Update, April 13, 2021

Family,

I stopped by the cafe where Dorothy Paul works yesterday morning for a breakfast panini. (It was excellent!) After taking my order she said “Pastor Jim. Please pray for Bangladesh. The COVID-19 virus is out of control. All flights in and out of the country have been stopped and the Prime Minister of India is coming for a visit making people very upset. My sister says that thing are terrible right now.”

I said a prayer and thought of the international nature of our congregation. Lola regularly urges us to pray for Nigeria. Alodia does the same for the Phillippines. Garth often attends Zoom Church from Mexico. Rick joins from Canada. This past Sunday Brian joined us from Kenya. Ally keeps the plight of the Palestinian people before us. I am sure am a missing someone.

One of the great hymns of our tradition is “In Christ There is No East or West.” It is one thing to affirm the hymn and sing it and another to live it out. May we commit to the latter. In so doing we will both be a blessing to many and be greatly blessed.

Prayers for all the countries of the world, particularly those the people of our congregation call home. May there be justice, healing and hope.

“In Christ there is no East or West” by Harry T. Burleigh – YouTube

Pastor Jim

P. S. Thinking of things international this post is from long time American Baptist leader, The Reverend Dr. Larry Greenfield, retired Executive Minister of the Chicago Baptist Association.

Given the history of racism at the Augusta National Golf Club and the current anti-Asian hostility in the US, I delight in the victory of Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) at the Masters. But given the history of misogyny there my delight will be incomplete until women are allowed to play in that tournament and wear the Green Jacket.

No Soup, But Study meets tonight at 6:00, Wednesday Prayer and Bible Study, tomorrow morning at 10:30 to read from the Song of Songs, a book that causes some to wonder if it belongs in the Bible!