Here is Pastor Barbara’s Devotion for October 13, 2020:
6On this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wines, of rich food filled with marrow, of well-aged wines strained clear. 7And he will destroy on this mountain the shroud that is cast over all peoples, the sheet that is spread over all nations; 8he will swallow up death forever. ISAIAH 25:6-7
I made pineapple burgers the other night. Made ‘em with our George Foreman grill. They’re easy and delicious, just a ring of pineapple tucked into a burger made of a mixture of ground turkey and olive oil. The special sauce contains ketchup, brown sugar and mustard. Yum! This meal* is what I thought of when I read the first lesson on Sunday, “a feast of rich food….”
I long for the day when we can all get together for a feast, a wonderful feast like so many we used to have! There might be a Tongan roasted pig, or an amazing potato salad, or deviled eggs, or barbecue, or rice, or fresh fruit, or sushi, or cake, or roti, or mangoes, or plantains or….. You know what your church or your family puts together for a feast. Don’t we miss those times together in this time of Covid-19?
But I thought of this not only because of the feast it describes but also because of the rest of the reading, the part about a shroud that God will destroy when God swallows up death forever. It seems that life is covered in the shroud of shelter in place, yet we know it will not be forever, nothing on earth is. We trust that we will see each other again, just not right now. That holds true during Covid-19 and it holds true on down the road when we leave this earth.
In Isaiah’s time and in every time, we remember that life is precious, that God is with us still, and that it’s important to enjoy our lives – as they are – to the best of our ability. In this time when we cannot physically get together, we can do our best to come together in other ways. Zoom worship, shared devotions, a phone call, a card, bible studies, justice circles, prayer, and other ways that used to happen in person, are all means that God provides to help to lift the shroud that is cast over us in this weird time.
In the meantime, I look forward to getting together with you, for a four church feast next year, and in the future, at that feast in heaven. In the meantime, take good care!
In Christ, Pastor Barbara
*Those of you who knew and loved Sanndy Charette will recognize these burgers as her recipe. We miss her so….