I haven't posted on this website for a while, but now seems like a good time to do so. First, I want to let you know that we WILL be having church tomorrow, March 15, 2020.
Our congregation is small, so we can all be together with a bit of breathing room
if necessary! If you are worried about your health, however, we completely understand if you would be more comfortable at home. I will post the sermon notes on this blog tomorrow after church.
The second thing is that our church has started a youth group! The group meets at the church on Wednesdays at 6:30 P.M. and is for 6th grade and up. They had their first meeting last week, which consisted of pizza and a game. The program will build as it goes on, and this week will offer fun as well as a short Bible study. Please pray for this endeavor, and come support us if you are nearby! If you have any questions, feel free to contact us. We hope that this will be a blessing to our community. Youth from all area churches are invited, as well as those who have no church home. Please consult the announcements on this site. We will let you know if this is cancelled for any reason.
Third, I encourage you to get used to using this website. If you are a church member or attendee, you are welcome to join the site by clicking the little "log in" icon in the upper right side of the website. At this time, we are only accepting people who are actually connected with the church. After you are accepted, you can log back on and set up a profile. There is a forum on the site where you can leave messages for the rest of the church, and also a chat function where you can contact other members directly from the website. As we go through this time of physical apartness, we can still be together virtually!
Lastly, I wanted to give some of my thoughts about this virus. It is interesting to me that this is happening during the church season of Lent. Traditionally, Lent is a season in which we turn inward a bit. We spend time meditating on the sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross to save us from our sins, and that flows into examining our lives to see where we may be inadvertently sinning. Many people give something up during this time, which causes us to understand the things that may be controlling us outside of God.
In our normal, daily lives, we don't necessarily have time to think about these things too hard. We function on autopilot, running from one event or commitment to another. When these things are taken away from us, it can feel empty and scary. We are suddenly left with only ourselves.
We have a choice now. We can be upset and scared, or we can take this as a sort of gift. Now, I understand that the possibility of sickness and the worries that come from not being able to do the things you need to do are not pleasant. This is a major disruption in our country, and in the world. However, this is also a time for all of us to re-prioritize our lives. Instead of checking things off our lists, or going from one activity to another, we can take some time to embody the tenets of Lent:
Remember the sacrifice of Jesus Christ as he hung on that cross and died for all of our sins.
Look into our own lives to find the ways that we are sinning, or missing the mark that God has set for each of us. Think about our prejudices, and how they lead us to treat others.
Spend time in prayer and scripture reading, getting back to a closer relationship with God.
Keep in contact with friends, loved ones, family, and neighbors. This contact may look more like a phone call these days than a hug, but those of us who are okay need to keep up with those who are suffering, either from sickness, or lack, or just from loneliness or fear.
Consider our words and attitudes, and think about what we say and share, whether in person or in print. People are vulnerable right now. Speak love.
Maybe you can think of some other ways we can use this difficult time to shine the light of Jesus in our world. I encourage you to share in the comments for this post. Please keep it positive and unpolitical. I don't generally add a comment section, and I'm hoping that this will be a life-giving endeavor!
Stay well, stay safe, and stay in the love of the Lord. - Robin