On June 6th many will honor the memory of those who landed on the beaches in Normandy to begin the final purge of Nazism from Europe. Sacrifices were made by thousands.

On June 9th one of the greatest English writers, Charles Dickens, will be remembered in ceremonies and tributes on the anniversary of his death in 1870. He had just returned from an exhausting tour of America. He famously said in the opening line of a Tale of Two Cities, “It was the worst of times, it was the best of times.”

Just as D-Day June 6, 1944 was “the worst of times and the best of times” our scriptures reflect that very feeling. Here Elijah the prophet goes hungry, is fed by Ravens provided by God, then later fed by a poor widow. The widow’s son dies and cries out to Elijah who raises the son from death.

In Luke, Jesus acts with compassion upon a widow whose son has just died. And in Galatians, Paul tells of his highly unexpected conversion and radical transformation over a period of 3-14 years (depending on how you count!).

In these Biblical accounts we hear the echo of Dickens….”the worst of times, the best of times.” Faith is the path we take to go from Promise through Pain until we arrive at Fulfillment. Let us encourage one another this week in the Faith! The path is terribly hard at times but God will provide!

Pastor Barry