A New Thing by Susan Barclay

New life, from the ashes

This is certainly a very different spring than any we have experienced in our lifetimes. Don't you agree? Has there ever been a more apt moment to recall the words of Charles Dickens as he writes the opening to A Tale of Two Cities?:

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.”

Coronavirus, Covid-19, pandemic, plague. Call it what you want, it has certainly brought us to the threshold of a brand new world. I hesitate to call it brave, though there are certainly shining examples of bravery from our front-line workers, those who seek to bring health and wholeness to the sick, weak and vulnerable, those who are doing their part to maintain essential services, and those who are being called upon to lead and govern at such a time. 

There are among us those who declare we are at the beginning of the end, that these are the last days, that it won't be long now before we have a cashless society, a one-world government. While we don't know the day or the hour - and can't - God tells us in His Word to look at what is going on and recognize the seasons (see Luke 21:5-36). Even though we're not to set dates (we only look, and are, foolish when we try), we're not to be ignorant or stick our heads in the sand. We're to be ready when Jesus comes for His bride, at all times watching, waiting, and eager (see Luke 12).

I'll be honest. I don't know if we're on the cusp of the seven-year Tribulation or not. Psalm 90:4 and Peter 3:8 both say that a day is like a thousand years to the Lord. From personal experience and Bible stories we know that our God is patient and long-suffering. We also know that at some point the end of the world will come. God is faithful to His Word and He has said that things will not go on as they have forever. His plans will be accomplished; He will bring His original creation to a conclusion and make a new heaven and a new earth. All will be righteously judged.

Regardless of whether or not this world will continue for a short time or a long time, I believe there is little doubt among believers that God is doing a new thing. Some would say He is shaking the earth, trying to get people's attention. I wouldn't disagree with this assessment though there are people in my own household who still resist the good news and persist in rebellion. Thank God for those  whose eyes and hearts are turning toward Jesus. And may God continue the hidden work He is doing in my children, the evidence of which I cannot yet see... 

It's also possible that God is demonstrating His patience with us, that He is using this crisis not just to get our attention but to bring renewal to our planet. I have read, for example, that pollution and greenhouse gas emissions have decreased as a direct result of efforts to control the spread of the virus, and I imagine that wildlife populations are having a chance to return from the brink of extinction or endangerment, and that habitats are being restored. Perhaps God isn't bringing the world to an end just yet, but revitalizing it so there is more time for prodigals and unbelievers to be saved. After all, He doesn't desire that anyone should perish (2 Peter 3:9). He made us in His image; He loves and cares for us.

Father, thank You for keeping us safe under Your wings. Thank You for Your love for us. You never leave us nor forsake us. Since You are for us, who, or what, can be against us? Thank You for the new thing You are doing in the world even through this pandemic. We all want it to end and many of us are praying for that, but I can't help feeling that if it ends too soon, we may all just go back to our old untenable and unsustainable habits. So Your timing, Lord. Your perfect timing. Help us to change in the ways that we need to. Help us to follow Your ways.

We ask also, God, that You would be with those who are particularly vulnerable, those who have immune deficiencies, diabetes, asthma. Give them special protection. Be with those who are in quarantine or in places like nursing homes where they can't receive precious visits from family. Comfort them with Your presence and reassure them of Your love. Be with those on the front lines, those working to bring health and wholeness to the sick, those racing to find an antidote or a vaccine. Strengthen them, give them wisdom and insight, keep them in health and peace. Be with those who know You and soften the hearts of those who don't.

May Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven, Lord. Thank You that You are doing a new thing, whatever it is. Thank You that You are God and we are not. You are sovereign over all things, and all-wise. Thank You that we can trust You. Amen.
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You can find out more about Susan Barclay's writing at www.susan-barclay.blogspot.com

Epiphany and Aha Moments by Sharon Espeseth

Epiphany on the Liturgical Calendar

Three Magi--2011
at Journey to Bethlehem
in Fort Assiniboine, AB
Photo by
Tracey Pandachuk

The church celebration of Epiphany has come and gone. This past Sunday with the traditional carol, "We Three Kings," we celebrated the arrival of the Magi. These gentlemen were not really kings, but knowledgeable and important astrologers from the East.

