“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” John 14:27

Dear Members and Friends,
I greet you in the precious name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Because of the pandemic, we were not able to physically get together to worship God last Sunday.  Regrettably, our Bishop Bickerton is now requiring that all churches in NYAC not conduct public services of worship until April 5, 2020.  But, I am glad that we found ways to get together for worship using technology.  Indeed, I recorded a brief video and we will upload it onto YouTube on Saturday so that we can get together (using our devices) for worship on Sunday at 10:00 AM.  Many thanks to Ben and Tania Secor, because without their help and technical support, we cannot do this ministry.  I do hope and pray though that we will not have to depend on technology on Easter Sunday, April 12^th.  (Can we have outdoor service, if indoor service will not be allowed?)

It is very intriguing the way the lectionary texts often lend themselves to current events even though they were selected many years in advance.  Once again, I was amazed to find out that one of the lectionary texts for this coming Sunday is the 23^rd Psalm:  “The Lord is my shepherd…”   Although it expressed the feelings of Judeans during the Babylonian exile, it still can express our feelings and our faith in God during such a time as this.  Verse 4 reads: “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil; for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me…”  It reads… not IF I walk, but WHEN I walk through the valley of the shadow of death.  And we are all walking through the valley of the shadow of death right now.  But, we know God is with us.  

This Psalm helps us understand that our God is not only the Almighty who created whole universe, but our God is also our companion on our journey, guiding us, helping us, intervening us, and loving us.  Yes, the Lord is my shepherd.  I know many of you have memorized this Psalm.  If you haven’t, I encourage you to memorize it and recite it every time you feel you are overwhelmed by the concerns of novel coronavirus and/or the turmoil of stock markets.  I memorized it in Korean many years ago.  And I can tell you that this Psalm itself has become a wonderful companion on my faith journey.  By memorizing and reciting it, I pray it be your companion as well.  
I have one more Bible verses for you to memorize.  Romans 8:37-39.  Every Confirmand over the years has had to memorize this text to be confirmed, because it is one of the requirements to be confirmed.  Now I encourage all of you to memorize this: “In all these things we are more than conquerors through the One who loved us.  We are sure that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our LORD.”  Amen!

Lastly, a couple of members are calling us to send comforting Bible verses to the congregation and there are others who are calling us to send notes to one another, especially to seniors in our community.  When you send your notes, I encourage you to quote these texts and/or your favorite Bible verses.  Further, I encourage you to share how you were moved or touched by the text.  I believe this is a great way for us to share our faith in God and the love among us during such a time as this.

Grace and Peace,
Pastor Tom

P.S.  I asked Anna Marie D’Ambrosio to share her musical talent with us.  I enjoyed her calming voice this morning and am very grateful for her openness.  Click the link below and enjoy! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMxmpyAJRBU&feature=youtu.be