“IN THE MEANTIME”
By Rev. Dr. Brian Gigee
“But those who
wait upon God get fresh strength.
They spread their wings
and soar like eagles!
They run and don’t get tired; they
walk and don’t lag behind.” – Isaiah 40:31 (The Message)
The Bible can be a confusing book to read at times. When a person tries to read the Bible like a novel, there is only trouble ahead… Even though some say the Bible is the infallible and inherent Word of God, to the life-long reader it’s clear to note there are discrepancies… especially as one reads the texts in their original language of Hebrew and Koine’ Greek. Besides, why would God take over 1500 years to write a book with such an urgent message?
My Lutheran Christian eyes (I’m from the tribe of Lutherans) view the scriptures like this … accepting the Old and New Testaments as the inspired Word of God and the authoritative source and norm for the church’s proclamation, faith, and daily life. I like to think that the Bible is the BIGGEST book on the bottom of the stack of all the other books we read helping us in our faith and growth as human beings.
That doesn’t mean people cannot get confused. Here are a few examples…
In one part of the Bible we read to ‘wait upon the Lord’ and in another we find words to urge us to ‘do something’ so something else doesn’t.
Or women are to wear hats to worship and if they don’t the leaders of the church are to take them outside and stone them to death. This no longer happens. Thanks be to God.
And there is that line where Jesus commanded his followers to “do this for the remembrance of me” and how the disciples celebrated their Lord’s Supper weekly. Many churches ignore that command. So, you see… it is just not the easiest book to read. Yet, for Christians, we live ‘in the meantime.’ The ancient prayer goes like this… “Christ has come. Christ has died. Christ will come again.” … a prayer that provides some structure about our daily tasks and the attitudes we align them with. Faith matters.
But then there is this thing called “COVID-19.” That thing we are all tired of and want to see go away. And we trust God’s timing that this too shall pass. So, I’ve been wondering lately how we will celebrate VCV Day (Victory over Coronavirus) like our nation celebrated VE Day and VJ Day back in the 1940’s. Afterall, we are missing out on all kinds of traditions and events as our lives have literally been put on hold.
So, here’s my idea. Let’s make VCV Day October 1, 2021 and the day goes like this…
Early in the morning everyone gets up and gathers around the empty Christmas tree in the corner of the living room. The great Christmas gift hunt commences. We all hang out telling stories of all the things we are thankful for as we smell the turkey in the oven for a large family gathering for lunch. The afternoon leads us to games in the yard, kite flying, bike riding and all are re-convened to celebrate our birthdays with cake and candles with a meal of hamburgers, hotdogs and brats. Sparklers and firecrackers are set off in the neighborhood as the sun goes down. And just for the record… everyone is all masked up in their favorite Halloween outfit. A new holiday? Just an idea.
There is living to do. We wait upon the Lord, tackling the necessary things which lead us from one day into the next. Wear a mask. Wash your hands. Pray often! In the meantime…
Rev. Dr. Brian K. Gigee is a long-time resident of Pearland, having pastored four churches in Texas and Louisiana over the last four decades. Follow his blog ‘murmurings’ at https://briangigee.wordpress.com/. Your comments and/or questions are always welcomed to godworks247365@gmail.com.
