrims Return

 
Wednesday, June 17, 2020
Psalm 126:1-6

When the Lord brought back his exiles to Jerusalem, it was like a dream!  We were filled with laughter, and we sang for joy.  And the other nations said, “What amazing things the Lord has done for them.”  Yes, the Lord has done amazing things for us!  What joy!  Restore our fortunes, Lord, as streams renew the desert.  Those who plant in tears will harvest with shouts of joy.  They weep as they go to plant their seed, but they sing as they return with the harvest.

This past Sunday Elizabeth and I attended a worship service of the outdoor sort, the final Sunday for my friend, Nathan Snyder, as pastor of Fairgrove UMC in Thomasville.  He is retiring from full time service, and it was good to be there as the congregation celebrated his four decades of ministry; it was a time filled with remembering and celebration, a time of joy.  They even had a Nathan-parade in lieu of a covered dish, as Nathan and his bride, Margaret, stood at the outdoor shelter and all the members drove past to wish their retiring pastor happy trails! 
During the last 3 months we have been enduring an exile of sorts.  Congregations all over the world have refrained from meeting in their gathering places, the place where worship is so familiar, and the hugs, handshakes, and conversations flow like refreshing streams of God’s glory.  Now we meet via pixel-resoluted screen times, flat-screened, and absent of the pulses of our brothers and sisters.  As for me, all I hear and sense of a live body in the room is my furry friend, Wellie, snoring beside me when I write, or record the latest sermon.  Stout Methodist as he is, Wellie is no match for the living, breathing human souls I long to be with.
I have gained a new appreciation of what it meant for the Israelites to be captives in a strange, foreign land…and then, they got to come home; it was a big deal.  They came singing, with joy-filled hearts and souls.  Their joy was so full other nations took note with amazement – what wonderful things the Lord has done!
And so, it is natural, as I look to the future, to relish that time when we get to come home – home to God’s spiritual body, gathered in joy and worship, instead of this drought-ship, dry, parched, quarantined existence.  In my mind there is a picture of God’s house, full of joy-filled faces, glad to be back – happy to be singing, praying, giving, loving, planning, serving….together!
Of course there will be some new flies in the ointment, so to speak.  Some will wear masks and gloves; hand sanitizer will be on order by the gallon, and some of it might feel strange for awhile.  It’s like that after a long absence; you want to get back, but what will it be like beyond just that first rush of joy?  I think I know; there will be sharing of our lives again, sharing all the stories of what has happened, guessing at why it all happened, and the catching-up that always happens.  And, somewhere past the strange uneasiness of discovering that change has happened, and the discomfort of knowing our world is different, we will find ourselves strangely renewed, hearts strangely warmed (as Mr. Wesley might say); we will awaken to the dawn of a new day of possibilities.  We will begin to open to a new moment, an era of letting the petty differences to which we may cling, evaporate like the unimportant wisps of selfishness they really are.  Song preferences, perceived slightings, unwelcomed change or tedious repetition, will all be somehow so insignificant.  In my sanctified imagination I imagine the refreshing of just raising our voices together to sing, our hands lifted to praise, heads bowed to pray, and hearts and souls opened for hearing God’s voice to lead us into deeper, fuller relationship…this is what will come for God’s people.  Because this is what God always does for grateful, humble people.  And I cannot think of a time when I have been more grateful, or humbled, by the realization that I may have been taking corporate worship for granted…and I sense that I can’t possibly be the only one who feels this way.
Let’s Pray Together:

Father, your pilgrim children, exiled from the buildings and routines we sometimes worship, are longing to go home.  We know you do all things well, and in your time.  As we wait on your hand to guide, may we wait with our sandals on, staff in hand, ready for your direction.

For You Today
Can you say “pilgrim”?  A pilgrim isn’t home; he’s wandering – she’s wondering, we’re walking.  It’s always a movement.  The only real concern we should have is the direction in which we’re moving – towards God…or the other way.
You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road today.  Have a blessed day!
Go to VIDEO                                                                                                                  
Title Image:  Pixabay.com  Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation©
For other posts on Psalm 126 see World UPSIDE DOWN and Precious Seeds  and When a Warrior Weeps

No comments:

Post a Comment