March 25, 2020 Mid-week Meditation from Rev. Bill Neil

Psalm 130Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD. Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications!If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities, LORD, who could stand? But these is forgiveness with you, so that you may be revered.I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word do I hope; my soul waits for the LORD more than those who watch for the morning, more than those who watch for the morning.O Israel, hope in the LORD! For with the LORD these is steadfast love, and with him is great power to redeem. It is he who will redeem Israel from all its iniquities.             (NRSV) Along with the 23^rd Psalm, Psalm 130 is often read at funerals, especially when the loss is tragic: a death that came too soon or under troubling circumstances. It is a psalm of lament, a cry for help. Its opening words in Latin are: de profundis. The depths call to mind the opening verse of Genesis: The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. The depths are chaos, disorder, confusion distress. Our depths could be an awareness of our own faults and failures or the result of hurts and harms done to us. In these times our depths may be fear and anxieties about the spread of COVID-19 or the collapse of the international economy. For me, the loss of my routines of worship and small groups is an immense chasm of unease.The psalm begins as a personal cry to God for help. The psalmist appeals to God for mercy, for forgiveness, for the renewal of God’s steadfast love, God’s covenant love. Then the psalmist rests and waits. For many of us this is a time of resting and waiting, of sheltering in place. One writer offers this is a time of Sabbath, a break from life in the fast lane. This can be a time for centering prayer, reflective reading, inspirational meditation.In concluding the psalmist turns to the wider community and speaks to all God’s People. Hope in God’s steadfast love, trust in God’s redeeming mercy. All will be well. We too are invited to turn from our personal struggles and reach out with love toward others. Phone calls or handwritten notes are powerful medicine at a time of social isolation. God’s covenant faithfulness is promised to a community of people, connected by one Spirit, the powerful presence of Unconditional Love.May blessings abundant flow through us to others, in the name of the Living Christ.Rev. Bill Neil

March 23, 2020 - Devotions from Rev. Bill Neil

Our Sunday scriptures are: 1 Samuel 16:1-13; Psalm 23; Ephesians 5:8-14; and John 9:1-41

For the past 2 Sundays, our scriptures have invited us to let go, give up, surrender our familiar and comfortable habits and surroundings, even our most closely held judgments and prejudices.

God told Abram to move to a new, unfamiliar land. Jesus told Nicodemus to be born from above with a spiritual awakening that would make his life new. Paul told the early Christians to let go of the Jewish laws and embrace a faith based on grace.

Jesus reached out to a Samaritan women at the local well by asking for a drink of water. His example tells us to let go of every stereotype, every prejudice, and embrace every human as an equal worthy of respect, dignity and love. That is a lot to let go.

This week Jesus brings sight to a man who was sightless from birth. The gospel invites us into a new way of seeing. Our readings also tell of the time the Prophet Samuel went to anoint one of the sons of Jesse to be the new King of Israel. Samuel started with the oldest, tall and handsome. God said, No. And so it went until God rejected all the sons, except David, the youngest who was off taking care of the sheep. God does not look upon the outward appearance, God sees with the heart.

That is our challenge today, to learn to see with the heart. In the Bible, the heart is not focused on the romantic love of our Valentine's cards. The heart is the very core of what it means to be a conscious entity who experiences life, perceives those experiences by forming evaluations based on value judgments of good or bad, right or wrong, and then makes choices that lead to actions.

Today we know a lot more than we did just a couple of weeks ago about letting go of our familiar habits and patterns. We are sheltering in place and practicing social distancing. We cannot even worship together. The next challenge is: can we see with our hearts? Can we see the opportunities to choose love over fear, generosity of hoarding, compassion and sacrifice over selfish comfort?

I pray the answer is, Yes, we will be the People of God, people of love, generosity and compassion,

Blessings be,

Rev. Bill Neil