Valarie Englert, Senior Pastor
My daughter, Eva, reminded me not long ago that before there was Zoom, there was Zoom.
For those of a few certain ages, we remember the theme song of the PBS kids show:
‘Come on and zoom, zoom, zoom-a-zoom …
Come on and zoom-a-zoom-a-zoom-a-zoom … ’
And then the Zoom kids for that season would introduce themselves, dressed in colorful shirts and sneakers.
The show would come on after school, and lots of us liked to watch the group of diverse kids explore all kinds of art and activities, and to see what the kids had planned for that particular show.
The Zoom of our day is quite different, and has become an important tool for work-from-home folks, and for families keeping in touch virtually.
For folks of First United Methodist Garland, Zoom has become the tool of choice for Sunday School meetings, Bible studies, and staff meetings (every Tuesday at 10:00am!).
We get to see each other, catch up, check in, see each other’s pets …
There are expressions of joy and hope, stories of toilet paper or disinfectant wipe procurement.
Folks swap how-to’s on making face masks, or the latest pantry-inspired meal.
I also see some of you with dark circles under your eyes, the fatigue of our shelter-in-place predicament making itself visible.
We sometimes see those dark eye circles on our own faces as we see our image staring back at us over Zoom or FaceTime.
Sometimes there are expressions of loneliness, or tears, or frustration.
What I want you to know is that I am grateful to be going through this with you.
God will pull us through, because God has never failed God’s people.
And when we come out on the other side – a changed people, for certain – I am grateful that we will navigate those waters together.
Hang in. God will see us through.
You are a blessing!
First Reflections 