Dear Friends,
As I was praying this morning with my husband, I remembered once again a portion of my book from the second chapter. Each chapter ends with Pain’s Hidden Pearl and what resilient response, what gem, we can unearth in our hardships. Though this quarantine has been a challenge, we still have our homes, food on our tables, heating and electricity generally, internet, T.V., books, music and for many, our loved ones near by.
This knowledge alone is enough for us to embrace Resilient Response #6 Let Hope Arise!
Let us not forget that we are only a generation removed from a time where millions were forced into extermination camps under horrific conditions for over a decade. Dr. Viktor Frankl, an Auschwitz survivor, wrote about it in his classic book, Man’s Search for Meaning. A psychiatrist prior to entering the camps, he wondered why some of his fellow survivors were not only able to survive the horrific conditions, but even to grow in the process. Surely, we can do the same!
He surmised that the most basic motivation in life is the will to meaning. According to Frankl, the search for meaning in one’s life is discovered in three different ways. 1. By creating a work or doing a deed; 2. By experiencing something or encountering someone; and 3. Our attitude towards unavoidable suffering.
As our world collectively weeps for the death of thousands, tomorrow we mourn the death of One.
As our world waits for resurrection, to emerge from our quarantined tombs and for LIFE to begin again, we are just days from Easter.
Christians worldwide will celebrate the God-man, Jesus, who rose from another tomb where physical death was conquered and LIFE ETERNAL promised.
LET HOPE ARISE. SELAH.
If you are looking for an Online Service, our local Vineyard Church, Starting Point, is hosting a Good Friday service at 3:00 p.m. on Facebook. There will be a communion celebration so, before the service on Friday, make sure you have the elements ready that you’d like to use. FINALLY, at home with real wine!
If you are looking for an Easter Extravaganza, Andrea Bocelli will perform a Music for Hope concert in Milan’s empty Duomo Cathedral that will be live-streamed on YouTube!
“I believe in the strength of praying together,” Bocelli said in a statement, according to Variety. “I believe in the Christian Easter, a universal symbol of rebirth that everyone – whether they are believers or not – truly needs right now.”
The opera legend will be accompanied by organist Emanuele Vianelli during his solo Music for Hope concert, which will include traditional pieces such as “Ave Maria,” Mascagni’s “Sancta Maria” and “Amazing Grace.”
Milan’s mayor, Giuseppe Sala, said he was happy Bocelli had accepted the city’s invitation to perform.
“This year, Easter will be very different for all of us,” Sala said, according to Classic FM. “The joyous serenity that usually comes with this day has been greatly troubled by the pandemic we are experiencing. I am sure that the extraordinary voice of Bocelli will be the embrace we are missing these days, a strong, special hug, capable of warming the heart of Milan, Italy and the world.”
The concert will be exclusively available on Bocelli’s YouTube page at 7 p.m. Sunday in Milan (1 p.m. ET).
“Yet there is one ray of hope: his compassion never ends. It is only the Lord’s mercies that have kept us from complete destruction.Great is his faithfulness; his loving-kindness begins afresh each day.” Lam. 3:22-23
As always, praying you find a new mercy today and everyday, Let Hope Arise!
Nannette
