On many occasions during our twenty-four years together, I have stood by an open grave and quoted these promising words:
“He [God] will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away . . . I [God] am making everything new!” from Revelation 21:4-5.
My sisters and brothers, there is a sense in which we are standing by the grave of a loved one – life as we knew it before the coronavirus pandemic has changed so dramatically that one can almost hear a distant bell tolling to announce “the old order of things has passed away.” While I wish that were not the case, it is . . . some of the traditions we have held dear for so long will not survive this present crisis. That said, some of the methodologies born during this challenging season may well capture our hearts if we are open to embrace “the new order of things” the Lord has prepared for us.
Acknowledging that nothing we can do will turn back the hands of time, we have a choice to make: we can retreat into a tomb of memories or we can go forth in the light of the Resurrection . . . I pray you will join me in choosing the latter.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plants to give you a hope and future.”
Jeremiah 29:11
