what a weird Sunday this is

#1

[ The armour of God ] Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armour of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes

Ephesians 6:10-11 NIV UK

I have done things this morning I would not normally do on a Sunday before church:

• I wrote a Covid-19 poem, not a biblical one or even spiritual but one that came to me
• I moved 3 wheelbarrows of mush from one place to another
• I ate breakfast – I never eat breakfast on a Sunday or on any other day with “day” in the name.
• I listened to 2 sermons – live. CFC Belfast and Fisherwick Presbyterian.

And then I tuned into my (perhaps) placement church service. The sermon “Distant Faith,” with readings from Psalm 46 and Philippians 4.

What if we are looking for God in all the wrong places? Is the question David ended the last sermon with. Reminds me of the country song – looking for love in all the wrong places. The stories we hear because of Covid-19 bring fear unless we have something that is bigger than fear. We have hope in God and God is bigger than anything.

A few years ago a lovely friend told me about their understanding of Psalm 46. They said something like this: I have cancer, I am in treatment but I have cancer. My daughter has meningitis and I am not allowed to be anywhere near her. She is eight years old and I love to wash her hair and then gentle caress her curls as I brush out the tangled mess. I love to carefully dry her hair so her curls have an element of curliness and an element of tameness. I can do none of this. I have the earthquake of cancer. I have the tsunami of uncertainty. And in this God commands me – to be still. To be still and know that He is God. And when I do this, when I be this. When I follow His command – I have peace, I can smell newly washed curly mess, I can feel childhood whisper kisses, I can almost touch the breath of my dear sweet little angel of a child. I can taste the sweetness of my child and more than that of God. He is amazing.

So no matter what is going on, what fears we have, God is with us. BE STILL and know that He is God.