D
ear Beloved Community-
Did you ever play the game “what if?” When we were kids Mom or Dad would explain the outcome of a plan or the consequences of some action and one of us would ask, “what if?” What if this happens, then what? Okay, but what if this happens? A conversation like this could go on indefinitely depending upon the stubbornness of the players.
I feel like I’ve been playing an extended game of “what if” for the last several weeks. How do we know when to open? Well what if this happens? What if people choose this instead of that? What if, what if, what if. Couldn’t we just have a sign so that we would know exactly what to do?
July 3rd is the day that the church honors St. Thomas, the apostle, a guy who appreciated signs and probably knew a thing or two about playing “what if.” The Old Testament reading for this saint day is from the story of Gideon, who was probably an even better player of the game.
The story goes like this. After forty years of peaceful living which was established when Deborah was in charge, the Israelites began to forget about God. They began to worship false gods, building them altars and idols. They were harassed for seven long years by the other tribes in the area until God decided to change things up. The Lord chose a young man named Gideon to free the people from their Midianite captors and to condemn their idolatry.
The Lord sent an angel to let Gideon know about the plan, but Gideon wasn’t sure. He doubted the identity of the messenger and asked for a sign. The angel agreed and made fire shoot up out of a rock which totally freaked out Gideon. He was frightened because he knew he’d talked back to God’s messenger. However, God assured Gideon that things would be okay and together they were able to take some first steps towards ensuring the Israelites’ freedom but then Gideon got nervous.
[Gideon said]
to God, “I know that you promised to help me rescue Israel, but I need proof. Tonight, I’ll put some wool on the stone floor of that threshing-place over there. If you really will help me rescue Israel, then tomorrow morning let there be dew on the wool but let the stone floor be dry.”
And that’s just what happened. Early the next morning, Gideon got up and checked the wool. He squeezed out enough water to fill a bowl. But Gideon prayed to God again. “Don’t be angry at me,” Gideon said. “Let me try this just one more time, so I’ll really be sure you’ll help me. Only this time, let the wool be dry and the stone floor be wet with dew.”
That night, God made the stone floor wet with dew, but he kept the wool dry.
[Judges 6:36-40, CEV] How cool is that? Just imagine, instead of playing “what if” all the time, you ask your question, put a blanket out on the back porch and check back in the morning. If you’re still not sure, try it again the next night.
The truth is we all play “what if.” We all have doubts. The life we live is one of surprises and uncertainty. We may think we know what will happen tomorrow, but we really don’t. Things can change so quickly and that can be frightening. But Jesus said, “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me.”
We can play “what if” until the cows come home, but we aren’t always going to get it right. We can do our best to project and prepare but we’re still going to get shocks and surprises. Some good, some not so much. So, here’s the thing I am trying to lean into these days- it’s the best answer to any “what if” I’ve ever asked. Jesus promised Thomas and the rest, “In my Father’s house there are many rooms. If it wasn’t so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, you will also be.”
My dear friend, God is on your side. The Spirit is your daily companion. Jesus has promised to take us home and one day we will dance through the halls of our Father’s house.
+ Pastor Heidi
+ + +
Weekend Strategies for Being Church
Saturday at 4:00pm
– Story Hour with Pastor Heidi
SUNDAY at 10:15am
– Worship on Facebook and YouTube.
Tuesday at 7:00pm
– Church Council Meeting via Zoom
Best wishes to Kathleen and Leroy Herstine
who are celebrating their 65th Wedding Anniversary today and a happy belated birthday to
Ken Beer
who turned 90 this week!
Worship Survey Responses:
We continue to tally your response to our Worship Survey. If you have not yet responded, you can still do so by using the online option
click here
.
Better than a bag of chips!
When our daughter was little, she loved the blood drives at church because there were always leftover bags of chips, packets of cookies and juice boxes. Well, here’s an even better incentive to give blood. At the
Blood Drive on July 30th
, the Red Cross will conduct antibody testing for the coronavirus on all blood donations. You will be notified after your give whether you are positive for the antibodies or not. (There may also be chips or cookies.) What is most important to remember is that summer is a tough time for blood donations. The need goes up and the donation numbers go down. Please sign up today. The Red Cross has assured us that they will provide a safe environment for donations. More information about testing can be found at
https://www.redcrossblood.org/donate-blood/dlp/covid-19-antibody-testing.html
.
You can sign up to donate between 2:00 and 7:00pm by
clicking here
.
Click here
to see the latest information from the Southeastern Pennsylvania
Synod Office related to
COVID-19.
