Today is Palm Sunday.  The first Palm Sunday in my life that I am not in a worship service of some kind.  And it isn’t because I am working at the park or too far from a worship service to attend.  It is because church is closed due to coronavirus.

There are a lot of things that have changed because of coronavirus, but churches closing is the hardest for me – at least at this point.  Worshiping is something I do collectively.  I know I can do it on my own, and I am fine with that most of the time.  I put on some praise songs, read a passage in the Bible, and think about what God is saying to me.  But, especially on Palm Sunday and Easter, I am supposed to be in the midst of a joyful celebration of worship.  Easter is the highlight of the Christian year!  Not celebrating it in church is depressing.

So many things are different now.  I can’t go out to eat although I can get carryout.  I’m still working but not interacting with many people except the other volunteers.  The scariest part of my week is going to the grocery store with its hoards of people and uncertainty about finding what I need.  The beaches are closed, just at the time of year when I really want to spend time on the beach.

But in the midst of all this change and in these scary times, it is important to remember that Jesus Christ is the same.  He never changes.  Hebrews 13:8 says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.”  He is the center to a world that is spinning out of control.  The center of a world that has narrowed to just my family and my home.  The certainty that I find in Easter, a resurrected Christ, is the only reliable thing right now.

A song from 1980, sung by Evie Tornquist, resonates and reassures me.  The title expresses the idea:  “Praise the Lord, He Never Changes.”

How are you worshiping today?  Are you keeping Jesus Christ at the center of your life even in this time of uncertainty?  Take time to praise Jesus Christ who is always the same.