Daily Lesson for July 21, 2017

Today's Daily Lesson comes from Psalm 31 verse 21:

Blessed be the Lord!
for he has shown me the wonders of his love in a
besieged city.

Yesterday I went to see an old and dear friend from church. In the bright afternoon of her life she was strong of nature and spirit -- quiet and unassuming, yet solid in self firm in conviction. She was a pioneer, on of our first female deacons, a minister unto generations, and a role model to generations.

Yet now the shadows have grown long and a dimness has set in. When I came in, she no longer recognized me; though she did smile when I told her I was from Second B. Then after the smile, she said plainly. "My mind is gone. You have to tell me what to do."

I sat down next to her and she looked at me directly. "Now, what do I do?" she asked.

"Nothing. Nothing at all. Just sit."

"Just sit?"

"Just sit."

We sat there a few moments and she asked again what she should do. "My mind is gone," she said.

I looked at her and I thanked her for all that she has been for so many. "You have meant so much to us," I said.

"That's nice. I wish I could do more," she said. And then once more. "You'll have to tell me what to do."

"Just sit," I said."

"Okay," she nodded.

I looked around the room. There was a plaque given to her after decades of teaching Sunday School for women at an assisted living residence. There was a tell-tale iron cross on the wall, no doubt handmade by another one of our parishioners at church. There was an unopened envelope of prayer cards from the church.

"Can I read these to you?" I asked and she nodded.

There was a card from the Tuesday morning men's prayer breakfast -- a little grease stained with fingerprints after the men passed it hand to hand after eggs over easy and toast with jam. There was a card from an old friend, hoping to pay a visit. And there was a card from one of our newer members, saying thanks for the welcome into our church when she first joined.

"This is the church," I thought. "This is church."

"Now what do I do? You'll have to tell me."

"How about pray," I said. "How about the LORD's prayer."

"That would be nice. You'll have to tell me."

I kneeled before her little rocker and looked at her. "Just follow along. Our Father who art in heaven . . ."

She followed me phrase by phrase until I came to the doxology where she caught up with me. "For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever . . . Amen."

"Now what do I do?"

"Just sit there. Just rest."

"Just rest?"

"Just rest. Just rest a little longer, my dear friend."

And then the Lesson:

Blessed be the Lord!
for he has shown me the wonders of his love in a
besieged city.