Last Sunday was the first worship service that we prerecorded on Friday. The previous two Sundays our Livestream failed us, so in order to avoid that disappointment again, we held our service at 4:00pm on Friday. Do you remember what happened around 4:00 on Friday?
A severe thunderstorm came through, and our power went out during the service! Unbelievable! All our recording equipment had to be rebooted when the power came back on. Mike set up a battery backup in case it happened again. It confirmed the wisdom of prerecording for the sake of the congregation, but it was certainly an odd experience take the precaution and still have it falter – for the third Sunday in a row. Mike and his technical crew worked it all out so the service could be presented on Sunday morning.
Then on Sunday morning I had my first experience of staying at home for church, and I learned first-hand what it has been like for you who have been doing this for some time now. It felt like I was skipping church, yet I knew you were worshipping at the same time, so it felt different than watching a recording of an earlier service. I put on a coat and tie for Glenn’s Sunday School class – thank you, Glenn! When we turned to the service, Mary and I sang with the hymns and responded with the responsive reading. Now that was different – responding to myself in the responsive reading! I listened to the sermon with an ear open to the Word of God, and I also noticed my little mistakes, like saying we started our hike up the 14,000 foot peak at 8000 square feet. Square feet? Where did that come from? I hoped my congregation would overlook my foibles. And then at the end of the service, I received the benediction from myself. Bless me! J
All in all, it was good for me to join with you in sharing the shelter at home worship experience. I realize more fully the strangeness of the experience, but I am so thankful that we have the ability to be together through virtual means instead of just not having the opportunity to worship at all. And I am thankful for all the crew that helps put it all together to make it possible. You do not know the half of the glitches and scrambling that our guys go through to pull this off. I pray that God is using this to help feed and sustain you spiritually.
We need the eyes of faith to be able to see that which is unseen. Christ is with us through the Holy Spirit every step of the way in every circumstance. Loneliness is a powerful force. Isolation breeds it. Cabin fever can wreak havoc on emotions. Relationships within families can either bless or become strained – or sometimes be both strained and a blessing.
We do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. (2 Corinthian 4:5-10)
And remember: BUDDY CHECK! Call one another. Let us know if you discover someone in trouble. If you find yourself sinking, reach out. And remember, God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. (Psalm 46:1)