Do It Again, Lord

Hello Church Family

   Here it is April 3 already, my how time flies. I just watched the Governor of Maryland ask us to pause at noon on Sunday to pray for one another, especially those who are suffering or who have died with Covid-19 and for all those who are on the front lines of caring for those who do. That is a great invitation. I hope we can do that. We will have a Zoom worship experience for Palm Sunday starting at 10 am. I will try to remind us do to that after we are finished with our virtual coffee hour following the worship service.

   This Sunday will be a special day for us, for it is Palm Sunday. I’ve been working all week to find a way to make this a meaningful experience of gathering together to welcome Jesus to Jerusalem, and yet honor that we are physical distancing for each other’s health’s sake. For over 40 years, I’ve tried to arrange for a parade on Palm Sunday of some kind. The last few years we have marched around the sanctuary while we sing the great Palm Sunday hymns together. This time we will have to find a way to parade around our homes or in our homes to share in that experience. I like Joye Jones, idea that we place a palm branch or drawing or picture in our windows so that those going by will see it. Thanks for the idea, Joye.

   Our service on Zoom on Sunday will be a walk through the Holy Week events. I hope you prepare for it with this special assignment for the week. The idea is that you read a whole chapter in the Gospel of Matthew as a way to identify with Jesus and the week he had.

Palm Sunday: Matthew 21.  Monday: Matthew 22.  Tuesday: Matthew 23  Wednesday: Matthew 24–25 (We might end up calling this “End Times Wednesday”!). Maundy Thursday: Matthew 26. Good Friday: Matthew 27. Easter Sunday: Matthew 28

   Our worship will feature readings from Matthew and videos of the hymns we would have sung together in worship. I hope you can sing along at home with these hymns that help us tell the story. Jesus arrived in Jerusalem to be the anecdote for our sickness unto death, the separation our choices cause us to have with God. Good Friday is Good News, because by his action, we are forgiven and restored to a healthy relationship with God. It’s also a way for us to know that God in Christ is absolutely connected to what we go through in life, no matter how hard it seems. God does understand. And sometimes the suffering can inspire us to renew our connection to God because we realize in our pain and weakness, we have a source of strength from God, because God loves us.

   Sunday’s celebration may take a little longer than the usual worship time, but for once I can say where else would you be? Do you have a plane to catch? I hope you will know that our being together will be a source of strength for us, beyond our own imagining.

   Max Lucado, one of the authors of The Story, that we have been reading together has a powerful prayer for this time, he called it Do It Again, Lord. I’ll share pieces of this, you might want to look it up on Google and join in the whole prayer. “We are anxious, Father. And so we come to you. We don’t ask you for help; we beg you for it. We don’t request; we implore. We know what you can do. We’ve read the accounts. We’ve pondered the stories and now we plead. “Do It Again, Lord, Do it again.”

   Remember Joseph, who you rescued from the pit? Remember the Hebrews, you rescued from Egypt? Remember the Sarahs, Joshuas, David, Daniel, Doubting Thomas, the Widow of Nain, Mary & Martha, Peter and John. You rescued them, Do It Again Lord.

   May God’s peace be with you as we move through this weekend and toward Holy Week.

Blessings.  Pastor Jeff