Restless Turtle

Snappy Johnson is our pet aquatic turtle, and she’s been especially restless in recent days. She’s usually a content creature, satisfied to make her home in an enclosure tucked into a little alcove just off the kitchen. Made from a modified plastic pond insert, her deluxe environment is a two-story setup featuring a swimming hole below and a patio above where she basks in the glow of a full-spectrum UV lamp. She sleeps, she swims, she eats—shrimp on a good day.

Once in a while, though, she has a bout of agitation that can’t be easily quelled. It seems to overcome her when there’s a shift in her environment—a seasonal change or a weather disturbance. A blue moon. In place of her typically calm demeanor, she’ll start a pattern of plunging madly off her dock and scrambling immediately back out of the water again. She’ll climb up on her back legs and try to toss herself over the side of the enclosure. If allowed outdoors, she’ll make a break for a flower bed and plow into the mulch, seemingly trying to nest comfortably–the reptile version of tossing and turning in bed, flipping the pillow over and pounding it into a shape that doesn’t quite relieve the sleeplessness. When she gets this way, I always feel that, if she had vocal cords, she’d let out a primal scream.

Lately, I’ve been feeling like a restless turtle. How about you?

The Pestilence is on the rise again, and not only in far off places. As I’m writing this, the city of Bethlehem lists 112 cases of Covid-19 within its boundaries. Looking at the interactive map on the website of Bethlehem’s health bureau, I see that every single neighborhood in this community has at least a few residents who currently have the virus and who are known to be capable of spreading it. Of course, we have no idea who is spreading virus asymptomatically. This makes me restless.

The tone of the presidential election is ugly, and questions about what will happen in the aftermath are unnerving. Will the process resolve the discord? Will we, as a nation, rediscover what we hold in common and rely upon our better impulses, or will we remain vehemently divided? This makes me restless.

Violence begetting violence in streets not far from here. A hurricane. An earthquake. A shaky stock market. These things make me restless, too.

And yet, like with Snappy Johnson who will soon settle down for a long winter’s brumation (the reptile version of mammal hibernation) because that is her nature, so too will human restlessness dissipate when we remember that the powers and principalities of this world do not hold final sway over God’s people. We put in the effort to shape this world in ways that are in keeping with God’s vision for humanity—a vision that reminds us to love God and love neighbor. But then there’s also this:

This world is not our permanent home; we are looking forward to a home yet to come. Hebrews 13:14 (NLT)

When I put it in perspective, when I remember that God is bigger than a virus, an election, a natural disaster, or anything else this life can throw at me, it soothes my restlessness. It doesn’t absolve me from the responsibilities of discipleship, the work that goes along with trusting God’s goodness and following Jesus’ example. But it does pacify the turbulence.

In Pursuit of Tranquility,

Pastor Chris

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Join us in the parking lot of College Hill Moravian Church every Sunday morning where you may praise God from the safe bubble of your own vehicle. The service, broadcast from the church sanctuary and transmitted through your car’s radio, begins at 10:00 a.m. and lasts approximately 40 minutes. Attendants are on hand to make sure you have worship materials, receive your offerings, and help you find the best place to park. Smile and wave and worship!

Virtual Fellowship Time on Zoom – Sundays at 11:30 a.m.

This casual online gathering has taken root over the last few months and become a wonderful way to keep connected. Whether you’ve become a “regular” at these gatherings, or you’re thinking about dropping by for the very first time, please use the Zoom link and password provided below, or join by phone if you do not use a device with a screen.

And if Zoom is new to you and you’d like to be coached on how to get started, please email me at  moravianpastorchris@gmail.com  or call me at 484-894-9077.

To join by computer, tablet or smart phone, please go to:https://zoom.us/j/99831347702?pwd=Vk1VWDk0RkdlUXJacWtCRGEvNFpnZz09

Passcode: 789162

To join by phone (no video), dial:

+1 301 715 8592 US (Germantown)

Meeting ID: 998 3134 7702  

Zoom Prayers–Sundays at 6:30 p.m.

We are also continuing to offer Zoom Prayers on Sunday evenings at 6:30. We come together to share simply in intercessory prayer on behalf of our congregation, community, and world. We usually conclude by 7:00 p.m. All are welcome! 

To join by computer, tablet, or smart phone, please go to: https://zoom.us/j/91961743369?pwd=S3FYVG1NSFBrb1BoaTl0dnV5ZmNFUT09

Passcode: 073131

To join by phone (no video), dial:

+1 301 715 8592 US (Germantown)

  Meeting ID: 919 6174 3369