Scripture Reading: 2 Corinthians 4
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| Some things we encounter are more permanent than others. |
As Christians, how do we define ourselves and how do we understand God at work among us?
During every age, we may redefine our identity depending upon the circumstance. Certainly in the midst of the pandemic, we have faced the greatest pause in the life of faith within our lifetimes. Those rural areas have not quite faced the same kind of pause that urban congregations have faced simply because the caseloads in these places have been so dissimilar. But even in these places where worship has continued fairly untouched, there have been members who have refused to attend in person and so the gathering has been diminished.
Within Paul's day, he sees his own afflictions as serving the greater good. Their purpose becomes to glorify God and so it allows the one who is suffering to come to terms with the pain. Paul writes of our bodies being as clay jars containing treasure. The vessel containing the treasure is temporary and wears out but that which it holds is eternal.
The pandemic has reminded us of our own mortality. It has served our world almost like a prolonged Ash Wednesday service telling us, "Remember you are dust and to dust you shall return." But even as we understand our mortal nature, we also hear the words of Paul telling us,
We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed;
As we go through physical affliction, we are reminded of the suffering of our Lord. We see that God has solidarity with humanity in Jesus Christ. This allows our "inner nature" to be "renewed day by day."
Even as we mourn those we have lost, we take heart in their "eternal weight of glory beyond all measure."
We take heart because while things will not return to exactly to how they were prior to the pandemic, the important pieces of our lives will surely endure. Our faith will strengthen because of what we have endured. I believe that this is what Paul is celebrating in today's reading.
Prayer for the day:
Eternal God, we grow tired of our lessened public life. We are weary of conflicting views about it. We long for relationships without second guessing either their safety or their anxiety in gathering. Yet, we give thanks that in all of this change, you walk with us. Help us to see one another as gifts once more. And as we take heart, may we find that as we are uplifted, this renewal gives you glory. Amen.
Photo by Christine Warner via Flickr.com. Used under the Creative Commons license.
All scripture quoted is from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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