Pastor Paul: Each quarantine concludes with a blessing
Continuing with the 40 days theme (“Quarantine”), remember how the biblical 40 day journeys concluded, each with a sense of renewal: Noah and the dry land punctuated by a rainbow; Moses delivering his people an affirmation from God and a guide to community; for the Israelites, the “promised land;” for Elijah, a mission; and with Jesus, his proclamation in the Temple, echoing Isaiah, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he was anointed me to bring good news to the poor, to bind up the brokenhearted, to set the captive free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
Each quarantine concludes with a blessing from God, and in that the realization that God has accompanied us all along. In Lent, we also see the tears of Jesus falling upon us in our suffering, all the way to the cross of Good Friday…but then the Alleluia of Easter!
In our tears of this moment, let us tune our ears to the alleluia.
Pastor Paul