I can honestly say that I was taking our ability to meet together for granted. It's not that I didn't love to be here with the people or to be able to worship corporately. It's more that I just assumed I would always have the freedom to do so. Although I know that the persecuted church exists all around the world and there are people who risk their lives every week to worship together, I never imagined that what I considered a basic human freedom and right would ever be taken from me. We are approaching a time where we will be back together finally but in the beginning it's going to be tough. It just won't be the same. We will be socially distancing. We will wear masks. We will not be able to extend the right hand of Christian fellowship or enjoy a warm embrace from our brothers and sisters. I am tired...exhausted even. I have actually stopped watching so much news but I did watch yesterday and saw the horrific pictures of Brazilians digging mass graves as their death toll continues to rise dramatically. My heart breaks for those who have lost loved ones. My heart breaks for those who have lost their livelihoods. The effects of this pandemic are far-reaching and may be felt for a number of years. I have such a sense of loss that words actually fail me to say or to write in an appropriate manner how this hurts.
But, nevertheless, here we are. One thing is for certain, and that is we can rest in the loving arms of Yahweh. In his embrace, we have nothing to fear. We can trust that, even through such tragedy, we are still loved and cared for in a radical way. This is the same God who rescued Israel from slavery and torment. He is the same God who rescued Daniel from the ravenous mouths of lions. The same God who rescued Noah, Jonah, David, Peter, James, John, and Paul. He is the same God who has rescued me over and over and over again. My God will never fail. Whether He rescues me on Earth or He chooses to rescue us who believe in the name of Jesus through our deaths or His second coming, I can know that my God is in complete sovereign control...and I can rest.
As I said earlier, the one thing that I miss the most is the fellowship and corporate worship with the saints. I sincerely believe that one of the greatest blessings, one of the finer things in life, is the ability to gather together with the body of Christ. It has done my heart such good to have been able to speak with and even sometimes see some of the members of my church. We've shared laughs, tears, happiness, heartache, excitement, and frustration over the last couple of months. I do not know what I would have done without the people of God. We were never meant to do this life alone. We were always meant to be together...to have each other. God has always intended us to have meaningful relationships with each other. We build each other up. At the end of the day, it is we who have the responsibility to love each other. I first want to say thank you to everyone who has demonstrated love and care for me and my family. But I also want to exhort you to reach out to someone and let them know just how much you care. You may never know the impact that a phone call or a note might have. In a time when people are feeling isolated, lonely, and depressed, it means more now than ever.
I also want to thank everyone who has been so faithful in continuing to give generously and sacrificially to the church. That also means more now than perhaps ever before. We have been given the awesome privilege and responsibility to be the church here in our local area. We are an outpost of heaven...a lighthouse of grace here on Earth. We must continue our work here. The Gospel has always needed to be shared but I believe we are living in an unprecedented time when people may be more open to have Gospel conversations than they ever have been in our lifetime. That happens through the ministries of the local church. I understand that it is the responsibility of every believer to share the Gospel but the discipleship is caught at church. The training happens at church. The teaching and modeling happens at church. To think of thousands dying as a result of a pandemic is horrific enough...but to know that many of those who die are doing so without the hope of Jesus is too much. This sobering thought should give us all pause. I ask you...no I plead with you to give generously and sacrificially so that we are able to remain viable in these precarious times. Until the Lord of the harvest comes again, we have work to do in His vineyard. God orchestrated all of this before the foundation of the world. He is, was, and ever will be faithful...but He has always used people to accomplish His purposes. He made you and me for such a time as this. Let us leverage our time, money, and resources...yes even our own lives to be the hands and feet of Jesus when the world needs us most.
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