Written by Terhea Furr, Lauren Thomas, Bryan Copperthite & Sylvia Lee
To those who are scattered…
Exiles in familiar land but in an eerie uncertain season –
what is there to understand, when there seems to be no rhyme nor reason
only beings grieving, crying out for connection,
Separate and isolated, scattered to avoid infection.
To those who are scattered…
Your status, exile, brings new meaning
The norm: e-learning, the church: live-streaming
Errands to run: a risky task
Anxiety hidden behind your mask
Caught in the tension of 6 feet
Your year’s plans: obsolete
All that’s left, a Zoom meeting to attend
Is this the new normal? God, when will this end?
To those who are scattered…
What can you do when every time you blink
You see another headline, more decline, more divide, our world on the brink?
Another tragedy strikes as we’re just trying to recover
From fires on one coast and hurricanes on the other
Broken systems, shattered dreams, fractured race relations
Covid plagues the world as hate plagues the nation
It’s all too much and then some – what can be done? What has become of God’s creation?
To those who are scattered…
Don’t be surprised of the trials that have come to you,
For the Son of God suffered too
When He left his throne to live a sinless life
And die a sinner’s death, our perfect sacrifice.
That ultimate trial He overcame –
In three days, He rose from the grave,
Overcoming the world and all its brokenness,
Though there are trials, there is hope in the hopelessness.
Church, you may be scattered, but
In Christ’s mercy you too were born again
to a living hope through His resurrection from the dead.
Yes, you may be scattered, but
There’s an inheritance waiting –
Imperishable, undefiled, unfading.
The cares of today will wither and fade,
But God’s Word remains – steady, unchanged.
So, exiles, remember and know
These afflictions are momentary, and Heaven is your home.
This is your everlasting hope:
That though you are scattered,
you are gathered just the same.
Though many and distant, you are children with a new name.
Though roaming, you’re a chosen race,
Set apart by God’s redeeming grace.
You are a royal priesthood, a holy nation –
These aren’t just titles, they’re an ordination.
You are a people for His own possession
Charged to give your faith profession,
To declare the praises of Jesus Christ,
who called you out from darkness into His marvelous light.
Church, you may be scattered, but
You are gathered and known –
Not a physical building, but living stones
Being built together as a spiritual home
With Jesus Christ, the cornerstone.
So, church, you may be scattered, but
You’re not left to fend for yourself;
In you lives the Holy Spirit – your guide and help.
So even in your exiled position,
Don’t forsake the call He’s given:
Set your hope on the coming grace,
Be empowered by the Spirit’s strength;
Live a life of honor and faith,
Point to Christ’s eternal reign.
Though you are scattered…
Be encouraged, rejoice you exiles, for earth is not even half the story;
our imperishable inheritance is reserved for us in glory.
One day we will be scattered no more,
we will gather from every distant shore,
restored, firm, strong, steadfast,
just as the Word of God has forecast.
But until that day, your scattered status remains
You’re longing, waiting, enduring the pain.
Looking toward Jesus, the perfecter of our faith,
You’re pressing on, you’re running the race.
Stuck in the tension of the “in-between”
Resolved to cling to hope unseen.