I have told the congregations at both churches I serve (that would be Honey Brook United Methodist and New Holland United Methodist Church) that I am trying to keep this up date by posting once a week or at least several times a month.  I realize that I am falling behind though in other things I may be getting ahead.  In the interest of staying healthy, I am now eating only 1 cookie per day....so far, I am up to May 8, 2021.

But something to think about....you may have heard about this already, but it seems that the number of covid-19 infections has risen sharply around the nation in the past few weeks.  Hospitalizations and deaths are now beginning to rise as well and many experts expect this trend to continue.  The good news (probably) is that several vaccines look promising and will be available in the not too distant future though of course it will take some time until they are widely distributed.

In response, I have heard from several folks or seen posts and tweets that are very skeptical of the severity of the virus and are critical of the vaccines...some compare it to the mark of the beast talked about in Revelation 13.  

Couple of thoughts about all of that....

-I did read somewhere that there may be something like a "medical passport" that would verify that a person has received the Covid-19 vaccination (along with other medical and personnel information and would have to be produced by an individual wishing to travel.  I do not think that is the "Mark of the beast" from that passage of Revelation (read the proceeding and following chapters and I think you will find that the situation simply does not fit) but it does make you stop and think.  Revelation talks of a time when you will need some type of "mark" in order to participate in the economy.  This idea seemed very far fetched just a generation or two ago but now, some type of microchip that allows for a cash free economy seems quite plausible.  Certainly, the events recorded in Revelation continue to get closer (duh!) so we are wise to be prepared...to accept the salvation Jesus offers and have our names written in the Lamb's Book of Life.

-And let's not stop with our own salvation but let's go out of our way to love and serve others.  I think part of that means doing what we can to keep people safe.  Thankfully, many who are infected with the virus have no symptoms or maybe just mild cases.  That's a good thing!  Seems like those most likely to become seriously ill or to die from Covid are those who already have underlying medical conditions...I have heard that we should not take it too seriously because a large percentage of deaths occur in nursing home residents.  Funny, I remember before my dad passed away....He could take care of himself but barely...he really belonged in a nursing home but fought against it fiercely.  I remember him saying, "people will no longer care about me if I am in a nursing home."  I tried change his mind but the comments I see and hear make me think that he was right (no surprise there...he was right about 93% of the time and it was impossible to convince him the 7% when he was wrong...much easier to just go along with him).  And sure enough, I always thought we, especially we who are brothers and sisters in Christ, cared about those who face physical and other difficulties....maybe not so much

-Back to the point though, I do not believe that taking steps to keep people safe (even those who live in nursing homes) is a sign of a lack of faith or blind allegiance to the government.

I trust God to keep me safely in His hands throughout this life and I am not afraid to die....I mean I know where I am going when that happens......but I stop at stop signs.......even though many times I could drive right through the intersection without any consequences. guess part of the reason I do that is to listen to the government and avoid a fine.....but the bigger reason is that I do not want to cause an accident that might bring harm to myself or others.

-Be safe! Be loving! Shine the Light of Christ

-And let's talk about Christmas!!!!!

next time

ELECTION TIME

 So...many citizens have already participated in early or mail in voting but Election Day is officially tomorrow, November 3.  I imagine everyone is aware that this election season has been particularly nasty as commentators call it the most important election of our time.  Whoever winds up finishing second will not be pleased.  In fact, authorities even now are making plans to deal with violent reactions in the coming days.

Now I am not going to tell you who to vote for (though you should vote if have not already done so) but I do want to share some thoughts on how we, as Disciples of Jesus Christ, should live in the next few days.  And they not all original thoughts.  We had a guest speaker the other week when Val and I were away.  Then we discovered as we listened to the service that he made some real good points. (full disclosure...the guest speaker was our son...that is one of the things about children...you teach them everything you know and then they often go off and learn some more on their own)

More full disclosure...I read somewhere that pastors often plagiarize in sermons and blogs too...ironically, I can not remember where I read that.  But at any rate, our son, Ben, gets most of the credit for these thoughts.  He talked about how we should love God and love others and then reminded everyone of the words of I Corinthians as Paul describes what real love looks like:

I Corinthians 13:4-7
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Our lives should always be characterized by these attributes but, if we are being honest, we know that some days it is simply easier to behave in a loving way...sometimes things simply go our way but not always.

Ben's question for the church congregations and my question for you focuses on a day that may be more difficult.  On November 4 (or whenever this election is officially over), will we, those who claim to follow Jesus, be known s those who are patient and kind?  Will we be noticed because we do not envy or boast?  Will people comment on how we do not dishonor others or seek our own way?  Will we be able to forgive and forgo anger, rejoicing in the truth?

It is the hope of Jesus that we are known by our love! (John 13:35) May this love be evident in us every day...even the days that follow elections!!