Ministry Updates for Wednesday, May 6th, 2020
Scripture for Reflection – Ecclesiastes 2:24 (NRSV)
There is nothing better for mortals than to eat and drink, and find enjoyment in their toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God.
Reflection – Breaking Bread and Work
The writer of Ecclesiastes is thought by some to be King Solomon because he was, like the writer claims to be, King over Israel and wise. Regardless of who the writer is, he is on a search for meaning in life. It is a rare person who would have so many resources at his disposal, freeing his time and mind to focus on this important search.
This also, is a favorite passage of mine. It deeply resonates with me. Having people to break bread with is a great blessing. Enjoying our work is also a great blessing. Because these acts are often repeated and take much of our time, they add a tremendous amount to the value of our life when they are positive experiences.
I know that in this time, the number of people we ‘break bread with’ is greatly reduced. I also know that some are out of work. They are either taking time to rest and recharge or they are engaged in work around the home, or some combination of the two.
I still have plenty of work, but all the same this passage reminds me of what a blessing it is to have work which I enjoy and suits me. On the other hand, the number of people I break bread with has been pared down to one over the last month and a half, with two exceptions of socially distanced events with my adult children. Greatly blessed I still am, but certainly it feels less so when there are less in person gatherings and celebrations.
We may not know we are taking something for granted until it is taken from us. In ‘Big Yellow Taxi’, Joni Mitchell sings,
‘Don’t it always seem to go, that you don’t know what you got ‘til it’s gone’.
I try hard to be grateful for work, for food and for people to share it with, but honestly, I am prone to forget. In this season of pandemic and quarantine I am reminded just how valuable those connections are. So we will end where we began:
There is nothing better for mortals than to eat and drink, and find enjoyment in their toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God.
Prayer (From a Church Wall in Mexico – Happy belated Cinco de Mayo)
Give us, Lord, a little sun, a little happiness, and some work. Give us a heart to comfort those in pain. Give us the ability to be good, strong, wise, and free, so that we may be as generous with others as we are with ourselves. Finally, Lord, let us all live as your own united family. Amen.