They arrived on camels and came bearing gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. Although the Magi's
gifts seemed impractical, they were significant. Gold recognized the arrival of a Baby King. Frankincense honoured the presence of a Deity, or God with us. Myrrh, that "bitter perfume," foretold the death of Jesus, who would one day be "sealed in the stone-cold tomb."

Through Epiphany, a Christian feast day, we are celebrating God's manifestation of the divinity of Jesus as Lord and Saviour to all mankind--not just the Hebrews.








Epiphany in Fiction and Real Life

Grandsons--Caleb and Logan
Photo by Jenny Espeseth Bayes

In a more secular vein, the word "epiphany" is also defined as a literary device. In fiction, it is that moment when the character realizes the truth of a situation. As in literature, so it is in real life. We could call an epiphany "an aha moment." Most of us have experienced one or more of these in our lifetimes.


The New Year is a good time to look for discoveries as we examine the past and look toward the future. On a personal note, 2016 has been an uphill climb, but I'm not going to drown you in details.

Giving Thanks

Instead I am giving thanks for the presence of God in my life. I have sensed the frankincense of God watching over our family, guiding and supporting us, and answering our prayers. Thanks to InScribe friends and our spiritual advisor Connie Inglis for prayers on our behalf. Praise and thanks to God for prayers answered. We have been blessed.

Thanks to my Women Word Weaver friends in Barrhead for caring about me when I missed meetings. This past Monday we celebrated our successes of 2016 and our being together as a group again.

God Loves Us So Much. . .

Sandi Somers, who introduces our blog theme each month, sent me a quote by David Wilkerson that was timely for me. In one of his devotionals, Wilkerson says, "It is absolutely imperative that we believe God delights in us. Then we will be able to accept that every circumstance in our lives will eventually prove to be our Father's loving will for us, and He will bring joy out of our struggles." I can show my love and devotion to God by spending more time with him, reading God's word, and listening to him.

I would love to bring gold to Jesus, our Lord and King. The Magi brought gold "to crown him as "King forever, Ceasing never, Over us all to reign."

Loved so greatly by our Lord and King, What can I bring him? Love. Thanksgiving. Myself. My gifts? What gifts do I have but those given to me by our loving God?

Personal Epiphany

By using my gifts, I am giving back, but I must give my gift without hesitation or excuses. I must use what gifts I have courageously to praise his name.

This week I received a passage of scripture from someone was praying for me--Isaiah 43:16-21, which is too long to quote completely here. If you are curious, read this section on your own.

See I am Doing a New Thing!

Isaiah quotes God as saying,                      

". . . Forget the former things;
do not dwell on the past.
See I am doing a new thing!"

I have been thinking for some time of starting my own blog. I've been afraid of the commitment, because of what the past few years have been like for us, but here in Isaiah I read that I should not dwell on these former things. Although other encouragements and signs have come to me, it was these verses in Isaiah that helped me decide..

My technical skills have improved, but I still have much to learn. You won't see me on my blog for a while, but I will start the process and get some blogs written ahead. I will continue to pray about this.

The above reading continues,

"I am making a way in the wilderness
and streams in the wasteland."

God willing, I will "provide water in the wilderness." Perhaps spring is coming after my winter season in writing. Thanks be to God.

Freelance Writer: Sharon Espeseth

* Mom to three adult children and two sons-in-law
* Nana to six grandchildren
* Freelance writer of creative non-fiction, essays, NF and articles on Christian faith, devotionals, short fiction, memoir
* Workshop presenter
* Active in music at St. Anne's Catholic Church in Barrhead, AB
* Member of InScribe Christian Writer's Fellowship
* Member of Women Word Weavers in Barrhead
* Retired teacher, if teachers do retire, in K-Gr. 6