Exodus 16:12b – At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall have your fill of bread; then you shall know that I am the Lord your God. (NRSV)

At the start of the pandemic, much caught us by surprise. The stores ran out of any and every kind of sanitizer; there was no PPE to be found. Did we even know what PPE was? We were told not to "speak moistly", to wear a mask, and to "stay the blazes home". Then, there was the run on the grocery stores. What disappeared first? Flour. In one of the world's largest producers of flour, it became impossible to buy. And then? Yeast! How could yeast be on the endangered list? But no cloud is so dark that there is not a silver lining, so guess what we realized? Yeast is all around us. It is in the air and in the flour, and yeast can grow if given time and the right conditions. Sour dough became the commodity of choice, and I learned to make everything from bread to biscuits to cinnamon buns!

Folks, it is often in our desperation that we learn amazing lessons. The lesson from the yeast and flour is that God's love is all around us — in every breath we take, in every space we inhabit — it simply is. The catechism asks, "Where is God?" and answers, "God is everywhere." The psalmist reminds us that there is no place where God is not.

Psalm 139:7-8 – Where can I go from your spirit? Or where can I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there. (NRSV)

It may take a crisis, or a trauma, or heaven knows what, to get us to realize this truth. The love and grace of God abounds here, there, and everywhere — yes, in the midst of panic and pandemic, in spite of chaos and COVID. You can chew on this truth as you begin your day!

Prayer: Jesus, You seek for us to be like the yeast that surrounds us — a leaven to help all rise into Your presence. Wherever the journey takes us today, encourage us to make a difference in the lives of others. Amen.

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About the author:

Kenn Stright <kennethstright@yahoo.ca>
West Petpeswick, Nova Scotia, Canada
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