Praise God from whom all blessings flow! To all my Sisters and Brothers in Christ, grace and peace to you.

This again is a day that the Lord has made! Let us rejoice and be glad in it! In all that occupies our minds in this time of viral pandemic, may we turn to God for our hope and direction. The words from Psalm 86 resonate mightily as our lives and our future are in God's hands: "Incline your ear, O Lord, and answer me, for I am poor and needy. Preserve my life, for I am devoted to you; save your servant who trusts in you. You are my God; be gracious to me, O Lord, for to you I cry all day long" (PS 86:1-3).

Our God of grace and mercy comes to us, listens to our cries, responding with "steadfast love." With certainty, we may call upon God as the Psalmist declares, "In the day of trouble I call on you, for you will answer me" (PS 86:7).

In times such as we are experiencing in the present and throughout the world, it is important for us to really direct our attention and concerns to the God of all nations and peoples as the Psalmist asserts in faith and hope; :There is none like you among the gods, O Lord, nor are there any works like yours. All the nations you have made shall come and bow down before you, O Lord, and shall glorify your name. For you are great and do wondrous things; YOU ALONE ARE GOD" (PS 86:8-10).

May God continue to teach us and all God's servants that we may walk in the path of His righteousness and truth as the Psalmist declares: Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart to revere your name" (PS 86:11). Now more than ever, before God and one another, we must come together with an undivided heart, to express a unity of purpose and resolve. We may have opinions that differ, but we all stand under the one Lordship of God in Christ Jesus!

God bless, and stay safe, and seek the safety of others as well. Pastor John