By Beth Ferguson, Lay Leader and Member to the Annual Conference.
Shout triumphantly to the Lord, all the earth!
2 Serve the Lord with celebration!
Come before him with shouts of joy!
3 Know that the Lord is God—
he made us; we belong to him.[a]
We are his people,
the sheep of his own pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanks;
enter his courtyards with praise!
Thank him! Bless his name!
5 Because the Lord is good,
his loyal love lasts forever;
his faithfulness lasts generation after generation.
Psalm 100, Common English Bible
Shout with joy to the Lord, or Make a joyful noise in some versions. Celebrate God’s goodness. If you play an instrument, even if it’s collecting dust in a closet, pull it out and play joyfully. If you sing, sing joyfully. If you can’t sing, listen to joyful music. Music calms the restless soul. Music brings back memories of times when you heard a particular song before.
God is good, all the time. All the time, God is good. God cares for us. God claims us and loves us and wants what is best for us. So, celebrate God. Celebrate the beautiful flowers and the budded trees. Celebrate the longer days and the stronger sun. Celebrate what you can do, even in isolation, rather than worrying about what you can’t do.
God’s home is not in the sanctuary, we can still find God when we can’t enter into the church building. God is everywhere around us. We can see God’s creation and call it good, just as God called it good on each day of the creation story in Genesis. We have so much- food and clean water and shelter which meet our basic needs. We also have so much more than we need. Thank God and bless God’s name.
Even on those days when we are frustrated and irritable, God still loves us. God’s loyal love lasts forever. No matter what we do, God forgives us and loves us. And that is an incredible promise which we can celebrate joyfully.
A Prayer from the Extended Cabinet
By Rev. We Hyun Chang, Metro-Boston Hope District Superintendent
Good morning, God,
Thank you for such a wonderful and warm day yesterday.
Looks like today will also be nice. Thank you for making the beautiful sky, the shining sun, green grass, budding flowers, birds in the air, dogs and cats in our houses, and all toys we can play with and books we can read.
We have been home with our parents and family for so-o-o long. It is not easy and sometime very boring. But we know that there are people who are very sick and that we need to stay home and stay away from people to help one another. Help us remember that you are our best friend. We believe that we can tell you anything in prayer and you will do your best to answer our prayers.
Our parents are doing their best. Help us remember their love for us even when we get little antsy and bored. Be with our teachers also. They are trying their best too! We pray for all who are helping people to stay safe and get better. Cheer them up every time they may feel tired.
We miss our family and friends at the school and the church. Until we can see and play with one another, please keep them safe. We pray for many people who are hurting and sad all over the world, especially children who do not have homes or are very afraid. Please be their best friend too.
Dear God, you’ve got the whole world in your hand. Please keep all the people in the world safe and healthy in your hand. We will make sure to wash our hands, wear our masks, and remember to pray to you always. Amen.