Social Distance vs. Spiritual Connection

That is what I have been thinking about all day.  How, if we - I - am socially distant from people - can we still be connected?

This is day two for me to be home alone.  And I have been alone all day - but busy with phone calls, a "zoom" meeting and two sessions of spiritual direction with facetime.  So, I have done it today - social distance but very connected spiritually.

My task is to put together 2 teams - one to connect to the elderly in the church and the other to provide resources.  The connectors - like me - may be socially distant and old.  The resource people are young enough to go to the store and get stuff.  I think it will work.  I did not attend church Sunday but we attempted to connect via an online service and Pastor John will be doing daily Bible studies on facebook.  That really is quite a lot of connecting from a physical distance

I'm on day four of Let Nothing Disturb You by Teresa of Avila.  Today the prayer started like this:
Whoever truly loves you, my God
travels by a broad and a royal road,
travcels securely
far away from any precipice.......
May the lord
make us realize how unsafe we are
amid such manifest perils as beset us
when we follow the crowd
and how our true safety lies in striving to press ever forward
on the way of God
our eyes must be fixed on the goal.

The mantra for today:
ANYONE WHO TRULY LOVES GOD
TRAVELS SECURELY

One of the texts today is Psalm 81 and that spoke to me the most.  It starts like this:

Sing aloud to God our strength;
 shout for joy to the God of Jacob.

Raise a song, sound the tambourine,
 the sweet lyre with the harp.
Blow the trumpet at the new moon,
 at the full moon, on our festal day.

It is basically a Psalm of praise remembering what God has done for the children of Israel bringing them out of Egypt.  They spent a lot of time in the wilderness complaining - but now in reflection there is the recognition of God presence and providence. God is faithful to God's people. And so, they praise and worship.

I spent yesterday morning in worship via the internet but I still was able to praise and worship.  There was a spiritual connection.  And now on this day - the first of many, I fear , - of being alone I am grateful.  I know God got his people through the wildnerness 3000 years ago and God has been faithful to me through several times of wilderness so here I am.  Praising God and trusting that I am traveling securely.

Here is a prayer by Walter Brueggemann that speaks to me

When the World Spins Crazy
By Walter Brueggemann

When the world spins crazy,
spins wild and out of control
spins toward rage and hate and violence,
spins beyond our wisdom and nearly beyond our faith,
When the world spins in chaos as it does now among us…

We are glad for sobering roots that provide ballast in the storm.
So we thank you for our rootage in communities of faith,
for our many fathers and mothers who have believed and trusted as firm witnesses to us,
for their many stories of wonder, awe, and healing.

We are glad this night in this company
for the rootage of the text,
for the daring testimony,
for its deep commands,
for its exuberant tales.
Because we know that as we probe deep into this text…
clear to its bottom,
we will find you hiding there,
we will find you showing yourself there,
speaking as you do,
governing,
healing,
judging.

And when we meet you hiddenly,
we find the spin not so unnerving,
because from you the world again has a chance
for life and sense and wholeness.
We pray midst the spinning, not yet unnerved,
but waiting and watching and listening,
for you are the truth that contains all our spin. Amen