And when two or three of you are together because of me, you can be sure that I’ll be there. Matthew 18:20 MSG
Once again I am writing on a Sunday evening. It has been a week of roller-coaster emotions. On Monday my scheduled visit with the physical therapist left me feeling refreshed and stronger than I had felt in a while. Some new techniques were applied that provided good stretching and strengthening and I began to believe that I really might get back to some of my gardening adventures. Yes, my movements might look a little different and I’d need to think first to engage the correct muscles before attempting any task. But it was looking doable. I was really looking forward to my Thursday appointment, but late Wednesday, it was suddenly canceled.
That evening, Ken and I joined about seventy-nine other Aldersgate family members in the youth building to commemorate thirty-five years of our church’s presence in the community; its past, present, and future. We didn’t really know what to expect but I can tell you that if you weren’t there, you missed a truly spiritual experience. The eighty-one of us represented a cross-section of attendees from each of our Sunday morning services. But this was no ordinary service. We sang, we prayed, we celebrated Communion, and the closeness between the people there was palpable. The presence of the Holy Spirit surrounded us with grace and love. There were prayers for healing and I was one of those requesting prayer, but we’ll get to that later.
My husband left the service with a memory of an object lesson he had shared with kids at a church many years ago. Dennis agreed it would be a good illustration to add to his Sunday message and so the planning began. Both Ken and I went home feeling at peace and encouraged about our path forward as a church family.
The next day my peace took a major hit. A call from the physical therapy facility canceled another appointment and I learned that the therapist I had worked with on Monday had developed symptoms of COVID on Tuesday evening. That placed me in the window for pre-symptom exposure. I had helped serve Communion the night before and the nature of that special service had precipitated lots of hugs. My concern for my church family escalated.
Not only that, but we had negotiated and purchased a truck that day and had to take care of all the attending paperwork, bringing us into contact with a number of people. We also ate in a restaurant. I was on a guilt trip of enormous proportion, wondering how many people I may have infected.
God, it is so comforting to know that when we are unsure of the future, we can trust that You notice us and You already know the outcome. Encouraging.com – GABC Women
As I said earlier, I requested prayer for healing on Wednesday night and Pastor Dennis offered a very simple and non-specific prayer. Bear in mind, I was thinking only of my back injury because I didn’t know about the possible COVID exposure, but also remember that the prayer didn’t specify healing for my back. Dennis asked for general healing. So, here I am, on Sunday evening. My mobility is greatly improved, my pain is greatly diminished, and the COVID virus that I didn’t know about has not materialized. I didn’t know about it…but God did. And I think He went to work in a hurry.
To date, I have no symptoms and my tests have been negative. With those results, my doctor gave me the OK to be out among people. Having my worry over infecting others removed, I’m feeling better about the whole experience. However, I’ve learned we all need to continue to be vigilant with our personal hygiene and do what we can to protect those we encounter. It’s just good common sense.
I realize I’ve rambled a bit in this little piece and I don’t know what tomorrow will bring, but on this beautiful Sunday evening, I’m feeling pretty good. And that object lesson that Ken shared this morning….well, the short version is that it essentially contained two questions; the first being; “How many seeds are inside an apple?” This is easily solved by cutting the apple and counting. The other question is much harder; “How many apples are in each seed?” Think about that. Only God holds the answer. The youth team volunteering at Camp Barnabas this week was asked to participate along with the younger kids and I got a kick out of watching them. They were pretty fidgety and were wondering why they were asked to join in a children’s exercise. Then came that question about the number of apples in each seed. Each of them perked up, their eyes brightened and you could see them begin to think. I hope they’re scattering lots of seeds this week as they go about their tasks and interactions.
And of course, the object lesson as interpreted in our Christian walk is this; one of us going forth and scattering seeds of faith can make a big difference in the world. Now think about what can happen when we all scatter seeds of kindness, seeds of love, seeds of comfort, seeds of mercy, seeds of forgiveness. This was the message of last Wednesday’s service and, as Pastor Dennis pointed out on Sunday, it is not ours to worry about what happens to those seeds. God will take care of that. We just need to make sure we scatter them. And being a dedicated gardener, I can really identify with that seed metaphor. I think I’d better get busy and scatter a variety of very important seeds…..or, come to think of it, maybe I’ve already begun.
And he said, “My presence will go with you…….” Exodus 33:14
