Dear Church Family,
As of today we are halfway through the year 2020. It has been one for the history books. Six months ago as the new year came in I thought I might use the 20/20 vision metric as a way to encourage our church to seek deeper spiritual insight. I am not sure why I did not use such a clever motto for the year, but I held back. Now I wish I had gone public with my creativity as I truly believe God has, is and will use the events of this calendar year to grow His people in grace and knowledge.
We have experienced many new things. Watching the daily reports (however you get your news) that focus on death totals, tests performed, positive tests and hospitalizations still shock us, though sadly we seem to be getting used to that sad news. Wearing a mask continues to make us uncomfortable in many ways. First, it is an admission that a virus lurks somewhere that could be deadly. Second, physically masks make us hot and at time we may struggle to breathe with one on. Third, being near other masked people becomes awkward as we often cannot hear them clearly when they speak and we are unable to read their facial expressions which make up a large part of how we communicate. Do you feel claustrophobic when wearing a mask like I do?
We have new words and phrases such as shelter in place, Covid-19, social distance, ‘Do you have a mask?” and Dr. Fauci. We have worried about having enough toilet paper, stayed away from scheduled medical appointments, wondered what the stock market will do, and yearned to watch a baseball game. We saw the senseless killing of a black man by a policeman that led to (sometimes violent) protests around our county. The fallout (good and bad) continues from that incident. Life seems totally different than it was just months ago. We have even faced the threat of a Sahara Desert dust cloud.
Here is a short, but incomplete, list of other new things that have been tough for me to handle during the pandemic: Taking my lovely wife out to eat while trying to be content with the occasional take-out; not seeing my grandchildren in person for almost six months; feeling helpless to fix the problem; and most of all, not being with my church family and being able to minister face-to-face as I would prefer.
Now that I have all that off my chest (look at all that as a lament), I go back to the first paragraph to ask how God is using the pandemic to grow us in grace and knowledge. Here are some wonderful truths that we should know better now than we did four months ago. God’s character should drive us to deeper worship. He indeed rules over all things. He is good and holy in all He does. God is ever with us. He will not leave us, nor will He forsake us. The Bible is clear on all of these facts.
His grace remains sufficient for us each day. He kindly has provided for our daily bread. Psalm 119:76 gives encouraging words, “May Your unfailing love be my comfort according to Your promise to your servant.” In the midst of uncertainty God fills us with faith, hope and even joy.
I trust God will grant us 20/20 vision to see over time His love, mercy and goodness during the unforgettable first half of this year. We can look with confidence ahead to see how He will be glorified over the next six months.
With great hope in His grace,
Pastor Gillikin