Back to Normal

I recently took part in a webinar wherein a corrective was given. Instead of saying “everything has changed” vis-à-vis the recent pandemic the presenter maintained that everything is always changing. What was so startling with the response to COVID-19, he said, was the rate of change. It was accelerated.

Well, now we are getting back to a more normal schedule. We once again have an associate pastor in Pastor Aaron Hickey! We will be removing the blue tape from the pews, as far as worship is concerned. We are also resuming more of our publications, since the transmission of the coronavirus does not appear to be through contact with exposed surfaces. We are also planning a single worship service weekend at the end of August, complete with a picnic on campus afterwards, so that we can enjoy the fellowship we have in this family in Christ.

Thank you for all the encouragement that you shared with the Redeemer staff over the past year and a half. Christ Jesus’ love was always a reassuring presence, and for that we are most grateful.

Good advice from a wise colleague

Here are some words shared by Dr. Dale Meyer in this morning’s Meyer Minutes.

The author of Psalm 30 gave thanks to God for his recovery from illness, as should we, now that we’re entering a new normal, but there’s more to the psalm than that. The writer traces both good times and bad to God, and his analysis is worthy of our reflection. “As for me, I said in my prosperity, ‘I shall never be moved.’ By your favor, O Lord, you made my mountain stand strong” (Psalm 30:6-7a). When he had good times, he thanked God but being thankful to God didn’t lock in the good times. “You hid your face; I was dismayed” (7b).

Questions and debates about the source of Covid show that, at least in the public talk that comes to us through media, God is out of the question. This is true not only of the origin of the pandemic but of many other doings in our daily life. We get along without God, or so we imagine. The psalmist may have taken some ancient medicine or procedure to help get better, we don’t know, but he framed the experiences of his life, good and bad, in conversation with God. “To you, O Lord, I cry, and to the Lord I plead for mercy” (8). He prayed without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17).

Meditating on the psalm invites questions. Why does God let bad things come? Why does He sometimes hide His face? Why do we sometimes feel the Law more than the Gospel? However God deals with us, there are some truths. Repentance should become deeper, as in Luke 13:1-5, although I honestly don’t find that alone comforting. More and more I see this psalm pointing me to Christ. We see our lives in Him. He was the Man of Sorrows, He did go all the way down into death, but “You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; you have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness” (11-12). That will be the final word on your life because you are in Christ. He is ascended, intercedes for you, gives you His Spirit, and soon will come. Don’t count on the news to tell you that. Seek it out in His Word.

Many thanks for the help!

Dr. Martin Luther’s Small Catechism has been around for nearly 500 years. The first words of it remain unchanged to this day: “As the head of the family should teach them in a simple way to his household.” The two-fold takeaway from this is (1) a father’s responsibility for the spiritual well-being of those who live under the same roof, and (2) the priority of the home for spiritual formation. Our Sunday School at Home effort during this pandemic has been a blessing to many in these two areas. Thank you Jeff Shoumaker and all who have been involved in this!