Grace and Peace Episode 14

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard
Grace and Peace Episode 14
Presbyterian Church of Easton
December 1, 2020

View Grace and Peace Episode 14

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Philippians 1:2

Heidelberg Catechism

27Q.  What do you understand by the providence of God

A. The almighty and ever-present power of God by which God upholds, as with his hand, heaven and earth and all creatures, and so rules them that leaf and blade, rain and drought, fruitful and lean years, food and drink, health and sickness, prosperity and poverty— all things, in fact, come to us not by chance but by his fatherly hand.

28Q.  How does the knowledge of God’s creation and providence help us? 

A.  We can be patient when things go against us, thankful when things go well, and for the future, we can have good confidence in our faithful God and Father that nothing in creation will separate us from his love. For all creatures are so completely in God’s hand that without his will they can neither move nor be moved.

“All things, in fact, come to us not by chance but by his fatherly hand.”  All things?  The virus that is currently plaguing us?  Yes.  The coronavirus that has forced us into a lockdown came to us not by chance, but by God’s fatherly hand.

The reason for this is that our creator God is so powerful that God has absolute power over all things including those things that are harmful.   And our God is so loving that God uses harmful things to benefit us.

One day Jesus met a man who was blind.   Jesus’ disciples thought that this man’s blindness was a result of his own sin.   But Jesus said, “ “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, … but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.” (John 9:3).  God used this man’s blindness to demonstrate God’s own good work. 

Will God use the virus to demonstrate his goodness?  Yes!   God is already demonstrating his love through the work of his church.   The church is streaming worship services, emailing Tidbits and Kirk News, and hand-delivering printed sermons to people without internet.  God has used the virus to expand the ministry of the church.  And God is using the virus to show his love for the world, by providing us with the materials and the wisdom to make a vaccine to protect us. Thanks be to God!

God, through God’s divine providence, is in control of all things.   For this, we can be truly thankful. Happy Thanksgiving.

Let’s pray.  Heavenly Father, protect us from this virus.   Give us vaccines and treatments so that we can live normally again.   We thank you and praise you for being our sovereign God.  Amen.