FROM THE RECTOR – April 24, 2020
To the community of Saint Paul’s,
Psalm 37:7 reminds us to “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him.” Then reminding us in the next two verses not to “fret”. Oh how I need to hear this right now; be patient, don’t fret. Harry Smith, NBC news corespondent, said this morning, “We don’t need to be stockpiling toilet paper and hand sanitizer; we need to stockpile patience.” It’s hard to escape. Take a deep breath.
As we begin to live patiently, we also begin to live expectantly, looking for things to get better. When…we don’t know. What we do know is that we can do things here and now that help in the process. Most of us at Saint Paul’s have seen little to no change in income. In fact since we can’t be out and about, we’ve probably seen and increase in expendable income. I urge all of us as we are able to look for ways that our giving can make a real difference. If you would like suggestions please be in touch with me, or you can make a gift to Saint Paul’s for either “outreach” or the clergy Discretionary Fund. Both will be used to respond to immediate needs in our community.
Speaking of patience, at this time we are keeping our suspension of all gatherings and public worship in place through at least May 17. Our Bishop and Bishop-elect Logue are, in conversation with the Diocese of Atlanta, public health agencies and the clergy of the diocese. The outcome will be a statement on returning to in-person worship in ways that will keep all as safe as possible. One important part of that statement is that we will not begin moving toward physically gathering together again until “the number of new Covid-19 cases has declined for at least 14 days”.
Patience. Waiting on the Lord. Waiting for things to get back to the way they were. Dear God, give me patience now! There is so much to learn right now and one of the most important is learning just to BE! Be still. Be in the presence of God. Be present for those next to you and those to whom you reach out. Just be.
One of our Vestry members said this past week that this has been an opportunity to live with the choices we have made. How true, and how glad I am that we have chosen to be a part of Saint Paul’s Church and the Augusta community. Being still and being patient within this community of faith is a blessing.
As we stop fretting and take a deep breath, let us pray:
O God of peace, you have taught us that in returning and rest we shall be saved; in patiently waiting we find strength: let the whole world see and know that your hand is at work in the events that surround us; and things that have grown old ,even now, are being made new, and that all is being brought to perfection by Jesus himself. Give us the strength to participate in your plan for all creation in ways that we are able, and then the will to wait patiently for your purpose to be fulfilled. All this we ask in the name of your Son our creator and redeemer, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
George
