An Exile in Place
Moment for stewardship delivered October 18, 2020 via video at First Presbyterian Church, Urbana, Illinois. Imagine an Israelite exiled in Babylon hearing these words from Psalm 130. I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope; my soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning, more than those who watch for the morning. O Israel, hope in the Lord! They were strangers in a strange land, unable to worship where they used to, maybe separated from friends and family. Everything had changed. But still there was hope! Is our situation really that different? We can’t worship as we used to. We are socially distant from families and friends. Everything has changed. In many ways, my shelter in place feels like an exile in place. But still there is hope. The Israelites knew this and made sure they were not lost as a community. They knew only too well of nations who simply dissolved from existence during exile, n...