August 19, 2020
Patience

by Alan Frutchey
I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry."
- Psalm 40:1
“This is getting old.”
“This is getting old,” I repeated to myself after a recent Zoom call. Zoom. What kind of name is Zoom? Doom would be a better choice of names. Zoom belies the lack of true community. It by-passes the analog warmth of human touch with a digital coldness that is unsatisfying and continually compounds the loss of normal, of what was once taken for granted. 

I find my way up stairs and stare at my guitar. Hmmm….It calls me closer, but “What’s the point?” I hear my thoughts moan. I can barely play anyway so what is the purpose in practicing? 

Who will hear it?

I turn to my table where the research and notes for an unwritten story lay in a myriad of piles. At this stage, writing this story is much like having a thousand parts from a disassembled transmission strewn all over the floor with no real idea on how to put it all together. Why bother?

Who will read it?

I pray. It is more like a whine of self-pity. Even this is getting old. Then I ask for patience. A patience that supplies tolerance and endurance of these difficult times, a “one day at a time” patience which will remove my narcissism as I focus on all those who have died. Those who will die. Those who suffer against injustice. Those who put themselves in harm’s way, for me. For us. For hope.

Then the Lord leans in and whispers, “Play your music and I will hear it. Write your words and I will inspire them. As you reach out, you will again be touched.”

He heard my cry. 

Zoom!!
Let this hymn be our prayer.

We Will Meet
Iona Community Hymn

We will meet when the danger is over,
we will meet when the sad days are done,
we will meet sitting closely together
and be glad our tomorrow has come.
 
We will join to give thanks and sing gladly,
we will join to break bread and share wine;
and the peace that we pass to each other
will be more than a casual sign.
 
Until then may we always discover
faith and love to determine our way.
That's our hope and God's will and our calling
for our lives and for every new day. Amen
Alpharetta Presbyterian Church
180 Academy Street, Alpharetta, GA 30009
770-751-0033 www.alpharettapres.com