Dale Edwards Reflection -- Locked in a Room 04.09.2020

Since moving my office into an upstairs bedroom, the same room I brood chicks in, I have felt a bit isolated. I’m not fearful or even anxious, but I am experiencing the miniscule losses of not driving (or should I say being driven) to the office, getting coffee along the way, and greeting people. Somehow the world physically revolves around going from the downstairs to the upstairs and back again!

As I read and prayed in my upper room this morning, I transitioned from the Minor Prophets to the concluding chapters of John's Gospel. John 20 has always been my favorite Easter passage to preach from. Today I was impressed that on two occasions, after Jesus rose from the dead, His disciples are described as being in a locked room, because of fear. Both times, a week apart, the risen Christ joins the disciples and grants His peace and further dispels their doubts.

This morning I prayed for our pastors and churches as Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday will be celebrated. We will be together, yet from separate rooms, possibly behind anxious closed doors. No doubt Jesus Christ can appear in every room and the Holy Spirit can transform the virtual into total reality.

For Pastors I pray the Holy Spirit will fill and empower all your endeavors and words, uniting the distributed local churches and the universal Body of Christ.

In Jesus name,
Dale