My Virtual Background

Commentary

DREAMS OF ANOTHER LAND

That life should get progressively better, and satisfactory here and now is illusory. We are exiles, who learn our condition slowly, if at all.

This week, I got to do the scripture reading for our church’s virtual worship service. The passage was 1 Peter 1:1-2. That’s a short passage, easy to read. But when my pastor indicated that he liked the idea of a personal introduction, I had an extremely hard time recording it. Thinking about what it means to be an exile, and the hope we have — given God’s kind plans for us — I was overwhelmed with a mixture of sadness, hope, and thankfulness. I’d get to “according to the foreknowledge of God the Father” and stop the recording, because I just couldn’t go on. By the way, the background image above is a frame from the reading when I finally got hold of my emotions.

Thinking of my birth city in another land brought back memories last night, and I had to work them out in a poem this morning.