Remember last week when I mentioned I have a love/hate relationship with technology? The saga continues…
Yesterday I spent more than five hours – FIVE HOURS – trying to upload a video onto our church website. Sharing worship with you in that way won’t be happening. Too bad. It was a decent sermon and a right good quality video. I just can’t get the thing to load. Maybe when the boy returns home today, he can try for me… after he washes his hands.
My frustration does not stem from being unable to share my sermon. My frustration is having limited access to you in so many ways. Coronavirus has become a household word is a very short time. Medical reports are offering staggering numbers. You are hearing the same news I am hearing, and I’m afraid we are in this for the long haul. Rather than large groups of people refraining from meeting (which is now a misdemeanor offense in NC), the CDC says small groups of people need to cease gathering. Rather than a two-week period, we are now looking at an eight-week period or longer. Yikes. This is way more significant than a sermon on a video, and I’m afraid the restrictions will only get tighter.
If you know me, you know that I love people. Hugging is a way of life for us in the church; handshaking is done without a thought. Working in a virtual office is a foreign concept to me. Having no contact with people outside my home is a distressing idea. Staying away from church? Ridiculous. No worship on Easter? Unthinkable. Yet, here we are, facing the ridiculous and unthinkable.
In the Gospel of John, we have the account of Jesus preparing his disciples for his coming death. “The hour is coming,” he says “indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each one to his home, and you will leave me alone.” Wait… does our current condition resemble this scenario at all? Jesus was surely only talking to those guys, not us today. Scattered? To our homes? Maybe. But leave Jesus alone? Never. That’s ridiculous and unthinkable… or is it?
Did I worship yesterday? Or did I just spend countless hours trying to post something for other people to worship? Have I opened my devotional book today? Or have I just responded to the way my phone has been blowing up since 7:30 this morning? Oh dear. Maybe I have left Jesus alone. This worldwide virus is certainly persecuting us in numerous ways. Much more than the illness itself, we are facing the potential to fall away from Jesus.
Jesus explained that in this world we face suffering, but his following declaration was straightforward: “Take courage; I have conquered the world!” (John 16:33)
I cannot predict our future, but there are some things I can do.
Go make it a good day, find a way to worship, and for heaven’s sake… wash your hands.
Grace and peace,
Pastor Beth
Yesterday I spent more than five hours – FIVE HOURS – trying to upload a video onto our church website. Sharing worship with you in that way won’t be happening. Too bad. It was a decent sermon and a right good quality video. I just can’t get the thing to load. Maybe when the boy returns home today, he can try for me… after he washes his hands.
My frustration does not stem from being unable to share my sermon. My frustration is having limited access to you in so many ways. Coronavirus has become a household word is a very short time. Medical reports are offering staggering numbers. You are hearing the same news I am hearing, and I’m afraid we are in this for the long haul. Rather than large groups of people refraining from meeting (which is now a misdemeanor offense in NC), the CDC says small groups of people need to cease gathering. Rather than a two-week period, we are now looking at an eight-week period or longer. Yikes. This is way more significant than a sermon on a video, and I’m afraid the restrictions will only get tighter.
If you know me, you know that I love people. Hugging is a way of life for us in the church; handshaking is done without a thought. Working in a virtual office is a foreign concept to me. Having no contact with people outside my home is a distressing idea. Staying away from church? Ridiculous. No worship on Easter? Unthinkable. Yet, here we are, facing the ridiculous and unthinkable.
In the Gospel of John, we have the account of Jesus preparing his disciples for his coming death. “The hour is coming,” he says “indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each one to his home, and you will leave me alone.” Wait… does our current condition resemble this scenario at all? Jesus was surely only talking to those guys, not us today. Scattered? To our homes? Maybe. But leave Jesus alone? Never. That’s ridiculous and unthinkable… or is it?
Did I worship yesterday? Or did I just spend countless hours trying to post something for other people to worship? Have I opened my devotional book today? Or have I just responded to the way my phone has been blowing up since 7:30 this morning? Oh dear. Maybe I have left Jesus alone. This worldwide virus is certainly persecuting us in numerous ways. Much more than the illness itself, we are facing the potential to fall away from Jesus.
Jesus explained that in this world we face suffering, but his following declaration was straightforward: “Take courage; I have conquered the world!” (John 16:33)
I cannot predict our future, but there are some things I can do.
- I can tell you that we will be staying home for the next while.
- I can encourage you to go out in public only for necessities like food and supplies.
- I can insist you wash your hands – a lot – and if you don’t feel well, stay home.
- I can promise your church leadership is staying informed and making decisions that are meant to be best practices for us all.
- I can assure you that I will worship and study and learn… and never fall away from Jesus.
Go make it a good day, find a way to worship, and for heaven’s sake… wash your hands.
Grace and peace,
Pastor Beth