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Psalm 127:2
August 17, 2023 by Rebecca Littlejohn
DEVOTIONAL MESSAGE
Psalm 127:2– It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives sleep to his beloved. (NRSV)
I don’t know if you’re planning on taking some vacation time soon to go visit your mother, but if you are, I highly recommend NOT getting covid the day you arrive. It is not a good vacation, nor is it a good way to visit with your mother! After two years of a pandemic and another year of wishing covid were really gone, we finally held a General Assembly, and we weren’t nearly as cautious as we should have been. I am one of numerous Disciples who were afflicted, and as usual, we were all affected with varying symptoms and levels of severity. I haven’t been this sick in a long time.
This little reflection is mostly a chance to say Thank You to the people who are helping make my re-entry as easy as possible. I am experiencing the blessing of God’s rest through the power of a congregation that truly knows how to care for its pastor. As I write, Pastor Tesa and Deborah are out in Bailey Hall, working with our student volunteers to set up for Welcome Saturday, which Pastor Tesa will ably lead tomorrow. Our secretary Krista held things together while I was gone and then continued to do so after I got home but still wasn’t very functional.
I really wanted to be in worship on Sunday, so I thought about how to make that easier than usual. I’ve often heard of colleagues who are dealing with various emergencies pulling out an old sermon to preach again. I have always avoided using sermons over, because they feel stale and unoriginal to me. But I decided if I was ever going to do it, this should be the time. What nobody ever told me about was how hard it would be to pick one! Eventually, I settled on one of the short ones, in hopes my voice will hold out long enough to deliver the whole thing! So my appreciation to all of you who will join me in an experiment on Sunday, as I re-hash the “old, old story” in hopes it will become the “new, new song!”