As we sit and ponder life without Sunday services, I send love, thoughts of well-being and patience to our beloved parish family. Many Sundays, I have fervently wished for an extra hour of sleep. Sometimes I grumble and complain when I get up to make coffee and get ready for church on Sunday mornings. Yet, today my heart aches a bit with the thought of a Sunday morning, without the smiles and hugs and caring conversations of our Holy Comforter family. Extra sleep will not appeal to me. Every time I walk into one of our services, I know I will leave feeling calmer, closer to God and overall in a better frame of mind. I leave with the peace of having talked to God, been forgiven for my sins and having made the commitment to try harder this week. I feel the presence of God in our sanctuary. He’s always there when we come together. We are lucky to be Christians who have this relationship with God and our church family too. I thank God for Jon+, Ann+ and Jackie+. They are true gifts to us who are lucky enough to worship at Holy Comforter.

So tomorrow, as we listen to Bishop Michael Curry, I will pray that God removes our anxiety, brings us back together quickly and watches over all of us. I will feel your presence even though we are not together in the pews. I will close my eyes and in my mind I will see your faces, picture the children squirming and hear our beautiful choir. For an hour, I will put aside worries about the virus. I will put my trust in God, feel his presence and the gift of his love. At the end of the service I will feel better. I will have talked to God, felt his presence, sins will be forgiven and calmness will abound. And I will thank God for bringing me to Holy Comforter 30 years ago.

As Ann said in her post breathe. I believe three deep breaths makes a world of difference.

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous hand.”

– Isaiah 41:10

Christa

Christa Hyland