FF_032620

14 | March 26, 2020 | the frankfort station faith
frankfortstationdaily.com
Editor’s Note
All events listed here were set to occur Monday,
March 23. As cancellations may occur, please
check directly with the organization hosting the
event for the most up-to-date information.
Pastor column
Peace through the pandemic
Faith Briefs
St. Anthony Catholic Church (7659 Sauk
Trail, Frankfort)
Good Friday Cross Walk
Cancellation
For obvious reasons, the
Annual Frankfort Good
Friday Cross Walk has
been canceled. Please pray
for all affected by this virus.
Mass Service
4 p.m. Saturdays; 7:30
a.m., 9 a.m., 10:30 a.m.
and noon Sundays.
Reconciliation
3-3:50 p.m. Saturdays.
Knights of Columbus
Meetings
7:30 p.m. every second
and fourth Tuesday of the
month in St. Anthony Hall.
The Knights help at parish
functions such as the
church picnic and their annual
pancake breakfast.
Bereavement Support
7 p.m. once a month
at the Padua Center. For
more information, call
(815) 469-3750.
Tuesday Morning Rosary
and Scripture Group
9:30 a.m. Tuesdays at
the Padua Center. To join,
call the Parish Office at
(815) 469-3750.
St. Anthony Seniors
Wednesday afternoons
monthly. Seniors gather
for meetings, bingo and
more. For more information,
contact Pat Backus at
(708) 720-9321.
Sew ‘n’ Sews
10 a.m. Tuesdays in
Memenas Hall. Attendees
make handmade crafts for
the church. For more information,
call (815) 469-
3750.
Holy Spirit Prayer Group
7 p.m. Tuesdays at the
Padua Center. Meetings
are open to anyone who
would like to join to grow
spiritually through praise,
prayer, scripture and music.
For more information,
call (815) 469-3750.
St. Anthony Religious
Education
Faith formation Classes
are Wednesdays or Sundays
weekly beginning
first through eighth grade.
Please call (815) 469-3750
for more information.
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church (177
Luther Lane, Frankfort)
Service Cancellation
All church services and
activities have been cancelled
until further notice.
People are encouraged to
check the website for the
most up to date information.
Frankfort United Methodist Church (215
Linden Drive, Frankfort)
Worship Service
9-10 a.m. Sundays.
Nursery available. For
more information, call
(815) 469-5249.
To have your church’s events
included in Faith Briefs,
email them to Editor Nuria
Mathog at nuria@frankfort
station.com or call (708)
326-9170 ext. 14. Deadline
is noon Thursdays one week
prior to publication.
The Rev
Dustin Blumer
Amazing Love Lutheran Church
It is interesting how
quickly the world
changes. We have
constant updates on how
COVID-19 is changing
our lives. There are
school cancellations,
business closings and
the sheltering of communities.
There will be
no more NBA season
or March Madness, and
opening day for the Sox
and Cubs is indefinite.
And because of this
there is fear. Is there
anything you’re afraid of
during this time? Perhaps
if you are unable to
work, or are watching the
stock market your fear is
the financial future. Will
you have enough, and
what will these changes
mean? Perhaps it is the
fear of the future and
the unknown. How long
will this last, and when
will normalcy resume?
Or perhaps it is the fear
of getting sick. Perhaps
you have an elderly
relative or a loved one
with a weakened immune
system and you fear they
contract the virus.
What is clear is that our
world needs peace. And I
wanted to share with you
some incredible words
of peace from Psalm 46.
Consider these, “God is
our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in
trouble. Therefore we
will not fear, though the
earth give way and the
mountains fall into the
heart of the sea.”
This psalm sets up a
reason to be afraid but
not because of CO-
VID-19 - he references
mountains falling into
seas. If you’ve ever been
by mountains in Denver
or Utah, can you imagine
watching a great mountain
falling into a lake?
Imagine what it would
be like feeling the earth
tremble and shake. Imagine
how small you would
feel compared to the immensity
of that occasion.
Yet the Psalmist says in
that situation or ours - we
don’t need to be afraid.
We don’t need to be
afraid because God is an
ever-present help.
Now some people are
present but not helpful.
If you have toddlers or
young kids at home they
are very present, but not
always helpful. Have you
ever tried to get a 3-year
old to clean up their toys?
Ever teach a 5-year old to
do the dishes? Good luck.
They are present to listen,
but not able to help very
much.
There are others who
are helpful but not present.
I think of the medical
community right now and
the need for doctors. You
might want the ability to
talk to a doctor immediately,
but you may not be
able to. You might want
to have a conversation
with Dr. Fauci, but I’m
not sure you’ll have access
to him.
God right now is
present. I loved learning
of his omnipresence in
school. His omnipresence
means he is everywhere
all the time. He
is in China, Italy, the
United States and here
in Frankfort. He doesn’t
miss a thing! And he has
promised that for however
long this remains, “I
will never leave you and
I will never forsake you.”
(Hebrews 13:5)
God is supremely helpful.
I consider the way of
Jesus while on earth. He
opened the eyes of the
blind, he made the lame
walk again, he healed diseases
and even raised the
dead! COVID-19 is not
bigger, not stronger than
the Almighty God. With
a word he can cause it to
cease, and he can bring
us through this.
So why doesn’t he stop
it? I don’t know your
theological framework,
but mine is to understand
this world is broken.
And this brokeness has
nothing to do with God’s
goodness or his power. It
has everything to do with
us and our sin. Sin is any
loveless act, thought or
word. And to be loveless
is to rebel against the
God of love. Adam and
Eve first showed their
rebellion in the Garden of
Eden, and it released disease,
death and heartache
that we are still dealing
with. We have unfortunately
continued with
our own lovelessness to
the degree that no one
can claim perfection, and
everyone has to deal with
the consequences.
But what has God
done in spite of all this?
He has shown his power
time and time again. The
power that can take the
bad and the evil circumstances
of life and work
them for a good cause
for those who believe.
He has shown his goodness
and love to send
Jesus. Jesus would pay
the ultimate price for our
sin - not by contracting
COVID-19, but by bearing
the cross. He did this
so we could be released
from guilt, from shame,
and yes, from fear. And
now we don’t fear even
death. Because as Jesus
rose from death as celebrated
on Easter, we too
will rise from death. And
if we don’t fear death,
what is there to be afraid
of?
God is with you. He is
both powerful and good.
He is bigger than CO-
VID-19. Bigger than sin
and death. Peace be with
you!
I invite you to use this
prayer for peace, “Father,
you still are in control,
reigning above all things.
I ask according to your
will to bring a quick end
to COVID-19 and protect
those who may be in
danger. I thank you that
you have promised to be
with me, and to help me
with all that I need. I give
all my fears and doubts to
you and ask you to carry
them. I thank you that
you sent Jesus to reverse
the curse of sin, and grant
new life. Thank you for
your forgiveness and
your love. In Jesus’ name.
Amen.”
The opinions expressed
in this column are those
of the author. They do not
necessarily represent those
of 22nd Century Media and
its staff.