Today’s Word from Pastor Pastor Jim…
“I lift up my eyes to the hills, from where is my help to come? My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.” Psalm 121
We live in unprecedented times. Just a few months ago, unemployment was at historical lows and the stock market was at an all-time high. We were making plans for spring and summer travel. Trinity Lutheran Church was flying high with more engagement, more outreach, and more benevolent giving than ever before. We never could have imagined that in the matter of a few weeks, our workers would be sent home, the government would order us to isolate ourselves, unemployment would skyrocket, and we would have to wait in line to get into Payless to buy toilet paper.
We have never seen anything like this. Is it the end of the world? Is it the end of life as we have known it? Our great nation was founded 244 years ago. In the years between 1776 and 2020, we have been shaken by earthquakes, we have weathered hurricanes, contagions, famines, and floods. We survived the Dust Bowl and the plagues that went with it.
There have been dozens of wars in our history. You know about the Revolutionary War and the Civil War. There were World Wars, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. But did you know that U.S. troops fought in the Barbary War, in Korea in 1871, in the Russian Revolution of 1918, and the Spanish American War? Did you know about the Puget Sound War of 1855? The United States has fought numerous wars in China, including the Opium Wars, and the Boxer Rebellion of 1899.
We live in unprecedented times. Not really! Consider for a moment that there have been 47 recessions in the United States since 1790. That’s right, tough economic times are nothing new. There was the Great Land Bust of 1819, the Cotton Crash of 1837, the Railroad Meltdown of 1857, the Bank Collapse of 1873, the Gold Run of 1893, the Bank Rescue of 1907, the Price Tailspin of 1920, and of course, the Great Depression which struck most of the world.
We live in unprecedented times. Our limited experience and familiarity with history lead us to believe that these are unprecedented days. Nothing could be further from the truth. This is the human experience; tough times come to every generation and land. From Biblical times to the Middle Ages, from the American Century to 2020, this is simply the way life is for humans.
What else does history tell us? We will get through this together. This season of disruption always passes, peace will return, crops will be harvested, families will hug and laugh together under the same roof, the economy will recover, and the world will change. But the human experience will continue to be a cycle of tears and laughter, of joy and sorrow, of plenty and want, of birth and death.
God has given us the gifts of life, freedom, and a marvelously diverse creation. God does not promise us an easy life. We have little protection from contagion, disaster, or financial ruin. “I beg your pardon, I never promised you a rose garden.” God’s promises are simple and easy to remember: we are loved, we are forgiven, and we are never alone. That is really all we need to know, is it not?
Hang in there, we are getting a little weary. Do not despair and do not be afraid. We’ve got this. We will defeat this virus. We will survive and thrive. God is with us, and we have each other.
One day closer to the end of this crisis.
Much love,
Pastor Jim
You are there, and we are there together, being the church in the midst of crisis. This week, TLC sent out the following checks:
$2,000 to Helping Hand
$2,000 to Gifts from the Heart Food Bank
$1,000 to Good Cheer Food Bank ($17,000 was given to Good Cheer in March)
$1,500 to Northwest Washington Covid-19 Relief
$1,600 to Bethany Nursing Homes
$850 to Lutheran World Relief International Disaster
$6,000 to ELCA World Hunger
$1,070 to Direct Aid to local families.
You are there, and we are there together. Thank you for your generosity.
To make a donation to Trinity, follow this link: https://trinitylutheranfreeland.org/give/
