St. Paul declares, “I press on…” referring to knowing the power of the resurrection and the chance to share in his sufferings. He perseveres…
Jesus tells the story of the persistent neighbor waking up his friend to provide for his guest and instructs us in the explanation of the story to “keep asking, keep seeking, keep knocking” and the search will be rewarded… (Luke 11.5f)
Jesus tells another story of a lowly persistent widow getting her way with a big shot judge – by persevering for the justice she seeks… (Luke 18.1f)
The message is clear! The encouragement is repeated. The invitation is persuasive! Keep your attention focused on your Lord! Keep tugging on his pant-leg (so to speak). Keep building your trust in His response! Keep prioritizing your life according to His priorities and anticipate great reward, great blessings and the desires of your heart! (Psalm 37/4)
It’s a message that couldn’t come at a better time. A declared global pandemic screams for our attention. Fears rise from the concern of catching the virus and 24 hour news cycles add the oxygen of angst to the flames.
Do we need to be careful? Of course. Should we be concerned? Yes. Should we give into the fear? No way!
God calls on us to “press on” toward the power of the resurrection; keep seeking and asking for God’s direction and intervention. Let’s be regular, diligent in casting our cares on Him, for He cares for us (1 Peter 5 .7) Let us persist is trusting the Lord of life who has loved us from eternity.
And, in such perseverance we will prevail as God’s own dearly beloved!
Out Of An Abundance of Caution
We will be gathering for worship utilizing large gathering precautions designed to minimize the potential for the spread of any virus. These include:
- The recommendation/request to avoid shaking hands or embracing as a form of greeting. Instead, consider a smile, eye contact and a respectful nod/bow
- The “Greeting” portion of worship will be suspended
- I will not shake hands after worship (or any part of the morning)
- And, as common sense would dictate, please stay home if you are not well
- We have tuned up our technology for live/video feeds and double checked that our online giving platform is both secure and operational (this in case significant numbers stay away from worship over time)
We, at Peace, will take all the necessary steps to protect against virus contagions, while always drawing attention to the One who saved us from the origin of all contagions – sin!
I look forward to seeing you at worship,
Karl