“A Unique Opportunity”

The other night I began reading the last of the books I received for Christmas, Let Us Dream, by Pope Francis.  I was excited when I put this on my book list prior to Christmas, but for some reason I put off reading it.  I don’t know a ton about Pope Francis. I’ve read some articles about him but, as a non-Catholic, I can’t say I give him too much thought in my daily life.  Maybe that’s part of why I delayed reading this text.  But I’ve got to tell you, from the opening lines of the introduction of this book, I regretted putting off this inspired text. 

I’m not very far along in the book yet, most likely because I stop after nearly every paragraph to digest the thought-provoking words.  Last night, I was stopped cold in the middle of Chapter 1. I immediately got up and went to where Sara was reading and shared with her the following passage:

We have neglected and mistreated our ties with our Creator, with creation, and with our fellow creatures.  But the good news is that an Ark awaits to carry us to a new tomorrow.  Covid-19 is our Noah moment, as long as we can find our way to the Ark of the ties that unite us: of love, and of a common belonging.“

The Noah story in Genesis is not just about how God offered a path out of destruction, but about all that followed.  The regeneration of human society meant a return to respecting limits, curbing the reckless pursuit of wealth and power, looking out for the poor and those living on the edges.  The introduction of the Sabbath and the Jubilee – moments of recovery and reparation, forgiving debts and restoring relationships – were key to that regeneration, giving time for earth to bounce back, for the poor to find fresh hope, for people to find their souls again.“

That is the grace available to us now, the light in the midst of our tribulation.  Let us not throw it away.“

While I worry about some readers seeing the comparison of COVID-19 and the great flood being a condemnation of those who have suffered and perished, I am very intrigued by this idea of us having a post-ark, post-flood opportunity.  Noah and his family had an opportunity to create an improved world following destruction.  They had the opportunity to change their priorities to better reflect their faith and values. They had the opportunity to create new patterns of behavior, new traditions, new habits. They had the opportunity to no longer be locked into doing things the way they had always been done.  (Do you think while on the Ark they thought about returning to life as it had been?)

Perhaps the breaks we have all been forced to experience over the past nearly 12 months – the changes in our lives, behaviors, priorities – while unexpected and not of our own choosing, have provided us an opportunity to move into the future in new and healthier, more God-honoring ways. 

I’m not declaring that everything is over and it is time to get back to our previous way of life, but when that time comes, what old practices will you let remain gone?  We’ve had a lot more time together as a family, not rushing off to events at near the pace we used to.  We’ve cut some of the spending we didn’t realize we were doing.  We’ve learned some new cooking tricks and skills.  I’ve saved countless hours driving to meetings because of things like Zoom and Facetime.  I saw a thought the other day along the lines of: “As we start to get back to how things used to be, consider what we shouldn’t go back to?”  (Remember, some of the Israelites even wanted to go back to Egypt.)

It is a blessing to be your pastor and be in ministry with you as we continue to follow God wherever He might lead us.

Blessings, Chris

Worship This Sunday

This Sunday, we will continue our Lenten message series “Entering the Passion of Jesus.”    This week we will look at entering the Temple.  Our scripture reading will be from the Gospel of Mark, chapter 11, verses 15-19:

On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple courts and began driving out those who were buying and selling there.  He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts.  And as he taught them, he said, “Is it not written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’”

The chief priests and the teachers of the law heard this and began looking for a way to kill him, for they feared him, because the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching. 

When evening came, Jesus and his disciples went out of the city.

We will begin our service with a video of the song Church (Take Me Back) by Cochren & Co.  Our hymns for Sunday include: We Gather Together, and Lord, I Want to Be a Christian.  Additionally, our video hymn this week is The Heart of Worship, by Matt Redman.

COVID Precautions

The Church Administrative Board is continuing to monitor the COVID infection rates, hospitalization rates, and vaccination numbers for our area.  We are cautiously optimistic about the progress being made in all three of these areas.  We will continue to monitor these numbers, follow the direction of state and local leaders, and get opinions from medical authorities about when and how to resume our previous Sunday morning schedule. 

Until that time, please remember the COVID precautions in place at the church: masks are required for everyone over the age of 2, social distancing is expected, we will be disinfecting pews between services and we have modified our worship schedule to accommodate for having no more than 25% capacity (approximately 50 people) in our Sanctuary.  Our services are now at 8:00, 9:15 & 10:30.  We also request you not hang around too long after the service is over so we can have enough time to wipe down the pews and prepare for the next service.

We know there are many who do not feel comfortable attending worship at this time. Please know that even though we don’t get to see you weekly, we still want to minister to you.  Every Sunday afternoon we will post a recording of our 10:30 worship service on our Facebook page and the message on our website.  We hope this helps you feel connected until we are able to gather again without concern. 

Announcements

Lenten Focus – Pastor Chris has invited us to focus on intentional relationships this Lenten Season.  How have you reached out to someone this week?  Take time now to reach out to that person you’ve been thinking about and let them know they are on your mind. 

Thank You! – On behalf of the Education Committee and the Nelson Kids, we want to thank you for the love and support that was shown at the Valentine’s Day luncheon.  The kids absolutely loved serving and hosting a lunch to show God’s love.  Even with new practices, the turnout was fantastic!  Also a big thank you to all those who worked so hard, donated items, and prepared and served food.  You made this possible.  We are so blessed to have a wonderful and supportive church family!

Happy Birthday Baby Grace – Our Baby Grace ministry is turning ten years old!  My how our baby has grown fast!  The congregation is invited to consider giving a birthday gift to Baby Grace in recognition of this momentous occasion.  Your donations of diapers, baby wipes, lotion, and baby wash will not just help a young mother or provide for a small child.  It will be a visible sign of God’s love.  Look for the crib that is set up in the main entrance vestibule, because this will be the starting point for making something holy happen! 

Upper Rooms & Daily Bread Available – The March & April edition of the Upper Room and March, April, & May edition of the Daily Bread devotional guides are available now!  These daily devotional guides are provided by our United Methodist Men and are available to anyone who would like to develop this daily discipline.  They offer a scripture reading, a reflection, a prayer and a prayer focus for the day.  Pick up your copy now as the new month is about to begin.

Inclement Weather Policy – As recent weather events have shown, our winter weather in Missouri can be challenging!  And while we encourage our members to attend worship as frequently as they are able, we also know that when it is treacherous to travel, the wiser long-term answer is to stay safely at home.  The Trustees do have a contract with a service to clear our sidewalks and steps when it snows, so if the city has cleared the roads, we will have worship services. 

If a decision is made to not hold Sunday services because of inclement weather, an email will be sent out to notify the congregation of a cancellation, we will notify the local television stations KMIZ and KMOU and have them add it to their reports.   Additionally, we will post the closing on our Facebook page and church website.  If you do not have access to email, or if you do not have access to the media (because of power outages), call a church friend before heading out. 

Events this week:

Sunday, February 28: Youth Group, 5:30 pm, Fellowship Hall

Monday, March 1: TOPS, 9:30 am, Foundations Classroom

Education Committee, 5:30 pm, Church Lounge

Al- Anon, 8:00 pm, Church Lounge

Tuesday, March 2: Congregation Care Team, 7:00 pm, Church Lounge

Wednesday, March 3: Al Anon, Noon, Church Lounge

Closing Words of Wisdom:

The basic rule of a crisis is that you don’t come out of it the same.  If you get through it, you come out better or worse, but never the same.” – Pope Francis