LXI.
THE STARS THAT DON’T MOVE
(5/16)
Great is God’s faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:23)
The story is told of the night of the falling stars. Unfamiliar with today’s science, the villagers thought the sky was falling. They ran to and fro in panic, calling out alarm, until they came to the home of the village’s wise woman and man. In frenzy, they shouted, “We are doomed, the sky is falling.” The wise couple pauses, gazed thoughtfully at the heavens, and then responded, “Yes, the stars are falling, but look the ones that remain in place.”
We can easily succumb to the belief that the sky is falling, and to some extent it has – our lives have been turned upside down, the unfamiliar is normal, our sense of security in our nation, economic and health care system, and our country’s leadership has been shaken. Many of our habitual anchors are at risk or have been found inadequate.
And yet, the stars remain in place. Spring is in the air. The cosmos continues, and God is faithful.
The wise woman and man did not deny the upheaval, but they looked for a sense of hope, a sense of stability within the crisis. Their calm reminds us that “God is faithful.” Their larger vision reminds us that there still is goodness in the world, that neighbors reach out and sacrifice, and that we can find calm when we turn to the deeper realities of life.
The pandemic challenges us to look for the unchanging amid the faltering. For me, the unchanging is the reality that love never ends, that we are part of a grand cosmic journey, and that God is moving in my life, helping me be my highest and best self.
Look for the stars that don’t change. Pause and breathe deeply. Ask for God’s guidance. Trust the deeper realities of life, and reach out in love.
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Holy One, help us to trust you in this time of pandemic. Help us to look for the stars above and let their light guide our path. Give us a big vision, stretching beyond pandemic. Amen.
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Bruce Epperly is a Cape Cod pastor, professor, and author of over 50 books including FAITH IN A TIME OF PANDEMIC and GOD ONLINE: A MYSTIC’S GUIDE TO THE INTERNET
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