It is hard to know in every circumstance today what the "safer" thing to do is. We are given guidelines and recommendations that may help us or others be safer from Covid-19. However, those same guidelines and recommendations may also cause our livelihoods to be less safe. Our nation, our state, and our communities are all wrestling with how to answer the question, "what is the safer thing to do for our heath, for our livelihoods, for our mental health right now and in the months to come?" That is a tough question without a clear or clean answer. On top of that question, we as Christians and Christian churches have one more question to answer: "What is the safest thing to do for my soul and the souls of my brothers and sisters right now and in the months to come?"
Exactly what your answer is to that question may differ from what I or another Christian beside you may answer. That is because it is a tricky situation. We are dealing with multiple commands from God at the same time! God calls us to not despise preaching and the Word. We are not to give up meeting together especially as we see the Day approaching so that we can encourage one another. But we are also told to obey those in authority even if we don't like what they are saying. There are many examples of bad rulers in the Bible and even then believers were called to obey those God had established. However, God also says that we must obey God rather than men. The apostles were faced with situations where their rulers told them to stop preaching and teaching in the temple, but they responded, "We must obey God rather than men." When the two were pitted against each other, they had to stand with God's command over the command of men. On top of those commands, God also calls us to love our neighbor, to protect him and keep him from harm. That would seem to suggest we should do all we can to keep our neighbors healthy by staying home. But do we love our neighbor more by doing what we think will help his physical body but at the same time we take away an opportunity for him to see us or join us to hear the Word of the Lord, that spiritual food we need for the health of our soul?
These are tough questions that expose intersecting teachings at our present time because we live in a broken and dying world. I like to picture it like this: God's principles are like iron rods that are sticking straight up out of a flat field. However, when sin entered our world it was like the ground got bumpy and warped. What happened to those principles? They got turned sideways and some of them now clash against one another at certain points. It is those clashes in our broken world where we have to wrestle with God's perfect commands intersecting in an imperfect world.
I believe this is where we are today. Christians may differ on what they believe is the right thing to do right now to take care of their physical and spiritual health right now in the best possible way. May we be careful not to judge the hearts of others or their decisions made in faith and clear conscience with God. It is all too easy in times of uncertainty and disagreement to assign guilt to those who feel differently than us. That doesn't mean we can't discuss or wrestle together. We should! But let us respect those who in faith have come to different conclusions at this time.
If we stay at home because that is what our governor has asked us to do, and we feel we can spiritually stay fed and nourished through our own study of the Word and through online worship, God be praised and God bless us! If we decide to return to our building at 31 N. Park this Sunday to worship with our church family, to hear our Pastor preach and to celebrate the Lord's Supper with the body of believers, and to encourage one another in-person, God be praised and God bless us! I believe both of these and other decisions are wonderful and God-pleasing decisions when made in prayer, fervent study of the Scriptures, trust in the Lord, and with the reason and wisdom that God has given us!
It is so that this choice can be made by every person and family in our congregation that our leaders have decided that we will again resume in-person worship services starting this coming Sunday, May 17th. Without our in-person services, there was no choice. You had to remain home and it was as if we were saying, "This is the right thing to be safe." We are resuming in-person worship services so that we are instead saying, "It may be right for you in your situation to stay home for now and worship the Lord from there, but it may be right for you to return to the house of the Lord at this time." I pray the Lord leads you in your wrestling with what is right for you and your family to stay healthy both physically and spiritually.
Ultimately though, remember this: What is the right answer to what makes us safer both physically and spiritually today and forever? Our resurrection hope. It is our hope in Jesus Christ, the one who has overcome the world and with it, every physical disease or disaster, including death, that gives us real eternal health. Our bodies will be raised imperishable like his! That is healthcare! It is also our hope in Jesus Christ that raises our dead soul from despair, damnation and fear to optimism, salvation and fearlessness! With resurrection hope, we know that however long this virus keeps us from "normal life" it does not keep us from real life in Christ.
May we all wrestle with the difficult situation we find ourselves in but ultimately rest secure in our risen Lord. If we put our hope in him, our decisions will be the right decision. With resurrection hope, we are safe already.
Announcements:
Wednesday office hours will continue for personal communion, spiritual counsel, offering drop-off, however this Wednesday (5/13) Pastor will only be available in the evening from 5-7pm.
Wednesday Live Devotion at 7pm on Facebook and YouTube.
We will have an In-Person Sunday Service at 9am THIS SUNDAY at 31 N. Park St.
Our Sunday Service will be live at 9am on Facebook and YouTube
Our Sunday Service will be broadcast on FM 89.1 within 2 miles of church.
We will have Bible Study at church after the service
Online Giving is now available! If you would prefer to give online vs. bringing in your offering or writing out a check, you can now go to our website and click on the tab on the top of the page that says, "GIVE." It will take you to a secure giving site where you can give an offering by acccount or card.
Thank you Sunday School teachers! This Sunday we would have had our end of the year picnic for our Sunday School program and as a thank you to our Sunday School teachers. Please make sure to thank Wendy Spatz, Brooke Spatz, Austin Retzlaff and Stephanie Buelow for all their work this year!
Catechism draws to a close. Our year of catechism instruction will also be coming to a close this week. All four of our students are in their first year of instruction so we will not be missing their confirmations as they won't finish until next year. Please encourage and congratulate our four catechism students when you do get a chance to see them or talk to them for their outstanding work this year and their growing faith and trust in their Savior! Teagan Laack, Lily Russow, Susannah McGlone, & Evan Retzlaff.
Many More Thank You's are in order! A special thank you from me to our leaders for all their work to help us navigate these uncharted waters. A special thank you to Dave Schley for his weekly help to set up communion and to be at hand for anything else I or anyone else might need. A special thank you to Dave Heup, Ann Hintz, Becky Hintz, Heather & Jeff Hayes for all their work behind the scenes to make our online worship experience better and better each week. God has really been blessing us through their work! Another thank you to Jeff Hayes for his craftsmanship in building new bookshelves and cabinets for the basement and his current work on our visual/sound booth for the back of church. A special thank you to Tom Ganster and the trustees for staying on top of needed maintenance at church and at the parsonage. A special thank you to our angels who have been delivering packets to our internet-less members so that they stay connected to our church family and to their Savior. And finally, a special thank you to all of you for your partnership in the gospel! All of you encourage me as you remain committed to hearing the Word of your God, encouraging one another, and serving your neighbors in whatever way you can.
God bless and keep you all in Christ Jesus.